The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel

The Vatican Museums are overwhelming in the best and worst senses: miles of corridors, centuries of treasure, and at the end of it, Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. The crowds are intense and the queue without a ticket can eat half your day, so a skip-the-line or early-access tour is one of the few "splurges" that genuinely pays for itself here. Go for opening time or late afternoon. We'll help you decide between a self-guided skip-the-line entry and a proper guided tour.