The Vatican City is the holiest place in the world for Catholics, attracting crowds of over five million visitors every year!
The crowds only increase by the year and are expected to double in 2025, as it is the Jubilee Year.
This makes it necessary that visitors interested in exploring the artistic and religious city create a plan in advance.
Here are a few steps to help you craft an easy-to-follow Vatican City visit plan!
Book Vatican Tickets Online
The only way to ensure you have a stress-free experience at Vatican City is to book your tickets online in advance.
You can book your Vatican tickets granting access to the Sistine Chapel, and Vatican Garden from the official website.
Visitors can enter St Peter’s Basilica for free.
Finding tickets on the official website can be difficult if you book later during the peak travel season.
That’s why always try to book much in advance, at least 2 months before you planned date.
Check Timings
Before booking tickets, it is necessary to check the timings of all Vatican attractions before planning a schedule.
This ensures that you don’t miss out on any of the activities marked on your planned schedule.
| Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel | St Peter’s Basilica | Vatican Gardens | |
| Opening Hours | 8 am | 7 am | 9 am |
| Closing Hours | 7 pm | 7 pm | 6 pm |
Don’t forget to check the official website for closures or changes in timings.
Create a Schedule
The Vatican City’s most popular attractions include the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican Gardens.
You can explore all these attractions in one day if you follow a fixed schedule.
Begin with the Vatican Musuem, the most crowded Vatican attraction, and then move on to the connecting Sistine Chapel.
If you take a Vatican Musuem private tour, including St Peter’s Basilica, your professional tour guide will show you a hidden shortcut to the Basilica to save time!
Once you visit three of these attractions, you can take a short lunch break before exploring the Pope’s private Vatican Gardens.
It can be extremely tiring to jump from one attraction to the other without any breaks, and you will only be able to see popular displays.
We recommend you spread this schedule out over a two-day visit for a comprehensive Vatican visit.
It will also give you time to explore the Vatican Necropolis under St Peter’s Basilica and see the Tomb of St Peter!
Booking online will help speed up your waiting time, allowing you to explore much more in a day if you can’t stay for two days.
