I made a few mistakes when visiting Vatican City, so learn from me! Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, completely surrounded by Rome, Italy. While you shouldn’t expect to get your passport stamped, you can still check it off on your list of countries traveled to! Visiting Vatican City isn’t difficult, but there are few logistical items to consider before exploring. Here are my top tips for visiting Vatican City!
Read More: How to Spend One Day in Rome (For First Timers!)
1. Arrive early!
The biggest piece of advice for visiting Vatican City is to arrive as early as possible! As with most attractions, tourists will flood Vatican City from the late morning through the afternoon. To try and miss as many other people as possible, plan for visiting Vatican City first on your day’s itinerary.
2. Dress with respect
This is a holy city and is very significant for Roman Catholics. Regardless of your religion, dressing with respect is important. The dress code isn’t overly strict, and was pretty easy to follow. If you want to enter the basilica, they require you to cover your thighs and shoulders. No low cut tops, short shorts, or hats are allowed. I wore bike shorts (that went about 3/4 down my thigh) and a graphic tee shirt and was more than fine. Some women brought light scarves to cover their shoulders and upper arms to go inside.
3. Be mindful of closing times
When you arrive, it’s important to be mindful of closing times for St. Peter’s Basilica. During my visit, there was a large electric sign near the queue to get into the basilica that showed the last entry time. When there are events, masses, or holidays, pay extra attention to the opening and closing times to avoid disappointment. You can check the calendar by clicking here.
4. Plan for time in St. Peter’s Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica is the crown jewel of Vatican City and should be high on your bucket list! Make sure you plan plenty of time to visit, and don’t worry- it’s absolutely worth the wait. Plan to wait in line (that may snake around the entire plaza), plus at least an hour inside the basilica. There are so many rooms and wings to explore and it seems to go on forever. Those who are Roman Catholic may want to spend even more time (closer to 2 hours) inside to really appreciate it. Though regardless of your religion, the basilica is a spectacular sight.
5. No “Skip-the-Line” tickets? No problem.
While booking skip-the-line tickets will definitely save you time standing in line (and in the summer, the heat is no joke), they aren’t entirely necessary. During my planning, everyone kept telling us “you NEED skip-the-lines!” and, honestly, I’m glad I didn’t listen. You can buy these tickets through many different vendors online (including Viator and GetYourGuide), but they can be expensive. Entrance to the basilica is free, so if you’re looking to save money on your trip, this would be a good place to cut costs.
The line may appear very long. It may snake through the queue and then wrap around the entire plaza. When we saw this, we were about to walk away, but we ended up deciding to get in line to see how far we got in 5 minutes. The line moves surprisingly quickly! All-in-all, it was about 45 minutes from the moment we got in line (snaked all the way around, past the Bernini Fountain) to the moment we got through security. It wasn’t bad at all and was worth the wait!
6. Mail a postcard!
A fun souvenir and activity is to mail family, friends, or yourself a postcard from the world’s smallest country! During our visit, there was a “pop up” post office right in the square where you can walk in to the mobile office. They had all different types of postcards and stamps to choose from. Just let the worker know where you plan to mail your postcard, so they can give you the correct postage! Mailing a postcard to the states cost about €3. If there is no “pop up” during your visit, there is a permanent post office located here. Like most post offices, they are open business hours Monday-Friday, limited hours on Saturday, and closed on Sunday. The postcard took about a month to get to my parents back in New York, but what a fun souvenir and reminder of your trip when you get back home!
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