The Best Way to Spend One Day in Vatican City
When you visit Rome, you need to make time to spend one day in Vatican City, home to the Roman Catholic Church. Seeing the art, the history, and the overwhelming sense of significance you feel there make it a once in a lifetime experience.
My husband and I recently spent three weeks in Europe, and after our Holland America cruise, we dedicated a full day to exploring Vatican City.
I learned so much from our day trip, from what type of tickets you need, what to wear, and, of course, what to see.
Now, I’m here to pass all that along so you can create the perfect and complete Vatican itinerary for yourself.
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What to See in Vatican City
When you only have one day in Vatican City, there are four places you should see, especially if this is your first time visiting. Those are the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Square.
St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square are free to visit, but you will need tickets to the Vatican Museums, where the Sistine Chapel is located.
Dress Code for Visiting the Vatican Museums & St. Peter’s Basilica
The Vatican has a strict modest dress code, enforced to respect the religious and cultural significance of the site. Security at the entrance will deny entry to anyone who does not follow these guidelines, so it’s important to dress appropriately.
Shoulders and knees must be covered, meaning no sleeveless tops, short skirts, or shorts above the knee.
Avoid see-through clothing and offensive graphics, and remove hats inside.
Lightweight pants or a long skirt paired with a T-shirt or blouse are great options, and in summer, a shawl or scarf can help cover up when needed.
My Sample One Day Vatican City Itinerary
Morning: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
- 8:30 AM – Enter the Vatican Museums (pre-book tickets to skip the line). Start with the Gallery of Maps, Raphael Rooms, and other highlights before making your way to the Sistine Chapel. Take your time—there’s a lot to see, but the main goal is the grand finale: Michelangelo’s masterpiece on the chapel ceiling.
- 10:30 AM – Exit the Sistine Chapel and use the shortcut (available to tour groups) that leads directly into St. Peter’s Basilica—this saves time instead of exiting through the museum’s main doors.
Midday: St. Peter’s Basilica & Dome Climb
- 12:30 PM – Walk into St. Peter’s Basilica (you can enter directly from the Sistine Chapel with a tour). Admire Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s Baldachin.
- 1:00 PM – Climb St. Peter’s Dome. The view is one of the best in Rome.
Lunch Break: 1:30 – 2:30 PM
- Walk outside the Vatican walls for lunch. Great spots include Borghiciana Pastificio Artigianale, Hosteria Ago e LILLO ROMA or 200 Gradi for an easy grab-and-go option.
Afternoon: St. Peter’s Square & Castel Sant’Angelo
- 2:30 PM – Spend time in St. Peter’s Square, taking in its grandeur and maybe mailing a postcard from the Vatican’s yellow mailboxes.
- 3:00 PM – Walk to Castel Sant’Angelo (10 minutes away). Climb to the terrace for more epic views and learn about its history as a fortress and papal refuge.
How to Get Tickets and Book the Best Vatican Tours
There are a ton of ticket options to tour Vatican City. We opted for a small group tour, and it was one of the best decisions of our trip.
Vatican City is packed with history, art, and symbolism, and having a knowledgeable guide makes all the difference.
Here’s what you need to know about booking tickets and tours:
Vatican Museum Tickets and Tours
You can buy a ticket for the Vatican Museums online at the official Vatican website. This keeps you from waiting in line to buy a ticket at the gate.
You will still have to wait to clear security though.
I 100% recommend you book a guided tour for the Vatican Museums. With over 50 galleries and 70,000 pieces of art, it is impossible to see everything on a one day visit to Vatican City. An expert guide not only will help you with tickets and the entrances to take, they will also take you to the best rooms and art pieces.
Booking tours with early morning access or an after hours night tour may help you avoid the largest crowds. If you have the means, you can even book a private Vatican tour that lets you see the Sistine Chapel before it’s open to the general public.
Even though St. Peter’s Basilica is free to enter, we packaged the tour of St. Peter’s Basilica with our Vatican Museums tour ( Vatican Museums/St. Peter’s Basilica combo tour) to get the full experience.
The Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays except for the last Sunday of the month, in which it is open and free, but be ready for huge crowds which can lead to a not so enjoyable experience.
Besides the Vatican Museums tickets and tours, you can also book tickets to visit the Vatican Gardens and private collections; however, with one day, you really won’t have the time to see everything.
How to See the Pope During your Visit
When the Pope is in residence, he gives the Sunday blessing at noon to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square.
You do not need a ticket for this.
You also have the opportunity to see him, when he is in residence, on Wednesdays at 9:00 AM when he gives the Papal General Audience. For this, you do need a ticket, but they are free.
Because 2025 is a Jubilee year, a special Holy Year in the Catholic Church, there are many special events planned. You can check the special events calendar here, which include additional dates where you might see the Pope.
For U.S. visitors wishing for tickets for the Papal Audience, you can request tickets from the Pontifical College of North America here. Request tickets to see the Pope at least two weeks in advance.
What to Expect in the Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums open at 8 AM, but the lines start forming well before that. Booking an early morning, skip-the-line tour makes a huge difference.
The tour groups meet just outside the Vatican Museums’ entrance on Viale Vaticano, a side street lined with tour groups, security personnel, and vendors selling souvenirs.
You’ll hear the hum of different languages blending together and the occasional ringing of church bells in the distance as you stand in line with maybe a hundred other people.
The entrance into the museum through the tour entrance is well organized and time passes quickly to get in. But, as you can see in the pictures below, there is a wait outside to enter through security and inside for tour group clearance.
Once you enter, you’ll first notice the cool air conditioning compared to the warmth outside. There are restrooms and ticket booths. You’ll also pass through security gates.
After security checks, you receive a head set to hear your guide throughout the museums, and then you are on your way.
First Stop – Cortile della Pigna (The Pinecone Courtyard)
Before you enter the Vatican Museums, you’ll pass through the Cortile della Pigna, or the Pinecone Courtyard.
This open-air courtyard is surrounded by grand, historic buildings.
At the far end of the courtyard stands an enormous bronze pinecone, about 13 feet tall. Designed by Bramante, the over two hundred year old pinecone statue once stood in front of the Pantheon.
Just a few steps away, you’ll notice Arnaldo Pomodoro’s Sphere Within a Sphere, a massive, modern bronze sculpture.
It’s a highly polished, golden sphere, but as you get closer, you’ll notice jagged openings revealing a smaller, broken sphere inside.
Standing in this courtyard, you get a unique contrast between ancient art (the Pinecone) and modern art (the Sphere), both telling different stories but sharing the same space in the heart of the Vatican.
Entering the Vatican Museums
Once inside the Vatican Museums, you’ll walk through galleries filled with centuries of art and history. As you weave your way through the museums, you will see stunning artifacts throughout.
Four of my favorite places in the Vatican Museums are the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries, and the Sistine Chapel.
The Raphael Rooms
The Raphael Rooms are one of my favorite spots in the Vatican Museums. These are a set of four stunning rooms painted by Raphael and his students.
The most famous is the School of Athens, a masterpiece featuring great thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and even a self-portrait of Raphael.
The Gallery of Maps
As someone who loves to travel, The Gallery of Maps is another favorite of mine.
The long and grand hall is one of the most visually striking corridors in the Vatican Museums.
The walls are covered with detailed maps of Italy painted in the 16th century and the ceiling seems to have a golden glow with mosaics.
The rich blues and greens welcome you to explore these historical art pieces.
Gallery of Tapestries
Moving through the Gallery of Tapestries, you feel the shift in sound.
It’s quieter here as the thick woven tapestries absorb the noise.
The massive tapestries, larger than doorways, depict the most biblical and historical scenes with rich, deep textures. They are stunning.
The Sistine Chapel
The grand finale is Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos in here.
The space is large but intimate, the walls and ceiling completely covered in Michelangelo’s breathtaking frescos.
The most famous, The Creation of Adam, stretches across the ceiling with God and Adam’s fingers almost touching.
The Last Judgment on the altar wall is equally breathtaking. It is filled with motion with angels, saints, and the damned swirling around Christ in fascinating detail.
Visiting the Sistine Chapel
I was so excited to see the Sistine Chapel. It’s one of those bucket-list sites you dream about.
And while it was incredible, I was completely surprised by how rushed and crowded the experience was.
Before you enter, they warn you: no talking, no photography. But the second those doors open, you’re pushed in with a massive crowd, and suddenly, those rules don’t seem to matter to a lot of people.
People were openly talking, some taking pictures despite constant reminders not to. It was embarrassing, honestly.
I had hoped for a quiet moment to take it all in, but between the noise, the crowd, and the staff ushering people through, it was tough.
If you’re visiting, just keep your expectations in check.
The Sistine Chapel is breathtaking, but it’s not the serene, peaceful experience you might hope for.
St. Peter’s Basilica and Climbing the Dome
Seeing St. Peters Basilica was something unexpected for me. I had no idea of its sheer size. The moment you enter the Basilica, you are immediately in awe of its grandeur.
The Basilica opens at 7AM, and you do not need a ticket to enter.
However, if you are not with a tour, you will need to wait in the queue at St. Peter’s Square to pass security.
Luckily, you do not need to wait in line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica if you are with a tour guide since you’ll walk through a special passage leading from the Vatican Museums.
Once you enter St. Peter’s Basilica, you’ll immediately notice the vastness of the space.
St. Peter’s Basilica is enormous with a soaring dome above.
There is also an unexplainable peace and sense of overwhelm that catches you off guard, at least for me it did.
There is so much to see and take in.
Things to See in St. Peter’s Basilica
There are so many incredible things to see inside St. Peter’s. Some of the things you will not want to miss include:
- Michelangelo’s Pietà, a marble sculpture of Mary cradling Jesus hand carved by Michelangelo when he was only 23 years old.
- Bernini’s Baldachin, a towering bronze canopy with twisting columns, standing over the high altar
- The Dome, which rises over 448 feet
- The Vatican Grottoes, papal tombs, including St. Peter’s tomb located under the Basilica
- Papal Medallions on the Nave floor – the medallions are inscribed with the measurements of the largest churches in the world for comparison to the size of St. Peters
- St. Pope John Paul IIs grave
Moving further inside, the flooring changes beneath you with some parts smooth, and others slightly textured where intricate mosaics replace traditional marble.
The air is filled with a faint scent of incense, wax, and old stone.
You could spend the entire afternoon wandering inside St. Peter’s Basilica to observe every space. We were shocked hearing about all the historical artifacts within Vatican City, including the original Bible and a piece of Jesus’s cross.
Take your time to really explore the entire church. It is worth your time.
Climbing The Dome
One of the unique things you can do in St. Peter’s Basilica is climb to the top of Saint Peter’s Dome.
Ticket prices begin at 17 € and you can buy your tickets online here.
You can either climb the entire length or take a lift up to close to the top and walk the extra 300 or so stairs to the very top.
Either way, the view from the top is said to be incredible.
The Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica
Having entered St. Peter’s Basilica through the Vatican Museums entrance, we explored the basilica first. But, once finished, we approached the grand entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica.
After exiting, it was then we saw a set of imposing bronze doors on the far right, the Holy Doors or Porta Santa. This sacred and deeply symbolic doorway is quite significant in the Catholic Church.
The Holy Doors are massive, standing about 12 feet tall and divided into panels, each one depicting a different biblical scene in high-relief bronze.
The artist, Vico Consorti, designed these doors in 1949, and they were installed in 1950. They are framed by a Latin inscription above, that translates to:
“Pope Paul VI opened and closed the Holy Door in the Jubilee Year 1975.”
The panels show key moments from the Bible, including Christ as the Good Shepherd, Jesus handing the keys of Heaven to St. Peter, The Virgin Mary and the Annunciation, and The Prodigal Son.
Jubilee 2025
The Holy Doors remain sealed with brick and mortar except during a Jubilee Year, which happens once every twenty-five years and happens in 2025.
During the Jubilee year, the Pope opens the door in a symbolic ceremony and welcomes Pilgrims from across the world.
In 2025, over a million people visited the Vatican in January alone.
Stepping through the Holy Doors is meant to be a moment of spiritual transformation.
It is said that if you make a pilgrimage to Vatican City during a Jubilee year, take Holy Communion, and pass through the doors, all your sins will be forgiven.
St. Peter’s Square
Our last stop was St. Peter’s Square.
As we step out into the warm sun and open air, there is quite a contrast with the hushed reverence inside the Basilica.
The square is alive with the sounds of fountains splashing, visitors chatting, and the occasional sound of pigeons fluttering overhead.
St. Peter’s Square is where hundreds if not thousands gather for the Papal Audience. It’s also a fantastic spot to stop for a moment and take in everything around you.
Where is Vatican City and How to Get There
Vatican City is an independent city-state located entirely within Rome, Italy. It’s the smallest country in the world, about one-eighth the size of Central Park in NYC, and serves as the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.
Despite being a separate country, there are no border controls, and you can simply walk in from Rome without a passport.
Distance from Central Rome
Vatican City is about 2.5 miles (4 km) from the Colosseum and around 3 miles (4.8 km) from the Trevi Fountain.
Best Ways to Get to Vatican City Without a Car
There are several ways you can get to Vatican City from central Rome.
- Metro: Take Line A (the red line) to the Ottaviano-San Pietro station. From there, it’s a 5-10 minute walk.
- Bus: Several buses, including lines 40, 64, and 62, stop near St. Peter’s Square.
- Walking: If you’re staying near central Rome, it’s a scenic 30-40 minute walk from landmarks like Piazza Navona.
- Taxi or Ride-Sharing: Uber and local taxis are convenient if you want a direct ride, but traffic near Vatican City can be heavy.
Why Visit Vatican City?
Vatican City is worth visiting at least once even if you’re not religious.
For one, you have the opportunity to see some of the most famous art and architecture in the world.
Secondly, it is the smallest country in the world.
Finally, a visit during the Jubilee year, which happens every 25 years and is taking place in 2025, is a once in a lifetime experience.
Final Thoughts on Visiting Vatican City
While we thoroughly enjoyed our Adriatic cruise with Holland America, our time in Tuscany and Florence, and our time in Rome, especially touring Rome on a golf cart, spending one day in Vatican City was one of the most moving experiences of our trip.
The art, history, and sheer beauty of the Vatican make it unforgettable.
If you plan it right, with pre-booked tickets, the right outfit, and a solid game plan, you’ll have an amazing, stress-free day.
