A visit to Rome won’t be complete without a quick trip to the Vatican City. Christians and non-Christians would be interested in touring this small sovereign. Amazing architecture, symbolisms of faith and priceless artworks will surround you everywhere you look.
Transport to Vatican City
You can either use bus or train to visit the city but personally, I would recommend taking the Metro and getting off at Ottaviano station as I reckon it’s faster and safer [against pickpockets]. The walk from station will probably take you around 10 mins to arrive at Vatican Museum entrance and a couple of minutes more to arrive at St Peter’s Square. You can buy train tickets from ticket machines and tabacs.
Luggage
Vatican City offers a free luggage storage but I would strongly recommend not bringing any big day bags of some sort like backpacks or sling bags so you can breeze your way through any security checks and avoid being told to check in your stuff. This would be also really helpful especially if you’re planning to do the excavation tour. Both Vatican Museum and St Peter’s Basilica have check-in facilities but this could be time-consuming.
If you’re doing the Scavi tour. The tour specifically advises its participants to avoid bringing a bag or bulky objects (e.g. DSLR) during the tour. I would personally recommend carrying a small camera and bring only stuff that you can put in your pockets. Failing to do so might cause you to miss the tour.
I’m not sure if this line (highlighted in the photo) is for security check or baggage counter. Either way, I would still recommend not bringing any bulky objects to avoid being caught in this line especially during peak seasons. This photo was taken on February 2015.
Visiting Vatican City and doing the Scavi Tour on Winter (February 2015)
If there’s something I love about visiting on winter is that people are fewer during this season. I didn’t make any advance ticket purchases for my visit except for the excavations tour as it is required. I was able to do the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel, Excavations Tour and St Peter’s Basilica without needing to arrive too early to avoid cues. For the excavation tour in english, I chose the 15:00 schedule and used the morning to do the museum. I arrived at the museum ticket cue at around 10 am and it took us around 20 minutes to cue, undergo security check and pay for the ticket. The museum is so huge but I just picked the sections that I’m interested in. My must-visit parts are the sculptures, Greek/Roman art, Raphael room, Gallery of Maps and Sistine Chapel.
There were fewer lines during off-peak seasons so even if you didn’t buy a ticket in advance you would still be able to enter the museum without waiting for an hour or two.
Raphael Ceiling
Sculpture display.
Vatican Museum Grounds
Vatican Museum’s Gallery of Maps
The Excavation Tour. For those who are interested should visit this page for booking and payment instructions. Feel free to send them an email should you have concerns prior the visit. The Scavi Office replies immediately so don’t be shy and flick them a message but please be mindful when composing your email. Catholics are respectful towards authority so it would be beneficial if you will use a formal tone when communicating with them. Once you’re done with the payment process, you will receive an email confirming your booking. Don’t forget to print this email and bring it with you when you arrive at Vatican. It’s important to point out that the email is not the ticket as you will only get the ticket from the Scavi Office on the day of your tour. The excavation area where the tour will be held doesn’t allow photos inside, another reason for you not to bring your big DSLRs. Make sure to arrive at least 10 minutes in front of the Swiss Guard gate.
Going to the Scavi Office for the tour is quite tricky to find. Just follow the arrow’s direction until you arrive at the gate where you will find two Swiss Guards guarding the entrance (see bigger circle). You will be subjected to an inspection and wait for instruction from the Swiss Guards to enter the gates. You will need to show the email to them before entering. After passing the gate, walk a little further (following the blue line) until your arrive at the Scavi Office (smaller circle) to request for the actual tour tickets.
The benefit of the Scavi Tour
Apart from the fact that this tour only accepts around 20 people and gives you a more personal look into the history of the Vatican and St Peter’s Tomb, the tour will give you a faster access to St Peter’s Basilica. After the tour, you will be directed by the tour guide towards the tombs of the popes and a special entrance to the basilica, skipping the cue outside.
St Peter’s Basilica’s main altar
I highly recommend doing the Scavi Tour as it will give you a better understanding of the origins of the Basilica and the Catholic faith as a whole. The tour guide is very helpful as the one we got is an art historian who is part of the crew that did the excavations so she is definitely an expert on the subject.
The Migrant Tourista 