Before you head out to visit the Vatican Museums, here's everything you need to know about Vatican City entrances. There are several many entrances and chances are google can confuse you if you don't feed exactly what you need. That's why our guide is here to make it easier for you to enter the Vatican.
How many entrances does the Vatican Museum have?
The Best Vatican City Tickets TourMuseum has 2 entrances – Via Della Conciliazione and Via Vaticano. If you are starting your visit to the Vatican from St. Peter's Basilica, we recommend using the Via Della Conciliazione entrance. However, if you are starting out with the Vatican Museums, head to the second entrance on Via Vaticano
Which entrance to the Vatican Museum should I choose?
Great question. Once you reach the entrance on Via Vaticano, chances are you will see three lines of thronging tourists waiting to enter the Vatican Museum.
Queue 1 - for on-site ticket buyers (slowest queue)
Average waiting time: 1.5 - 2 hours (during high season)
You will notice that one of the 3 queues is really long. Probably even winding around the corner, around the wall; length approx. 1-2 km. This is the queue for those who have not bought tickets online and are waiting to buy them on the spot.
Honestly, that's a bad idea. These queues can be 2 hours long, especially during summer and high season. By the time you get to the checkout, you might be so exhausted and tired that you want to leave the line and grab a cold gelato. If you were planning to get tickets at the door, it's not too late. Get discounted online tickets to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel here.
Queue 2 – for online ticket holders
Average waiting time: 15 - 20 minutes
With online tickets, you can join the queue that starts at the yellow notice board. These lines are for online ticket holders and are much shorter and move quite quickly. For the record, Vatican Museum Skip the Line tickets do not allow you to bypass security lines. It only allows you to bypass the long ticket queues that wind along the walls.
By bus
If you're taking a bus to the Vatican Museums, your best bet is to take bus #49 Look for the Viale Vaticano stop and get off. You will see the arch of the Vatican Museum right in front of you.
Alternatively, you can use bus no. 492 or bus no. 990 and hop off at the Via Leone IV stop. This is a quick 5 minute walk from the entrance to the Vatican Museums.
By subway
The closest metro to the Vatican Museum entrance is Valle Aurelia. The museum is a 5-minute walk away.
By tram
If you are taking the tram, be aware that there is only one tram in the Vatican. Tram 19 stop at Piazza del Risorgimento and from there it's a quick 10 minute walk to the Vatican Museum entrance.