Location: Vatican City
Top Things to do in Vatican City
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10 Things to do in Vatican City That You Shouldn't Miss
Sure, Vatican City is tiny—110 acres—but it houses the world's largest Catholic church (St. Peter's Basilica) and has perhaps the best collection of artistic masterpieces in the world (the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's Pieta, the Laocoon Group, etc.). And maybe only 800 people live here, but one of them's the Pope. It's a pretty good argument for quality over quantity.
Restaurants in Vatican City
1. La Pieta
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4,551 reviews
The most beautiful work inside St. Peter's Cathedral is Michelangelo's famous La Pietà, considered by many to be the most moving piece of sculpture ever created.
Reviewed By ChiefGuru - Decatur, United States
Michelangelo Buonarroti was only twenty four years old when he created this magnificent Renaissance sculpture: “the pity”. The Pietà is considered by many to be his greatest work, besting even David and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He carved this from one piece of white Carrara marble over the course of two years (1498-1499). This is the only signed work of Michelangelo. La Pieta is housed with St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Upon entering St. Peter's Basilica, La Pieta can be found on the right hand side in the first chapel. La Pieta is Michelangelo's unprecedented interpretation of he body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after his Crucifixion. He decided to give Mary a youthful appearance to demonstrate her closeness to God as well as a reflection of her internal beauty. Both Mary and Jesus have a look of peace and acceptance on their faces. The sculpture is five feet nine inches by six feet five inches. French Cardinal Jean de Billheres, who served the church in Rome, wanted to be remembered after he died. He hired Michelangelo to achieve his goal by making a memorial for his tomb that would capture a popular Northern European art scene: the tragic moment of the Virgin Mary taking Jesus down from the cross. La Pieta is indeed a stupendous work of sculpture and should definitely be seen when visiting Rome.
2. Stanze di Raffaello
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,217 reviews
Reviewed By gkw09 - Cambridge, United Kingdom
Four rooms with incredible artwork can be seen during your journey through the Vatican galleries on the way to the Sistine Chapel. Take time to internalise everything you see on the way, especially in these rooms, as I found people would just be aiming for the Sistine Chapel without fully appreciating everything there is before it. Raphael was part of the High Renaissance masters (the others being Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo) and was buried in the Pantheon - a personal favourite landmark of mine in Rome, Italy.
3. Cupola di San Pietro
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3,323 reviews
Reviewed By Jwallace_83 - San Mateo, United States
The views from above are wild!! You can see the entire Vatican City, and Rome on a clear day. Worth the steps and spiral staircase. Wasn’t sure where it was going at first but it was well worth it!!
4. St. Peter's Square
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8,805 reviews
This grand and magnificent square has retained its classical beauty and serves as the place from which the masses receive the Pope's weekly blessing.
Reviewed By Ius84 - Fairfax, United States
First, request or obtain (free) tickets to attend Palm Sunday Mass at St. Peter's Square (however, I was not asked for my ticket to enter, but it's a nice souvenir.) On the morning of the mass I took Uber from my hotel at 6:35 am and arrived at 6:50 am at the corner of Borgo Vittorio & Via di Porta Angelica . The streets were quiet and my driver had no trouble dropping me off near the Vatican Walls where the line began on the east side. Upon my arrival I found approximately 200-300 people already in line. At 7:35 am the entrance was open and groups of 30 were allowed to approach the security screens. Once I was through security I was able to pick up an olive branch from the pile set out for the congregants. Also, at the entrance to each of the seating areas congregants were given a booklet for mass and a wooden rosary. I then headed to the area where I could easily get an end row seat to see the Palm Processional (midway between the Vatican Obelisk and the altar.) From this vantage point I was one of the few visitors to be given a 6 foot palm to hold during the processional. I was also able to see the entire processional unobstructed including watching Pope Francis (just a few feet away) walking to the obelisk for the Blessing of the Palms and then walking back to the altar. The mass was an incredible and beautiful service. After the mass concluded Francis then was driven around the crowd in his popemobile and I had a third opportunity to see him up close as he went by. (Also, for Catholics...communion is available to the crowd. The system that is used is 1) communion is only given to the congregant by the mouth (taking the communion by hand is not allowed 2) the priest stands at the end of one of the rows and begins giving communion out to each person who approaches him (which means that the row will need to negotiate between the chairs and other congregants to make their way to the priest.) At 12:30 pm I was able to make my way out of St. Peter's Square. Also, the only restroom I was able to determine that were open were the ones near the Vatican gift store/museum shop on the left hand side of St. Peter's Square.
5. Vatican Necropolis
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 858 reviews
When Pius XII ordered a thorough excavation of the area under the High Altar in St. Peter's Basilica, twisting stone passages were found leading to an ancient Roman necropolis, which contained chambers 10- to 15-feet wide with preserved frescoes and mosaics.
Reviewed By MandySSS - Minneapolis, United States
A truly one of a kid tour. The Necropolis was where Christians buried their own before Roman rulers converted and actually persecuted the Christians. Apostle Peters bones are here where they guide claims thee is a 95 % chance they are his. Truly a amazing site whether you are a Christian or not!! No pictures allowed and a sacred place so dress appropriately and bring a small flashlight if possible. Also must make reservations through the Scavi Office of the Vatican.
6. Vatican Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,147 reviews
Reviewed By SBoult - Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
I feel it really is worth paying the extra to experience the Vatican gardens, the views are breathtaking especially on a sunny day. Plenty to see and a lot to take in.
7. Vatican City
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,152 reviews
The world's smallest state, center of Catholicism, and home to the Pope.
Reviewed By NordicBlonde
As a party of 8 we had a guided tour of the Vatican which we had organised through our hotel concierge. Our guide, Gianluca Pica, was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and really seemed to enjoy sharing it all with us. He patiently answered all our questions and made the history of the Vatican come alive. The tour cost €60/hour with a minimum of 3 hours which was split between the whole group. We also paid extra for Fast Track tickets to beat the queues as they were quite long even though we were told it was fairly quiet as it was February. I would suggest to buy fast track even if you don’t want to use a tour guide as the queue for entering the Basilica without going through the museums went round the whole outer perimeter of St Peter’s Square! We toured the main parts of the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica and I would recommend Gianluca and Eyes of Rome to anyone who wants a really fun, interesting, informative and fascinating tour of any of Rome’s ancient or historical sites.
8. Sistine Chapel
Probably the most famous chapel in the world because of its incredible artwork, notably "The Last Judgment," Michelangelo's stunning fresco covering 10,000 square feet of the ceiling and wall.
Reviewed By AllanJGJ - Wellington, New Zealand
Most people who've visited the Sistine Chapel will insist you must see it when you go to Rome, and then regale you with tales of massive queues to get in, too many people in the Chapel once you do get in, being pushed through too quickly, the cost of tours, no photography allowed, plus many other moans. All these things are true. If you love Renaissance art then nothing is going to put you off but for many others with only a few days in Rome they should think long and hard about the time and aggravation involved in visiting this attraction just to get 'a tick in the box'. There are so many other superb things to do in Rome that maybe the Sistine Chapel's cost-benefit analysis doesn't stack up for you. For me as a love of Renaissance art and having read a lot about Michelangelo and about the process of the creation of this amazing series of artworks and of the politics involved I was surprisingly unaffected by seeing it in the flesh so to speak. Perhaps buying a book with large full colour prints and explanations of the works might be more satisfying for many. At the end of the day the size of the Chapel added to the number of people inside means you don't really get close to any of the works and the limited light doesn't help - the paintings and the room as a whole didn't zing as I had expected and I was disappointed that I was disappointed, if that makes any sense. So don't think on your first trip to Rome that this is a must do. I did it on my fifth trip because being here for a fortnight I could afford the time, and put up with the aggravation, but the truth of the matter is that while most people would of course give the art an 'excellent' rating they would probably give the experience an 'average'.
9. Vatican Museums
With more than five miles of corridors, this vast complex of museums chronicles the history and accomplishments of mankind over the last 2000 years, featuring classic masterpieces such as Rodin's "Thinker" and the Sistine Chapel.
Reviewed By SAC572016 - Reading, United Kingdom
A lover of renaissance art totally bowled over by Raphael and Michelangelo There are also so many amazing ceilings and works of art to view / the map room just one example It is a case of walking in a procession through each room but well worth it
10. Vatican City
Arguably one of the finest Cathedrals in the entire world, St. Peter's is the spiritual center of the Vatican and the product of many of Italy's great Renaissance's architects, among them Bramante, Raphael and Michelangelo.
Reviewed By sarjujm - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
If you are a Christian or not, must visit place Excellent architecture, well maintained, lots of historic spots and not easy to complete within in couple of hours if you wanted to go in detail. Be there early and get in easy into the church without much queue for security check If Pope blessings day or visit day be there little more early as there is more intensive checking Each groto or alter has separate stories to tell you so be there with persons who well aware of the church You have to agree that the Italian architecture is one of the most amazing in the world Rush after 10, may be difficult to spend more time each and every place
