You can imagine how small this country is, but there are numerous attractions to cover in just one day. If you are planning to visit Vatican City for the first time, you’re probably wondering how to see everything in one day. In this guide, I will show you a simple itinerary to follow and travel tips to spend one day in Vatican City.
To visit the Vatican City, you must be in Rome, Italy. My one-day trip to the Vatican was part of my four-day solo trip to Rome. I had three days to enjoy and explore Italy’s capital, and then saved the last day for a day trip to Vatican City from Rome.
Wandering in the city was one of my favourite experiences in the country, as well as the attractions. That’s why I’m sharing my detailed travel guide to the Vatican, how to navigate the museums, where to buy tickets, and how to spend one day in Vatican City.
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IN THIS GUIDE:
- Before you visit: What to know before you visit Vatican City
- How to get your tickets
- Best time to visit
- How to get to the Vatican from Rome
- Moving within Vatican City
- A full day Vatican City guide and itinerary
- What to pack and wear
- FAQs to spend one day in Vatican City
- Pin this post
Before we continue, it’s important to know that Vatican City is a small sovereign country in Italy (like Monaco). But here are a few things to know before planning a trip to Vatican City:
Vatican Museums = a collection of 26 small museums connected by a corridor.Before You Visit: What To Know Before You Visit Vatican City
- Just like Monaco, there is no airport within the city. Therefore, to visit Vatican City, you must be in Rome, Italy.
- Entrance into the Vatican Museums requires a passport (no other form of identification) and your ticket. Please ensure that you bring your passport.
- Dress accordingly. There is no strict dress code for the museums, but you must dress decently for St. Peter’s Basilica. So, to spend one day in Vatican City, please dress appropriately.
- It is forbidden to take photos or video recordings inside the Sistine Chapel. I have no explicit explanation for this, but when I visited, the security officials ensured that we put down our phones before entering the chapel.
- Book your ticket in advance, especially for the Vatican Museums. If you plan to visit the Vatican Museums, you must book your tickets at least one month in advance. The ticket site fills out quickly, and I was lucky to get mine 2 days before my visit by 3 am.
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How To Get Your Tickets
First, no tickets are required to visit St. Peter’s Basilica – it is free. But you will need tickets to visit St. Peter’s Dome, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and Michelangelo’s Castle.
As I mentioned earlier, your tickets to the entire Vatican Museums must be booked at least three months in advance. I recommend getting your tickets online from the Musei Vaticani’s ticket website for quick entrance into the museums. If you don’t book in advance, you might spend half of your day in a ticket queue at the entrance, which is not a nice experience.
Tickets to Michelangelo’s Castle cost €16 for adults, and you can book your tickets here. You can book tickets to the Vatican Gardens here. If you have time to see the Necropolis Vatican, or the ruins of the Necropolis, you can book your tickets here too.
Best Time To Visit Vatican City
I visited the Vatican in the middle of July, and it wasn’t as crowded as it would be in August. However, the time of day you visit the city is a factor to consider.
I was at the Museum’s main entrance by 10 am. Since I had a ticket, entry into the museum took me less than 15 minutes. The security personnel try to space the crowd within an hour interval, so arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled time.
So, the best time to visit Vatican City is from May to July, preferably in the morning before 11:00 am.
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How To Get To Vatican City From Rome
As I mentioned earlier, you have to be in Rome to visit the Vatican. And to spend one day in Vatican City, you must start your day early.
I lodged near the Roma Termini train station and walked to Croce Rossa bus stop to get a bus. I took the BUS 409 from Croce Rossa stop towards Vatican City. It was about a 30-minute bus ride (without changes) from there to Doria A. Once I got off at Dorian A. (I think it was the last bus stop for this bus line), it was barely a 10-minute walk to the Vatican entrance.
I used my Google Map to navigate through a flight of stairs until I reached the entrance. You will also see other tourists on the way, so don’t worry – you won’t get lost.
If you are close to the Roma Termini train station, you can take Metro A to Bastini(Ma) and get off at Ottaviano. From there, it’s barely a 10-minute walk to the museum’s entrance.
A 20 – 25 minute walk from Piazza Navona to St. Peter’s Square & Obelisk is another method to get to Vatican City. If you are up to it, you can take the walk.
You can also take an Uber, taxi, or a private ride service to the city. I saw some tour buses from the Colosseum to Vatican City. You can also book this on Booking.com.
Getting Around Vatican City
The city is really small, and motorized vehicles are not even allowed in some areas. St. Peter’s Square, areas around Michelangelo’s Castle and the ruins of the Necropolis are off-limits to motorists.
And since there is little ground to cover aside from the attractions, the best way to move around or within the Vatican is on foot.
This will even give you the time and opportunity to explore the city, browse through the souvenir shops, and understand the religious significance of Vatican City.
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A Full Day Vatican City Guide and Itinerary
Since this is a day trip to the Vatican, plan to spend half of your day there. It took me roughly 3 hours and 30 minutes to explore the museums (I skipped the garden) and an additional hour for the rest of the city.
I left Rome around 9:15 a.m. and arrived at the museum’s entrance by 10 a.m. Although my visitation time was by 10:45 am (on the ticket), I had some time to find the right queue and was inside the museum by 10:50 am.
With no further ado, here’s what your itinerary would look like to spend one day in Vatican City.
Arrival
By 10:40 am, I was in the queue in front of the museum’s entrance, just by the Vatican walls. You will be scanned by the security outside, and your passport and ticket will be verified.
The Vatican Museums
By 11 am, I was inside the Gregoriano Egizio Museum and officially started my tour.
The Vatican Museums are a collection of small museums interconnected by corridors. There are several thousand artifacts and sculptures inside the museums.
My favourite rooms inside the museum are:
- The Egyptian Museums – everything about the artifacts, mummies, and hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt.
- The round room – with the Roman Gods and the Sarcophagi Tombs of Constantina.
- The Octagonal Courtyard – you will see the River Arno god just chilling there.
- Raphael Room – a beautiful fresco of Raphael and his students.
- Hall of Maps & Tapestries
- Sistine Chapel
Exit from one museum leads you to the entrance of another museum.
Sistine Chapel
By 2:30 pm, you should arrive at the Sistine Chapel.
Through the long corridors and Hall of Maps, you will come to the Sistine Chapel by now. The security personnel at the entrance will inform you to put away your phones and camera because they are not allowed.
But I must tell you, the Sistine Chapel is beyond beautiful. It is a room with a wall-to-wall fresco painting done by Michelangelo. The room is also considered the Pope’s prayer room.
Tickets for the Sistine Chapel are included with the museums. There is no independent entrance to the chapel.
Vatican Gardens
I remember accessing the gardens from one of the small museums, but since I didn’t have a guide, I couldn’t get access to the gardens. The Vatican Gardens are a paid attraction (€40) that can only be explored with a tour guide. Also, make your bookings in advance and ensure that your tour guide is authorized to tour the gardens.
The garden is a great addition to your itinerary to spend one day in Vatican City while resting your feet between tours.
Unfortunately, I was unable to tour the gardens, but you can book a guided tour here.
St. Peter’s Basilica and Square
By 2.30 pm, leave the Sistine Chapel and find your way to the Basilica and the square, but start with the Basilica.
The church is full of sculptures and paintings that depict the Renaissance era. Don’t forget to see Michelangelo’s PiĂ©ta, the Baldachin structure by Bernini (close to the altar), and the statue of Peter.
Inside the Basilica, find your way towards the exit/entrance, and you will find the access to St. Peter’s Dome. You will pay €10 to use the elevators to the dome. And from here, you can take an aerial photo of St. Peter’s Square and other parts of the Vatican.
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After you are done with the dome, you can find your way to the square. Don’t forget the Obelisk structure. You can cool yourself with the water there.
Explore the city
By 3:15 pm, you can leave the Basilica and explore the city.
Once you come out of the Basilica, make a quick stop at the Vatican Post and send a postcard to yourself. The post office is typically crowded, but you will get your turn in no time.
You will also find souvenir and religious paraphernalia shops around St. Peter’s Square and Via della Conciliazione. From there, navigate your way to other streets around the square and explore the city. You will even find the Nigerian Embassy of the Holy See around there.
Say hi to the Vatican guards if you see them. Roaming through the streets is a great way to spend one day in Vatican City.
Michelangelo’s Castle
By 3:45 pm, head down to Castel Sant’Angelo.
Once you have had your fill of the country, find your way to Via della Conciliazione (the large street right in front of the Obelisk) and head to Castel Sant’Angelo. You will even see the castle right ahead.
Entrance into the castle is paid, and you can purchase your tickets at the entrance.
Once you’re done with the Castle, exit through Ponte Vittoria Emmanuele II bridge (the bridge of Angels) and explore the streets around there. You can stop for lunch at one of the restaurants there or enjoy some gelato. From here, you can take a bus or taxi back to Rome.
If you still have time in the day, you can visit the Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis, a recently discovered ancient underground city in the Vatican. It’s about an 8-minute walk from St. Peter’s Square, and you can get your tickets here.
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What To Pack And Wear
Your packing essentials depend on the time of the year you are visiting Rome or the Vatican. But to spend one day in Vatican City, you must dress appropriately.
But due to strict dress code regulations for visiting religious sites inside Vatican City, you must pack:
- a light scarf
- mid-length clothing or trousers
- tops or shirts that will cover your arms
- comfortable flat shoes
Strict dress regulations are not maintained for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. But for St. Peter’s Basilica, your clothing must cover your knees (for women), shoulders covered, and no short shorts for men.
Neglecting these rules may restrict your access to the Basilica, so take note.
FAQs To Spend One Day In Vatican City
No, there are not. But you are not allowed to photograph or record inside the Sistine Chapel.
Yes, it is! Also, the team can provide special assistance to visitors with wheelchairs.
Start early in the morning. I recommend being at the entrances before 10 am to skip the crowds and get an early start.
It depends. It will take you less time if you want to skim the museums. But if you are going to take meaning from these artifacts, it could take two hours or more to tour the museum alone. I was on a solo tour by myself, so it took me about 3 hours.
No! St. Peter’s Basilica is free to visitors, but climbing the dome requires a fee. You will have to pay about €10 in cash inside the Basilica to climb the dome. The dome’s access is inside the Basilica, near the church’s entrance.
No, you don’t! You can tour all the attractions inside Vatican City without a tour guide, like me. However, you can purchase an audio guide for the Vatican Museums on this website and grab an audio guide for St. Peter’s Basilica at the entrance of the church.
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Other Tips for Visiting the Vatican City
- You will go through security at the museum’s entrance, so be prepared. If you start your tour from the museums, you will not need to undergo another security check for St. Peter’s Basilica. But if you start from the Basilica, you will go through a security check. Don’t worry, it’s fast.
- You will be on your feet for a long time, so consider ditching the heels and wear something flat.
- Avoid visiting the Vatican or its museums on Wednesdays and Sundays. I understand that the museum is free on the last Sunday of each month, but the crowd is unbearable, and you may not enjoy your tour. Wednesdays are for the papal audience, and while it is wonderful to see the pope at this time, St. Peter’s Square is typically overcrowded on this day. So, for a better experience, avoid Sundays and Wednesdays.
- Eating and drinking are not allowed inside St. Peter’s Basilica. For content creators, any form of trendy dance or stunts is highly prohibited. It is a church, so respect the rules.
To Conclude
Vatican City is small, but there is a lot to see. By the time you go through the museums, it will feel like you spent the morning in one place. And if you’re wondering how to take a solo day trip to Vatican City, my itinerary is the perfect guide for you.
Also, be prepared for any closures in the city due to religious ceremonies (it can happen). While most creators will promote touring the city on Sundays due to free entry, I do not recommend that. That is not the travel experience I want for you – it is crowded.
Whatever your plan is, I believe that one day is the perfect amount of time to explore Vatican City. I have a gallery of all the pictures I took while I was in Vatican City. If you are planning a trip to the South of France, do well to check out my travel guide to the French Riviera. And since you are in Vatican City, take a moment to read my full travel guide and itinerary for Rome.
