Facts About Vatican City and Visiting The Vatican
Vatican City
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Visiting the Vatican
Thinking of Visiting the Vatican during your trip to Rome, Italy? Let me take you through some facts about Vatican City and the travel tips you’ll need for your visit. No matter what you believe (or don’t believe for that matter), the Vatican and Vatican museums are truly impressive sites that should be on your must-see list along with the traditional sites of Rome like the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, and Trevi Fountain. Even I, a lapsed catholic with a penchant for taking the lord’s name in vain, found the Vatican grounds and Sistine Chapel to be breathtakingly beautiful. The best news, Vatican City is largely wheelchair accessible.
I found the Vatican fascinating. There’s something electrifying about being in a group of believers and seeing the Pope in person. More on that later when I explain how to get in to see the Pope as part of your Vatican City visit.
Before we dive in, there are a few things you should keep in mind. The Vatican gets tremendously busy. Especially around summer and holidays. There are a few tickets you should book before your Vatican visit.
Bernini’s Colonade
Interesting Facts About Vatican City
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. The city-state is just .17 sq miles.
It’s also the only country to be situated entirely inside a city. Vatican City is surrounded by Rome.
The population is just 825 people.
Vatican City was created in 1929 when the then-powerful Papal States resisted being part of the unification of Italy.
Vatican City is the only nation in the world without a prison. Those convicted of crimes serve time in Italian prisons per the Lateran Treaty and its agreement with the Italian government.
The Vatican Palaces are made up of over 1,000 rooms, including chapels, meeting rooms, museums, residential apartments, offices, and the Pope’s residence.
Women make up a mere 5.5% of the country’s population.
Ornate walls of the Vatican Museum
Vatican City has the highest crime rate of any country in the world. With less than 1,000 residents the crimes per capita are quite high. Most of the crimes committed are pickpocketing, shoplifting, and purse snatchings carried out by the millions of tourists who visit each year.
Nobody is born in Vatican City as there are no hospitals. To gain citizenship you must be an employee. Once you change jobs, you lose your citizenship.
Vatican City is one of the world’s only elective monarchies. The other countries include Cambodia, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.
135 Swiss Guards protect the Pope. These guards were first hired by Pope Julius II in 1506. To become a Swiss Guard one must be male, 19-30 years old, Christian, and have completed basic military training.
St. Peter’s Square and the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica
Fun facts, Vatican City has the highest per capita wine consumption rate in the world, thanks in part to the duty-free wine sold in supermarkets.
There’s an ATM with instructions in Latin, thanks to Latin being the official language of the Holy See.
Vatican City is the home of the shortest railway in the world. The station is home to two 300-meter tracks used for ferrying goods.
The obelisk in St Peter’s Square is ancient. It was originally brought to the Vatican City area in 37 AD by orders of Emperor Caligula.
Vatican City is the only country in the world to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
St. Peter was crucified on Vatican Hill near the Neronian Gardens. Excavations found what is thought to be his tomb in 1940.
Vatican City Mints its own Euros. However, they only mint coins. The coins are decorated with images of past Popes and are highly collectible.
A lot of Vatican City’s economy is based on postage stamps which are sold to its many tourists as souvenirs.
The Vatican conducts its own astronomical research and even has a top-of-the-range telescope at the top of Mount Graham in Arizona, USA
Obelisk at St. Peter’s Square
Getting From Rome to Vatican City, How to Visit the Vatican
Can you enter Vatican City for Free?
To gain entrance to the Vatican you don’t need a passport, Visa, or tickets for the attractions inside. When you’re visiting Vatican City, you just need to walk in. Sorry, those of you looking for a Vatican City passport stamp there is no such thing. While you don’t need to pay to enter the country, to gain entrance to the Vatican museums, gardens, or papal mass, you will need tickets.
Vatican Museums Entrance and St. Peter’s Square Entrance
There are two entrances to Vatican City, one is on the southwest side of Vatican City and can be accessed from Via Della Conciliazione. This will lead you to St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square. This is the entrance I used during my visit. The other is along Viale Vaticano on the Northside of the Vatican. This will lead you to The Vatican Museums. You can purchase tickets to the Vatican museum from this entrance.
Vatican City by Bus
To get to Vatican City by bus, take bus No. 49 to the Viale Vaticano stop. Alternatively, you can take buses 990 or 492 to the Via Leone IV stop. From here it’s a 5-minute walk to the Vatican Museum entrance.
Vatican City by Metro
To get to Vatican City by Metro, take Line A to Valle Aurelia. From here the museum entrance is a 5-minute walk.
An empty St. Peter’s Square
Which Line to Use at the Viale Vaticano Entrance
Line 1: Use this line if you have not purchased Vatican tickets. Though I will forewarn you, this is a bad idea. Sure, you can purchase tickets on-site from this line, but it’s the longest line and it is best to purchase tickets online beforehand to save time.
Line 2: Use this line if you have purchased online tickets to the Vatican Museums.
Vatican City opening hours:
The museums are open from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, with the last entry at 4:00 pm. However, you may walk around Vatican City itself at any time, day or night.
Swiss guard outside the Vatican
Visiting The Vatican: Dress Code
Yes, there is a dress code to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. Keep in mind you’re going to a church, not Margaritaville. Security will check to make sure you are appropriately attired before granting you entrance. Since you’re entering a place of religious worship, modesty is key.
Throughout Italy and especially Vatican City, it is strictly forbidden to enter a church with bare arms. This means your shoulders must be covered at all times. Sleeveless blouses, tank tops, and low-cut shirts are strictly forbidden. No shorts or skirts that fall above the knee. No sweatpants, ripped jeans, see-through clothing, or baseball caps. Men must remove their hats before entering. No visibly offensive tattoos or religious symbols. No clothing with offensive language. No crop tops.
While it is not forbidden, it is recommended that visitors not wear flip-flops or casual sandals. Keep in mind that the Vatican museums are massive and you can wind up doing a lot of walking, Dress comfortably yet modestly.
St. Peter’s Square at Christmas time.
St Peter’s Square
St. Peter’s Square is a large plaza directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, west of the Roman neighborhood of Borgo. The square is named after the apostle Saint Peter, who is considered by the Roman Catholic Church to be the first Pope.
At the center of the square is an ancient Egyptian obelisk, installed at the site in 1586. The surrounding Doric Colonnades building, giant fountain, and square were designed by the famous architect, Bernini. Who also furnished Chuck Woolery’s wardrobe on Love Connection. What? Different Bernini you say? My apologies.
In 1817 giant travertine stones were arranged as paving to mark the tip of the obelisk’s shadow at noon, making the obelisk a giant sundial.
Ceiling of the Vatican Museums
Visiting the Vatican Museums
I highly recommend getting a skip-the-line pass if you plan to visit the Vatican. Vatican museum tickets can be purchased the day of, but lines can be extremely long, especially in the peak summer months and on Wednesdays when the Pope grants an audience. You can get advance skip-the-line tickets here.
You have several options when touring the Vatican. Museum admission fees vary for each.
The first Vatican tour option allows you to purchase standard tickets which lets you visit the Vatican Museums and take in all the art and history independently without a guide.
Another option is to purchase “Extra Time” tickets which get you a 2-hour guided tour of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums with special after-hours admission to the Sistine Chapel through a private entrance.
The next option is a regular hours guided tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. There’s also an option to take a guided evening tour of the Vatican. This option is only offered seasonally on Friday nights, but it’s a great way to avoid crowds.
The fourth option is a 3-hour guided tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and Vatican Gardens. This last one gets you the most bang for your buck when it comes to guided Vatican tours.
There’s also an option to take a VIP Vatican private tour.
Beautiful frescos on the walls of the Vatican City Museums
Museum admission fees range from 17 Euros for general admission to 90 Euros for a VIP private Vatican guided tour. During my Vatican visit, I splurged for a guided tour of the museums, Sistine Chapel, and Vatican Gardens. The Vatican museums are seriously massive and it’s easy to get lost and miss out on the most important sites. It can also get crowded which becomes overwhelming. It was much easier to see all the highlights and know I wasn’t missing out on anything because I had the help of a professional guide.
Vatican Museum Opening Hours: The museums are open from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm from Monday thru Thursday and 8:30 am to 10:30 pm on Friday and Saturday.
Exiting to the Vatican gardens
Vatican Gardens
Dating back to medieval times, the Vatican Gardens contain numerous fountains, artificial caves, and sculptures. The area is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and other saints. The gardens occupy a sprawling area of 23 hectares of Vatican Hill. You can only visit the area when accompanied by an official guide, so be sure to sign up for a Vatican Gardens Group Tour. These beautiful gardens are designed in three different styles, English, French, and Italian.
Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel
The most notable part of the Vatican City tour is definitely the Sistine Chapel. Located in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City, the chapel gets its name from Pope Sixtus IV who had it constructed between 1473 and 1481. Today the Sistine Chapel is the site of the papal conclave, the process by which a new pope is chosen. But what the chapel is really known for is the beautiful Michelangelo frescos that decorate the interior.
Pro-tip, you are not allowed to take photographs inside the chapel so make sure to take in your surroundings while you’re there. Also, unless you purchase the after-hours option, the chapel will likely be extremely crowded. I felt as though we were being herded through the site quickly, but it was still well worth visiting.
The Pope greeting crowds.
How to Get a Papal Audience When Visiting Vatican City
Papal audience is usually on Wednesdays, except for July when the Pope takes a break. Papal Audience usually beings around 10 or 10:30 am and lasts for an hour to an hour and a half. Tickets are required and even those who arrive early are not guaranteed admission. So get there well in advance. If you’re turned off by the idea of sitting through mass, worry not! A papal audience is not a mass, though it certainly does contain some religious elements. During a papal audience, the Pope blesses articles like bibles and rosaries and talks to the crowds before offering prayers and homily. It’s recommended you get Papal audience tickets in advance.
Pope Francis also appears from a small window of the papal apartment on Sundays to address the crowd below and bless those in attendance. Sometimes he also comes down to meet the crowds. Unlike Wednesdays, this does not require tickets, but it’s also not a given that he will come down to greet the crowds in person. If you want to try your luck, the best advice is to arrive early.
Another great option is to attend a Holiday Mass. I was lucky enough to be in town for the New Year’s mass and snagged some tickets. Tickets can be difficult to get, but the mass is really beautiful and feels far more personal than standing in St. Peter’s Square hoping the Pope will appear in the window.
Still wondering how you can spot the pope? There’s an app for that. Download the Pope Mobile App to find out his travel schedule and all of his upcoming appearances.
Vatican Museums Staircase
Is Vatican City Wheelchair Accessible?
Not every part of the Vatican is wheelchair accessible, but most of it is. The Sistine Chapel can be reached via an elevator and 2 ramps. There are also wheelchair ramps and an elevator leading to St. Peter’s Bascilica. Unfortunately, disabled visitors need to get permission to use the accessible entrance at St. Peter’s Bascilica.
The Vatican Museums offer free admission to all disabled visitors and a companion. Sadly, the free entry tickets cannot be booked in advance online. Visitors need to present a certificate of invalidity at the Reception or Special Permits desks. But disabled visitors and their companions are guaranteed skip-the-line entry which definitely helps.
The Vatican Museums also offer free wheelchair rental from the cloakroom on a first-come-first-served basis.
While the Museums are accessible to visitors using electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters, due to space limitations, some areas of the museum do not permit them. In these cases, visitors can transfer to a traditional wheelchair which is available free of charge from the cloakroom.
There are multiple wheelchair-accessible restrooms throughout Vatican City. Visitors are advised to get a map at the Museum’s entrance.
For more info check out the Itinerary without barriers site from the Vatican Museums.
Animals room in the Vatican Museums
When is The Best Time To Visit The Vatican?
Vatican City is the most popular tourist destination in Rome. Meaning, it’s almost always crowded. The best time to visit Vatican City is from April to October when the museums can be less crowded, especially on Friday nights. Tuesdays and Thursdays also usually see fewer visitors. Wednesdays and Sundays are the busiest days of the week because the Pope grants audience on these days. Saturdays are also a very busy time for the Vatican Museums.
If you want to see the Pope and brave the crowds, try visiting in the winter from December to February (apart from Christmas and New Year’s) when there are far fewer tourists in town.
I hope this helps you plan your trip to Vatican City. Happy travels!
