The Vatican Museums are one of the most important art collections, visited and great in the world. They are called in the plural because they contain a complex of museums and collections, all extraordinarily important, that the Popes have collected and kept for centuries. The Vatican Museums were founded by Pope Julius II in 1506 and opened to the public in 1771 at the behest of Pope Clement XIV. In the beautiful rooms you can admire Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman and Christian collections, up to the paintings of different centuries and the great Renaissance. The Sistine Chapel and the papal apartments frescoed by Michelangelo and Raphael are part of the extraordinary works that visitors can admire along their route. The Vatican Museums are fully one of the most important places for the history of human civilization.
The Vatican Museums are also particularly sensitive to the theme of accessibility and close to the needs of deaf people. in fact, a free service of guided tours in the Italian Sign Language (LIS) is available upon reservation. The particularity of the visits is that they are conducted by deaf educational operators selected by the Vatican Museums through an innovative project of training and professional integration. The Pope’s Museums are equally accessible to deaf people who do not use or know the LIS. Also to these visitors is offered – always upon reservation – the possibility of free access to the papal collections in the company of a specialized educational operator. The Vatican Museums are also attentive to foreign deaf visitors; an innovative and free videoguide in the American Sign Language (ASL) is available
The Vatican Museums reserve free admission to all disabled visitors with certified invalidity of more than 74%. In the case of non self-sufficiency, the gratuity is also extended to a companion. This type of tour can not be booked online: free admission tickets are issued, upon presentation of a disability certificate, to the Special Permits and / or Reception desks in the Museum hall. To the disabled person, and to a possible accompanying person, a priority skip the line entrance is guaranteed (without waiting line).
The “Guided visit for deaf people” is free and includes admission to the Vatican Museums. Gratuity is also extended to a companion.
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From Monday to Saturday
9.00am – 6.00pm (last admission 4.00pm)
Every last Sunday of the month
(as long as it does not coincide with the Holy Easter, 29 June St. Peter and St. Paul, 25 December Holy Christmas and 26 December St. Stephen)
9.00am – 2.00pm (last admission 12.30pm)
The exit from the rooms is scheduled 30 minutes before the museum closure.
Most of the museum areas of the Vatican Museums are accessible to people with motor disabilities. To facilitate the visit, the Vatican Museums recommend a visit itinerary without barriers that, thanks to the assistance of the personnel of the Corps, allows easy access to the main services and points of interest.
At the cloakroom, a free wheelchair rental service is made available (subject to availability) by Vatican Museums for visitors with walking problems. Museums are also accessible to visitors on mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs.
However, for reasons of space, in some museum areas it is not allowed access or use. In this case the visitor will be invited to the transfer on traditional wheelchairs that can be hired for free at the entrance hall.
Click here to get all the information on the accessibility of the Vatican Museums.
