Three ways into the Sistine Chapel, and the rules that apply to all of them
Fast-track ticket with a time slot. The booking above gives you a reserved entry to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. It is the cheapest route if the Vatican is your only goal, and it spares you the queue at the ticket office, though not the security check.
Guided tour. A licensed guide takes you through the galleries to the Sistine Chapel in a small group, with the stories behind the Raphael Rooms and the ceiling. Worth it on a first visit, because the museums are large and the route is long.
Combinations with St Peter's. Some tours continue from the Sistine Chapel straight into St Peter's Basilica, which saves the second queue. The climb to the dome is a separate ticket sold by the basilica.
Time slots and the free Sunday
Online tickets carry a time slot and are not refundable. On the last Sunday of the month the museums are free and the queue is long; the online ticket does not apply on that day. The Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays otherwise and on the Vatican holidays.
What the museum charges
The full price at the museum desk is EUR 20, an online ticket with a time slot costs EUR 25, which is the entry plus a booking fee, the reduced rate is EUR 10 and children under 7 enter free.
Or a pass after all?
If you also want the Colosseum and the Pantheon, the Essentials Pass bundles the three with the slots reserved for you; for two or more days with the bus and Castel Sant'Angelo, the City Pass is the broader package. The OMNIA Card puts the Vatican at the centre and adds the Lateran and an open bus. The city's Roma Pass does not include the Vatican at all. The comparison shows the full picture.