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Vatican City is the world’s tiniest country. Comprising only 121 acres, the country has a permanent population of only a few hundred people. Although it is recognized as an independent country and city-state, Vatican City really doesn’t feel like a country. There is no border control or passport stamp needed to visit Vatican City. Located fully within Rome, Italy, visiting Vatican City feels like visiting just another museum or plaza within Rome. And yet, as a country counter, I had to visit on my latest trip to Rome. Not too much is need to visit Vatican City, but some useful tips for visiting the Vatican can make your visit easier.
Here are 5 useful tips to keep in mind when visiting the Vatican.
1. Visit St. Peter’s Basilica First
One of my top tips for visiting the Vatican is to arrive early! As a free site to visit, St. Peter’s Basilica can get very crowded. This is the primary church in Vatican City and one of the top tourist sites. It is also an important site in the Catholic religion and regarded as one of the holiest churches. Whether or not you are religious, visiting St. Peter’s Basilica is common on trips to the Vatican City to see the interior dome, artwork, and design.
I got to St. Peter’s Basilica in the afternoon and the entrance line was the longest line I had ever seen for a church. It wound through the stanchions set up for crowd control at the entrance but then continued to loop all the way around the perimeter of St. Peter’s Square.
2. Book Tickets for the Vatican Museums in Advance
The Vatican Museums are another of the top sites to visit while in Vatican City. Throughout the Vatican Museums there are dozens of exhibits showcasing thousands of pieces of artwork and sculptures. After walking through the whole museum, you’ll end at the Sistine Chapel, one of the most elaborately decorated chapels and some of Michelangelo’s finest work.
To visit the Vatican Museums, you can either purchase tickets online in advance or at the museum entrance. Purchasing your ticket online will help guarantee that you get a ticket for your chosen day. You’ll need to select a date and time for your visit when purchasing a ticket. I started looking for tickets about 2 weeks before my trip and they were already sold out from the Vatican Museum website and many tour operators. I was able to book tickets in advance from Get Your Guide but they even had limited availability.
3. Arrive Early to the Museums Even if you Have Pre-Booked Tickets
As a popular spot for tourists to visit while at the Vatican City and the line to enter the Museums can be quite long. Arriving early to wait in line is recommended, even if you have pre-booked a ticket. While walking to the Museums, I passed a long line of people waiting to purchase their own tickets, but was surprised to find an equally as long line for those who already had a ticket! Arrive before your entrance time to help ensure you enter at your chosen time.
There are really two steps to entering the Museums – getting in to Museum Security and getting in to the Museums themselves. Depending on how you purchased your ticket, you may need to exchange your reservation for a physical ticket once you arrive, adding an additional line to wait in at the box office just past museum security.
4. Be Prepared to Walk
For such a small country, there was a lot more walking involved to get from site to site than I was expecting. Getting from one side of Vatican City to the other, for example from St. Peter’s Square to the Vatican Museums, can be quite the trek. There is no easy way to get between these two sites. Instead, you have to actually leave Vatican City and walk along the perimeter of the country to reach each site. There is no public connection within Vatican City.
Walking through the Vatican Museums is a trek of it’s own. There are dozens of rooms and exhibits to walk through within the Museum. I felt like the Museums were endless. Once inside, I had no idea where or when I would reach the end of the exhibits.
5. Avoid Visiting on Religious Holidays
Vatican City is small and only has a few main sites to see. This means that all visitors to Vatican City will be trying to see the same few things, causing lines and crowds. Visiting mid week and during off season is a good way to help keep the crowds down while you are there. However, visiting during religious holidays won’t help keep the crowds away.
I opted to visit on a Wednesday in February, mid week and off-season. However, I failed to realize that the Wednesday I choose for my visit was an important day on the Christian calendar and found larger crowds and more lines than expected. The Wednesday I visited turned out to be Ash Wednesday, an important day of prayer in the Christian religion. This is likely why the line to get into St. Peter’s Basilica was so long as the faithful waited to enter for prayer. Avoiding other key religious holidays will also help keep crowds smaller during your visit. Look at the calendar prior to visiting Vatican City to avoid holidays.
