Vatican Museums

Museum Rome, Latium, Italy

What to expect

The Vatican Museums are the public museums of the Vatican City, displaying works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries. The museums contain roughly 70,000 works, of which 20,000 are on display, and include several of the most well-known Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world. The Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling and altar wall decorated by Michelangelo, and the Stanze di Raffaello are on the visitor route through the Vatican Museums, considered among the most canonical and distinctive works of Western and European art. The museums also house a collection of modern religious art, with paintings and sculptures from artists such as Caravaggio and Domenichino

Plan your family visit to the Vatican Museums with these blog insights 👇

Tips for Visiting the Vatican

This family's experience:

Activities: We visited the Vatican Museums with a guided tour to avoid meltdowns and general frustration

Highlights: The kids were able to engage with the art and had ample room to walk around and look at the things that caught their eye ✨

48 hours in Rome | See All the Best of Rome in Only 2 Days

This family's experience:

Activities: We visited the museum, but were not skilled in art appreciation

Highlights: We were happy to skip the line by buying tickets online ✨

Rome with children – activities and tips for a relaxing trip to Italy with children

This family's experience:

Activities: We arrived at the Vatican early and were able to bypass the long lines by using a 'ticket without queuing'. This allowed us to enter the museum quickly and stress-free. A GetYourGuide employee greeted and accompanied us inside

Highlights: We enjoyed not having to wait in the long queues. The whole experience was smooth and stress-free, which is great when traveling with kids. We were able to get straight into the Vatican Museum ✨

Rome with children – tips and activities in Rome with children

This family's experience:

Activities: We went to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. We got our tickets from a guide without queuing and started our thorough tour on our own with the audio guides

Highlights: Even the child was not bored with the many exciting paintings, papal mobiles and statues ✨