Raphael Rooms at the Vatican: School of Athens, tickets and visit 2026
The Raphael Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello) are four rooms in the Vatican Museums, painted between 1508 and 1520 for Popes Julius II and Leo X. Their masterpiece is "The School of Athens", in the Room of the Segnatura. There is no separate ticket: they are included in Vatican Museums entry (20 € plus a 5 € online booking fee in 2026) and lie on the route to the Sistine Chapel. Allow 30 to 45 minutes for the four rooms.
Highlights
The Room of the Segnatura
This is where "The School of Athens" is: Plato and Aristotle at the centre of a circle of philosophers. Raphael worked here from 1508 to 1511, aged about 25.
The other three rooms
The Room of Heliodorus, with "The Liberation of Saint Peter" and its play of light; the Room of the Fire in the Borgo; the Room of Constantine, the largest, finished by Raphael's workshop after his death in 1520.
Avoiding the crowd
The rooms are a compulsory stop on the route: crowds peak in mid-morning. A guide or audio guide helps to read the frescoes, but a guided tour often makes the room noisier.
Practical info
Tips
- Book your entry ticket online on the official Vatican Museums site, where slots open 60 days ahead: the rooms are on the route, with nothing to add. Enter at opening or after 14:00. On the last Sunday of the month entry is free in the morning (very long queue), and the rooms are packed. Check prices, hours and free days on the official site.
How to get there
Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome (museum entrance). Metro A, Ottaviano or Cipro station, then 10 minutes on foot. See the page on the Vatican Museums for access, queue and dress code, and our comparison of early access to the Vatican. For the other big name of the visit, read Michelangelo in Rome.
Opening hours
Our guides that feature it
Nearby
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