Vatican Museum

The Vatican Museums, all thirteen of them, are considered to be among the worlds finest museums housing many of the most renowned masterpieces of painting, sculpture and art collected by Popes over many centuries. They are considered to be massive with spectacular collections that cannot be found anywhere else. Visiting the museum can be a daunting task and you should consider to take a tour guide when visiting in order to decipher all that the museums have to offer.

The Roman Catholic Church has amassed quite a collection of paintings and sculptures by well known artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael. The museums are organized in sections including the Pio-Clementino, Egyptian and Gregorian Etruscan museums, gallery of the Candelabra, the Raphael rooms, gallery of Tapestries, gallery of maps and the Sistine Chapel. The galleries contain exclusive pictures and artwork made by renowned artists from Rome and from across the world.The artwork is housed in a series of buildings that have 1400 rooms and the complex covers 13 acres. Some of the most famous works of art on display here include the wall and ceiling paintings of the Sistine Chapel, the Stanze of Raphael, the Lacoon statue and the Apollo del Belvedere.

While the Sistine Chapel may be the goal of many, most tourists are surprised at the amazing art that they'll uncover along the way as they wind to the chapel itself. Some favorites along the way include the Raphael Rooms one amazing Raphael painting after another, the Octagonal Courtyard, the Map Room walls covered with ancient maps and an amazing ceiling, the New Wing reliefs full of sculptures dating from 1st century, and the Museo Egizio a grand collection of ancient Egyptian works.

The fee to enter the museums is a very reasonable 15 euro. Tickets can also be purchased ahead of time online for an additional 4 euro reservation fee which is referred to as the skip the line fee. What many people do not realize is that the entrance to the Vatican Museum is not located in St Peters Square but rather is a good 10 to 15 minute walk to the right around the perimeter of Vatican City.