St Peter's Basilica
Michelangelo's dome and the Pietà
Come at opening for the Pietà without a crowd, then climb the dome for the view down over the square.
St Peter's SquareArtChurch
Vatican City, Vatican City
Ideal: 1 dayBest: Nov–MarPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Vatican City in 60 seconds
The smallest sovereign state in the world fits inside a stretch of Rome's walls, yet it holds some of the greatest art in the world. Bernini's colonnades open their arms across St Peter's Square; behind them rises St Peter's Basilica, with Michelangelo's Pietà just inside the door and his dome above, which you can climb for the view down over the square and the whole of Rome. A separate entrance on the north side leads into the Vatican Museums — the classical sculpture courtyards, the Raphael Rooms, the map gallery — and, at the end of the route, the Sistine Chapel. Go early, dress for a church, and give it a full day.
PilgrimageUNESCO
Best for
- Art
- Museums
- Architecture
- History
Known for
- St Peter's Basilica
- Sistine Chapel
- Vatican Museums
- St Peter's Square
Skip if
You cannot face crowds — even out of season the Museums and the Sistine Chapel are rarely quiet.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Vatican City fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Vatican Museums
Papal collections from antiquity to Raphael
Book a timed entry, start with the classical courtyards and keep energy for the Raphael Rooms.
Viale VaticanoArtMuseum
Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo's ceiling and Last Judgment
Reached only through the Museums: find a spot along the wall, look up, and stay a while.
Vatican MuseumsArtChapel
St Peter's Square
Bernini's colonnaded piazza
Stand on one of the two marked discs by the fountains and the four rows of columns line up as one.
St Peter's SquareArchitectureSquare
Vatican Gardens
Half the state, by guided visit only
Visited only with a guide, booked through the Museums — quiet lawns, fountains and views back to the dome.
Vatican HillGardens
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Vatican Necropolis
Roman tombs beneath the basilica
Small guided groups visit the street of tombs under the basilica; request a place well ahead through the Excavations Office.
Under St Peter'sArchaeology
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Borgo
The old streets between St Peter's and the Tiber
Rome's lanes right up to the colonnade, with Castel Sant'Angelo at the river end.
Prati
Wide avenues north of the Vatican walls
Calmer and more residential than the centre, with everyday Roman food a short walk from the Museums.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Prati, Rome
ExpensiveHotels beside the Vatican walls
Nobody stays inside the Vatican; Prati puts you a short walk from an early start.
MetroWalkable
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Metro line A to Ottaviano for the Museums; the basilica is a walk down Via della Conciliazione.
- Dress code
- Shoulders and knees covered in the basilica and the Sistine Chapel — you can be turned away.
- Tickets
- Book timed entry to the Museums ahead; the basilica's queue is for the security check.
- Taste locally
- The Vatican has no cuisine of its own — eat in Borgo and Prati: supplì, pizza al taglio, a maritozzo.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1506
Pope Julius II lays the foundation stone of the new St Peter's Basilica.
- 1508–1512
Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
- 1929
The Lateran Treaty creates Vatican City as an independent state.
- 1984
The whole of Vatican City is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Castel Sant'Angelo
Hadrian's tomb turned papal fortress
Linked to the Vatican by the raised Passetto; the terrace looks straight down the avenue to St Peter's.
10 min on footHistory
Rome
The city all around
Rome has its own guide.
Across the riverHistory