If you’re planning on visiting the Vatican City soon, or anytime in the future, keep reading! Also known as the Holy See, Vatican City is a country in the middle of Rome, Italy. It is where the Roman Catholic Church is headquartered, and where the Pope lives!

I just visited for the first time this spring, and it was incredible. Truly everything within the Vatican walls is a work of art. I feel like there are also many hidden gems within these walls…some of which I realized after I had left. I will be sharing the insider tips I learned, and what I wish I knew before I visited!

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1. Book the Breakfast at the Museums - Admission Ticket

So this one actually was a complete accident; I discovered this hack when I went to book Vatican Museums tickets. I was (admittedly) a little too late to booking tickets; there were no regular admission tickets left, and just a few other options remaining. One of which was the ‘Breakfast at the Museums’ admission ticket at 7:45 AM. 

This ended up being the best decision! The Vatican Museums officially open at 8:30 AM, so we got to skip the entire queue waiting at the entrance and were first in line inside. With our 7:45 AM tickets, we entered the Museums right away and sat at this little cafe in the courtyard. 

It costs a little extra, but if you eat a full breakfast like me, it is so worth it. The breakfast was surprisingly delicious, and they also gave us water bottles we were able to take throughout our visit.

2. Bring a reusable water bottle and fill up in the courtyard

This one is super random, but there is this cool water fountain where you can refill your water bottle in the courtyard. Note, this is not my photo as I forgot to take a pic when I was there! But I am that person who is always trying to stay (extra) hydrated, so this was huge for me. Plus, then you can say you drank the Vatican City water!

3. Go to St. Peter's Basilica when it opens at 7 AM

vatican city line to get into st. peter's basilica
st. peter's basilica ceiling

Another one we learned the hard way! There was absolutely no line when we arrived in Vatican City at 7 AM for our Museums entry. However, after we exited the Museums around 10 AM, the line was already wrapping around the entire Plaza! 

I definitely recommend going into St. Peter’s Basilica right when it opens at 7 AM. Entry is free, so all you need to do is line up before it opens. 

Fun fact: you are able to get married here! We saw a couple getting married, like right when they were pronouncing them husband and wife.🥹 We looked it up after, and it only costs $1,200!! There are more rules, of course, but I thought that was so, so cool and have never seen that before.

4. You can climb St. Peter's Dome (the Cupola)

vatican city view of st peters square

So, I did actually know about this before visiting, but forgot after waiting for an hour to get into the Basilica. LOL! When you enter the basilica, there is a line on the left. That is where you’ll want to go to get tickets and then make your ascent to the top!

It only costs 8 Euros and you can get the best views of the basilica, Saint Peter’s Square, and Rome itself. I am actually so bummed I missed out on doing this. Again, another good reason to go early; it was pretty hot by the time we waited in line, and we were hungry and ready for lunch.

5. You cannot take photos or videos when inside the Sistine Chapel

I probably should have known this, but did not come across this fact when doing my Rome research. The Sistine Chapel opens at 9 AM and is pretty much always crowded! When you are inside the Chapel, there is a lot of security who continuously remind visitors that no photos or videos are allowed.

However…most people end up sneaking photos, usually by using your front-facing camera. I actually did not haha I am too much of a rule-follower, but my good friend Danny was able to take these pics:

inside of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican Museums
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo’s work is truly incredible! If you’re planning a trip to Rome soon and have any questions, let me know! You can comment here, or email or DM me directly.

For more Rome content, make sure to follow along on my Instagram! I’ll be posting more travel tips and tricks!

💙mariss