Visiting Vatican City
Even if you’re not a Catholic, there’s so much worth seeing in Vatican City that the fact that it’s the Roman Catholic Mothership can almost be considered an afterthought. (No doubt I’ll be struck down by lightning for saying that, but I think I’ll take the risk.) Popes have been collecting some of the world’s most amazing art for centuries; the Vatican Museums are so vast and so full of priceless pieces that it would easily take weeks to see it all. St. Peter’s Basilica is at its very minimum an architectural masterpiece, and awe-inspiring at best.

Get the Most Out of Your Visit With a Guided Tour

 

Just these two sights alone could take up an entire day - especially considering how long the lines can be to just get into the Vatican Museum - so I highly recommend taking a guided tour which combines both. That way you’ll have the most important pieces in the museum pointed out for you, and you’ll be following someone who knows his or her way around the ticket lines. Be warned that as yet there’s no real way around the long lines, so be patient and bring water (and sunscreen) - but at least if you’re with an experienced tour guide you’ll know you’re doing the best you can.

>> New in 2008 - while the lines during the peak tourist season are still long, two things introduced in 2008 should help a bit. The Vatican Museum hours were extended to 8:30-17:30 most days, and they finally introduced online ticket sales. Read more on the Vatican Museum travel guide page.

If you’ve already had your free tour of the Roman Forum, you’ve no doubt heard the pitches for that company’s tours of Vatican City. If you liked your tour guide’s style at the Forum, you can be pretty confident that you’ll get something similar from another guide with the same company at the Vatican. If you weren’t crazy about the style, try another company. Either way, it’s a good idea to take a guided tour so that you can see all the “important” stuff, not miss anything you’ll regret later, and not wander aimlessly for hours. Most tours will combine both the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, some with a lunch break between the two, and you probably don’t want to spend less than five hours total on such a tour. I know it sounds like a lot of time for basically two sights, but they’re huge and the time will fly. The tour I took lasted almost six hours (including a 30-minute break for lunch), and it was fantastic.

 

Vatican Tourist Office
To get more information on your own, there’s a tourist information office in St. Peter’s Square, just to the left of the Basilica. It’s open Monday through Saturday from 8:30am until 7:30pm. And since most of the all-day (or most of the day) tours of Vatican City take lunch breaks, if you’re going solo you might try timing it so that you’re in line at lunchtime - it’s probably still going to be long, but maybe not as long as it is at other times. I still think your better bet is to get there early, however, especially since waiting in line at lunchtime means you’re really stuck in the heat of the day, but I’m all about handing out options.

Seeing the Pope
If you’re interested in seeing the Pope, check the news to make sure he’s in town and go to Vatican City on Sunday or Wednesday. You can try your luck, especially in the summer, by showing up and seeing if there’s a crowd gathering in St. Peter’s Square (if there’s a stage set up, you know you’re in luck). If you get there before his entrance, you might even get to see him zip through the crowd in the famous Pope-mobile. To get inside the gated area, you’ll need a ticket - but you can hang around outside it and still see the Pope (from that distance he’s small, but there are jumbo screens so you’ll get to see his face). For the more devout, you can arrange for something more personal (i.e., groups of hundreds instead of thousands) by calling 06-6988-4631. That’s also the number to call to just find out the specifics of the Pope’s schedule.

 

Swiss Guard

Oh, and be on the lookout for the Swiss Guard, who are part of the official military of Vatican City. You can’t miss them - you just might confuse them for clowns or court jesters. Their brightly-colored outfits, complete with matching pantaloons and spats, might look ridiculous, but you do not want to piss these guys off. They might work for the Pope, but they could probably kill you with one hand.

 

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