Opening hours Vatican: St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Peter’s Square & Vatican Museums

on 7. September 2021   /   2   /  

The opening hours of the Vatican in Rome can not be quickly explained in one sentence, as the Vatican in Rome is composed of St. Peter’s Square, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Gardens. Each of these Rome attractions has its own opening hours, which I will introduce to you in this post!

Opening Hours Vatican Rome: These are the opening hours in the Vatican in Rome!

If you want to pay a visit to the eternal city of Rome, you should inform yourself in advance about the opening times of the various Roman monuments. So you can plan your sightseeing activities well and organize and structure your stay in Rome. It is also important to see if attractions and museums in Rome may take a rest day once a week or are closed on public holidays and certain festivals.

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1. Opening hours St. Peter’s Square in Rome: When can I visit St. Peter’s Square in Rome?

St. Peter’s Square in Rome is not subject to any specific opening hours, it is always freely accessible, except, of course, for days when Masses take place in St. Peter’s Square.

View over the St. Peter's Square from dome of Basilica


2. Opening hours St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome: When can I visit St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome?

St. Peter’s Basilica, however, has fixed opening hours. St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is open from 7am to 7pm from April to September. From October to March, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is open to the public from 7am to 6pm. On Wednesdays, St. Peter’s Basilica can usually be closed for pope audiences in the morning. Then sightseeing is only possible from about 1pm. On January 1st and 6th, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is closed.

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The waiting times are often quite long at St. Peter’s Basilica, as there are security checks at the entrance to the basilica and the crowd is always very large. Since long wait in the blazing sun is not very nice, you should plan enough drinking and sun protection like base caps or hats. Important: Also pay attention to your clothes, because access to St. Peter’s Basilica is only granted in correct clothing. Knees and shoulders must be covered, this is very important!

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3. Opening hours Dome St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome: When can I visit the dome of St. Peter’s in Rome?

If you want to enjoy a beautiful view of Rome, you can climb up into the dome of the famous St. Peter’s Basilica. More information can be found in my article: The best viewpoints in Rome. The opening hours of the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica are as follows: St. Peter’s Dome is open from 8am to 6pm every day from April to September, and from 8am to 5pm from October to March.

St. Peter's Dome above


4. Opening hours Vatican Museums in Rome: When the Vatican Museums in Rome are open

The Vatican Museums are very popular with visitors to Rome. In my article about the entrance fees and opening hours of the Vatican Museums, you can read when the beautiful museums of the Vatican are currently open. There you can also find out when the Vatican Museums are closed and when there are special opening hours for access to the Vatican Museums. The overview also includes information on holidays when the Vatican Museums in Rome are normally closed. These are especially important so you do not stand in front of locked doors.

Visit Vatican Museums Rome

The overview of the opening hours of the Vatican Museums is important, as the rush there is always very high.


5. Opening hours Vatican Gardens in Rome: When are the Vatican gardens open?

The opening hours of the Vatican gardens in Rome are very different, they are open only on certain days and at certain times. The entrance is limited and they are not open to visitors on all days of the week. On Wednesdays and public holidays, the Vatican Gardens of Rome are often closed, as in Holy Week. More information on their opening hours can be found in the text to the Vatican Museums, which I linked in the previous section.

Vatican Gardens

If you would like further information on the admission prices of St. Peter’s Cathedral, St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Gardens in Rome, you can read about it in my article “Vatican in Rome: Entrance Fees Vatican“. Have fun reading and informing!

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2 Reader Comments

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  1. kandaswami gounder says:

    aptil 7 afternoon to april 9 evening

  2. kandaswami gounder says:

    coming on april 7 afternoon and plan to visit vatican(all activities), colosseum and pisa /florence

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