Right or wrong, best or worst. They’re opinions, subjective and open to interpretation. One person’s right might be someone else’s wrong. But when it comes to talking about our two experiences visiting the Vatican Museums on different trips to Rome, we can confidently tell you that we did it horribly the first time and perfectly the second time.

So what did we do wrong and right? Well, the first time we bought the cheapest possible ticket, turned up for our pre-determined time slot and thought we’d be golden. We weren’t! The second time we knew what to do in order to have a better experience, pay for an early entry guided walking tour. It was that simple, and the difference was like night and day.

Here we are in St Peter’s Square after finishing our guided tour

Don’t worry, this isn’t some sales pitch for a tour we operate (we don’t). We’re just two travelers, like you, who prefer to make the most of our trips and enjoy the attractions we visit. Especially at places as iconic and symbolic as the Vatican.

This guide explains exactly what happened when we visited the Vatican Museums by ourselves and as part of a tour, so you can see our polar opposite experiences. Plus, we simplify the complicated ticket options so you know what to pay for. Read more about us.

Note: This article may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Doing It Ourselves (Wrong)

Okay, let’s start with our first visit to the Vatican back in July 2018:

Getting Inside

We took this photo near the front of the line of crowds to get inside

Italy was just one stop on our 18 month honeymoon around the world and we had a set budget that needed to last the whole trip. So we had to be careful about splashing the cash, and as a result we only booked a basic entry ticket to the Vatican Museums. It was €17 to book a ticket in advance with a specific time slot back then, but now it’s €20 plus a €5 booking fee per person.

We did some research and noticed that tickets always seemed to be sold out from around 9:00am-12:00pm. So we avoided the morning rush by booking our time slot at 1:00pm instead. And we thought we’d be fine. Boy, were we mistaken.

We arrived into St Peter’s Square at about 12:30pm thinking we’d just walk straight into a small line for the 1:00pm time slot. But in reality, we arrived into what looked like the main stage at a music festival. All we could see was an ocean of heads and shoulders.

It took us ages just to figure out where to go to get in line, and once we did, we joined a snaking queue like an airport security line that went on for more rows than we could count. And to make matters worst, it was a scorching hot afternoon in July. You know what that meant? Everyone in line was melting, frustrated and acting up.

Self Guided Audio Tour

We took this photo of St Peter’s Basilica ceiling because it was one of the only ways to get a photo with no crowds

By the time we finally made it inside, we were sapped of energy and pretty annoyed at how long it took. But we composed ourselves, paid for an audioguide each (they cost €8 now) and started our self guided tour of the museum.

The problem? All those people from the line outside were now inside, and it was quite frankly ridiculous trying to move around the different rooms and halls. The idiom “packed in like sardines” had never been more true.

We expected it to be a popular attraction but it was outrageous. And the audioguide was hard to follow because there were so many other people at the exact same point, which meant we couldn’t get close to the artwork it was explaining.

We thought the audioguide would be a better option, so we could go at our own pace. But it turned out to be pretty generic, and it stopped at too many things which led to us partially losing interest before long. Overall, it really wasn’t the experience we expected.

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Paying For A Guided Tour (Right)

Now, let’s look at our second visit in May 2022:

Choosing A Tour

This was one of the halls totally empty by the time we arrived early in the morning

We love visiting attractions when we travel, and we especially enjoy places with historical significance like the Vatican Museums. So we absolutely knew we’d try again the second time we visited Rome, but this time we had to do it better.

So we did a ton of research about the best way to enjoy it without the crowds, and we eventually settled on paying for a tour. Look, nobody likes to waste money but sometimes you get what you pay for, and this is one of those times.

The most basic way to do it was to book directly on the official site, choosing the option to include a guided tour (ticket and tour costs €40 per person). But we would have had to choose an available time slot, and there weren’t many left for the date we wanted to visit. Plus, the earliest was 8:00am when the museum opens to the public, and we didn’t know what the group size would be.

So instead, we scoured the web for other private guided tour options and in the end we went with this top rated tour by Take Walks called Pristine Sistine. We’d already done a few tours with them in other European cities and they were superb, so we felt comfortable paying to book with them.

Why Was The Tour Better?

Here’s Mark in his favorite hall the Gallery of Maps (with mask because it was 2022!)

Most importantly, we wanted to book a tour that got us inside the museum and Sistine Chapel before anyone else. That was paramount. The tour we booked started well before the Vatican opened to the general public. This meant we were able to see empty galleries, halls, artworks, ceilings, and other areas with nobody else there except our small group.

Getting in early changed the game completely. But even better was having a professional tour guide who does this exact tour every day. Our group only had 10 people, so every person in the tour had easy access to the tour guide with any questions. And because it was so quiet with nobody else around, we could actually concentrate and focus on what the guide was saying.

Another huge difference maker was being able to relax, knowing that the guide would take us only to the most important rooms, galleries, halls and artworks. And not only that, but also in the right order to get us there before anyone else. That included going inside the Sistine Chapel right as it opened.

Finally, our tour went through a special access passage straight from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter’s Basilica (avoiding the line outside) which was pretty cool. And of course the tour continued once we were inside the basilica. So it really was worth the money. Back in 2022 it cost us €94 each, but the tour price has gone up a bit since then, just like everything else in the world.

Ticket Options

This is one of our favorite photos we took inside the museum of the Bramante Staircase

Now you know about our experiences, let’s take a step back and look at all of the ticket options available for your visit to the Vatican Museum:

Basic adult entry – If you turn up in person without a pre-booked ticket, entry costs €20 per person. But you could end up waiting in line for hours, so we highly recommend you pay an extra €5 per person to book tickets in advance online at this official site to get a time slot. Time slots are available every 30 minutes from 8:00am-5:30pm.

Reduced price – There are reduced prices available for schools, students, pilgrimages and other exceptions. Even with a reduced price ticket, you still have to pay an extra €5 to book online if you want that timed entry.

Children – It’s important to know that kids up to and including 6 years old can go in all areas of the Vatican Museums for free. And tickets cost €8 for children aged 7-17, which makes a total of €13 once factoring in the extra €5 for booking online to get a time slot.

Sunday – The Vatican Museums are free for everyone on the last Sunday of every month. But be warned, while this sounds like a great deal, it’s only for basic entry with no tours and the lines will be even longer than usual because, well, who doesn’t love a freebie?!

Guided tour – You can book a basic entry ticket with a guided tour for your chosen language provided by the museum. Tour times vary by language. Using English as an example, there could be 3 different guided tours you can join at the 9:00am time slot for instance. The total price for entry and tour this way is €40 per person, but it doesn’t get you in early and it isn’t specialized.

Private tour – Like we did the second time, you can book any number of private tours ranging from cheap to expensive and from early in the day to late in the day. We highly recommend the tour we took (see it here), but Take Walks also does a late entry tour and regular tour during peak visiting times that’s cheaper.

Travel tip: No matter how you choose to visit the Vatican Museums, our best advice is to book your tickets as far in advance as possible to avoid time slots selling out. If basic entry tickets run out, you’ll have no choice but to pay extra for a guided tour.

Is It Worth Visiting?

This was a photo we took of Sphere Within Sphere in Pigna Courtyard on our early entry tour

Okay, let’s finish with the most important question of all, is it even worth going to the Vatican Museums? We hate to give you the classic “it depends” answer because it’s terrible, but we really do think this is one of those places that gets hyped up so much and we know it isn’t going to blow everyone away.

Personally, we love the Vatican Museums because they contain some of the most important collections and works of art in the history of mankind. We’re no art aficionados but we do appreciate masterpieces and the peak of creative excellence. But you might not be as bothered, and that’s fine.

So our answer is yes the Vatican Museums are definitely worth visiting if you also have an appreciation for skill and expertise or art and history. Otherwise, you might want to consider skipping it because you could just end up being frustrated by the overwhelming crowds. And there’s plenty more to do in Rome!

Next Steps

We hope our guide on the right and wrong way to visit the Vatican Museum helps with planning your trip to Rome, but please let us know if you have any questions in the comments box a little further below.

Still figuring out your plans?

Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Italy travel planning guide for helpful tips and advice.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.

Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.

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