Decoding Time: Your Ultimate Guide to Vatican Museum Hours and much more!

The opening hours of Vatican Museums are 9 am to 6 pm from Monday to Saturday.

The last entry to the Vatican shuts at 4 pm.

We’ve mentioned a table below to help you understand Vatican Museum opening hours much better.

Days	Opening Hours	Closing Hour
Monday	9 am	6 pm
Tuesday	9 am	6 pm
Wednesday	9 am	6 pm
Thursday	9 am	6 pm
Friday	9 am	6 pm
Saturday	9 am	6 pm
Sunday (Except last Sunday of each month)	CLOSED	CLOSED
Last Sunday of every month	9 am	2 pm

Exceptions in Vatican Museum Hours

Though the Vatican follows strict operating hours, there are some exceptions related to the opening and closing times of Vatican museums based on the different days and months of the year.

Mentioned below are the exceptions related to the Vatican Museum hours:

• From 14th April to 28th October 2023, on every Friday and Saturday, the museum will open as usual at 9 am, but the closing hour of Vatican museum will get extended to 10.30 pm.

The last admission time for Vatican on these days will be 8.30 pm.

• Vatican Museum remains closed on Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month.

The opening hours of Vatican Museum on the last Sundays of every month are 9 am to 2 pm, with the last entry at 12.30 pm.

• Apart from the Sundays of the week, The Vatican museums remain closed on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June), Christmas Day, and The Feast of Saint Stephen (26 December).

Vatican Museum Closing time in 2023

Apart from Sundays and some special occasional holidays, the Vatican museum will remain closed on specific dates in 2023. 

For a smooth Vatican tour in 2023, it’s good for every visitor to know these closure dates. 

• Sundays (Except the last Sunday of every month)
• 1 January, 2023 and 6 January, 2023
• 11 February, 2023
• 10 April, 2023
• 1 May, 2023
• 29 June, 2023
• 15 & 16 August, 2023
• 1 November
• 8, 25, 26 & 31 December, 2023

Sistine Chapel Opening Hours

The Sistine Chapel’s hours are the same as the Vatican museum’s hours.

• Monday to Saturday: 9 am – 6 pm
• Sunday: Closed (Except last Sunday of every month)

Last Sunday of the month: 10 am – 2 pm

To make sure you make it to the museum at the right time, we suggest you learn about the best ways to reach the Vatican Museum. 
Knowing this in advance will help save you time and avoid any inconvenience.

St. Peter Basilica Opening Hours

St. Peter Basilica opens every day throughout the year. 

However, the opening hours of Basilica vary based on the season.

• During Winter:
  • 1 October – 31 March: 7 pm to 6.30 pm

• During Summer:
  • 1 April – 30 September: 7 am to 7 pm

Best time to visit Vatican

The historical and architectural beauty of the Vatican City and the Vatican Museums remain preserved and unmatched throughout the year.

No matter the time of visit, this sacred ground’s precious heritage is genuinely remarkable and worth a visit.

So, the best time to visit the Vatican Museum can be categorized based on different factors.

Best month to visit the Vatican museum

The best time to visit the Vatican is during the low season, starting from November to the end of February, followed by the shoulder month of March.

During the low season, the place tends to receive less crowd. 

Planning a visit between November and March will help you have a more refined experience of the Vatican tour.

You will be able to appreciate the beauty of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica at your own good pace and in a less crowded environment. 

From April, the peak season begins. The city tends to get crowded. So if you want to avoid crowds, skip the peak season.

Though the months between November to March are the low tourist season for the Vatican, Christmas and New Year week are exceptions. 

The Vatican welcomes a lot of visitors during Christmas and New Year.

Best day to visit Vatican Museum

The best day to visit the Vatican depends on the priorities of a particular visitor.

If you wish to visit the Vatican for the Pope’s audience, plan your trip on Wednesday.

Papal Audiences are held every Wednesday, with the presence of the holy Pope at St. Peter Square, which can fit around 10,000 pilgrims. 

If you plan to be a part of the papal audience and have the holy chance of praying with the pope, then Wednesday is the best day to visit the Vatican. 

However, Wednesdays are pretty crowded as most of the visitors wish to attend the audience with the pope.

Conclusion

The Vatican attracts a lot of crowds during its peak season, between April to October.

While the period between November to February is the low visiting season for the Vatican museum. 

However, Days like Christmas eve, Christmas day, and New year’s are exceptions during the high season and receive a huge crowd.

So if you wish to enjoy your tour around the Vatican Museum in a less crowded environment, plan your trip between November to February.

It is best to avoid Mondays, Saturdays, and public holidays as these are the most crowded days at the Vatican Museum. 

Morning hours are usually crowded at the Vatican Museum as most visitors come in early to beat the crowds, but that eventually works against them.

So, the best time to visit the Vatican museum is in the afternoon, when most of the crowd leaves. 

If you haven’t booked your Vatican Museum Tickets online, you might spend more than 45 minutes standing in long queues at the ticket counter.

This waiting can extend to 60 or 90 minutes during peak season. We recommend you plan your tour in advance and book the Vatican museum tickets online.

How long does the Vatican take?

Where do you buy your tickets? 

If you purchase the tickets in advance, you don’t have to wait in long lines at the ticket counter. It will save you two hours of waiting time outside of the museum.

What do you want to see once you get inside the Vatican? 

 Vatican City has four other major attractions: the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square. 

Here’s a rough breakdown of how long the Vatican Museum takes to explore the places-

Attraction	Time it takes
Vatican Museums	2 hours
Sistine Chapel	30 minutes
St. Peter’s Square	30 minutes
St. Peter Basilica	1 hour

How much time you will need to admire the beauty of these four attractions depends on the ticket you have chosen. 

If you select a Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel ticket, you will have skip-the-line access to the mentioned attractions. 

However, you can also save time with a guided tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. 

These guided Vatican tour tickets allow you to have a thorough tour of the Vatican led by an expert guide.

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