Did you know that every last Sunday of the month Vatican Museums are free?!
The Vatican Museums are a popular tourist destination, and the admission fees can be quite steep. However, as an expat, you have the unique advantage of being able to visit the museums for free on the last Sunday of the month. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore the museums without breaking the bank.
To make the most of your free admission to the Vatican Museums, it’s important to plan your visit in advance. The museums can be crowded, so it’s best to arrive early in the morning to avoid long lines. You may also want to consider purchasing a guidebook or hiring a local guide to help you navigate the museums and learn more about the exhibits.
The free entrance time is: 9:00 – 12:30 closing 14:00. There is also possibility of guided tours upon reservation.
While you’re at the Vatican Museums, don’t forget to visit the Sistine Chapel. This famous chapel is home to Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the ceiling fresco, and The Last Judgment. The Sistine Chapel is a must-see for anyone visiting the Vatican Museums.
Another tip for expats visiting the Vatican Museums is to take advantage of the audio guide. The audio guide provides an informative tour of the museums and gives you a deeper understanding of the history and significance of each exhibit.
In addition to the Vatican Museums, Rome is home to many other cultural attractions, including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon. As an expat living in Rome, it’s essential to take advantage of these unique opportunities to explore the city’s rich cultural heritage.
If you’re an expat living in Rome, don’t miss the chance to visit the Vatican Museums for free on the last Sunday of the month. With a little bit of planning, you can make the most of your visit to one of the world’s most famous museums and immerse yourself in the history and culture of Rome.
Would you like to delight your eyes with incredible artistic masterpieces and increase your cultural knowledge on roman artistic heritage free of charge?
Read our guideline & tips and be ready!
The initiative promoted by the Vatican, on every first Sunday of the month, allows free access to the Vatican Museums. Admission is open to everyone, completely free, and those who want to, can enjoy the wonder of seeing an absolutely unique artistic heritage up close, among the largest and most interesting in the world.
The Vatican Museums are located in Viale Vaticano, within the Vatican City State, and house one of the priceless art collections, containing precious treasures accumulated by the Popes over the centuries. Here is a list of the most important museums contained within the Vatican Museums to visit for free and the most significant works not to be missed.
Click on this link to download the free museum calendar: calendario_musei
List of free museums in Rome on the last Sunday of the month:
Pio Clementino Museum
Established to preserve, enhance and promote knowledge of the Greco-Roman collections of the popes, the museum is spread over 14 exhibition rooms, each of which displays different works. Of great impact is the Octagonal Courtyard, the first place for the collection of ancient Vatican statues, which housed the Laocoon group and the Belvedere Torso.
Chiaramonti Museum
Founded by the Pope of the same name in the early nineteenth century, it consists of a large arched gallery on the sides of which sculptures, friezes and sarcophagi are exhibited. The new wing, the New Arm, houses famous statues such as the Augustus of Prima Porta.
Gregorian Egyptian Museum
Commissioned by Pope Gregory XVI, the museum houses a large collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt, including mummies, papyri, hieroglyphic inscriptions, the famous Book of the Dead and the Grassi Collection. Most of the material comes from the Villa d’Adriano, in Tivoli, and is arranged over 9 rooms, of which the last two contain works from ancient Mesopotamia and Assyria.
Pio Christian Museum
This museum houses collections of Christian antiquities that were previously exhibited in the Lateran Museum. Founded by Pius IX in 1854, here are preserved statues, sarcophagi, writings and various artifacts dating from the sixth century onwards. Interesting to see is the statue of the Good Shepherd, restored in the eighteenth century, the first high relief of a sarcophagus, which depicts a young man with a sleeveless tunic and a lamb shoulders.
Ethnological Missionary Museum
In addition to objects from non-European cultures from the Universal Missionary Exposition, the museum also welcomes gifts made by religious missionary congregations or by individuals to various popes. Among other works, the museum also houses the Borgiano museum, which preserves the objects collected by Cardinal Stefano Borgia or donated by the missionaries to Propaganda Fide.
Collection of Modern Religious Art
The collection contains works by famous artists such as Francis Bacon, Marc Chagall, Carlo Carrà, Giorgio de Chirico, Salvador Dalí, Paul Gauguin, Felice Mina, Kandinsky, Vincent van Gogh and Matisse.
Upper Galleries
The galleries on the upper floor are something unique. The first to see is the Galleria dei Candelabri, characterized by a long room with a decorated ceiling and so called because it houses the magnificent candelabra from Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli. The Tapestry Gallery contains the tapestries commissioned in the 16th century by Pope Clement VII to decorate the Sistine Chapel, made by Raphael’s students with precious Brussels fabrics. In addition, the Gallery of Geographical Maps is spectacular, containing 40 maps frescoed on the walls and which is included in the corridor that leads from the Vatican Museums to the Sistine Chapel.
Picture gallery
The Pinacoteca is a part of the Vatican Museums full of extraordinary works: here are in fact the greatest masters of painting including Giotto, Leonardo, Raphael and Caravaggio. Not to be missed are Giotto’s Stefaneschi Triptych, Raphael’s Transfiguration, Caravaggio’s Deposition and Leonardo da Vinci’s San Girolamo.
Sistine Chapel
Commissioned by Pope Sisto IV and built between 1475 and 1481, the Sistine Chapel is an internationally renowned masterpiece: its vault, decorated by the famous Michelangelo Buonarroti, makes it one of the most beautiful works of art in the world.
To finish, the Vatican Museums also include a series of rooms that make the itinerary interesting and precious. These are the Biga Room, the Sobieski Room, the Immaculate Conception Room, the Apartment of St. Pius V, the Borgia Apartment, the Chiaroscuri Room and the Raphael Rooms.
How to make a thorough visit
The time to visit free museums in Rome on the last Sunday of the month is from 9:00 to 12:30, but to be sure to be able to see at least part of the vast amount of masterpieces that are found in the various museums it is essential to queue early, otherwise it is preferable to contact a guide to learn more about the works.
The guided tour solution, is also recommended for those who do not want to get stressed out in the crowd and really want to get to the heart of the wonder of the works, perhaps choosing a different day from when there is free admission.
It is also possible to resort to an economic guide, but it is clear that professionalism and the knowledge base decreases, therefore, to enjoy a satisfactory visit to the Vatican Museums it is better to contact competent and expert guides, even if more expensive, who however manage to recreate the atmosphere with their story, revive the masterpieces of the artistic heritage of this wonderful city.
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Travelling to Rome on a budget?
Never fear – sightseeing in Italy’s magnificent capital city doesn’t have to cost the earth. Although many museums and monuments charge hefty admission fees, a surprising number of the famous sights are actually completely free. The doors of the city’s art-laden churches are flung open to all, ancient architectural wonders await around many a corner and it costs nothing to wander the historic streets, piazzas and parks. Check out our run-down of the best things to do in Rome without spending a thing:
1. Gaze heavenwards at the Pantheon, it’s an exhilarating experience to enter this iconic Roman building and look up at the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built.
2. Pay homage at St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican’s showcase basilica is free, though you’ll probably have to queue to get in. Once inside, look out for Michelangelo’s Pietà statue and Bernini’s baldachin (altar canopy).
3. Hang out on Piazza Navona, and enjoy the daily circus of street performers, artists and tourists acted out against a backdrop of baroque palazzi and ornate fountains.
4. People watch on the Spanish Steps, these grand stairs have long been a popular hangout – in the 1800s local beauties would parade up and down hoping to be picked as artists’ models.
5. Tell a lie at the Bocca della Verità, just keep your hands well out of the way. Myth holds that the mouth of the huge ancient face will slam shut on the fingers of anyone who fibs.
6. Throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, according to legend, this will ensure your return to Rome. You and thousands of other people – on an average day about €3000 is chucked over people’s shoulders into the water.
7. Explore Villa Borghese, Rome’s most famous park is an oasis of shaded walkways, verdant corners and excellent museums.
8. Survey the city from Il Vittoriano, few views can top those from this massive marble monolith. You have to pay to take the lift to the top (€7) but there are plenty of free viewing spots.
9. Explore the Jewish Ghetto, this atmospheric area is studded with artisans’ studios, vintage clothes shops, kosher bakeries and popular trattorias.
10. Walk the Via Appia Antica, antiquity’s most famous road sets the perfect scene for a leisurely amble with its pine trees, Roman ruins, and eerie catacombs.
11. Lap up the atmosphere in Trastevere, this vibrant district buzzes well into the night as locals and tourists hang out on its picturesque lanes and piazzas.
12. Go on a free tour, New Rome Free Tour (newromefreetour.com) runs a daily walking tour of the historic centre.
13. Take a timeout at the Cimitero Acattolico, The last resting place of Keats and Shelley, Rome’s non-Catholic Cemetery is a serene spot to recharge your batteries.
14. Learn about Rome’s war at the Museo Storico della Liberazione, Rome’s Nazi occupation is recounted at this chilling museum housed in what was once the city’s SS headquarters.
15. Marvel at the mosaics in the Chiesa di Santa Prassede, the sparkling Byzantine compositions in this easy-to-miss church are among Rome’s most impressive.
16. Admire modern architecture in EUR, a highlight of the southern district is the Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro, a masterpiece of Italian rationalism known as the Square Colosseum.
17. Experience religious ecstasy at the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria, this roadside church is the unlikely setting for one of Italian baroque’s great masterpieces, Bernini’s Ecstasy of St Teresa.
18. Find architectural perfection on the Gianicolo hill, Bramante’s Tempietto (little temple) is considered the first great building of the High Renaissance.
19. Search out the Arco degli Acetari, discover the picture-perfect medieval courtyard hiding behind the dark Vinegar-Makers’ Arch (Via del Pellegrino 19).
20. Meet Moses at the Chiesa di San Pietro in Vincoli, Michelangelo’s muscular Moses is the star turn at this 5th-century church. Also here are the chains that St Peter supposedly wore in captivity.
21. Peek through the keyhole of the Priorato dei Cavalieri di Malta, and you’ll see St Peter’s dome perfectly framed at the end of a hedge-lined avenue.
22. Partake in the passeggiata, Head to Via del Corso and join the locals on their early-evening passeggiata (stroll).
23. Catch a Caravaggio at the Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi, better still, catch three. This baroque church is home to the St Matthew cycle, a trio of the artist’s earliest religious paintings.
24. Get into the swing on Campo de’ Fiori, by day, poke around the much-loved market; at night, grab a drink and see in the small hours with hundreds of like-minded revellers.
25. Seek light relief in the Quartiere Coppedè, with its turreted villas, fairytale towers, gargoyles and arches, this Art Nouveau neighborhood stands in contrast to Rome’s more serious sights.
26. Watch the world go by on Piazza del Popolo, there’s always something going on on this grand neoclassical square. Nearby, the art-rich Chiesa di Santa del Popolo is well worth a look.
27. Do a double take at the Teatro di Marcello, a dead ringer for the Colosseum, this ancient stadium looms over the Area Archeologica del Teatro di Marcello e del Portico d’Ottavia.
28. Investigate a crime scene at the Largo di Torre Argentina, modern investigators have identified the spot where Julius Caesar was murdered. It was in the Area Sacra on Largo di Torre Argentina.
29. Take in a concert during Estate Romana, Rome’s big summer event stages everything from concerts and dance performances to book fairs and late-night museum openings. Some are free.
30. Check out Piazza del Campidoglio, on the Capitoline Hill, Michelangelo’s exquisitely designed piazza is one of Rome’s most beautiful public spaces.
31. Look up at Trajan’s Column, this ancient landmark towers over the Imperial Forums. If you can make them out, the reliefs depict Trajan’s military campaigns.
32. Enjoy local colour in Garbatella, this sparky neighborhood presents a colourful front with its community gardens, faux baroque palazzi and red housing blocks.
33. Go jogging in the Circo Massimo, where once crowds cheered chariot racers in Rome’s largest arena, now locals come to stretch their legs.
Attractions that are free at specific times:
34. Colosseum, Palatino, and Roman Forum; first Sunday of the month.
35. Vatican Museums; last Sunday of the month.
36. All state museums; first Sunday of the month.
37. Pope’s weekly audience; every Wednesday morning.
38. Porta Portese market; every Sunday morning.
39. Palazzo di Montecitorio; first Sunday of the month.
40. May Day Concert; May 1