St. Peter’s Basilica
Vatican City, Lazio, Italy
The sublime, world-famous basilica built over St. Peter’s tomb and crowned by Michelangelo’s heavenly dome.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Bucket list experience:
The Vatican
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Last updated: 02 March, 2023
Dominating Rome’s skyline, the Dome of St. Peters rises above Vatican City — the world’s smallest sovereign nation-state and Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, within its borders (44 hectares) are St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and the Apostolic Palace, the Pope’s official residence.
See the pope
Each Sunday at noon (if he’s in town) the Pope appears at the second window to the right of the Apostolic Palace to bless the crowd. No tickets are required.
On Wednesdays at 10am, the Pope holds a general audience in St. Peter’s Square. Tickets are required and can be obtained through the Papal Event Tickets.
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Destination Guide >Experience
Vatican Gardens
Vatican City, Lazio, Italy
Beautiful and uncrowded, the Vatican Gardens can be accessed on a walking tour. There are limited places per day, so you’ll need to book in advance on the Vatican website. Ticket includes entry to the Vatican Museums too. Monday to Saturday mornings, around 2 hours.
Best for ages: 18+ | £15
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Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
Vatican City, Lazio, Italy
A mind-bogglingly opulent complex of museums, home to one of the greatest hoards of treasure, antiquities and art anywhere.
Best for ages: 13+ | £15
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Overview >Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
To get to Vatican City, take the Metro Line A (red line) towards Battistini and exit at Ottaviano-S. Pietro or Cipro-Musei Vaticani stops – both are equal walking distance from St. Peter’s Square (approx. 10-15 minutes).
An information office is located at the Charlemagne Wing (west end). An info desk can be found at the east end of the square.
Beware of ‘unofficial’ guides milling around the square pushing ‘Skip the Line’ tickets. The official tour service of the Vatican sells them online.
When to do it
High summer can be unbearably hot and humid in Rome, when the city throngs with tourists. Queues can be extremely long for the Vatican. If you are visiting then, try to go as early as possible in the morning (from 7am).
Spring or autumn are the best times for weather and less crowds, though the Easter holiday period, when pilgrims and school groups descend on the city, tends to be very busy.
Winter is a charming time to visit, especially around Christmas, and January and February can be mild – and lack the heavy crowds.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
Vatican City: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Group Tour with Basilica Entry
Rome
Marvel the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with priority tickets.
You will visit one of the world's greatest museums while your guid...
€36 | Rating 4.5 / 5 [58 ratings]
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V.I.P. Small Group Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Tour
Rome
Once you book, we organize everything. Just show up at the Maya Tours office (VIA GERMANICO, 16) at the correct time (Please arrive 10 minut...
€45 | Rating 4.85 / 5 [303 ratings]
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Vatican Museums Sistine Chapel with the Basilica or Rafael Rooms
Rome
First, enjoy the luxury of skip-the-line tickets and bypass the stressful queues. Enter the Vatican and visit Vatican Museum, a true spectac...
€50 | Rating 4.25 / 5 [1057 ratings]
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Tour supplied by:
Best of the Vatican: Fast Track Highlights
Rome
Skip the line with priority fast track entrance and stroll through the former Papal residences with an expert guide who will point out major...
$59 | Rating 4.7 / 5 [60 ratings]
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Mama Shelter
Rome, Lazio, Italy[0.9 miles]
An inspired new-wave vibe, pampering spa and hip on-site eateries, the energetic 212-room Mama Shelter is a modern bolthole in Rome’s starchy Prati neighbourhood.
Official star rating:
Hotel Indigo Rome – St. George
Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.2 miles]
A sophisticated and chic boutique hotel set on one of Rome’s most beautiful streets in the centre of historic Rome.
Official star rating:
Navona Palace
Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.5 miles]
A great value, sleek hotel in a former palazzo that blends old with new, in unbeatably convenient location near Piazza Navona.
Official star rating:
Hotel Donna Camilla Savelli
Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.8 miles]
A restored 16th-century convent at the foot of Gianicolo Hill, on the edge of trendy Trastevere.
Official star rating:
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Rome
Lazio, Italy
The Eternal City – 2,000 extraordinary years of glory, greatness and triumph – and decadence, murder and destruction – evidenced by some of the world’s most iconic, must-see monuments and museums.
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Overview >Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
The Pantheon of Rome
Rome, Lazio, Italy[2 miles]
A superbly preserved Roman shrine under an astonishing 43m dome, housing the tomb of Raphael. The Pantheon was originally a temple to the Gods, rebuilt by Hadrian in AD 118.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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Doria Pamphilj Gallery
Rome, Lazio, Italy[2.4 miles]
A lavish treasure-filled palazzo housing paintings and furniture assembled since the 16th century by the Doria, Pamphilj, Landi and Aldobrandini families. Rome’s most impressive private art collection also includes works by Titian, Guercino, and Caravaggio.
Best for ages: 18+ | £10
Experience
Trevi Fountain
Rome, Lazio, Italy[2.5 miles]
The world-famous, spectacular Baroque fountain, where gods, goddesses and tritons mix with cascades of water, immortalised in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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Capitoline Museums
Rome, Lazio, Italy[2.7 miles]
Three museums on one complex, founded in 1471, packed with ancient Roman, Greek and Egyptian statues. Look out for the Capitoline Wolf and the statue of Marcus Aurelius.
Best for ages: 18+ | £12
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Experience
Walk the Papal Passageway
Rome, Lazio, Italy[1 miles]
Walk the Passetto do Borgo that connects the Vatican with Castel Sant’Angelo, used by Pope Clement VII to flee mercenaries in 1527. It’s only open in July and August; enter via the castle.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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Experience
Ponte Sant’Angelo
Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.1 miles]
This Roman bridge was built in AD 134 by the Roman emperor Hadrian, to provide a scenic access route from the city to his newly built mausoleum, the Castel Sant’Angelo (which later became a fortress, and is now a museum).
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
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Experience
Villa Farnesina
Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.6 miles]
Sumptuous 16th-century Roman villa designed by Baldassare Peruzzi and beautifully frescoed by Raphael, in particular the Triumph of Galatea featuring a nymph driving a scallop-shell chariot pulled by dolphins.
Best for ages: 18+ | £10
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Experience
National Roman Museum
Rome, Lazio, Italy[1.6 miles]
Museum holding one of Italy’s finest archaeological collections – antiquities from the 5th century BC to the 3rd century AD including superb sculptures, bronzes and frescoes.
Best for ages: 18+ | £6
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