In this report, we offer some safety advice when visiting the Vatican, which, despite being one of the most monitored places in the world, suffers from petty thefts, like all places with large groups of people.

Take care of bags

A visit to the Vatican should be relaxed but not careless and thieves should not be given any opportunities. The basic rules of common sense should suffice.

Be especially vigilant in crowds of people and queues. Watch pockets, bags and purses, and do not leave baggage unattended. Tourists and pilgrims often have small items stolen, and they are very difficult to retrieve as the thief does not have far to go to reach another country.

Thieves do not respect any place, no matter how sacred. Robberies have even taken place in the Sistine Chapel.

Maximum respect

The Vatican authorities take the sanctity of their small State very seriously and they do not accept disrespectful behaviour.
Areas such as Saint Peter’s, the Museums and the Basilica have a very high level of security and the officers are often found in amongst the crowds with the appearance of simple tourists or pilgrims.

Our advice is to respect the places you visit; do not provoke any altercations or act obscenely, as you will be reprimanded and possibly told to leave.

Bus 64

The line 64 connects Termini with the Vatican. This bus is famous for its pickpockets, so look for alternatives or be careful with your belongings. See getting to the Vatican.

Street vendors

During your visit to the Vatican, you may find people who offer products or services directly on the street. We do not want to generalise but we believe it is a bad idea to trust these people because of course you may be deceived.

Our advice is to go to the Vatican well-informed and with your visits booked in advance. In our tickets and tours section, you can find the bookings you need at excellent prices and with the guarantees of leading operators.

If there are any problems

If you have been robbed and want to make a complaint or get advice, we suggest going directly to the Italian police. There are Vatican special corps agents in the Piazza and roundabout. Do not look to the Swiss Guard. They may give you advice but they have other duties.

Related links

Tips for visiting the Vatican Museums

The Vatican City is accessible for those who use a wheelchair.

This article includes as many details as possible that a wheelchair user visiting the Vatican may require.

Visiting the Museums in a wheelchair

A tour of the Vatican Museums can be done in a wheelchair. In fact, one can be requested at the entrance.
We recommend booking the chair at least a day in advance since there are a limited number and it is possible that one is not available when we need it.
It can be booked through:  accoglienza.musei@scv.va
There is no charge and they only require valid identification to be shown.

Throughout the Museums, there are bathrooms adapted for wheelchair users.

Free access

People with a disability of over 74% and a companion do not need to queue and can enter for free. This can be obtained directly from the “special permission” counter. They may occasionally request proof of the disability although the mere presence of a wheelchair is often sufficient.

Recommended route

The Organisation has created a recommended route for disabled people.

Our experience could not be more positive. The personnel there are extremely sensitive to people’s needs and offer any help they can to make visits as comfortable as possible. Mobility problems are no reason not to visit the Museums.
Staff are available to help with lifts and around the tour. Make sure to ask for any help: it is their job!

Wheelchair users will see views that are prohibited to others. For example, access to the Sistine Chapel is done through a door which offers a magnificent view.

St Peter’s Square and Basilica

The great St Peter’s Square is open to all and is comfortable for wheelchair users.
Access to the Basilica is to the right of the colonnade when looking from the front. Here is a ramp and accessible services.

Once inside, the entire visit can be done without any problems, even to the grottoes. Where wheelchair users cannot access is the Necropolis and the upper part of the dome (the base can be accessed).

Papal Audiences

In the crowded audiences on Wednesdays in St Peter’s, there is a special space for wheelchair users and companions. You can get a ticket from your parish or through our online booking service.

They can also be obtained in person from the Office found in the west wing of the Vatican. The access area is watched by the Swiss Guard and you should indicate to them that you want “biglietti per il Papa”. The office is easily accessible.

Vatican Gardens

Unfortunately, the Vatican Gardens are not accessible to people in wheelchairs. Constant slopes and difficult terrain make a visit incredibly complicated.

Final recommendations

– Take your time. In our opinion, the best idea is not to try to see the entire Vatican in one day if you are using a wheelchair. The distances are long and there is a lot to see. We recommend visiting St Peter’s and Castel Sant’Angelo in one day, and leaving the Museums and the Sistine Chapel for another.

Related links

Safety tips in the Vatican
Vatican museums tips for visitors

Not all tours in the Vatican can take by buying the ticket there and then. In some cases, it is necessary or advisable to book the ticket before travelling.

Vatican Necropolis

Previous booking is mandatory and should be done early.

The Necropolis under the Basilica is very intriguing, but requires a very special booking process. It is possible that you obtain the pass two or three weeks before your visit, but we recommend that you book your tour well in advance so that you are guaranteed to enter on the day you choose.

Papal Audiences

Papal Audiences on Wednesdays is free for the public although  registration in advance in required. It is recommended not to wait until you arrive in Rome to register for it.
There are companies whose job is to manage and organize the transport to the Vatican. Request Papal Audience Tickets.

Vatican Gardens

To visit the beautiful Vatican Gardens you need to  book an official guided tour in advance. We advise the booking of this visit to be done in advance.

The Vatican Museums

In the Museum, you will find a ticket office where you will be able to purchase the tickets.
Unfortunately, people have to queue most days, sometimes for over an hour and under unsuitable weather conditions.
If you don’t mind waiting, this is of course the most economical option. However, if you do not wish to waste time and have some euros to spare, we recommend booking the tickets online or get a guided tour which will also give you the chance of visiting the Museums in depth.

Entrance-free landmarks

You don’t have to book tickets to enter St Peter’s Square or the Basilica. They are both free access and free of charge.
You may have to queue to enter St Peter’s Basilica because of security control, which rarely takes more than half an hour.

When you visit the Vatican you will be able to buy religious souvenirs or gifts for you. The offer of religious theme gifts is huge, so we can provide you with some advice about it.

During the typical itinerary of a tourist or pilgrim, the offer of religious souvenirs will be at every corner.
You will see many street stalls, little souvenir shops, large stores with religious merchandising and stands inside the Museum and the Basilica.

Inside the Vatican Museums we will find several sale points with traditional religious souvenirs, as well as an interesting range of books. Inside the Basilica itself we see little shops managed by nuns. One of them is on the way up to the dome.

In St Peter’s Square, at the  Philatelic and Numismatic Office, you can acquire very interesting products related to the world of coins and stamps. The special series are very successful. Recently, the days of Sede Vacante or the election of Pope Francis generated a great demand for products.
Here you can also buy euros which have been emitted by the Vatican, a scarce and valuable product for collectors.

Popular souvenirs

The variety is huge and the prices are varied.
Most tourists buy rosaries, stamps, medals, calendars, t-shirts, posters, crosses… The most popular religious figures are John Paul II, Pope Francis, Pio de Pietrelcina or Mother Teresa.

The variety of jewellery is extensive, and prices can range from a few euros to large sums, depending on the quality of the product. There is always a souvenir for each visitor.

Tips

Comparing prices

– As with every place, we recommend comparing prices. This is not essential for affordable products, unless you plan to buy large amounts of them. However, for more expensive items, it is important to compare, as the differences in prices can be noticeable.

Bargain

– Don’t feel intimidated and negotiate prices. There are shops where prices are tagged and negotiation is less likely to take place. This is the case of the stores located inside the Vatican or the big stores next to the Square. However, bargaining is possible in small shops or street stalls (and you are somehow expected to).

Being successful at negotiating may depend on whether you are planning to acquire many products. If the seller does not wish to reduce prices, you can ask for a small gift.

Blessed gifts

Blessed souvenirs (rosaries, stamps…) tend to be more expensive and it is always doubtful whether they are authentic or not. We recommend buying these kind of gifts in official shops.

Recommended stores

– As part of the offer of religious themed gifts we find prestigious shops such as Savelli, with stores in the Ssquare itself and Vía della Conciliazione 

See more of our Vatican travel tips.

Related links

Best places to eat In the Vatican area

Now it is time to provide you with some advice and recommendations so that your visit is as satisfactory as possible, without inconveniences and making the most of the time you spend there.

1. Avoid queueing

One of the problems museum visitors face is the long queues to buy entrance tickets, which often are hundreds of metres long, and force them into long waiting times.

Queues are real and they are especially long at special times and days. We can’t generalise, they depend on the month, the day of the week and the time of day.

For example we recommend avoiding free entrance days (the last Sunday of the month and on September 27th). There are also long queues on Wednesdays during the Papal audience or on Fridays and Saturdays. The rest of the days, it is likely that you will have to queue during the first hours of the day (from 9 to 12) but after these time the situation improves.

The time when long queues are most likely is between March and early November. There are also times of year, outside the busiest season, when large numbers of members of the public gather such as February 14th or the days around December 6th, when there are various bank holidays close together in Spain.

There is the chance to avoid queueing if you buy the ticket online in advance. It is a good option if you wish to avoid crowds, although they are slightly more expensive, and as we mentioned before, queues may not be long.

With the ticket already printed, go to the entrance, past the queue, show it to the security staff and walk to the ticket office to get your official entrance ticket.

The discount for students is valid for EU citizens and to all those people whose countries have an agreement with the Vatican. Have a form of identification with you.

Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Skip-the-Line Tickets

2. Book a guided tour

There is a lot to see at the Museums, and it is a waste of time to wander round the rooms and not knowing where to go.

For this reason we advise you to book a guided tour. There are many types and for varied prices, but in all cases, they allow us to greatly enjoy the experience and make it more didactic.

Another advantage of guided tours is that it is only through them that you can directly access St Peter’s Basilica through the Sistine Chapel without queueing.

If this is of no interest to you, you may consider getting an audio guide at the entrance. The only disadvantage of this option is that you will have to leave the building through the official exist and not through the Basilica in order to return it.

Best Vatican guided tours

3. Pick the right day.

Plan your visit well. The museums are closed on certain dates of the Catholic calendar, and most Sundays.
Details on http://mv.vatican.va/4_ES/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Orari.html
The museum is open until 18:00, but the ticket offices close at 16:00.

4. Payment

There are several sites on the internet where it is stated that it is not possible to pay using credit card. This is not true, payment with credit or debit card is available at the ticket office.

5. Visit the sites without any luggage

You cannot access the sites with suitcases, big rucksacks or umbrellas. You will need to leave them in a cloakroom, which can be annoying since you will have to pick it up when you leave. It is not a problem to enter with small rucksacks or bags.
Be careful! You cannot enter the building with knives or other sharp objects. The access is as controlled as the airport.

6 Do you only wish to visit the Sistine Chapel?

That’s fine, but you will have to walk over 1 km inside the museum to reach it, and it is a shame to miss everything else that is available to you there. Also bear in mind that once you get past the Sistine Chapel, it is almost impossible to go back, since visits to the museum are organised in a one-way pattern.

There are indicator signs that will guide you towards the Sistine Chapel, you won’t get lost. From the entrance, if you don’t halt along the way, you can reach the Sistine Chapel in about 30 minutes. If you want to see the Chapel and a few other things along the way, you should bear in mind that there are interesting areas (the Art Gallery) which are not along this route.

Best Sistine Chapel tour

7. Go to the toilet.

We recommend that you pay a visit to the toilet once you have queued up. There are not many chances to do so afterwards.

8. Take photographs

It is allowed to take pictures and record videos inside the museums, as long as the flash is not used. In order to set-up a tripod you will need special permission.
The exception is the Sistine Chapel, where you mustn’t take photos or record any kind of video.

9 Clothing

The dress code for the Museums is a bit more relaxed compared to St Peter’s Basilica.. For example, you are allowed to show your shoulders.

The general rule throughout all of the Vatican City is to avoid exposing too much naked skin, with particular emphasis on modesty rather than elegance.

Moral reasons aside, your outfit is of key importance to the comfort of your visit. We strongly recommend wearing comfortable shoes. You will face hours and kilometres on foot wearing them. The shortest of visits usually includes two or three hours of walking, without taking into account the nearby streets and squares, all with Roman cobbled surfaces. Ideally, wear comfortable sports/casual cushioned shoes that fit well.

Do bear in mind however that on the hottest days in the summer the Museums get very hot. There is little air conditioning for conservation reasons.

10. Get ready to see crowds of people

One of the most common complaints from visitors is the large amount of people.. It is a fact that the overall experience is affected by this. It is sometimes difficult to move around the rooms, especially in the Sistine Chapel, where on busy days you cannot stop or sit, just walk and observe the work while having the guards pushing you to the exit.

11. Watch out for spontaneous tour guides.

These services are offered while queueing to enter the museum you should not trust them. Sometimes they will lie to you making the queue longer or providing false information, for example saying that you cannot pay with credit card at the ticket office. Listen to what they have to say but don’t trust everything they tell you. You cannot tell what is true or not.

12. Cloakroom

The Vatican Museums offer cloakroom services which may be useful to leave luggage or other objects if you have already left the hotel or flat.
Except for extremely large luggage they are no problems.

Whatever you can store at the left luggage area will be a relief for your legs as the average visit usually lasts about 3 hours (expect to walk up to 7km) within the corridors and halls of the museums alone, without counting a visit to the Basilica, St Peter’s Square and other attractions in the area.

Tip 13. Visits with young children

The Vatican Museums boast of being a place that is open to families and they make visits easier for parents of young children by allowing prams and pushchairs. The surveillance staff can help you when it comes to choosing the best itinerary and finding the lifts you need to make your visit easier. There are special spaces all over the museum for nappy-changes or breastfeeding. There are booster seats for the smaller family members in the main cafeterias.

Tip 14. Visits with animals

Access to the Vatican Museums for animals is forbidden, regardless of their size, with the exception of guide dogs for people with eyesight problems as long as they are equipped with a lead and muzzle. Animals are also allowed access within the concept of a duly accredited therapy. In both cases, notification of the visit must be sent at least one day in advance to  accoglienza.musei@scv.va.

Related links

Guided visit of the Vatican Museums
Private visit to the Vatican at a special time

]]> https://www.vaticancityguide.org/visiting-vatican-museums-helpful-hints/feed/ 1 https://www.vaticancityguide.org/where-eat-best-restaurants-tips/ https://www.vaticancityguide.org/where-eat-best-restaurants-tips/#respond Sun, 19 May 2019 12:56:43 +0000 http://www.visitarelvaticano.com/?p=63 Top Places to Eat Near the Vatican

The option of eating in the Vatican must be taken into consideration when planning your visit. The area is one of the most visited in Rome, and as such it is full of “tourist traps” offering low quality food at very high prices, which can greatly affect your budget.

In this article we will give you some practical advice so that you can eat in the Vatican.

Eating inside the Vatican

It is not permitted to eat inside St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums and its Gardens, although the prohibition does not include St Peter’s Square.

Inside the museums you will find:

– A self-catering restaurant and cafeteria on the floor below Atrium of Four Gates.
– A cafeteria on the floor below the restaurant.
– The cafeteria “Sixtina”, next to the stairs leading to the entrance of the Sistine Chapel.

A popular place to eat is the self-catering restaurant cafeteria. Everyone has their own opinion, but we think this is a very enjoyable place, with reasonable prices and with the possibility of sitting on small tables outside, next to some very beautiful gardens. It is a spacious and functional shop.
The cafeteria offers hot starters such as pizzas, paninis, salads and sweets. The value for money is acceptable. The dishes are very simple and appropriate for all the cultures and nationalities that visit the Vatican. Toilets are very clean.

Another option is to bring your own food and eat it on the cafeteria’s own tables. There is usually no problem with this, and the security does not prevent you from entering the museums carrying a bottle of water, fruit or a sandwich.

Be careful with prices.

The cafeterias which are nearest to the Vatican’s points of interest are slightly dangerous since they tend to be quite expensive for the quality of food they offer. We don’t want to generalise, but we recommend not to let yourself be carried away and spend some minutes comparing prices. It is normal, in some shops, to pay 50 euros for two paninis and beverages.

It is worth walking a bit more and get away from the most central areas. Do not trust those shops that do not display their prices, or where you see many Japanese tourists.

Recommendations

It is better not to go for the easiest option and walk the adjacent streets . There you will find interesting options at reasonable prices.

In this way, we can visit Plaza del Risorgimento and explore Via Ottaviano and its adjacent streets or go along the streets opposite the Vatican Museum’s entrance (Via Candia, Mocenigo, Tunisi…) in search for a small trattoria or pizzeria. A place called Pizzarium stands out, on Via della Meloria 43, considered the best pizzeria near the Vatican.

On Vía Andrea Doria, five minutes away from the Museum’s entrance, we find the Mercado Trionfale, with over 200 stands and a thousand options to organise a wonderful picnic paying reasonable prices. It is closed on Mondays and Sundays.

– Osteria delle Commari, on Via Santamaura 43, elegant and popular among Romans, it offers quality food.

–  Da Vito e Dina, on Via Degli Scipioni, 50, a family restaurant with good value for money.

See more of our Vatican travel tips.

Other interesting places near the Vatican are:

Gastronomia Franchi Benedetto, at Via Cola di Rienzo 24. A magnificent shop with gourmet gastronomic products open since 1925 and a real institution in the Prati neighbourhood. Wines, oils, meats, cheese, cold cuts and all sorts of Italian delicacies are combined with dishes and snacks to eat at the bar or take away such as lasagne, chicken, cod, etc. We recommend you be bold when it comes to ordering and push your way through the crowds.

Fa-bio.  A refreshing option two steps from the Vatican Museums at Via Germanico 43.

An alternative to pizza and pasta in the form of organic and ecologic options with delicious salads or sandwiches sold for a set price regardless of the number of ingredients. You can eat well from 5 euros. An oasis in the area.

Duecento Gradi, right on Piazza Risorgimento is the mecca of the panino. From 5 euros you can enjoy sandwiches made fresh before your eyes with Italian ingredients. You can choose the ingredients you like or go for a house signature combination.

Pizzarium has the best pizzas near the Vatican and is located to the right of the Cipro metro station. It offers signature pizzas (by chef Gabriele Bonci) with a trademark fine, crispy dough and a combination of great quality ingredients and creative proposals. The pizzas are sold by weight and the best thing to do is try various different flavours.

Apart from the authorities, who may have the honour of greeting His Holiness, most people who visit the Vatican have two options in order to see Pope Francis in person:

Audience on Wednesdays

This is not a mass. It consists of various readings, hymns and sermons mostly in Italian, although other languages are often used. The event ends with a prayer in Latin and the Pope moves around the audience area, giving his blessing to the faithful and the objects they carry.

The audience starts at 10:30 in the morning and access is available as from 8. We recommend you go early.

It lasts an hour and a half and photos may be taken.If the weather does not allow the event to take place outdoors, it is done within the Basilica, in the Audience Hall where the faithful are divided into two groups. In order to enter, a ticket is required.

For many, getting a ticket in person may be complicated and there are limited spaces available, so there are companies which allow you to book tickets and accommodation in the area at reasonable prices.

Papal Audience Tickets

Sunday Angelus

Another great time to see the Pope in on Sundays at noon during the Angelus prayer. He will appear at the window of the Papal Apartments to the right of the Basilica façade and give a brief homily which ends with a general blessing.

Private audience with the Pope

We often receive emails asking how to obtain a private audience with Pope Francis, many people’s dream. We always reply that it is very complicated (almost impossible) due to His Holiness’s difficult agenda, but the first thing that must be done is simply to request one. In effect, there’s nothing to lose from writing a letter to the Vatican asking for an appointment and explaining the reasons for requesting a personal meeting with the Pope.

Many people seek spiritual orientation or a particular blessing for personal reasons, which can sometimes be dramatic. We recommend you reflect deeply on your reasons for wishing to meet His Holiness in person, be humble and analyse whether it is really a strong reason or whether it is an act of idolatry, something completely separate from what Francis represents and wants.

Our Pope is undoubtedly a charismatic figure and he is the visible head of the Catholic church, yet many Christians may not be aware that just steps from their homes, at their nearest parish church, they have a person who is fully prepared (their priest) to provide them with guidance, spiritual support and blessing as a representative of God on earth. Not in vain, the priest is, according to the Gospel, the intimate friend of Jesus, the vigilant pastor of the Christian flock, forgiver of sins, preacher of the Gospel, sacrificer of the body and blood of the Lord and messenger of the Son of God. Let us not forget that!!.

A charismatic figure

Pope Francis is one of the most charismatic figures in the world and a true spiritual leader of our times. He’s a simple person, known for his austere lifestyle. His biography is very well-known but there are some aspects which may not be so obvious to the public and we think are interesting and worth a mention:

– For example, a lung operation when he was young, when to a heavy infection, led to part of the organ having to be removed.

– Or his mother’s initial opposition to his developing his religious vocation, despite being a Catholic woman.

– Not many people know that back in 2005, Bergoglio was the second most voted candidate when Pope Benedict XVI was elected.

– Or that he was the first American citizen and Jesuit to become the Roman Pope.

– He was also the first non-European Pope to reach the Chair of Peter in more than 1,000 years.

Related links

Papal audience tickets

Parking in Rome is a real challenge, almost as much of one as writing a report on this topic for a city as large as Rome. We will limit ourselves to giving some general tips on finding somewhere to park in Rome, a task which can be very arduous or very simple, depending on how you approach it and what your budget is like.

We will also pay particular attention to the difficulty of parking in the Vatican City, naming the main public carparks nearby where it is possible to book spaces in advance online, a real step in the right direction for tourists’ peace of mind.

Parking restrictions in the centre of Rome

Parking in the centre of Rome is reserved for accredited residents only and even they have quite a lot of trouble finding empty spaces. The tourist or occasional visitor, therefore, can forget about trying to park their car in the central and touristy areas of the city.

If you do park in the centre, you risk having the police tow your car away and having to enter into a complicated labyrinth of paperwork and fines to get it back. Break-ins are another possible problem.

In many areas unauthorised vehicles are not even allow to enter, let along park. The ZTL zones are under video surveillance and their use is limited to residents or visitors who are driving to a hotel with its own carpark. The hotel has to authorise this access in advance and provide you with a provisional licence number.

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Parking at hotels or monuments

Very few important monuments have parking for visitors and if they do, the prices are prohibitive. If you’re going to stay at a central hotel they tend not to have carparks, so if this is a vital amenity you will be better off seeking accommodation in the outlying areas.

Public carparks

There is a limited number of public carparks in central Rome. You can view the options available where online booking is possible on this link. To name a few of the most popular, we have the one at Termini station or that at the Villa Borghese Gardens, both of which are quite expensive.

There are various carparks near Fiumicino Airport, with prices starting at 18 euros per day, but they generally provide a very basic service with problems such as a lack of surveillance, lack of covered parking spaces, difficult access, etc.

The price to park in a public carpark in Rome ranges from 1 to 5 euros per hour and from 12 to 40 euros per day.

Parking near the Vatican City

Here is a list of the main public carparks near to the Vatican City where it’s possible to book online:

– Parking Prati, on Piazza Unità, 62 – 193.  Parking in Rome, close to the Vatican City and Sant’Angelo Castle, also known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian. See prices

– Garage San Pietro, on Via di Santa Maria alle Fornaci, 26 – 165.  Located by Piazza di S.Maria Alle Fornaci. Garage San Pietro has an unbeatable location if you need to park close to the Vatican City as it is just a five-minute walk away. See prices

– Garage Dacar, on Via Buccari, 5 – 195. Roma. You can get to the Vatican City, within the walls of which you can visit St Peter’s Square, on foot from Garage Dacar carpark in just 10 minutes. See prices

More parkings in Rome