How to Secure Your Vatican Museum Tours at the Last Minute

Paris is home to many notable landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré-Coeur Basilica, and the Arc de Triomphe. But one place that can be found on any thorough Paris itinerary is the majestic Palace of Versailles, which is not even in the city. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is huge and has enough royal glamour to keep you busy for an entire day. You must plan your vacation in advance because the palace is quite well-liked by tourists. This involves being knowledgeable about your options for getting Palace of Versailles tickets before your trip.

A ticket for your Vatican Museum tour included access to the Sistine Chapel as well. The Sistine Chapel, which includes Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam painted on the ceiling, is accessible with a ticket for the Vatican Museums. But admission tickets to the Vatican Museum may also include audio tours, breakfast, lunch, and happy hour. The cost of the tickets for these alternatives changes frequently. There are no tickets available just for the Sistine Chapel. The only way to enter the chapel is through the museum.

However, if you have forgotten to purchase your ticket for your Versailles Palace tour, read this article to learn everything about the tickets including how to purchase last-minute tickets for the Vatican Museums from locations other than the website. Here goes:

When the last-minute tickets for the Vatican Museums are sold out on the official website, how to purchase them?

Tickets frequently sell out very quickly, as you have already seen on the Vatican Museums’ official website, and it is very difficult to get a ticket at the last minute. Tickets must be purchased in advance, typically one to four months in advance depending on the season.

The good news is that there are other different websites where you can reserve entrance tickets for the Vatican Museums; some of them could still have some available for the date you want.

How much do admissions to the Vatican Museums cost?

Tickets to the Vatican Museums cost 17 Euros. Add 4 euros more (a total of 21 euros) if you want to purchase your ticket online so you may skip the line.

Make advance reservations

With millions of visitors each year, the Vatican is one of Rome’s most well-known tourist destinations. Additionally well-known are the long wait times at the entry. If you don’t purchase your ticket in advance, you should plan on waiting in line for up to 2 hours, or even longer during peak times.

You can skip the wait and head straight to the security check if you purchase your ticket in advance. Although there is a small booking cost, wouldn’t you rather spend more time exploring the museums than standing on a hotline?

Methods for buying tickets

Tickets can be ordered online or in person. All in-person purchases of tickets are less expensive than internet purchases. However, choosing this alternative means waiting in line and running the chance of being turned away from the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel.

Getting past the line

Tickets must be ordered in advance to skip the line. Booking for this option must be done online. On the official website of the Vatican Museum, tickets can be purchased directly. Tickets occasionally run out on the official Vatican Museum website. Consider visiting the Museum to purchase the tickets if that happens.

Additionally, discounted tickets are offered for every event, but only to certain demographics. Students up to the age of 25 and children between the ages of 6 and 18 are eligible for reduced admission pricing. To be eligible for this discount, students must, however, show a valid student ID on the day of the visit. 

Priests, seminarians, novices, and religious people are entitled to entry at a discounted rate, but they are required to provide correct identification. After supplying proper identification, retired or working personnel of the Holy See and/or the Vatican City State are entitled to discounted admission.

Similar to discounted tickets, only specific individuals are permitted free entry to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. All children under the age of six are admitted free of charge and without reservations. Museum directors are permitted free admission, although they must make a reservation and purchase a ticket. Only selected scholars and journalists are permitted free access. Some guests with disabilities and those who are with them may enter for free. 

So, if you are considering taking the Vatican Museum tour, make sure to get the tickets well in advance so that you don’t have to stand in long queues. Also, if you forget to buy the tickets, or you just miss them, go through this article and make sure that you don’t miss out on anything that this magnificent Palace has to offer. Safe travels!