Vatican City and Sistine Chapel Tour
I am not a morning person. But there we were at 7:20AM meeting our Walks of Italy tour guide just a couple blocks away from Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, tucked within the city of Rome. With this early wake up time, we were going to have the chance to get into the Vatican early and see the Sistine Chapel an hour before the museums opened up to the public.
The Sistine Chapel
This is probably the most famous ceiling in the world. Even though he was a sculptor, not a painter, Michelangelo was hired in the early 1500s to create this gorgeous work of art. He was reluctant to take the job because of prior commitments, but when the Pope insists, it’s hard to say no.
Unfortunately the Vatican does not allow people to take pictures of in the Sistine Chapel, so I can’t show you even a glimpse of the ceiling. Stern guards watch over the room of admirers occasionally scolding someone for trying to take a picture, and often reminding everyone to be quiet. They were a bit scary.
We actually ended up in the Sistine Chapel a second time later in the tour because we had to go through it to get to another section of the Vatican. The second time around was after the general public was allowed in, and there were so many people it was hard to walk. Definitely glad we were able to get in early.
The Vatican museums
After our privileged entrance into the Sistine Chapel, we continued on through the rest of the museums. We saw lots of other beautiful pieces of art, but the section Andy and I both liked the best was the gallery of maps. These maps depicted different parts of Italy in great accuracy.
The other thing I found interesting while wandering through the museums was all the marble used in decorating the Vatican. Our guide at the Colosseum and Roman Forum the day before told us how centuries ago the Vatican took large quantities of marble from the Forum for use in the Vatican. They just didn’t think of it as stealing or destroying history back then. During our Vatican tour, our guide kept pointing out the “repurposed” marble, which puts a nicer spin on the situation.
Interesting facts about the Vatican
I like odd trivia, so I quite enjoyed the random facts our guide told us about the Vatican throughout our tour. Here are some of my favorites:
- St. Peter’s Dome is 136 meters high, and no buildings in Rome are allowed to be higher than that. I actually like this about the city because it means there are no huge skyscrapers in Rome.
- The Vatican receives about 30,000 visitors per day. That’s just below the total population of San Marino!
- Vatican citizenship is temporary and difficult to get. No citizenship is granted through birth.
- The Vatican is protected by Swiss guards, who are granted temporary citizenship. The Swiss guards must meet strict requirements – they must speak five different languages, be at or above a certain height, and be between the ages of 18-30.
And in case you didn’t know, the Vatican is the smallest country in Europe and the smallest country in the world!
What to expect at the Vatican
Walks of Italy does small group tours, so you won’t be stuck in a huge group. However, the Vatican only approves the early entrance for a much larger group, so when you show up at the meeting point, don’t be worried by all the people you’ll see. The bigger group is split up into smaller groups, each with its own tour guide. Take note of what the other people in your group look like because it’s easy to get separated in the Vatican and in St. Peter’s Cathedral. Unfortunately every person on any tour in the Vatican will be wearing the same Vatican-issued head-set, so you can’t just look for other head-sets that match yours.
Note: Walks of Italy is now Take Walks and has tours in many other countries besides Italy!
The Vatican is one of the top attractions to see when visiting Rome. As I mentioned above, 30,000 people visit each day, so expect crowds. Once the museums open up to the general public and all the other tour groups, you will constantly be dealing with hoards of people. I felt this made my visit to the Vatican less than enjoyable, but it had nothing to do with the tour.
Getting in to see the Sistine Chapel before the big crowds hit was appealing, and worth the early wake up time. We also got to skip the line to get into St. Peter’s Cathedral, which saved lots of time. Just bring your patience when you visit this tiny nation.
Thanks to Walks of Italy who provided us with a complimentary Pristine Sistine tour. As always all opinions are my own.
You might also enjoy:
- How Much Does a Trip to Rome Cost?
- Behind the Scenes at the Colosseum in Rome
- Which Food Tour in Rome Should You Take?
- Top Sights in Rome to See Other Tourists
August 12, 2013 @ 12:17 PM
Great pots! I quite liked the map room as well. And I really liked Sfera Con Sfera, the round sculpture in the courtyard there. I posted a lot of detail about those (and an illicit picture of the Sistine Chapen) on my own Vatican post a little while back.
August 13, 2013 @ 11:51 AM
Thanks Steven! My illicit picture of the Sistine Chapel was so bad it wasn’t even worth posting!
August 12, 2013 @ 2:58 PM
The Vatican has been on my bucket list for quite some time now. Might have a Rome trip coming up next year to combine that with!
“No citizenship is granted through birth.”: real nice-to-know fact! I wander what the longest is anyone’s been a citizen of Vatican City…
August 13, 2013 @ 11:57 AM
Ha! I wanted to make sure no one thought they could run into Vatican City as they were going into labor and get citizenship for their baby!
Rome is a great city, sooooo much to do! And the Vatican is really interesting. Definitely recommend taking a tour to avoid some of the crowds.
August 12, 2013 @ 3:19 PM
so gorgeous
August 13, 2013 @ 11:57 AM
Thanks!
August 12, 2013 @ 11:27 PM
I was just looking through the Walks of Italy website trying to decide if this tour is worth it or not. I think you convinced me, however, I might do the evening one! 7 am is just not for me. I commend you! Also, I love those facts. 30k visitors a day!??! Definitely taking one of these tours…
Happy travels 🙂
August 13, 2013 @ 12:01 PM
Awesome Lauren! Let me know if you have any questions! Yeah, I don’t think we saw the evening one until after we took the morning tour. We had to wake up at 5:30am to get there in time because we were staying a bit far out of the center of the city.
August 13, 2013 @ 3:53 AM
Great shots!
August 13, 2013 @ 12:01 PM
Thanks Andi!
August 13, 2013 @ 4:06 PM
If the Pope asks how could you say no? The Sistine Chapel is truly a work of art. One day I will make that journey over to Italy. Hopefully sooner then later. 5 languages to be a guard? Thats a lot but I guess it makes a lot of sense. Great photos.
August 14, 2013 @ 1:18 PM
Thanks Thomas! I hope you make it to Italy and the Vatican someday soon too, it’s well worth the journey!
August 14, 2013 @ 1:44 AM
The Vatican Museum is open on the first Sunday of the month for 1/2 day and has free admission. I like going on my own so I can skip quickly through the works that don’t interest me and linger a bit longer at the ones that do. The School of Athens is one of my favorite works as are many of the sculptures like Laocoon.
August 14, 2013 @ 1:19 PM
Good to know about the first Sunday of the month, thanks!
August 14, 2013 @ 4:46 PM
I enjoyed visiting here but I wouldn’t go back, I wasn’t keen on Italy as a whole
August 15, 2013 @ 4:54 PM
Wow, you might be the first person I know of who doesn’t like Italy! But you can’t like every place you travel to, we’re all different.
August 15, 2013 @ 1:02 AM
These are fantastic photos! I feel like I’m there! Thanks for sharing Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel with us.
August 15, 2013 @ 4:54 PM
Thanks Kae!
September 8, 2013 @ 6:43 PM
I don’t know how I let this edition of Ali Adventures sit in my email inbox so long. I love the pictures you’ve put up here. Knowing that the Vatican is technically a country, do they have visa stamps and if so did you get one or is it automatic entry for anybody who is already in Italy?
September 8, 2013 @ 6:52 PM
All of Italy, including Vatican City, is part of the Schengen zone. You can move freely between any of the 26 countries that are part of the Schengen Agreement without any border checkpoints or passport controls.
So no, no passport stamps.
September 8, 2013 @ 6:54 PM
Thank you so much for your reply Stephen. I’ve heard of Schengen but wasn’t sure that the Vatican was part of it.
September 9, 2013 @ 2:11 PM
There are a few of the tiny countries that do give you a stamp in your passport, but it’s more of a souvenir than anything and you have to pay for it. Liechtenstein and San Marino do it, but as far as I could find, the Vatican and Andorra don’t.
September 9, 2013 @ 2:09 PM
Thanks for helping out Steven!