Vatican Museums Announce New Hours, Ticket Price, and Entrance

From Jan. 1, 2024, the opening hours on Monday through Saturday will be extended by two hours, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The current opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the last entrance allowed one hour before closing.

For the high tourist season in spring and summer, beginning March 2024, the museums will also extend their opening hours on Fridays and Saturdays to 8 p.m.

The museums said guided tours will be limited to a maximum of 20 people and they are adding additional air conditioning throughout the exhibition rooms.

Additionally, the Vatican Museums will introduce measures to combat a challenge faced by many tourist sites in Rome: secondary ticketing, or the unauthorized resale of tickets.

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The automatic purchase of tickets, including through bots, will now be impeded with the introduction of nominative tickets and ID checks.

The price of a ticket to visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel will also increase from 17 to 20 euros (approximately $18 to $21) beginning Jan. 1, 2024.

An additional online reservation fee of 5 euros ($5) will not change.

In a press release last month, the Vatican Museums explained that the raise in ticket price was due to a “general increase in costs.”

“The new fee will make it possible to ensure the management of the museum complex and the care of the artistic, historical, and cultural heritage more effectively and in keeping with current needs,” it said.

“The ultimate goal,” it continued, “remains, as always, to offer a better service, closer to the needs of visitors, with particular regard to the faithful who wish to approach the experience that only the greatest collection of Christian artworks is able to offer.”

Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.