Visiting Vatican City: Tickets, Admission & What to Know

What You Need to Know About the Vatican

If you want to visit Vatican City, here’s what’s worth knowing:

• The Vatican is the smallest country in the world and sits right in the middle of Rome. It’s one of the most famous attractions in the world.
• You can simply walk right in, as if it were just another neighborhood of Rome. You won’t even notice you’re crossing into a different country.
• If possible, avoid going on Wednesdays and weekends. Wednesday is papal audience day, and St. Peter’s Square is packed to the brim. Weekends are also really crowded.
• There are two entrances to the Vatican: the east and north entrances. Our tip: take the east entrance via Via della Conciliazione — it’s far more impressive.
• There are no restaurants inside the Vatican, only the cafés at the Vatican Museums. If you’re planning a full day in Vatican City, bring some food with you.
• Vatican and Vatican City are the same thing. We use both terms throughout this article.

All Vatican Admission Prices and Tickets

Visiting Vatican City is like walking into another neighborhood of Rome — you just stroll right in. Admission is therefore free.

You only pay to get into the following attractions:

• Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica
• Vatican Museums & Gardens
• Papal Palace in Castel Gandolfo

A Rome city pass might be worth it for you. Some passes include free admission to select Vatican highlights. You’ll find more details in our Rome Pass Comparison.

Here’s a full overview of Vatican attractions and their ticket prices in one table:

Vatican Attractions on a Map

To give you a clear overview of Vatican City and where all the highlights are, we’ve put together a map for you.

7 Attractions in the Vatican

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter’s Basilica is enormous. With a capacity of 20,000 people, it is one of the largest churches in the world. The dome was designed by Michelangelo and has a diameter of 42 meters.

The interior is gigantic — gilded stucco, colorful mosaics, statues, and marble reliefs everywhere you look.

You’ll also find one of the most famous statues of all time here: Michelangelo’s “Roman Pietà.”

Beneath the basilica lie the Vatican Grottoes, where more than 90 popes are buried. Entry to the grottoes is free.

Admission to St. Peter’s Basilica is free. There’s always a line, though.

Dome of St. Peter's Basilica

For a time, the dome of the Florence Cathedral was the largest in the world — then the dome of St. Peter’s was built. It’s slightly larger, differing only by the thickness of the walls.

At the top there’s a large observation platform with a 360-degree panorama from 117 meters up over all of Rome and Vatican City.

You can reach the dome either by climbing 551 stairs or by taking an elevator. The elevator only saves you part of the climb, though — once you exit it, there are still more than 300 steps to go. The dome is not wheelchair accessible.

The dome has a separate entrance. When you’re standing on St. Peter’s Square facing the basilica, the entrance is in the colonnade on the right side.

The line here can be quite long, and unfortunately you can’t buy tickets for the dome in advance. The only way to skip the wait is with a guided tour.

Book the St. Peter’s Basilica tour with dome climb

St. Peter's Square

St. Peter’s Square is impossible to miss — and if you come through the east entrance, it’s the first major sight you’ll encounter.

The square is enormous and can hold over 100,000 people. St. Peter’s Basilica stands directly on the square, flanked by two wide colonnades that form the border with Italy.

In the center stands a 25-meter-tall obelisk that was brought from Egypt to Rome in antiquity.

The square is always busy, but on Wednesday mornings it’s even more packed than usual — that’s when the Pope holds a general audience. Thousands of seats are set up, and four huge screens let visitors follow along.

Attending the general audience is free, but you need to register up to ten days in advance.

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

The Vatican Museums are among the most important and largest museums in the world.

Works of art from every era and continent are on display: from antiquity through the Middle Ages to the 19th century, spread across more than 55,000 square meters and 1,400 rooms.

Also included is the Sistine Chapel, located at the very end of the museums.

Plan on spending at least three hours here — it goes fast.

We recommend buying tickets for the Vatican Museums directly from the official website. They’re cheaper there than with third-party providers like Get Your Guide.
Our insider tip: You can combine your Vatican Museums visit with St. Peter’s Basilica, because there’s a direct passage from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter’s. It’s officially only for guided groups, but you can slip in unnoticed behind a tour group and duck into the basilica. When exiting the Sistine Chapel, turn right instead of left. Just keep in mind you’ll miss the spectacular spiral staircase if you do.

Note: The entrance to the Vatican Museums is located at Piazza del Risorgimento, outside Vatican City. You cannot access the museums from St. Peter’s Square.

Vatican Gardens

The Vatican Gardens are located behind the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, and at 23 hectares they make up a large portion of Vatican City.

The gardens are laid out in Italian, English, and French styles, with flower beds, orchards, meadows, and a forest. There are a labyrinth, fountains, sculptures, and grottoes, as well as monuments from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Honestly, it’s a real paradise — but the gardens can only be visited as part of a guided tour, combined with a museum visit.

Bus tour through the Vatican Gardens & museum visit

Walking tour through the Vatican Gardens & museum visit

German Cemetery

Remarkably, the Vatican’s only cemetery is reserved for people from the Dutch- and German-speaking world.

The cemetery Campo Santo Teutonico has existed since the Middle Ages, originally serving pilgrims and clergy from the Holy Roman Empire. Today, notable figures are also buried here, including German-speaking artists, writers, and nobility.

Access is reserved for German-speaking visitors only, and entry is free.

To get in, present yourself to the Swiss Guard at the gate south of St. Peter’s Basilica, between the colonnades and the Palazzo del Sant’Ufficio, and request entry in German.

Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo

The Papal Palace is located 40 kilometers outside of Rome, in the hilltop village of Castel Gandolfo.

From the village, you have a stunning view of the surrounding countryside and Lake Albano.

The Apostolic Palace was the traditional summer residence of the popes until 2016, when Pope Francis gave it up and opened it to visitors.

Inside, you can view personal belongings of the popes, the bedroom, a portrait gallery, and religious artifacts. The tour also takes in the Barberini Gardens, with beautiful views of Lake Albano.

Get tickets for the Papal Palace in Castel Gandolfo

Tips for Your Visit to the Vatican

Dress Code in the Vatican

The Vatican has a strict dress code. You can walk around the streets or St. Peter’s Square in regular clothes, but inside St. Peter’s Basilica and on the dome, shoulders and knees must be covered.

In summer, just bring a light scarf to drape over your shoulders when entering religious buildings — problem solved.

The Vatican Museums don’t have an official dress code, but the Sistine Chapel — which is inside the museums — does.

So it’s best to avoid short shorts or skirts here too. Otherwise you risk being turned away at the chapel entrance.

The Best Days of the Week to Visit the Vatican

If you have any flexibility with your schedule, avoid Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Weekends are always particularly busy — on top of the usual tourist crowds, many Italians come for a day trip to Vatican City. The Vatican Museums are also closed on Sundays.

On Wednesdays, the general audience starts at 9:30 AM and regularly draws tens of thousands of pilgrims. The square fills up with rows of seats, and St. Peter’s Basilica stays closed until 12:30 PM.

Monday is a great day to visit, when many tourists have just checked out of their hotels.

The Best Time of Day to Visit Vatican City

Vatican City is never truly empty, no matter what time you arrive. It gets crowded early, as many tour operators kick off their tours at 8 or 9 AM.

The sweet spot is late afternoon, when tourists gradually start heading back to their hotels.

That goes for St. Peter’s Basilica too — late afternoon is when tour groups have finished their rounds, so you’ll have a lot more breathing room. Same for the dome.

The Vatican Museums are always packed. Many visitors arrive in the morning and are back out by midday.

On weekdays between 1 PM and 3 PM is therefore a solid window to visit the museums with a bit more space to move.

Visiting Vatican City on a Guided Tour

On a guided tour, you skip the lines and get into all the Vatican highlights much faster.

A good guide also knows the lesser-known spots you’d probably walk right past on your own.

These Vatican tours come highly recommended:

Tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica & Dome (in English)

Tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter’s Basilica, without dome (in English)

Tour of St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica (in German)

Food and Drink in the Vatican

Within the borders of Vatican City there are no proper restaurants — just the cafés and vending machines inside the museums and at the dome.

There is a supermarket, but only Vatican employees are allowed to shop there. For a real meal, you’re better off stepping outside the Vatican and finding a Roman trattoria nearby.

Our tip: Bring a water bottle, especially if you’re visiting Vatican City in summer. The lines can be long, and there are no food trucks inside the Vatican.

Beware of Pickpockets

Vatican City has the highest crime rate in the world.

That might sound alarming, but it’s simply because crime is measured relative to the number of residents — and the Vatican has only around 850 of them.

The crimes in question are mostly pickpocketing, and it really does happen a lot.

The most popular spots for pickpockets are exactly where the biggest crowds gather: St. Peter’s Square and in front of Michelangelo’s “Pietà” inside St. Peter’s Basilica.

Getting to Vatican City

The Vatican has several entrances, but only two are designated for tourists: the north entrance and the east entrance.

Vatican East Entrance

The east entrance is far more impressive and takes you along the grand Via della Conciliazione directly to St. Peter’s Square and the basilica.

You can easily reach it on foot from central Rome.

Getting to the East Entrance by Public Transit

The nearest subway station is Ottaviano on Line A, about a 15-minute walk from the east entrance.

Alternatively, several city buses run close to the east entrance.

Bus lines 64 and 40 run directly from Termini main station to near the Vatican. Line 64 stops at the Ospedale Generale Santo Spirito stop, and Line 40 stops at Piazza Pia. Both are about 10 minutes from the east entrance.

Vatican North Entrance

The north entrance is the better choice if you want to visit the Vatican Museums first and then explore the rest of Vatican City.

Getting to the North Entrance by Bus & Train

The nearest subway station is Cipro, also on Line A. From there it’s about ten minutes to the north entrance and the Vatican Museums entrance.

Bus line 81 runs from the Colosseum or Piazza Venezia directly to the north entrance. The stop is at Piazza Risorgimento.

Getting There by Shuttle Bus from Fiumicino Airport

If your hotel in Rome is close to the Vatican and you’re flying into Fiumicino Airport, it’s worth taking a shuttle bus from the airport. It stops on Via Crescenzio, about a 10-minute walk from St. Peter’s Square.

The bus departs from Terminal 3 every 30 to 40 minutes. Tickets cost €6 per person.

Book the shuttle bus from Fiumicino Airport to the Vatican

Unfortunately, there is no direct connection from Ciampino Airport to the Vatican. You’d need to take a shuttle bus to Termini main station first and then continue by subway or city bus.

10 Interesting Facts About the Vatican

The Vatican is special not only for its cultural highlights, but also for its history and political status.

To wrap things up, here are 10 fascinating facts about the Vatican that not everyone knows:

1. With around 850 residents and an area of less than half a square kilometer, the Vatican is the smallest country in the world.
2. The Vatican is not part of the EU. Even so, it’s allowed to use the euro and mints its own coins.
3. At the ATM in the Vatican, in addition to the usual languages like English and German, you can also select Latin.
4. Those who live in Vatican City pay no income tax and no sales tax. Food is therefore about 22% cheaper than in Italy. Electricity and phone service are also free, and rent is 4% of income. Unfortunately, you can only live and shop in Vatican City if you’re a Vatican employee.
5. The Vatican has its own postal administration and prints its own stamps. The Vatican postal service is said to work much better than the Italian one.
6. The Vatican is the only country in the world whose entire territory is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
7. According to legend, the ashes of Julius Caesar are contained in the bronze urn atop the obelisk in St. Peter’s Square.
8. The Vatican has a magnificent but rarely used train station. Once a week, a train departs from here to the Papal Palace in Castel Gandolfo.
9. The Swiss Guard, the papal military, consists of 135 men. To serve, you must be male and Catholic, come from Switzerland, have completed military training and hold a high school diploma, be single, and be between 19 and 30 years old.
10. The Vatican has the highest wine consumption in the world: a staggering 54 liters per person per year.