Sights in Vatican City

Vatican City is the world's smallest state, 0.49 km² inside Rome, and there is no passport control: you simply walk in from the city, so plan it as part of a Rome trip. It holds two very different visits with different rules: St Peter's Basilica is free and needs no booking, while the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel need a timed ticket bought weeks ahead (see the Vatican Museums page).

Checked 6 October 2026

Our sight guides for Vatican City

Visiting sights in Vatican City

Free days and discounts

Much of the Vatican costs nothing. St Peter's Basilica is free (the optional paid time slot only adds a digital audio guide and a set entry time), and the Vatican Museums are free on the last Sunday of the month from 9:00 to 14:00, with long queues. Papal events are always free. The Wednesday general audience needs a ticket from the Prefecture of the Papal Household: request it online at eventi.pontificalisdomus.va, then collect it from the Swiss Guard at the Bronze Door the afternoon before (15:00 to 19:00) or that morning from 7:00. Without a request, the guards hand out up to 9 tickets in person from three days before, while stocks last. The Sunday Angelus at noon needs no ticket.

Getting between the sights

You reach the Vatican from Rome: Metro A to Ottaviano or Cipro for the Museums entrance on Viale Vaticano, about 10 minutes on foot,; St Peter's Square is a walk across the Tiber from the centre. The Museums and the basilica are separate visits with separate security checks. Unless you are with a guided group, do not count on the passage from the Sistine Chapel straight into St Peter's; allow about 15 minutes to walk round the walls instead. Two parts of the Vatican are open only with a guide: the Vatican Gardens, on the Museums' official tour, and the Necropolis under St Peter's, a one-hour guided visit for ages 10 and up (€20, reduced €14 for ages 10 to 17, October 2026).

Dress codes and customs

One dress code covers the Museums, the Sistine Chapel, St Peter's and the Gardens: no sleeveless or low-cut tops, no shorts above the knee or miniskirts, and no hats. Guards do turn people away, and the same standard applies at audiences. Expect airport-style security for the Museums, the basilica, audiences and the Angelus. No photos in the Sistine Chapel. The Swiss Guard, the Pope's guard since 1506, stands at the gates; new recruits are sworn in each year on 6 May. The Vatican also runs its own post: send postcards with Vatican stamps from the post office on St Peter's Square (daily 8:30 to 18:30) or the one in the Vatican Museums (Monday to Saturday 8:30 to 18:30).

Seasons, holidays and crowds

2026 is an ordinary year again: the 2025 Jubilee ended when the Holy Door of St Peter's was closed on 6 January 2026, so the extra pilgrim crowds and Holy Door registrations are over. The basilica's own busiest days are Wednesday, when the general audience fills St Peter's Square, and Sunday, for the noon Angelus. There are no general audiences in July, or when the Pope is travelling. Easter (28 March 2027) and Christmas bring papal Masses, with free tickets from the Prefecture, and the biggest crowds. The Museums close on Sundays except the last one, and on Vatican holidays including 11 February, 19 March, 29 June, 14 and 15 August, 1 November and 8 December.

Scams and problems to know about

Audience and papal Mass tickets are always free, so anyone selling them is charging for something you can request yourself. Look-alike sites using Vatican in the name resell the Museums' €20 + €5 timed ticket, or a free basilica entry, at a markup; the Museums say the only official online seller is tickets.museivaticani.va, and the basilica's own site is basilicasanpietro.va, both ending in .va. Touts with lanyards along Viale Vaticano say the queue is hours long or tickets are gone and sell marked-up group entries. No ticket of any kind skips security. Bus 64 from Termini and Metro A towards Ottaviano are crowded and known for pickpockets.

Also worth the trip

Not on Sightsale yet, but worth knowing about.

  • Vatican Necropolis (Scavi)

    The Roman cemetery under St Peter's where the apostle's tomb is venerated, seen in groups of about 12 with a guide, about 250 visitors a day. Request a visit well ahead; ages 10 and up only.

  • Vatican Gardens

    Renaissance and Baroque gardens covering about half of the Vatican's territory, seen only on the Vatican Museums' official guided tour, which includes the Museums.

  • Castel Gandolfo

    The papal summer residence above Lake Albano, outside Rome, whose palace and gardens are run by the Vatican's Directorate of the Pontifical Villas and opened as a museum complex through the Vatican Museums.

Questions people ask about visiting Vatican City

Do you need a passport to enter Vatican City?

No. There are no passport controls between Rome and Vatican City; you walk in from St Peter's Square or the Museums entrance. You may still need ID: Vatican Museums tickets carry your name, and there are security checks at every entrance (October 2026).

How do I get free tickets to see the Pope?

General audience tickets are free from the Prefecture of the Papal Household: request them online at eventi.pontificalisdomus.va and collect them from the Swiss Guard at the Bronze Door the afternoon before or on the morning of the audience. Audiences are usually on Wednesday mornings, but there are none in July. The Sunday noon Angelus needs no ticket.

Is St Peter's Basilica free?

Yes. Entry to the basilica is free and needs no booking; you queue for the security check in the square. The optional paid booking only guarantees a time slot and adds a digital audio guide. The dome costs €17 by stairs or €22 with the lift (October 2026).

Can I see St Peter's and the Vatican Museums on the same day?

Yes, but they are separate visits with separate security checks. Without a guided group, expect to leave the Museums and walk about 15 minutes round the walls to St Peter's Square. Avoid Wednesday mornings, when the general audience fills the square.

Is 2026 a Jubilee year at the Vatican?

No. The 2025 Jubilee ended on 6 January 2026, when Pope Leo XIV closed the Holy Door of St Peter's. Visiting is back to normal rules, without Holy Door registration or the extra Jubilee crowds.

Sources for this page (19)
  1. Wikipedia: Vatican City (accessed 6 October 2026)
  2. Wikipedia: Pontifical Swiss Guard (accessed 6 October 2026)
  3. Government of Ireland, Embassy to the Holy See: Visiting the Vatican (accessed 6 October 2026)
  4. Prefecture of the Papal Household: ticket requests for General Audiences and Liturgical Celebrations (accessed 6 October 2026)
  5. Pontifical North American College: Papal Audiences (accessed 6 October 2026)
  6. Romewise: How to get papal audience tickets (updated September 2026) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  7. Basilica di San Pietro: help, the basilica (accessed 6 October 2026)
  8. Basilica di San Pietro: Vatican Necropolis booking (accessed 6 October 2026)
  9. Basilica di San Pietro booking: Dome with lift (includes Basilica) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  10. Basilica di San Pietro booking: Dome with stairs (includes Basilica) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  11. Scavi: The Necropolis (accessed 6 October 2026)
  12. Musei Vaticani: opening hours and closing days (accessed 6 October 2026)
  13. Musei Vaticani: tickets and prices (accessed 6 October 2026)
  14. Musei Vaticani: how to get here (accessed 6 October 2026)
  15. Musei Vaticani: useful advice (dress code, official ticket site) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  16. Jubilee 2025: dates and times of the closing of the Holy Doors (accessed 6 October 2026)
  17. Poste Vaticane e Filatelia: post offices (accessed 6 October 2026)
  18. Vatican City State: Vatican Gardens (accessed 6 October 2026)
  19. Vatican City State: home (Pontifical Villas, Castel Gandolfo) (accessed 6 October 2026)