Vatican Museums in Rome

Take a Vatican Museums holiday in Rome to marvel at the largest private art collection in the world, chosen by the clergy through the centuries. Book a hotel near the Vatican Museums in Rome and find some of the world’s great artistic treasures on your doorstep.

Vatican Museums in Rome - one of the highlights of 10 Iconic Buildings and Places in Rome and 12 Best Things to Do in Rome (Read all about Rome here)

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Must-see works

Trying to see everything in the Vatican Museums collections in one trip is exhausting, if not impossible. Book a Rome hotel for a return visit and stick to the highlights on your first trip. The School of Athens in the Raphael Rooms, Giotto’s Stefaneschi Triptych in the Picture Gallery and the pre-Columbian Quetzalcoatl in the Ethnological Museum are all must-sees. Eight kilometres of artistic displays culminate in the Sistine Chapel, where every year millions of heads tilt back to admire Michelangelo’s masterpiece.

Art and religion

Several guided tours at the Vatican Museums help visitors get to grips with the sometimes complex artwork. Art and Faith is a 3-hour-long artistic pilgrimage revealing the passions and struggles of both the artists and the popes who commissioned the works. The itinerary covers the Gallery of the Tapestries, Raphael Rooms, St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Be sure to bring binoculars to see Michelangelo’s famous work in more detail.

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The Vatican Museums for families

Sarcophagi and mummies at the Egyptian Museum will intrigue the little ones, as will the Carriage Pavilion, displaying a model of the Vatican’s first train engine and papal carriages used in processions. For a breath of fresh air, visit the Vatican Gardens, dotted with rare plants, statues and fountains. You can dodge some of the queues around the Vatican Museums by booking a 'skip the line' ticket online.

Location: Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome, Italy

Open: Monday–Saturday from 9am to 4pm (closed on Sunday)

Phone: +39 06 6988 4676

Price: $17 for adults, $8 for children (several other price options available)

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