Did you know that when you visit Rome, you can visit a whole other country?!
That’s right, Vatican City is a recognised independent city-state and it’s located within the city of Rome. It’s the world’s smallest country at just 100 acres (approximately 1/8 the size of New York City’s Central Park).
Here's how you can have a day trip to Vatican City...
You can get public transport to just outside the Vatican and literally just walk over the (invisible) border into the city-state. I got the Battistini Metro line from Roma Termini to Ottaviano. From the Ottaviano metro station, it was about a 5-10 minute walk to St Peter’s Square and Vatican Museum etc.
If you wanted to grab something to eat, there are plenty of restaurants and cafes to eat some delicious pasta or yummy pizza at. I had a beautiful carbonara (my favourite) at a place called Café Risorgimento – you can get pizzas from €9 and pasta dishes from €7. It has a large range of food on the menu and its cheap (great for the budget). It was lovely to sit outside watching the world go by while feasting on my carbonara.
St Peter’s Square and Basilica
My first stop was St Peter’s Square to check out the Basilica. It was beautiful and I could picture how amazing it would be to see the square full of people receiving Mass from The Pope.
I briefly considered going into the Basilica, but the line was horrendous, and I didn’t want to stand in the queue and miss out on the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel (more on that shortly).
Entry into St Peter’s Basilica is €6 (reduced in some cases). Both self-guided and guided tours are available. As this is an active religious building, please be respectful by dressing appropriately and being quiet – remember that for some visitors, this is a time of prayer and reflection, please respect that. Also, it’s good to check out the Basilica website before you visit in case it is closed for some reason (religious holiday or similar). Please note that you will be searched by police before entering the Basilica.
Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel
What I really wanted to see on my visit to Vatican City was the museum and Sistine Chapel. Entry cost €20 (this gets you into the museum and chapel) and you can expect to spend at least a couple of hours here. I don’t think I have ever seen so many artefacts collected in one place. It was fascinating – there were statues, painted ceilings, tapestries and so much more!
The Sistine Chapel is something else. When you walk into the chapel, you just look around in absolute awe! The paintings are astounding! There are so many people in the room, some standing, some sat down, everyone is just completely amazed by the incredible artwork around them. Please note, you cannot take photos inside the chapel.
Don’t get conned!
What you don’t want to do is get conned. Outside The Vatican Museum, there are many “guides” hovering around. Some are official Vatican guides, they have a Vatican City crest badge. Others are not official – they look official as most of them will have ID badges or “tourist guide” lanyards, these are the ones to be careful of. Both official and unofficial, they will be helpful and friendly. The unofficial guides will approach you and offer you discount tickets if you go with them – don’t go with them. Often they will charge double the entry cost and can turn quite nasty if you refuse them. It is best to buy your tickets either directly from the museum (in person or online) or from a reputable (and trustworthy) company.
I enjoyed my day in Vatican City. I really enjoyed visiting the museum and the Sistine Chapel – some of the most amazing artefacts and art I have ever seen. And despite almost getting conned, it was a great day.
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