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Vatican Museums / Your visit

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The library and the museum galleries

The public Library Museums and the scholarly Vatican Library have different access.

The library and the museum galleries

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The name Library can refer to two different parts of the Vatican. The museum map includes the Library Museums, with galleries of objects and decoration. The Vatican Apostolic Library also has research reading rooms, where scholars consult books and manuscripts through a separate admission process.

Galleries on the museum visit

The former Library museum spaces passed to museum administration in 1999. They include the Christian and Profane museums and decorative collections. These are the galleries identified as Library Museums on the public museum map. Their history connects collecting with a library institution, while their present use belongs to the museum visit.

Reading rooms for research

Qualified scholars and researchers apply for a personal reader's pass to the Vatican Apostolic Library. Consulting manuscripts requires specific authorization beyond access to printed books. Museum admission does not provide that research access. A photograph taken in a papal study also describes a different setting from the public galleries.

A painted link in the Pinacoteca

Melozzo's image of Sixtus IV appointing Platina belongs to Pinacoteca Room IV. It connects papal patronage with the Library's history through a painting. You can follow that historical connection while keeping the painting gallery, the Library Museums and the research reading rooms distinct.

Before you arrive

The Vatican Library’s reading rooms use a separate researcher admission process. The museum galleries are part of a different visit.

2026-10-29 / 2026-11-29

World estimates; allow extra time for admission and security. This is not a live availability check.

Official visit information ↗

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The library and the museum galleries · 1

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Your own selection. Follow the route instructions and on-site signs between stops; custom combinations have no verified transfer time.

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