Vatican City is home to the Pope and the Catholic Church and is the smallest country in the world by size and population with just 882 people made up of mostly nuns and priests.
The Vatican’s economy is supported by its 1.3 billion Catholic followers, tourist visits and souvenir sales as well as investments in banking, insurance, chemicals, steel, construction and real estate.
The city contains amazing religious and cultural sites such as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Apostolic Library and the Vatican Museums and features some of the world’s most famous paintings and sculptures.
If you’re visiting Rome you should absolutely visit Vatican City and below we’ll provide some useful tips on planning your visit and what to see when you’re there.
Where is the Vatican City?
The city is located in the historical centre of Rome near the River Tiber and the nearest metro is the Ottaviano-S. Pietro station which is located just a few minute walk from outside Vatican City.
Its a 60 minute walk from the Colosseum, a 40 minute walk from the Trevi Fountain and a 35 minute walk from the Pantheon.
The area this smallest country in the world covers is 49 hectares / 120 acres or 0.49 square kilometres or…one eighth of the size of New York’s Central Park! Check out Central Park from our New York trip.
How much does it cost to get into the Vatican City?
Visiting the Vatican City including entrance into St Peters Square (the large plaza in front of the Basilica) and the Basilica (the main church building) is free.
You can purchase a guided tour through the official Vatican City website or via sites such as GetYourGuide. Don’t be fooled by the ‘skip the line’ options though – to enter into Vatican City there is no separate entrance for skip the lines, they are all the same through the same security. GetYourGuide just gives you more options of tours to choose from and discounts.
Entrance into the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel can only be made by reserved ticket online either via the Vatican Museums official website or via reseller sites such as GetYourGuide. You cannot buy tickets from anywhere there ie there are no ticket booths or machines and its best to book online well in advance so you get your choice of date and time.
Tickets into the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel cost £21 / €25 / $27 or; £28 / 33 / $36 if you include an audio guide.
Tickets for children aged under 7 are free and tickets are reduced for children aged 7 to 18 and students up to 25 years of age.
Fully guided tours are available from £34 / €40 / $44 which can include a 2 hour tour through the Pio Clementino Museum, the Galleries of the Candelabra, the Maps and Tapestries, the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel and Gardens.
To climb the dome of St Peter’s Basilica costs £7 / €8 / $9 by stairs or £9 / €10 / $11 by elevator. The panoramic views over Rome from the top are amazing however there are 551 steps to climb through narrow winding steep passageways and its not suitable for those that are claustrophobic or have mobility issues.
Interesting fact; by law, no building in Rome can be higher than the top of the Dome at St. Peter’s Basilica.
If booking through GetYourGuide be sure to check the meeting location as this will likely be outside of the Vatican City.
When is the best time to visit the Vatican City?
To properly avoid crowds at the Vatican City, and any Rome attractions generally, then you’re best to visit in the low season September to February.
Between June and August is peak season and there will be long queues to enter. If you are going then, either book morning or late afternoon/evening time slots to avoid the heat or have umbrellas for shade, handheld fans and lots of water as there can be little to no shade and the summer heat gets trapped in St Peter’s Square.
Opening hours are:
- Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm with last entry at 6pm
- Fridays and Saturdays from May to October it is open from 8am to 10.30pm with last entry at 8.30pm and;
- The last Sunday of each month 9am to 2pm with last entry at 12.30pm.
Every Wednesday morning the Pope appears on the balcony in the centre of St Pauls Basilica to address the crowds in St Peters Square. This is obviously a very busy time to visit as the square is packed with pilgrims or tourists who come for the papal audience.
If you can avoid a visit on a weekend and a Wednesday then you will have less crowds and traffic so Monday, Tuesday and Friday are the best times to visit.
Check the Vatican Museums – Official Website to check opening times and closed dates as these may vary due to special events or ceremonies.
What to I need to wear to enter inside Vatican City?
Outside in St Peter’s Square you can wear what you like however to enter into St Peter’s Basilica or any other part of Vatican City as it is a religious site you will need to have shoulders and knees covered. Shawls can be purchased at the nearby stands if necessary. You do have to pass through security (bag checks and body scanners) before you enter and it will be here you may be stopped if you don’t meet requirements.
What can you see at the Vatican City?
St Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world (you can fit New York’s Statue of Liberty inside it!) and an absolutely spectacular building built in the 1600’s that took 100 years to complete and you certainly don’t need to be religious to be impressed by the sheer scale, architecture and art from the tiled floors, mosaics, sculptures and paintings.
As you enter the colossal space and look up you’ll see a dome that reaches a height of 136 metres / 448 feet and 41 metres / 136 feet wide – just slightly smaller than the Pantheon dome!
Beyond is St Peter’s Altar surrounded by four giant spiral bronze columns and a bronze canopy (known as a baldachin) over the high altar and the tomb of St Peter. The columns were brought from Jerusalem and are an impressive 20 metres / 66 feet high.
To the rear of the church is Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta’ of Jesus and Mary. Originally made for the first and much smaller St Peter’s Basilica in 1498 it was carved from one solid piece of marble and is said to have been the works that catapulted Michelangelo’s career. It is the only piece of his art that Michelangelo ever signed and is said to be valued at up to $10 billion dollars!
The Sistine Chapel is housed within the Vatican Museums and was painted by Michelangelo from 1508 to 1512. It is visited by 25,000 people daily!
The fresco, painted on the ceiling, depicts scenes from the Book of Genesis from the Creation of the world, the Fall of humanity and the story of Noah, all based on biblical narratives. The most famous fresco ‘The Creation of Adam’ depicts God reaching out to Adam, with their fingers almost touching, which is a scene that has become a universal symbol of divine creation.
It was once believed that Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel on wooden scaffolding lying on his back but this is a myth. The scaffolding was erected so he could stand giving him more control and precision.
The Vatican Gardens, just like the Sistine Chapel are not free to visit, you will need to buy a ticket online but are definitely worth a visit. The gardens will give you some some peaceful respite from the crowds, allow you to see St Peter’s Basilica from a different perspective and be amongst the amazing gardens that Popes and many dignitaries have meandered through since they were first created in 1279.
The gardens span 23 hectares / 57 acres and you can either have a guided walk or with an audio guide or be taken around via a small electric bus. It’s not a ‘free to roam’ tour, you will be guided and takes around 1.5hrs but allows you to see the many exotic plants, caves, fountains and sculptures.
How long should I allow to visit Vatican City?
If you are planning on visiting St Peter’s Basilica, climb the Dome, visit the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Gardens then you should allow around 4-5 hours. If you are just planning on visiting just St Peter’s Basilica then 1-2 hours will suffice.
What happens when the Pope dies?
Over the last 2000 years there have been 267 Popes. When the Pope dies (or resigns, as in the case of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013) all of the 252 Cardinals from around the world (the UK has 4 Cardinals and the US have 17) are summoned to a meeting at the Vatican. They then go into an election, to vote for a new Pope, which is known as a Conclave.
The period in between a Pope dying and the vote for a new Pope is known as a ‘sede vacante’ and it is within 15-20 days of the sede vacante that the conclave will start.
The papal conclave voting is shrouded in secrecy with the the term Conclave itself being Latin for ‘locked room’ where all the Cardinals are literally, locked into a room.
Every day during the Conclave each Cardinal writes their choice on a paper which is then folded and placed on a round plate and slid into an oval silver and gold urn. Once all votes are cast each one is opened by three scrutineers who write the names down and read them aloud.
The votes are then put aside and burned in the chapel stove along with a chemical to produce either black or white smoke visible to the outside world. Black smoke means there is no decision and white means a new pope has been chosen.
Once a pope is elected the master of ceremonies then enters the information on a formal document white smoke pours out of the Sistine Chapel chimney and the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica toll.
There are often over 100,000 people in St Peters Square during the Conclave with tens of millions watching on television all over the world.
We highly recommend a visit to the Vatican City, the architecture and the sheer scale and size of the buildings as well as its history and representation makes it another fascinating attraction on your visit to Rome.
