Vatican City

At less than half a square kilometer, Vatican City is the smallest state in the world, and yet it packs in more art treasures than most capitals. A trip to the Vatican is almost always part of a Rome vacation, because the border runs right through the city and is marked only by a white line on St. Peter's Square.

St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Square, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the 17th century, embraces visitors with two semicircular colonnades made up of 284 columns. In the center stands an Egyptian obelisk that Emperor Caligula had brought to Rome. Behind it rises St. Peter's Basilica, one of the largest churches in the world, built over the tomb that tradition attributes to the Apostle Peter. For more than 120 years, the most important artists of the Renaissance and the Baroque worked on its construction, including Bramante, Michelangelo, and Bernini. Just to the right of the entrance, Michelangelo's Pietà stands behind bulletproof glass, and beneath the dome, Bernini's bronze baldachin towers nearly 100 feet above the papal altar. If you climb the roughly 550 steps up to the dome (part of the way can be skipped by elevator), you'll be rewarded with a sweeping view over Rome.

The Vatican Museums

Besides the basilica, the top sights in the Vatican are the Vatican Museums, one of the largest art collections in the world. The route winds for miles past ancient sculptures such as the Laocoön Group and the Apollo Belvedere, through the Gallery of Maps with its frescoes of Italy, and the Raphael Rooms, where "The School of Athens" is on display. The highlight is the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo painted the ceiling with scenes from Genesis and the altar wall with the Last Judgment. It is here that the cardinals elect the pope in the conclave, most recently in May 2025, when they chose Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States. Photography is forbidden in the chapel, and the guards regularly ask for silence.

You should definitely book tickets online in advance; otherwise the lines along the wall of Viale Vaticano can last for hours. It's quieter early in the morning or in the afternoon. Admission is free on the last Sunday of the month, but the crowds are especially large then. Tours of the Vatican Gardens, which take up about half of the state's territory, and of the excavations of the necropolis beneath St. Peter's Basilica also need to be reserved well in advance.

A State with Its Own Rules

The present-day state came into being in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy. It has its own stamps, its own post office, a train station, and a pharmacy, and it mints its own euro coins, which are sought after by collectors. The pope has been guarded since 1506 by the Swiss Guard, whose recruits must come from Switzerland. Their blue, yellow, and red uniforms are a popular photo subject at the entrances. On May 6, the anniversary of the Sack of Rome in 1527, new guardsmen take their oath.

For the faithful, the most important events are the General Audience on Wednesday mornings in St. Peter's Square and the Angelus prayer on Sunday at noon. A strict dress code applies in St. Peter's Basilica and the museums: shoulders and knees must be covered.

Eating and Drinking

The Vatican has no cuisine of its own; eating happens in the streets of the adjacent Prati neighborhood and in the Borgo. Around Via Cola di Rienzo you'll find trattorias serving Roman classics such as cacio e pepe, carbonara, and saltimbocca, as well as supplì (fried rice balls) and pizza al taglio to go. Restaurants right on St. Peter's Square are mostly expensive and touristy; just two streets away, things get better.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

The nearest airports are Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA). From the city center, Metro Line A runs to the Ottaviano or Cipro stations, many buses stop near St. Peter's Square, and it's only a few minutes' walk from San Pietro station. There are no border checks.

The best time to visit the Vatican is March through May and October, when it's pleasantly warm at 64 to 75°F. In July and August, temperatures often climb above 90°F, and it can get hot on the shadeless St. Peter's Square. Around Easter and Christmas, services with the pope are especially crowded.