Visiting the Sistine Chapel without the crowds sounds like a dream right? Well you can do exactly that if you take an early access tour. Here’s why it is worth paying a little extra and visiting the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel before they officially open for the day
As a first time visitor to Rome, The Sistine Chapel was close to the top of my wish list of things to see. I mean you can’t visit Rome for the first time and not see it can you?
However, after hearing horror stories about what a crowded and unpleasant experience it could be I knew I had to find another way to see it.
As a London commuter I’m used to getting up close and personal with random people – yes, the Central Line I’m looking at you! But admiring one of the world’s greatest art works while shuffling through inch by inch, shoulder to shoulder with fellow travellers ? Not having the chance to enjoy or take it in. Nope, not for me.
Avoiding the crowds at the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
While investigating different ways of visiting the Sistine Chapel I noticed there were some early access tours. This is where you book with a tour company who are allowed to take small groups into the Vatican Museum before it opens to the public.
The tour I picked, The Roman Guy’s Early Access Vatican Gold Tour, has one of the earliest access times to the Vatican Museums. You enter at 7.30am, a full 90 minutes before the official opening time.
Being one of the first allowed in also means a short wait time. With Rome being the home of some insanely long queues to enter attractions this is another bonus of an early access tour.
All in all it was exactly what I was looking for. I booked immediately. Then I noticed the 7am meeting time. Ouch! A small price to pay for a once-in-a-lifetime experience I guess.
Not being a morning person, I had to keep reminding myself of that as I got up at the crack of dawn one sunny Tuesday morning to head over to Vatican City.
As the taxi pulled up out side the Vatican at 6.30am – early I know but there was no way I was going to miss the start of the tour – it was already beginning to get busy.
A few tours have early access privileges to the museums and they all seem to meet at the same spot. Despite looking like chaos it was actually pretty organised and we quickly found our tour guide and fellow travellers. Being a small group, up to 15 people, means it’s not quite so overwhelming. There is plenty of opportunity to talk to and ask the guide questions.
While waiting for the opening time our guide filled us in on what we would see and gave us an overview of the Sistine Chapel. Speaking is not allowed inside the chapel, so our guide used a map to explain and describe all the different frescos we were about to see. A bit like a memory test…
TIP: Unless you have a photographic memory, take your own map/plan in with you. It makes it easier to understand what you are looking at rather than try to remember all what the guide explained 20 minutes previously. Trust me.
Once the doors open and security successfully navigated it was time to start the tour.
As the tour was primarily to see The Sistine Chapel it was a flying visit through some of the highlights of the Vatican Museums.
With all the other early access tour groups doing the same it almost felt like a scene out of wacky races to see who can get to the finish line and reach the Sistine Chapel first.
Vatican Museum Highlights
Racing through you get to see a few of the rooms in the museum.
- Gallery of the Candelabra – taking it’s name from the candelabras and marble columns that divide the room into six sections, this room is home to notable statues and sculptures
- Gallery of Tapestries – one of the most famous galleries in the Vatican. Huge tapestries adorn the walls along both sides of the 250 meter long room. Look out for the “Resurrection of Christ’ tapestry. As you walk past Jesus seems to follow you with his eyes. More than a little disconcerting
- Gallery of Maps – a 120 meter long gallery of painted maps depicting what Italy was thought to look like centuries ago
Within 30 minutes or so you are at the entrance to the Sistine Chapel. A hush fell over the group, as we entered the room.
Sistine Chapel
Nothing quite prepares you for that first sight. The room is absolutely huge (much bigger than I was expecting) and painting the frescoes on the ceiling seems an impossible feat.
While the room isn’t complete empty, there was less than 100 people in there. You could comfortably walk around and take it all in. There was even space on the benches along the outside of the room where you can sit and gaze up at the ceiling.
Our guide mentioned how much nicer it was in there at this time of the morning than during the rest of the day when you just have to shuffle through almost being swept up with the weight of the crowd.
We were able to spend about 20 minutes in there. Plenty of time to take in all the detail and get a neck ache from all the looking up. It does start to get a little busier as time goes on but it never reached the point where it felt uncomfortably crowded.
Taking photos inside the chapel is forbidden (hence why no photos in this post). In the age of Instagram and social media, I guess a lot of people will be disappointed by this but it is the right thing.
As well as protecting the artwork, you also get to enjoy Michelangelo’s spectacular creation in the moment rather than looking at it through a phone or viewfinder. Which let’s be honest is what most people would do if photos were allowed. I did spot a few people trying to take a few sneaky shots. Don’t be like them.
I also spotted a few people talking. It’s not much to respect the requests of no talking or photos. You are in there for such a short time, it’s amazing and disappointing to see people think it doesn’t apply to them.
St Peter’s Basilica
Heading out of the chapel you have the choice to stay and explore more of the museum on your own. Or to continue with the tour and visit St Peter’s Basilica. There is an exit out of the Sistine Chapel that is exclusively for tour groups and allows you to skip waiting in another line. So unless you really want to see the museums it’s worth taking this option and staying with your tour guide.
We had a brief tour of the St Peter’s and then parted ways with our guide so we could climb the basilica dome before the crowds arrived.
The last word
If a visit to Rome is not a visit unless you see the Sistine Chapel then this is definitely the tour for you.
It is well worth the extra € to get in before the crowds. Being able to walk around in peace in an almost empty museum, even just for a short time, is priceless.
I think it would have been a totally different experience seeing it packed with people looking up, elbowing for position and bumping into you without realising. It would taken away the magical moment of seeing it for the first time.
However, if you are keen to see all the other treasures in the Vatican you’ll probably want to look at another tour or book a separate museum tour. This one doesn’t give you much time to explore and you can’t return there from St Peter’s Basilica.
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