Vatican Opening Hours & Planning
Vatican Closed Days and Events Calendar
The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel are closed every Sunday except the last Sunday of the month, and on a fixed list of holiday dates. If you are asking what day is the Vatican closed, the rest of the week is simple: Monday to Saturday the doors open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. This page lists the closed days, the events that shut single areas and the closures still on the calendar for November and December 2026.
Which Holiday Closures Does the Vatican Have?
The Vatican Museums close on 1 and 6 January, 11 February, 19 March, 6 April, 1 May, 29 June, 14 and 15 August, 1 November, and 8, 25 and 26 December, plus every Sunday except the last one of the month. These dates come from the official Vatican Museums closure list, and the Sistine Chapel is shut on all of them because you reach it through the Museums.
Most of these dates match Vatican public holidays. The Nager.Date holiday list names them: Epiphany on 6 January, the foundation anniversary of Vatican City on 11 February, Saint Joseph's Day on 19 March, Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June, Assumption on 15 August and All Saints on 1 November. Not every Vatican holiday closes the Museums. The papal election anniversary on 13 March and the pope's name day on 23 April are holidays, yet they are not on the closure list.
Watch the April date. 6 April is Easter Monday in 2026, and Easter Monday falls on 29 March in 2027. Open the official 2026 to 2027 openings and closures calendar for your exact week.
Tickets are valid only on the day of issue and are not refundable, per the official prices and tickets page. Check the date before you pay. For the normal weekly times, see the vatican museum hours guide.
Short on time? Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Entrance Ticket, from $36See skip-the-line tickets →Which Papal Events Close Areas of the Vatican?
Papal events can change access to St. Peter's Square and the Basilica, but they do not appear on the Museums' closure list. The Museums list only their own closures, so a papal ceremony does not shut the galleries unless the official page says so.
That is why the Basilica and the Museums need separate checks. The Maps listing shows St. Peter's Basilica open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:10 p.m., including Sunday, but services and papal events can change access at short notice. If you find the Basilica or the Square closed on the day you arrive, a ceremony is the most likely reason. Confirm on the basilica's official site before you go. Our guide to St Peter's Basilica opening hours covers the daily times.
Papal liturgies, audiences and the pope's schedule are announced on the official Vatican website. We do not list audience dates, a January pope schedule or a priest calendar here, because dates we cannot source would only mislead you.
The Sistine Chapel is also the place where a new pope is chosen, according to Wikipedia. Any closure of that kind would show up on the official calendar first.
If a papal event is the reason for your trip, plan the Museums for a different day. Combining both on one morning is tiring.
Ready to see prices? Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Entrance Ticket, from $36See times →How Does the Wednesday Audience Affect a Visit?
The Wednesday audience does not close the Vatican Museums, which stay on their normal 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. hours. Our sources do not carry audience dates or times, so we cannot say how a given Wednesday will feel.
What we can say is how the two calendars interact. Audiences and liturgies are scheduled by the Vatican separately from museum hours, and they can change crowds around St. Peter's Square and the Basilica. Treat any audience day as a day to expect a busier square and possible changes at the Basilica.
A simple plan works. Book the Museums and the Sistine Chapel for the first slot of the morning, then check the Basilica's site and the official Vatican website before you walk over. If the Square is restricted, the Museums are still open, so a Wednesday audience never leaves you with nothing to see. Our guide to the best time to visit the Vatican shows how to pick a calmer day.
Travelling with family? Rome: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Basilica Tour, from $71Check family times →What Is on the Vatican Calendar This Month?
No full-day closure falls on a weekday in the rest of November 2026, but several partial closures do, and the last Sunday opening is 29 November. As of November 2026 the official page lists the closures in the table below, so check it again close to your date because it changes.
The 1 November closure has already passed. The Sistine Chapel itself appears in the table only on 4 and 18 December, when it closes from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A morning slot avoids both evenings. On other days a closure of one sector does not close the chapel unless the chapel is the sector named.
The last Sunday of the month is the one Sunday the Museums open. Entry is free from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with final entry at 12:30 p.m. That rule gives 29 November and 27 December 2026, but we worked those dates out from the rule, so confirm both on the official page. Expect a long line and a crowded chapel.
Winter dates matter for the Christmas period: 8 December is a closure day, and 25 and 26 December follow, so a December trip needs more planning than most months.
| Date | What changes | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 5 November | New Wing closed | 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
| 9 November | Ethnological Museum Anima Mundi closed | 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (last entrance 4:30 p.m.) |
| 10 November | All Vatican Museums sectors closed | 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. |
| 29 November | Free last Sunday opening | 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (final entry 12:30 p.m.) |
| 4 and 18 December | Sistine Chapel closed | 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (last entrance 5:30 p.m.) |
| 7 December | Castel Gandolfo museum complex closed | 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| 8 December | Museums closed all day | Immaculate Conception |
| 25 and 26 December | Museums closed all day | Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day |
| 27 December | Free last Sunday opening | 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (final entry 12:30 p.m.) |
How Do You Book Around Vatican Closures?
Pick a weekday that is not on the closure list, take a morning slot, then book. The Museums are open Monday to Saturday, so a Monday visit works as well as any other weekday, and Monday Vatican tickets and tours sell for the same open hours. In Rome on a Monday, the Vatican Museums are not among the closed sights.
Our Vatican Opening Hours & Planning hub gathers the timing guides. For a regular day, the Sistine Chapel opening hours page covers final entry, and the guide to the best way to see the Vatican helps you choose between self-guided and guided visits. To compare every ticket type, start with Vatican Museum tickets.
Four options from our picks cover most dates. Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Entrance Ticket starts from $36. Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Skip-the-Line Entry Ticket starts from $53. Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica Tour starts from $60. Rome: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Basilica Tour starts from $71. Each one is tied to a date and a time, so choose a date that is open first. If you want a guide, Vatican skip-the-line tickets show the timed options.
Buy only from a seller that matches the official rules. The official portal is tickets.museivaticani.va, and the Museums warn about copycat sites that charge far more. Our links are partner listings on GetYourGuide, and we are an independent guide, not the official ticket office.
- Check the weekday: Sundays are closed except the last one of the month.
- Compare your date with the annual closure list.
- Read the temporary closures table for your date and time slot.
- Book a morning slot and keep a backup day.
Questions visitors ask
What time does the Vatican close tonight?
On a normal Monday to Saturday the Vatican Museums close at 8:00 p.m., with final entry at 6:00 p.m. Visitors are asked to leave the halls 30 minutes before closing. On the last Sunday of the month the Museums close at 2:00 p.m. St. Peter's Basilica is listed open until 7:10 p.m.
Does the Vatican close at night?
Yes. The Museums and the Sistine Chapel close at 8:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and the Basilica is listed closing at 7:10 p.m. Plan to be moving toward the exit by about 7:30 p.m. at the Museums.
Is the Sistine Chapel closed today?
It is closed if today is a Sunday other than the last of the month, a date on the closure list, or 4 or 18 December after 6:00 p.m. Otherwise it follows the Museums: open 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
Is the Sistine Chapel under restoration or construction?
Our sources do not mention any restoration or construction closure. Any planned work would appear in the temporary closures table on the official Vatican Museums hours page, so read that table for your date.
Is the Sistine Chapel worth it?
Yes, if you can fit it in. Michelangelo painted the ceiling between 1508 and 1512 and The Last Judgment between 1535 and 1541, per Wikipedia. It sits at the end of the Museums route, so start before 4:00 p.m.