Best Time to Visit the Vatican: After Hours and Without Crowds

Picture this: The doors close, the tourists vanish and you have the Vatican all to yourself. No selfie sticks. No tour groups shuffling past. Just you, in the Sistine Chapel in complete silence. Sound impossible? It’s absolutely possible. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the Vatican after hours.

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See our guide to Vatican City for more planning resources.
Check out our top Vatican tours for a memorable trip.
Read about how to visit the Vatican.

What is the Vatican?

The word Vatican is tossed around frequently, so let’s establish exactly what we mean and where you’ll be going when you visit the Vatican. Of the three possible options, the last two you are able to visit.

Vatican City

This refers to the entire Sovereign country, which is ruled by the pope. The land area that constitutes the Vatican City is approximately 100 acres and covers the entire area within the Vatican Walls. It includes the Vatican Radio tower, living quarters for the pope and other residents (around 900), the Swiss Guard, the Vatican Gardens, and the pharmacy. It also includes multiple buildings that aren’t within the walls and the pope’s summer residence, Castel Gandolfo. Most areas of the city are off-limits to tourists and guarded by the Swiss Guard.

Vatican Museums

This is a series of buildings within Vatican City. Inside the museums, you will find countless masterpieces by some of the most famous Renaissance artists the world has ever seen. Included in the Vatican Museums is the Sistine Chapel, so you’ll have to visit the Vatican Museums to see the Sistine Chapel. You can visit the museums by paying an entrance fee.

St. Peter’s Basilica

St. Peter’s Basilica is a church located within the Vatican City, first built in the fourth century over the gravesite of St. Peter. It has been and continues to be one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Christianity. The church is free to visit.

Pro Tip: Bear in mind there is a dress code when you enter St. Peter’s Basilica. Your knees and shoulders must be covered.

How Many People Visit the Vatican Museums Per Day?

According to Statista, in 2023 a whopping 6.76 million people visited the Vatican Museums. This means that on average, 21,000 people visited the museums per day! With that number in mind, you’ll have a better sense of just how many people you could be sharing your experience with.

This is why one of the best ways to see the Vatican is by taking an Exclusive Sistine Chapel After Hours Tour —to escape the crowds! As an official tour guide of Rome and the Vatican, I‘ve been present on days when the actual number topped 30,000 people in one day. Therefore, the chances of you getting into the Sistine Chapel without crowds is almost impossible…or is it?

Popular Vatican Tours

Best Selling Tour

Privileged Entrance Vatican Tour with Sistine Chapel

Without the right access, visiting the Vatican means fighting crowds, long waits, and missing the most significant rooms and works of art. Our privileged entrance tour offers more than just entry—it’s an immersive experience led by a storytelling guide who brings the Vatican to life. Skip the line and explore the Vatican Museums, including the Raphael Rooms, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica with engaging insights that make each moment memorable and meaningful.

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Exclusive Value

Exclusive Sistine Chapel After Hours Small Group Tour

The Vatican Museums are packed with crowds by day, but at night, they’re yours to explore. On this exclusive after-hours tour, step into the world’s most treasured collection after it has closed to the public. With a small group and expert guide, roam the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Maps, and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel without the chaos. This isn’t just a tour. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime privilege to experience the Vatican as few ever will!

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Skip the line at the Vatican

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Is There a Line To Get into Vatican City?

There are actually two different lines to enter the museums, and which line you end up in depends on whether you’re entering by yourself or if you’ve decided to do a guided Vatican tour. Here are the two different entrances and who goes in each one.

Individual Line

This is the entrance you‘ll use if you haven’t bought a ticket in advance. This entrance doesn’t open until 9 am, so you won’t be permitted entry at least until then.

This is the notoriously long line featured in people’s photos. In the high season, it’s possible to wait in this line for up to 3 hours to enter.

Vatican Accredited Line

Tour operators who are accredited by the Vatican Museums are allowed to purchase tickets that allow them entry from a different line in front of the museums. These skip-the-line Vatican tours fast-track visitors past the individual line to the security line, which everyone has to go through. This entrance opens at 8 am, the same time that the Vatican opens to the public.

What’s the Hype Over the Exclusive Sistine Chapel After Hours Tour?

When Michelangelo painted his masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel, he only ever imagined a small group of people seeing it, not droves of tourists.

But overcrowded Vatican tours have changed that. Until now…Experiencing the Exclusive Sistine Chapel After Hours Tour allows you to see the Sistine Chapel the way Michelangelo intended you to see it—alone, without the tourists, and in peaceful contemplation.

This isn’t some VIP line or early access gimmick. The Vatican is actually closed. And you? You’re inside. Wandering gilded halls. Running your hand along cool marble. Hearing nothing but the quiet hum of history.

Your guide doesn’t need to shout over the crowd. In fact, they’re here to tell you the things most people never get to hear.

Most visitors see the Vatican packed like a subway at rush hour. You’ll see it as it was meant to be seen. Empty. Sacred. Alive. Only a handful of people will ever experience this. And you can be one of them.

Your 2-hour tour includes:

After-hours entry to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
Expert guide providing in-depth commentary
Visit to the Raphael Rooms, Gallery of Maps, and Upper Galleries
Pio-Clementino Museum (6:30pm option only)
Time to soak in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel masterpieces

Unlike standard tours, this after-hours visit offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience the Vatican’s artistic treasures in near silence. Without the distractions of large crowds, you’ll have uninterrupted views of some of the world’s greatest masterpieces.

Whether you’re a history enthusiast, an art lover, or simply seeking a more intimate encounter with the Vatican, this small group tour ensures a truly unforgettable evening. Check out 2025 dates below:

Tuesday 22 April at 6.30 pm
Friday 16 May at 6.30 pm
Monday 23 June at 7.30 pm
Tuesday 1 July at 7.30 pm
Tuesday 8 July at 6.30 pm
Friday 26 September at 6.30 pm
Monday 29 September at 7.30 pm
Friday 3 October at 7.30 pm
Friday 10 October at 6.30 pm

Get Exclusive After Hours Access to The Vatican

Not ready to book a tour? Find out if a Vatican tour is worth it.

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Top Rated Tour

Privileged Entrance Vatican Tour with Sistine Chapel

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Likely to Sell Out

Exclusive Sistine Chapel After Hours Small Group Tour

When the Vatican Museums close to the public, you step inside, with no other groups and no crowds—just you, a handful of others, and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in perfect silence. On this rare after-hours tour, wander the Vatican’s galleries as they were meant to be seen, free from the chaos of the day. With a small group and expert guide, explore the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Maps, and the treasures of the Vatican as few ever will.

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