Vatican Museums

Vatican Museums' top 2 rooms
1. Sistine Chapel
Click here for my web page on it.

2. Raphael Rooms
They comprise four marvelous fresco-filled rooms by Raphael and his assistants.

Other attractions
Some of the hundreds of celebrated art works not in the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms include • Caravaggio's Deposition • Fra Angelico's 16th century frescoes • Giotto's Stefaneschi Triptych • Leonardo da Vinci's St. Jerome.

More Vatican Museum tips and insights
Visiting
You can visit the Vatican Museums along with the Sistine Chapel during the day on your own or as part of a tour.

Unfortunately, this museum complex attracts 4 million visitors per year. This creates long admission lines. And, once inside, the galleries and Sistine Chapel can be terribly crowded with tourists.

It's wise to purchase your tickets online ahead of time. And book the period that allows you to be one of the first to enter in the morning. Crowds should be somewhat thinner then.

Vatican Museums after hours tour
For the best way to avoid the crowds, book a special evening tour that limits the visitor count to a precious few.

Several companies conduct tiny-group-sized after hours Vatican Museum tours that start soon after all daytime visitors are ushered out the door.

My research indicated that the Italy With Us tour scored high in both press and social media reviews, so I chose its tour. Glad I did.

There were only 9 people in my tour group, though the number varies by demand. Here's a summary of what I experienced.

Highlight
We had the rare opportunity to spend nearly a half hour in a virtually empty Sistine Chapel. When our after-hours group entered, it was empty.

Other highlights
Our private time in the most celebrated Raphael Room was mesmerizing. Our small group was there alone.

We also enjoyed viewing more than a dozen other select rooms featuring masterpieces by famous painters and sculptors, including Botticelli, Caravaggio and Giotto. With so few people around, it was almost like being in a sumptuous private drawing room.

Guide quality
Our guide James was knowledgeable about the art and relished sharing his insights with us.

Tour length
It lasted two hours, from 6 to 8 pm, just the right length.

Tour costs
It's pricey (several hundred US dollars per person), but the experience is priceless. If you adore classic art, don't miss this tour if you can afford it.

Don't blame your tour organization for the hefty price. A large share goes to the Vatican to cover the expense of keeping the museum complex open for the special evening tours.