Conquering the Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions, and rightfully so.

It’s HUGE. So be prepared. I sort of just woke up and thought “oh yea, going to a museum, see the Sistine Chapel, head home. Perfect!”

When Johnny and I set off to meet Jaime from Breakaway Backpacker, with hardly any breakfast, I didn’t think we’d be there the majority of the afternoon. And we were.

In order to conquer the Vatican Museums and not turn into a terrible, horrible, hungry person at the very end, follow my suggestions.

1. Eat a big meal before you go. TRUST ME. You’ll be there a minimum of 3 to 4 hours. By the time I made it to the Sistine Chapel my stomach was eating itself.
2. Make sure to use the restroom. There are only restrooms (that I saw) at the entrances and exits. If you are in the middle of the museums, there’s no turning back.
3. Plan ahead of time what you want to see. I only knew I wanted to see the Sistine Chapel. I had no idea about all of the other museums. Of course, you can skip everything and just head straight to the Sistine Chapel, but I’m trying to get my money’s worth! (and all of the other rooms are GORGEOUS)
4. We miraculously didn’t encounter any type of line whatsoever (my guess is because it’s winter), but be prepared. I’ve heard the lines for the museums can get up to 2 hours long. I might have passed out if we had to wait!
5. Don’t believe the crap about the Vatican Museums being too “touristy”. First of all, I don’t even know what that means, second, it’s AMAZING. Well worth your time and money.

All that being said, the Vatican Museums were hands down the most beautiful, ornate, detailed and elaborate set of museums I’ve ever been in. I was constantly in awe of the art, the ceilings, the sculptures…everything. The Sistine Chapel (while not as big as I thought), completely blew me away. I’ve never seen such a masterpiece. Michelangelo = genius.

(and thanks to Jaime for the picture of me looking outside of the window!)