The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel entrance ticket gets you past the general ticket-office line through a dedicated entrance, then leaves you free to explore at your own pace. There is no guide and no fixed group to keep up with, which suits travelers who already know a bit about the collection or prefer to read the museum's own signage as they go.

Inside, the route takes you through the Greek Cross Gallery and its carved sarcophagi, the quirky Cabinet of the Masks and the Sala degli Animali, then up into the Gallery of Maps, where Renaissance cartographers charted all of Italy across the walls. From there you can rest in the Raphael Rooms and the Borgia Apartments before reaching the Sistine Chapel.

Keep in mind that St. Peter's Basilica is not included. Entry is free if you walk over on your own, but access is not guaranteed and can be limited during busy periods. If seeing the Basilica matters to you, our guided tour of all three sites books Basilica access in advance instead of leaving it to chance.

For more on what you will see inside, the Vatican Museums' collection spans classical antiquity through the Renaissance. Our Vatican Museums tickets guide compares every ticket option side by side if you are still deciding.