I checked the Vatican Website for ticket prices. Unguided access to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel is 17 Euros, plus a 4 Euro online booking fee. I understand that visitors often have to stand in line for three hours.

I went with a group tour in 1999 and 2012, so we didn't have to wait. The displays in the Vatican Museums looked worn and dingy, and the Sistine Chapel was wall-to-wall people. The crowds were annoying, but I guess it's one of those things you have to see once in a lifetime. I skipped the audience with the Pope - I don't like crowds, and I don't like waiting. Instead, I walked by myself in Rome and had a wonderful time.

When I visited Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1973, there were no restrictions, and the place was a zoo. When I went again in 2008, it was closed for Mass, so I didn't get in. I was pleased to see that it was closed during Mass, because all those tourists would have been distracting to worshippers. In recent years, it seems like churches are requiring more decorum of visitors, and I think that's a good idea. It makes a visit more pleasant for everyone.

-Joe-