How to Visit the Vatican City

How to Visit the Vatican City

There are two key things to do at the Vatican City, requiring you to enter the country through both entrances.

How to Visit the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums

If you want to visit the world-class Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, you'll need to buy tickets in advance online. Tickets sell out in advance - it is crucial to book online before you arrive. You will need to select the date and time you wish to visit the museums and then show up at the exact timeslot (come ten minutes early, no more than is needed). I spent two hours at the Vatican Museums, but could have easily spent longer.

Book your ticket online in advance for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel here.

Honestly, the Vatican Museums, while absolutely stunning, were extremely crowded when I visited and I felt a bit like a sardine being shuffled from room to room. The Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's famous painted ceiling is the very last thing you can visit on your tour as they have designed the layout to walk through nearly every other exhibition before reaching the Sistine Chapel. You cannot "just" visit the Sistine Chapel without visiting the other Vatican Museums. So come prepared to walk a lot and see a lot.

How to Visit St. Peter's Basilica and Climb the Dome

If you want to visit St. Peter's Basilica (and climb the dome, which I absolutely recommend), you don't need to buy tickets in advance. The Basilica is free to visit and the dome tickets can only be bought on site.

I spent one and a half hours in St. Peter's Basilica, including climbing the dome.

The catch with St. Peter's Basilica being free is that there are always long lines. I went after my Vatican Museums visit at 4pm and still had to stand an hour in the heat to get inside. And there is zero shade in the plaza outside the Basilica. Bring lots of water and be prepared to wait a long time - I'd heard of wait times of up to three hours in the middle of the day.

The entrance on the right hand side will also lead you to the ticket office to access the dome. At the time of writing, you could climb the stairs all the way to the top for €8 per person or take the elevator (which still only goes most of the way, and then you have to climb the final stairs) for €10 per person. They accept cash and card on site. The view over the Vatican City and the entire city of Rome is quite simply, breathtaking. It was one of my highlights of my week in Rome.

I got lucky and was able to watch the beginning of the evening's mass at 6pm and it was quite beautiful hearing the singing and organ playing while standing high up in the dome above the Basilica.