One Day in the Vatican City

          During my recent two week trip to Italy, I had one day to spend in the Vatican City.  In case your weren’t aware, The Vatican is the smallest country in the world.  For tourists, there aren’t a ton of options for sight-seeing and it can be done in one day.  We did not get tickets in advance or “skip the line” tickets so we had to wait in line for 3 hours for the Vatican Museums.  Aside from the museum, we just explored around Saint Peters Square and Basilica.  The Basilica looks beautiful inside (from photos) but we didn’t have a chance to go in.  The lines were very long and we were hungry.  After touring the museum and walking around, we did a little shopping around the Vatican. Below I will talk more about the Vatican Museums. 

          Like I said above, I waited 3 hours in line to enter the Vatican Museums.  I didn’t want to get any tickets in advance before my trip because I was afraid of buying them and then something preventing me from being able to go.  If you are able to get tickets in advance, I definitely recommend it.  Specifically, I recommend “skip the line.”  Those allow you to just walk right up to the front at your time of entry.  I got in line a little less then an hour before the museum opened and it still took that long. I’ve heard advice that sometimes you can avoid a line if you go an hour before closing but I wouldn’t recommend that because you won’t have enough time in the museum unless you only want to see one or two things.  I spent about 4 hours total in the museum.  I saw almost everything but didn’t spend a ton of time actually reading everything. 

          Something to keep in mind is that the museum has a flow to it.  You have to go in one direction so you can’t just go in and see the Sistine Chapel and leave without walking through the entire museum.  The Sistine Chapel is one of the last areas you go through.  I don’t have any photos of the paintings by Michelangelo (most famously, The Creation of Adam) because you aren’t allowed to take photos.  

          I didn’t expect the museum to take as long as it did so I actually ate lunch at the restaurant that is located inside.  The prices are not too bad.  It’s pretty convenient if you don’t want to rush through.  I didn’t really have to wait either.  If you have any questions about visiting the Vatican, feel free to comment them below.