Vatican City: Gardens, St. Peter’s Basilica and Museums

Vatican City can be planned around a range of different visiting priorities: the Vatican Gardens, St. Peter’s Basilica and its dome, the Vatican Grottoes, and the many sites within the Vatican Museums. This means the options range from a guided visit to a large garden complex to St. Peter’s Basilica and papal tombs, as well as museums, galleries and historic rooms. When deciding how to spend your time, it is worth treating these places as distinct experiences rather than interchangeable items on an itinerary. The requirements for garden visits and tour requests at St. Peter’s Basilica differ in particular, so take them into account before finalizing your plans.

The Vatican Gardens as a landscape attraction

The Vatican Gardens cover around 22 hectares—about half the territory of Vatican City. Their size gives this landscape attraction particular significance within the territory: this is an extensive complex, not a minor stop along the way. The gardens lie behind St. Peter’s Basilica. Visits are possible only with a guide and must be booked in advance through the Vatican Museums. Your plans therefore depend both on your interest in the gardens and on the prescribed visit arrangements. Check the museums’ current booking information before finalizing your visit, as booking procedures can change.

St. Peter’s Basilica, the dome and tours

St. Peter’s Basilica and its dome are open to pilgrims and visitors. Confirm the current visitor information with the basilica before your trip, especially if visiting the dome is important to you. Tours of St. Peter’s Basilica can be requested only at the Tour Desk in the basilica’s Welcome Area. You should also confirm the current request procedure with the basilica before your visit. This lets you consider a general visit, the dome and a requested tour as distinct priorities.

The Vatican Grottoes

The Vatican Grottoes offer a different cultural focus: the tombs of many popes are located there, including the tomb of Saint Peter. The grottoes are open to the public and can be visited free of charge. This is a specific option for travelers interested in papal burial sites. When planning, the grottoes differ from the Vatican Gardens: the gardens require a guided tour and advance booking, while the grottoes are open to the public and free of charge.

Museums, galleries and historic rooms

The Vatican Museums bring together museums, galleries, chapels, apartments and collections. Highlights include the Pio-Clementino Museum and the Gregorian Etruscan Museum, as well as the Gallery of Tapestries and the Gallery of Maps. The names of these two galleries alone clearly distinguish their subjects: tapestries on the one hand and maps on the other. The Raphael Rooms, the Niccoline Chapel and the Borgia Apartments are also part of the offering, each with its own distinct name. The Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Sistine Chapel, the Pinacoteca and the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum add to the selection. If you do not want to give every subject equal time, you can decide in advance whether you are especially interested in the galleries, named rooms, art collections or ethnological focus. This gives your museum visit a clear subject focus without reducing the various museums and collections to a single theme.

Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It was inaugurated on November 1, 1512, during a solemn Mass for All Saints’ Day.

Discover more destinations: Kosovo, Latvia, Albania, Sweden, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Norway

Back to the main travel overview: Europe.