Overview
The collection began with one statue — the Laocoon, dug up in a vineyard in 1506 and bought by Julius II within the month — and grew into the papal state’s museum. The route is one-way and long, and the Raphael Rooms come just before the chapel, which is the right order: Raphael was working down the corridor while Michelangelo was on the scaffold. In the chapel itself photography is forbidden and the guards enforce silence, with mixed success.
Highlights
Book a timed entry and take the first slot of the day, or the late Friday opening in summer, which is the quietest the chapel gets. Do not try to see everything; the Pio-Clementino sculpture court, the map gallery, Raphael and the chapel is a full and coherent visit. The exit staircase by Momo, the double helix from 1932, is worth the walk down rather than the shortcut.