Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina)

The Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani). To visit, purchase Vatican Museum tickets or tours and enter through the museum complex. Because the Sistine Chapel attracts millions of visitors each year, those who don’t reserve skip-the-line tickets in advance will find long lines upon arrival.

Many travelers find that the complex frescoes are best appreciated with the assistance of an official tour guide, so booking a group tour, an expert guide for a private guided tour, or even a self-guided audio tour is recommended. Tours visit the Vatican Museums first and typically pass the Raphael Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello) and Gallery of Maps on the way to the chapel. They sometimes also visit the Pinecone Courtyard and Vatican Gardens (Giardini Vaticani).

• Seeing Michelangelo's frescoes can be unforgettable even for kids if seen as part of a small-group or kid-friendly Sistine Chapel and Vatican tour.

• Because the chapel is a Catholic church with a dress code. Wear clothing that covers your shoulders and knees and maintain decorum by keeping your voice low.

• Though photography (without flash) is permitted in the Vatican Museums, no photography is allowed in the Sistine Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums complex adjacent to St. Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro) in the Vatican City (Citta del Vaticano). The Ottaviano station on Line A of the city’s underground metro system is about a five-minute walk away.

The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel are famously crowded, especially during the middle of the day.

Booking early morning and evening Sistine Chapel tours with exclusive entry or early access can help you savor the chapel in relative peace. The chapel is often quieter on Wednesday mornings, when the papal address attracts most visitors to St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) instead of the museums.

The majesty of Michelangelo’s sumptuous ceiling frescoes, which cover 5,000 square feet (460 square meters) and depict more than 300 figures illustrating the creation of the Earth and humankind, and the state of humanity, is hard to overstate. Take a few moments to focus on and appreciate the iconic scene of the “Creation of Adam” in the ceiling’s central section, one of the most famous and replicated religious paintings of all time.

Yes. The Sistine Chapel is part of Rome’s Vatican Museums and to visit it, you need to book either an admission ticket or a tour of the museums in advance. Arriving on the day of your visit and waiting in line for entry tickets is impossible.

Yes. The Sistine Chapel is one of Rome’s top attractions, so admission tickets to the Vatican Museums—which include access to the chapel—sell out fast. If you can’t get admission tickets for a self-guided visit on your chosen day, try booking a tour that includes admission instead.

You can’t enter the Sistine Chapel directly as there’s no exterior entrance—you can only reach it indirectly via the Vatican Museums’ entrance at Viale Vaticano, on the northern edge of Vatican City. After going through this entrance, follow the signposted one-way walking route through the museums’ galleries, which leads to the chapel.

Yes, visiting the Sistine Chapel is worth it—it’s one of the world’s greatest artistic and religious treasures. The chapel boasts magnificent Renaissance artworks, the finest being Michelangelo’s early 16th-century ceiling frescoes of biblical scenes. His central, iconic image, The Creation of Adam, is universally acknowledged as a masterpiece.

Measuring 131 feet (40 meters) by 46 feet (14 meters), the Sistine Chapel is roughly the size of two tennis courts placed end-to-end—so walking through doesn’t take long. As it’s usually crowded, most people find that 15-20 minutes is enough time to admire its stunning interior.

The Sistine Chapel is busiest from late morning to early afternoon, on Saturdays, public holidays, and from early spring through fall. For thinner crowds, aim for early morning or mid-afternoon or visit from November through March, except on Easter and Christmas. Alternatively, consider early-access or after-hours tours for the least amount of other visitors.