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Vatican Museums and St Peter's: practical tips for your visit

Working out how to visit the Vatican is the part of a Rome trip where things most often go wrong: endless queues, tickets bought from the wrong seller, the wrong clothes, the wrong day. Our guests set off from our B&B in north Rome and tell us how it went over breakfast, so the Vatican Museums tips below come from real visits, not from a brochure. One thing first: opening hours, prices and rules change often, so always check times and tickets on the official website before you go.

Book your Vatican Museums tickets online

If you remember only one tip, make it this one: buy your Vatican Museums ticket online, on the official website, and choose a timed entry slot. A timed ticket lets you bypass the ticket-office queue, which in busy periods can stretch all the way along the walls of Viale Vaticano. Book a few weeks ahead, especially in spring, around public holidays and at Christmas, because the most convenient slots sell out quickly. Be wary of people outside the entrance offering "skip the line" tickets on the spot; if you would rather take a guided tour, go with an authorised operator.

Entry to St Peter's Basilica, on the other hand, is free: there are no tickets, but everyone goes through a security check in the square, and that queue can be long too. You only pay to climb the Dome and for special visits.

Opening days, days to avoid and the best time to go in

The Vatican Museums are normally closed on Sundays, except for the last Sunday of the month, when entry is free but the crowd is enormous: unless you enjoy queuing, give it a miss. They also close on a number of religious holidays that don't match Italian public holidays, so check the calendar before you fix a date. On Wednesday mornings, when the Pope is in Rome, the general audience takes place in St Peter's Square: the square is packed and the Basilica may open later. Great if you want to attend, a day to avoid if you want the Basilica in peace.

As for the time of day, the two strategies that work are entering the Museums in the first slot of the morning or in the early afternoon, when the morning groups are on their way out. Off season, from November to February, it is noticeably quieter.

Dress code: what to wear to the Vatican

The dress code is enforced both in the Museums and in the Basilica: shoulders and knees covered, no vest tops, short skirts or very short shorts, and hats come off inside the church. The easiest way to avoid trouble, especially in summer, is to carry a scarf or a light shirt in your bag and put it on before the checkpoint. Large backpacks, long umbrellas and tripods must be left in the cloakroom, so travel light. And wear comfortable shoes: between the Museums, the Basilica and the walk around the walls you cover a lot of ground, almost all of it on marble or cobblestones.

The Sistine Chapel and what not to miss inside the Museums

The Sistine Chapel is the finale of the museum route and comes after a long sequence of rooms. Inside, two rules apply strictly: silence, and no photographs. Go in prepared: Michelangelo's ceiling with the Creation of Adam and the Last Judgement on the altar wall mean far more when you know what you are looking at. Allow at least fifteen minutes and look for a bench along the walls.

On the way, don't miss the Raphael Rooms with the School of Athens, the Gallery of Maps, the Pigna Courtyard, the Laocoön in the Octagonal Court and the famous spiral staircase you descend on the way out. If you love painting, the Pinacoteca is often quieter and holds works by Giotto, Leonardo, Raphael and Caravaggio. The Museums are vast: pick the sections that really interest you instead of trying to see everything.

St Peter's Basilica and climbing the Dome

Inside St Peter's Basilica the essentials are Michelangelo's Pietà, just to the right of the entrance, Bernini's Baldachin over the papal altar and the bronze statue of St Peter, its foot worn smooth by centuries of pilgrims' hands. The climb to the Dome is ticketed and rewards you with the finest view of the square and of Rome: you can walk all the way up or take the lift to the roof terrace, but the final stretch is still several hundred narrow, sloping steps. It is not for anyone with claustrophobia or limited mobility. Early morning or late afternoon are the best times to go up.

How to get to the Vatican from north Rome

From our B&B, in the La Storta area on Via Cassia, the easiest way to visit the Vatican is the FL3 regional train: board at La Storta station and get off at Roma San Pietro, with no changes. From the station it is about a ten-minute downhill walk to the Basilica, while the Museums entrance on Viale Vaticano is a further quarter of an hour or so along the walls. Alternatively, get off at Valle Aurelia, switch to Metro line A and ride to Ottaviano, the closest stop to the Museums: this is the best option if you have a precise entry time booked. Leave the car in the B&B's free car park: traffic around the Vatican is heavy and parking is hard to find and expensive. For more options, see our guide on how to reach Rome city centre.

How much time you need and common mistakes to avoid

Allow at least three hours for the Museums and the Sistine Chapel; add the Basilica and the Dome and you easily fill a whole day, breaks included. Bear in mind that individual visitors normally leave the Museums after the Sistine Chapel and walk back around the walls to reach the Basilica, so factor that in. Here are the mistakes we see most often and the practical tips to avoid them:

• Not booking the Vatican Museums online and turning up at the ticket office on a busy day.
• Picking a Sunday or a Wednesday morning without checking closures and the papal audience.
• Arriving with bare shoulders or knees: always keep a scarf in your bag.
• Going in on an empty stomach: have a proper breakfast and bring a bottle of water.
• Buying souvenirs and coffee right next to the walls: prices drop a few minutes' walk away.
• Queuing for the Basilica in the early afternoon, when groups leaving the Museums pour into the square.
• Taking photos or talking loudly in the Sistine Chapel: staff will step in and the magic is gone.
• Leaving no margin for the unexpected: security checks can take longer than you think.

Why stay at B&B Beni Benius Roma

The Vatican is wonderful, but after hours of crowds, marble and packed galleries you will genuinely want some quiet. B&B Beni Benius Roma sits in north Rome, in a calm residential area with a large garden where you can sit under the pines in the evening, a few minutes from La Storta FL3 station, which takes you to Roma San Pietro with no changes. Parking is free, breakfast is included and sets you up for the long museum corridors. Our rooms start at 65€ per night; for a family or a group of friends the Love Room sleeps up to four, and the whole apartment sleeps up to eight. If you want advice on train times or on fitting the Museums and the Basilica into the same day, just ask us.