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Virtual tour "Raphael's Rooms"

Virtual tour "Sistine Chapel"

Virtual tour "New Wing"

Virtual tour "Pio Clementino Museum"

Virtual tour "Salone Sistino"

Virtual tour "Profane Museum"

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The Vatican Museums Have Free Virtual Tours, Including One Where You Can See the Sistine Chapel

The 360º views are absolutely breathtaking.

Start with a 360º view of Michelangelo's masterpiece, the Sistine Chapel . While the painted ceiling is a showstopper, each chapel wall explores a different aspect of the Christian faith journey: the stories of Moses, Christ, and the Popes throughout history. Then work your way through the remaining Vatican museums: Pio Clementino Museum , Chiaramonti Museum , New Wing , Raphael's Rooms , Niccoline Chapel , and Room of the Chiaroscuri .

Right now, Vatican City — like many other public gathering spaces around the world — is completely empty. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak , the Italian government issued a national lockdown, causing Pope Francis to cancel all public appearances through April 3. In the meantime, you can get a glimpse of what the Vatican is like in real time with an around-the-clock live stream , which includes the Pope's daily mass.

More Virtual Tours to Add to Your List

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Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping , where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River , Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more.

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Explore the Sistine Chapel From Home on a Virtual Tour With the Vatican Museums

These virtual tours include areas that are usually off-limits to the public.

Jessica Poitevien is an international storyteller and regular contributor to Travel + Leisure.

If you are not able to travel in person for whatever reason, the good news is that museums and attractions around the world are providing virtual tours, allowing you to experience them from the comfort of your couch.

Among the most iconic places offering virtual tours is the Vatican .

Typically millions of travelers visit the Vatican Museums every year. Its many halls are almost always crowded, making it difficult at times to truly admire the intensely detailed frescoes, especially in the Sistine Chapel. However, the Vatican Museums created a variety of impressive virtual tours showcasing several areas around the grounds. Now, you can sit at home and contemplate these historic beauties with easy-to-navigate virtual tours that are also completely free of charge.

There are 26 distinct areas in the Vatican Museums, and thanks to this digital tourism option, virtual visitors have the opportunity to explore sections that are normally off-limits to the public, including the Niccoline Chapel , which features frescoes by Fra Angelico. Raphael's Rooms, created for popes Julius II (1503-13) and Leo X (1513-21), also have 360-degree tours that place you right in the middle of the elegant rooms.

The Vatican Museums also offer photos and videos of other areas where virtual tours have not been made, such as the Gregorian Egyptian Museum , the Jewish Lapidarium , and the Carriage Pavilion .

For a full list of all the virtual tours available, visit the Vatican Museums official website . And once you're done exploring, be sure to check out these 12 museums from around the world that are also offering virtual tours.

Jessica Poitevien is a Travel Leisure contributor currently based in South Florida, but always on the lookout for the next adventure. Besides traveling, she loves baking, talking to strangers, and taking long walks on the beach. Follow her adventures on Instagram .

Basilicas and Papal Chapels

Discover the heart, soul, history, and art of the Basilicas. Take a virtual tour of the Papal Chapels.

Sistine Chapel
Redemptoris Mater Chapel
Pauline Chapel

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An immersive virtual pilgrimage

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Τhe Vatican Museums – Free virtual experience

Important Information

Experience the Vatican Museums from the comfort of your home with an engaging self-guided virtual tour narrated in English, from your PC or smartphone browser. It’s so simple! Hit ‘START’ and in a couple of minutes, you will travel back in time and enjoy a virtual journey from the comfort of your couch!

Through the power of storytelling combined with street and satellite views, you will discover not only historical facts but also unknown stories and tales of ancient and modern times that will amaze your family and friends. The tour’s content is the result of in-depth research, squeezed into brief intriguing stories that will make your virtual visit both engaging and informative. The tour is only available online and you can access it repeatedly anytime.

This is an unmissable opportunity to gain valuable insights into treasures of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel and immerse yourself in the surroundings/exhibits in an entirely innovative way.

The threshold into antiquity

Formerly adorning the Bishop’s Palace at Tivoli in Villa Adriana, these two statue-pillars were donated to Pope Pius VI in 1779 to be placed at the entrance way to his museum of ancient statues. The statues were made from red granite from Aswan in the 16th century. Their presence serves as a threshold between the age of Egyptian art and that of the first centuries after Christ. What’s more, the exhibits bear testimony to the “Egyptomania” that overcame Rome and many European travelers during the 18th century. This overwhelming desire to rediscover antiquity resulted in a renewed interest in archaeology. Systematic excavations were carried out, unearthing many of the pieces one sees today in the Pio Clementine Museum.