The queue for St Peter’s basilica snakes across the Piazza San Pietro in a long, patient, murmuring line of humanity, the pilgrims from the Philippines, the tour group from Ohio, the backpackers from Berlin, and the wait, in the summer, can be two hours. The reward, the moment you step through the doors into the largest church in the world (2.3 hectares, a capacity of 60,000, the dome designed by Michelangelo soaring 136 metres above the altar, the baldacchino of Bernini twisting upwards in the bronze columns, and the light filtering through the windows like the light of a Renaissance painting), is worth every second of the wait. The Vatican is the smallest country in the world (0.44 km², a population of 764, and the only nation on Earth where the head of state, the Pope, is elected for life by a conclave of cardinals), and it contains the most important collection of art and architecture assembled on a single site: the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, the Pinacoteca, and the museums that stretch for 7 km of corridors, the marble, the frescoes, and the sense of the wealth, the power, and the beauty of the Renaissance concentrated in a single, overwhelming experience. Here is your travel guide to Rome and the Vatican City.

Rome & Vatican City, Essential Guide

• The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, the essential strategy: The Vatican Museums receive 30,000 visitors a day, and the Sistine Chapel, the ceiling painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, the Last Judgment on the altar wall, and the most famous room in the world, is at the very end of the museum route. The essential ticket: book online at the official Vatican Museums website (museivaticani.va) for the earliest time slot (8am). The ticket costs ~€17, the booking fee is ~€5, and the 8am entry puts you in the museums ahead of the 9am rush, the corridors are quiet, the Raphael Rooms are empty, and the Sistine Chapel, when you reach it at 9.30am, is merely busy rather than oppressive. The essential upgrade: the Prime Experience (the official Vatican early-access tour, the 7.30am entry, the breakfast in the Pinecone Courtyard, and the Sistine Chapel with the few dozen other early-access visitors, the silence, the space, and the sense of seeing the chapel as it was meant to be seen. ~€68, and worth every cent. Books out months in advance for the peak season). The essential alternative: the Vatican Gardens tour (~€40, the guided tour of the gardens, the fountains, and the view of the dome. The garden tour includes priority access to the museums at the end, a quieter, more pleasant arrival). The Sistine Chapel itself: no photographs (cardinal rule, the guards will enforce it, and the rule is rigidly observed), no speaking (whisper, and the guards will hiss “Silenzio!”), and the essential viewing position: the benches along the walls, the view of the ceiling from the back, and the 15 minutes you need to absorb the most famous painting in the world. More Italy →
• St Peter’s basilica and the dome, the climb and the view: St Peter’s basilica is free, and the queue, the security check (the metal detectors, the bag search, and the 30–60-minute wait in the summer), is the only barrier. The essential strategy: arrive early (before 8.30am) or late (after 4pm), avoid Wednesdays (the Papal Audience, the square is closed until midday, and the crowds are enormous), and dress modestly (the shoulders and the knees must be covered, the Vatican dress code is enforced by the guards). The essential experience: the climb to the dome (the 551 steps, the lift takes you to the roof, the final 320 steps are on foot, the narrow spiral staircase, the leaning walls, and the view from the top: the Piazza San Pietro, the Vatican Gardens, the city of Rome, and the dome of the Pantheon in the distance. ~€10 for the lift + stairs, ~€8 for the stairs all the way). The dome climb is the best paid experience in Rome, and the view, the dome of St Peter’s, the city, and the hills of Lazio, is the best view of the Eternal City
• The rest of Rome, the essential three: The Colosseum: the symbol of Rome, the 50,000-seat amphitheatre of the gladiators, and the worst queues of any attraction in the city. The essential ticket: the Full Experience ticket (~€24, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Palatine Hill. Book at the official website, coopculture.it, for the earliest slot available. The underground ticket, the hypogeum, the tunnels, the animal cages, is the best Colosseum experience, and the ticket sells out in minutes. Set an alarm for the release date, the website releases tickets 30 days in advance, at 9am Rome time). The Pantheon: the best-preserved ancient Roman building, the perfect dome (the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, the oculus open to the sky, the rain falls through the 9-metre hole in the ceiling and drains through 22 hidden holes in the floor), and the most beautiful building in Rome. ~€5, and the essential visit: the midday sun through the oculus, the shaft of light, and the sense of standing in the most perfect room ever built. The Trevi Fountain: the most beautiful fountain in the world, the crowds, and the coin, the right hand over the left shoulder, the promise of a return to Rome. Go at dawn (6am, the fountain is empty, the light is golden, and the experience is yours alone) and again at night (the fountain lit, the crowds, and the gelato from San Crispino, the best gelateria in Rome, the honey and the pistachio, and the secret is the quality of the ingredients rather than the size of the display. Via della Panetteria, ~€3.50 for a small cup)

http://www.RealVacationCareers.com This is a video travel guide log to Rome and it’s treasures. Come with us as we take you on a tour! The Papal basilica of … Video Rating: 4 / 5

Have you stared at the Sistine Chapel ceiling in silence, climbed the dome of St Peter’s, thrown the coin into the Trevi Fountain, or watched the midday light fall through the Pantheon oculus? Share your Rome and Vatican moments in the comments! 🇮🇹

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