Vatican City

My WHS #41, 3.9% of 1052 completed


Why go there?
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, both by area and population. It is so small that you can cover by foot in a day, yet it is one of the most sacred places in Christendom.

I am fascinated by the beauty of St Peter's Basilica. It is huge with remarkable interior, and has been described as the greatest of all churches. Climb up more than 500 steps to take a good look at the interior of the dome, followed by another 330 steps to have a good paranomic view of Rome, including St Peter's Square.   

Even better attraction to me is Vatican Museum. This is one of the finest museum I have ever seen, with impressive collections of statues, drawings, tapestries, maps and many other artefacts. Not to be missed at one end of the Vatican Museum is the Sistine Chapel, but unfortunately the solemn atmosphere is disturbed by the tourist crowds.

 

How to go there?
Within walking distance from Ottavanio.

It is free of charge to enter the ground level of St Peter's Basilica, however you need to pay to go up to the dome (and slightly more if you wish to take the elevator up to the terrace, but you still have to climb the steps all the way to the top).

The queue to enter Vatican Museum is famously long. You have the option to buy online tickets which are more expensive, but that allows you to enter through the separate queue to exchange for the actual tickets. There are many tour guides that you can join both online or on the spot to totally skip the queue. Of course, that comes with a price. Decide for yourself if the incremental cost is worth it.