Sistine Chapel tickets at a glance
The Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums. You cannot buy a ticket for the chapel alone. Every visit, with or without a guide, means entering the museums on Viale Vaticano and following the route through the galleries until you reach the chapel near the end.
The official Vatican Museums ticket costs €20 at the desk and €25 booked online on tickets.museivaticani.va. Skip-the-line tickets and guided tours from resellers cost more, but often have free cancellation and time slots when the official site is sold out.
A short history of the Sistine Chapel
The chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built in the late 15th century. The first painters to decorate its walls included Perugino, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Signorelli, with scenes from the lives of Moses and Christ.
In 1508 Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling. He finished it in October 1512, and the chapel was inaugurated with a Mass on 1 November. More than two decades later he returned to paint the Last Judgment on the altar wall, working from 1536 to the autumn of 1541. A complete restoration between 1979 and 1999 brought back the bright original colours.
The Sistine Chapel is still a working chapel. It is where the cardinals meet in conclave to elect a new pope, and it closes to visitors before and during a conclave.
What to look for
The chapel is busy and you will not stay long. Know where to look before you walk in.
The Creation of Adam
In the middle of the ceiling, among nine scenes from Genesis that run from the Creation to the story of Noah. The almost-touching fingers are hard to miss.
Prophets and Sibyls
Twelve monumental figures sit on painted thrones along the edges of the ceiling. The Delphic Sibyl and the prophet Jeremiah are among the most famous.
The Last Judgment
The whole altar wall, with Christ at the centre surrounded by saints, the saved rising on the left and the damned falling on the right.
The wall frescoes
Most visitors forget to look down. Perugino's Delivery of the Keys to St. Peter on the north wall is a masterpiece on its own.
Our picks: Sistine Chapel tickets and tours
The Sistine Chapel is always part of a Vatican Museums visit. These three cover the main ways in.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in euros (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and basilica tour
Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica with a guide in about three hours.
Check availability →
Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's guided tour
A guide explains the ceiling and the Last Judgment before you go in, since talking is not allowed inside the chapel.
Check availability →Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums priority ticket
Timed entry to the museums and the chapel, no guide. Pricier than the official €25 booking, useful when that is sold out.
Check availability →Sistine Chapel tickets and tours
Skip-the-line entry, early-entry tours and guided tours of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, with live prices and availability.
Ticket, skip-the-line or guided tour?
- Official ticket: the cheapest way in, but you are on your own and good time slots sell out early. Bring a book or app if you want to understand what you see.
- Guided tour: guides are not allowed to explain anything inside the chapel, so they brief you beforehand, usually with boards in a courtyard. That makes the few minutes inside far more rewarding.
- Early entry: tours that enter before the museums open to the public reach the Sistine Chapel when it is at its emptiest. If the chapel is your priority, this is the format to choose.
Many guided tours end with a passage from the Sistine Chapel straight into St. Peter's Basilica. It is often reserved for groups and can be closed, so check the tour description. More options in our Vatican tours comparison and our Vatican Museums tickets guide.
Rules and tips inside the chapel
Guards enforce these rules constantly, and the room is never quiet for long.
No photos, no videos
Photography and filming are not allowed in the Sistine Chapel, with or without flash. Keep your phone in your pocket.
Silence
It is a consecrated chapel. Talking is discouraged, and guards regularly call for silence.
Best times
The first entry slots and the last two hours before closing are the calmest. Late morning is the most crowded.
Opening hours →Dress code
Shoulders and knees covered, no hats. Checked at the museum entrance, so dress for it in the morning.
Vatican dress code →Sistine Chapel tickets: frequently asked questions
Can you buy a ticket for the Sistine Chapel only?
No. The Sistine Chapel is only accessible through the Vatican Museums, so you need a Vatican Museums ticket or a tour that includes it.
How much is a Sistine Chapel ticket?
The Vatican Museums ticket, which includes the chapel, costs €20 at the desk and €25 booked online on the official site. Tours and reseller tickets cost more.
How long does it take to reach the Sistine Chapel?
The chapel is near the end of the one-way museum route. Walking straight there takes well under an hour, but most visitors stop in the galleries and arrive after two hours or more.
Can I take pictures in the Sistine Chapel?
No. Photography and video are prohibited inside the chapel.
Is the Sistine Chapel ever closed?
It follows the Vatican Museums' schedule: closed on Sundays except the last Sunday of the month and on several holidays. It also closes before and during a papal conclave.