Vatican City: 5 Things To Know Before You Go
1. It's Crazy Crowded
Crowds outside.
If you have dreams of seeing Michelangelo and Raphael's work free of distracting crowds, you can get rid of that thought right now. The Vatican is crazy crowded. 25,000-40,000 people visit every day. From the first line you queue up in, until you exit, people will surround you and shove you from one room to the next. We've visited some busy sights, but nothing compares to how many people were here when we visited in October.
Crowds inside.
Crowds pretty much everywhere.
2. Get There Early And Book A Guide
We were able to skip the line to buy tickets by booking a tour.
You can't avoid the crowds, but you can minimize them by getting up early and booking a guide. We booked a Vatican and Sistine Chapel tour with Dark Rome Tours, and we went on the first one of the day. Arriving early helped us get ahead of the people who were visiting at midday. Booking a tour also got us passed the first queue of people trying to buy tickets. Our guide was very knowledgeable and added a lot to the experience.
You can’t enter St. Peters without a guide.
Another reason you need a guide is you can't access certain parts of the Vatican without a guide. A new rule makes it impossible to go into St. Peters Basilica without a tour group. It's the largest Basilica in the world and houses Michelangelo's "Pieta" sculpture. Our guide also helped navigate the crowds by helping us to find quieter spots along the route to pull off to the side. Dark Rome did a fantastic job with this tour.
3. You Will Be Nickel And Dimed
The Catholic church didn't get this big by giving things away for free. The Vatican is one colossal money-making machine. You pay to get in, and you pay to see different sites. The Pope's face is printed on every souvenir from blankets and mugs to commemorative postage stamps. Our guide even had to pay a separate fee to be allowed to use her radios inside the Basilica. The commercial feel of the place is hard to ignore.
4. You'll See Some Famous Works
Michelangelo's "Pieta"
In spite of the crowds and cost, The Vatican Museums have some pretty spectacular artworks. There are tapestries and sculptures everywhere. The Sistine Chapel is gorgeous, and other works by Michelangelo and Raphael can be seen on the grounds. Other famous artists like Dali have donated art to the museum. Picasso is noticeably absent, though, because, throughout his life, he refused to grant art to the church. Some of the most spectacular sights, though, are the building interiors themselves. There’s marble and gold everywhere, and the ceilings are amazingly detailed.
5. No Pictures In the Sistine Chapel
Lastly, you can't take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel. Ostensibly, this is because a Japanese company owns the copyright to the artwork inside. A quick Google search, though, tells us that this copyright ran out in the '90s. Either way, while you're inside the Chapel, guards ask you to be silent and not take pictures. Whatever the reason, photography is definitely frowned upon.