Rome

The Vatican Museums are inside Vatican City, a separate state in the middle of Rome, but you walk in from a Rome street. The entrance is on Viale Vaticano, along the Vatican walls.

They close on Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month. Entry is free that morning, and the queue runs down the street.

The Colosseum’s 24-hour ticket also covers the Roman Forum and the Palatine, so plan it as a day of its own.