We know you’re well aware of the Vatican City’s entrances that lead you to St. Peter’s Square—Via Della Conciliazione, and the Vatican Museums—Viale Vaticano.
But are you aware of the many Vatican Museums’ entrances that lead you right into the attraction, all the way to the Sistine Chapel and a marble sculpture dating back to 27 BC?
Knowing which entrance to take can help you avoid long lines or congestion—more on this later, thereby enhancing your overall Vatican sightseeing experience.
Here’s everything you need to know before deciding which Vatican Museums’ entrance suits you best, both in time and money spent.
What’s ahead
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Vatican Museums’ entrances
Legend has it that St. Peter himself walked through the pathways that now connect Musea Vaticana or Musei Vaticani with the Basilica and the outer world.
He, in fact, began the papal tradition of adding, expanding, and enriching the Vatican Museum with treasures and artifacts.
There are three ways to enter the Museums:
Entrance One: Viale Vaticano

The Viale Vaticano is the fastest and most preferred way to enter the Museums.
Situated on the Northern side of the Vatican, you can easily find this entrance—a gigantic arched doorway with sculptured figures by Pietro Malendri—alongside the Vatican Walls.
If the Sun isn’t in your eyes, you’ll notice that these figures aren’t those of popes and saints from a bygone era; they are sculptures of Michelangelo and Raphael themselves!
This entrance is open to tourists with self-guided tickets (bought at the attraction) and guided tour tickets.
Related: Scoring last-minute tickets for Vatican Museums
Entrance Two: Via Della Conciliazione
If you’re one of those tourists who prefers visiting the Basilica first, you can make use of the Via Della Conciliazione to visit the museums later.
Situated on the Southern side of the Vatican, you’ll need a guided tour ticket to access the Museums from St. Peter’s Basilica.
Entrance Three: Bramante’s Courtyard

Another way of accessing the Museums is from the Vatican Gardens’ Bramante’s Courtyard.
Also known as Cortile del Belvedere’, Bramante’s Courtyard—named after the architect who designed the Gardens—connects the Gardens with the Museums and the Papal Palace.
However, to access this entrance, you’ll need to buy a combo ticket that includes a tour of the Gardens, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica.
For instance, there’s the 5-hour Private Vatican City Tour including Vatican Gardens ticket.
This skip-the-line ticket offers you access to the Gardens that’s usually closed to the public, along with the Vatican’s other major attractions.
Similarly, there’s a 3-hour Vatican Gardens & Vatican Museums Group Walking Tour that allows you to visit the Museums long after it’s closed to the public.
Related: Tips to visit the Vatican Museum at night
The Timings
The Vatican Museums, from Monday to Saturday, open at 8 am and close at 8 pm. The last hour of admission is at 6 pm, and visitors must leave the Museums 30 minutes before closing hours. The Museums remain closed on all Sundays except for the fourth Sunday of the month.
Related: Does the Rome Pass include entry to Vatican Museums
The Museum ticket queues

Once you enter the Vatican Museums’ main entrance, you’ll be greeted by three distinct lines, each serving a specific purpose.
For instance, Queue 1 caters to tourists without tickets, Queue 2 for those who have booked their tickets online, and Queue 3 for visitors who have opted for a guided tour ticket.
Queue 1
We always have your best interests at heart, and just so you know, this queue is for tourists who are yet to buy their Vatican Museums tickets.
Many visitors assume that entry to the Museums is free, just like the Basilica, and more often than not, they get a rude awakening once they arrive here—long queues moving at a snail’s pace.
On some days, this line can extend beyond 500 meters (0.3 miles), meaning you would be in the hot Sun or cold weather for more than 2 hours at a stretch!
Hence, we recommend you buy your tickets in advance and line up for Queue No 2, which is much shorter.
You can enter Vatican Museums for free
Do you know you can enter the Vatican Museums for free? On every last Sunday of the month—barring religious holidays, the Museum doesn’t collect any fee, and its doors are open to visitors from 9 am to 2 pm. The last entry is at 12:30 pm. So make sure you arrive well in advance to gain an early entry.
Queue 2
This is the queue you’ll be standing in if you bought your Vatican Museums ticket well in advance online.
A smart choice on any given day, this online Vatican Museum ticket allows you to skip a two-hour wait in the regular line.
Running parallel to Queue 1, make sure you check the yellow sign board guiding you to Queue 2, which is a lot shorter as it commences near the Museum’s entry gate.
We recommend you buy this ticket online, especially if you have kids or elders accompanying you on the tour.
Queue 3
The fastest moving line among the three, Queue 3 is exclusively for those who have booked a guided tour ticket of the Vatican.
Make sure you look out for an orange-yellow signboard with the words ‘Group entrance with online reservation’ etched on it.
Once all the group members opting for this ticket arrive at the starting point, your guide will give you some colored markers, brief you about the tour, and then take you into the Museums.
As this is an official guided tour, we suggest you be present at the entrance at least 15 minutes in advance.
Last minute tickets
You thought you could enter the museums for free, or maybe you added the attraction to your itinerary during the eleventh hour. Now, you have to stand in a queue that seems never-ending. Worry not, we’ve got you covered: There’s a last minute same-day Vatican Museums ticket for travelers like you. Buy this ticket, skip the queue, enter the Museums, and be enthralled by their artifacts and treasures.
The best way to exit the Museum
We know it’s not easy to pull yourself away from this magnificent place and all that it holds—especially with so much history, art, and religion commingled here.
But time is of the essence, and we know you need to be at other places, too.
That being said, there are two ways for you to exit the Vatican Museums.
First, we have the exit near the Sistine Chapel that allows you to conclude your visit beneath Michelangelo’s iconic frescoes.
From here, you can seamlessly transition to St. Peter’s Basilica and marvel at other architectural and religious landmarks.
The second option is to exit near the Vatican Gardens from Bramante’s Belvedere Courtyard.
It is between the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Apostolic Archive, allowing you to reflect on the beauty of art and nature intertwined within the Vatican.