MUSEUM · Timed ticket
Vatican Museums
Timed-entry museum complex ending at the Sistine Chapel — ticket required.
Vatican → Rome → Italy → Europe
Your one-map Vatican day
One map, from the metro to the exit. Follow the numbered route through the Museums, Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica, the Dome and Castel Sant'Angelo — with what's open, what's ticketed and how to get there.
Start here — the whole day on one map
Your Vatican day, step by step
From the metro to the exit. The map draws the real walking route; select a numbered pin or a stop card and the two stay in sync.
Real pedestrian route · 2.8 km · ~38 min walking, via FOSSGIS OSRM (routed-foot, OpenStreetMap data). The Sistine Chapel (stop 3) is indoors and not part of the street route; stops 5–6 (Basilica and Dome) sit on the same block, so use the numbered cards to select them precisely. If the map doesn't load, the numbered itinerary has every step.
Open walking directions in Google Maps →-
Ottaviano Metro (Line A)
Step off Line A at Ottaviano and follow Via Ottaviano / Via di Porta Angelica toward the Vatican. Exit onto Piazza Risorgimento.
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Vatican Museums entrance
Official timed-entry entrance on Viale Vaticano (the queue runs along the wall). Arrive ~15 min before your slot: the slot is your entry window, and late entry is refused.
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Sistine Chapel (inside, end of route)
The one-way Museums route ends at the Sistine Chapel. Indoors — not part of the street route. No photos, no talking inside. You cannot visit the chapel separately from the Museums ticket.
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St Peter's Square
After the Museums you exit to Viale Vaticano and walk around the Vatican walls to the Square (there is no public shortcut from the chapel straight into the Basilica). Queue for Basilica security here.
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St Peter's Basilica
Free to enter (security queue; dress code enforced — knees and shoulders covered). See the Pietà, the Baldacchino and the dome mosaics.
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St Peter's Dome (cupola)
Separate timed ticket for the climb: lift most of the way, then ~320 steps to the terrace. Not step-free.
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Castel Sant'Angelo (optional)
Onward walk along the Tiber to Hadrian's fortress-museum and rooftop. A separate state museum with its own ticket (open Tue–Sun; closed Mondays).
Walking times are approximate. There is no general-public shortcut from the Sistine Chapel into St Peter's Basilica — the route returns you to the Museums exit, then around the walls to the Square. Confirm hours and entry rules on each site's page before you travel.
Four sites, one decision tree
The Vatican clearly explained
For each site: when it opens, when it's closed, whether you need a ticket and what you can still do for free on the spot.
BASILICA · Free nave
St Peter's Basilica
Free nave of the world's largest church; the dome and scavi require tickets.
DOME · Timed ticket
St Peter's Dome
Climb Michelangelo's cupola — separate timed ticket required.
GARDEN · See official page
Vatican Gardens
Pope's private gardens. Book the visit through the official Vatican Museums portal.
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