Image: Corey Buckley

17 things to know before visiting Vatican Museum

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Sistine Chapel, Saint Peter's Square, and Saint Peter's Basilica are next to Vatican Museum. Tourists visit them on the same day or over two days.

Image: Michele Francioso

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The Vatican Museum ticket gets you access to Sistine Chapel as well. Saint Peter's Square and Saint Peter's Basilica don't need tickets. 

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Ticket counter lines at the Museum's entrance stretch for up to 500 meters (0.3 Mile) in the Ottaviano metro station's direction. Getting down at Ottaviano helps.

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The Museum's entrance is an arched doorway with sculptured figures on top and MUSEI VATICANI written just below.

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There are three queues - first for visitors with no tickets, second for visitors who already bought online tickets and the third for visitors who booked guided tours.

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Tourists with online tickets have the shortest waiting time. Many visitors buy Vatican Museum tickets online once they see the long lines at the ticket counter.

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Online tickets get emailed to you, and you can scan them and enter. No print outs needed. They help save up to two hours of waiting. 

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Vatican Museum tickets are timed. On the day of your visit, you get 30 minutes of grace on either side of the time mentioned on the ticket.

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If you have already bought your tickets online, the best time to visit Vatican Museums is as soon as they open at 9 am.

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Since the Vatican Museum is closed on Sundays, Saturdays get very crowded.  Avoid weekends.

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On the last Sunday of the month, Vatican Museums allow free entry. Unless you are on a budget holiday, avoid. 

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Exploring Vatican Museums involves a lot of walking. It is laid out over a walking distance of 7.5 Kms (4.7 Miles). Comfortable walking shoes are highly recommended.

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Since there is so much to see, visitors worried that they might miss some of the masterpieces at the Museum book guided tours.

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Image: Cristina Gottardi

Sistine Chapel is at the end of the Vatican Museums, and you must enter the Museum to visit the Chapel.

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If you visit all four attractions in the Vatican, you will need four to five hours. 

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From Apr to Oct, every Friday, the Vatican Museums are open from 7 pm to 11 pm. Some visitors prefer the night tour.

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At the Vatican, guards enforce strict dress code. Avoid sleeveless tops, lowcut tops exposing the midriff, miniskirts, shorts above the knee, hats, etc.

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