Vatican City
Visiting the Vatican & St. Peter’s: What I’d Do Differently Next Time
The first (and probably most important) thing to know when planning a visit to the Vatican is to make sure you’re using the official websites. There are a lot of third-party sites that look convincing, but the real ones always end in “.va,” not .com. We used the official sites for both St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums, and I’d strongly recommend double-checking this before booking anything.
For the Basilica, there are just two lines - timed (paid) entry and free. If you want to avoid paying for entry, arrive very early or after 4/5 pm.
For the museum, there are 4 lines. No ticket ahead of time and then three lines for tickets labeled A, B, and C. A is the regular timed entry line. B appears to be ‘skip the line’ and group tours. C seemed to be also group tours. I tried to re-find the option to pay for skip the line on the official site, but it may be just past the pay section. I would recommend much later in the day - even when we left at 3, the lines were still long.
We first visited St. Peter’s Basilica on our own (not knowing the necropolis tour ended in the Basilica). We arrived around 9 am thinking we’d beat the crowds, but the “free entry” line was already extremely long. Instead of waiting, we pivoted and booked paid timed entry on the spot by scanning a QR code (you can book this ahead also, but we just did it when we arrived). By the time we got through the line (about 20 minutes), I had figured out how to pay for tickets and we walked in. While we were booking, we also added access to the dome using the elevator. I was hesitant at first since there are still a few hundred stairs at the end, but it ended up being completely worth it for the views.
One unexpected highlight was the area at the top near the dome elevator. There’s a small shop where you can buy religious items and even a little café where we stopped for lunch. If you’re hoping to have items blessed, you can either bring them with you or purchase them there. The other (larger) shop is outside the security area just past the exit…so make sure you plan ahead or you’ll have to go back through security again.
For the Vatican Museums, I’ve now tried both guided tours and self-guided visits, and neither completely avoids the crowds. Even the “early access” tours still had large groups moving through at the same time. This time, I skipped the tour and used Rick Steves’ audio guide instead, which I actually preferred. That said, my biggest mistake was not paying for the skip-the-line option. Even with timed entry, we ended up in a very long line with hundreds of other people. There is a separate, faster line for skip-the-line tickets, and next time I would absolutely pay extra for that. I would also consider one of the tours - particularly if your only option is to go earlier in the day and/or you want to spend a lot of time here. They have many options and these seem to be less expensive than what you find from external tour guides. As mentioned above, I tried to find this option on the official site, but I do think it is past the first pay area. Since ticket reservations are non-refundable, I didn’t attempt again. My son and his girlfriend may go again soon, so will update with info then.
We also tried arriving early for our timed entry, hoping we could get in ahead of schedule, but that’s not allowed. Instead, you’re grouped into a line with everyone else in your time slot. The line looked intimidating, but it did move fairly quickly. Security, however, felt a bit inconsistent—I was told I might need to check a small paper bag with souvenirs, while others walked through with much larger backpacks. It really seemed to depend on which line you ended up in.
One of the most unique experiences we had was the Necropolis tour. Booking it is a bit unconventional, you don’t just pick a time and pay online. Instead, you submit a request form via email with your availability and wait to hear back. If you don’t get a response, it likely means it’s fully booked - at least that is what the Rick Steves tour book says. I only submitted our request a few days in advance (which I wouldn’t recommend), and we ended up getting an email the day before offering us a 3:30 pm slot.
At first, I was a little disappointed with the timing since we had already planned our Vatican Museum visit earlier that day. But what I didn’t realize - and what I really wish I had known - is that the Necropolis tour actually ends inside St. Peter’s Basilica. This is a huge advantage because it completely bypasses the long lines to get in. If I had known that ahead of time, I definitely wouldn’t have gone out of my way to visit the Basilica earlier in the day. You can’t take pictures on this tour, so keep that in mind.
The logistics for the tour itself were surprisingly easy. The security line on that side was basically nonexistent, and when we tried to enter early, we were simply told to come back about 10 minutes before the start time. Even though the ticket says to arrive 15 minutes early, the meeting point isn’t very clearly marked. It’s just past security in that area, so there’s no need to arrive too far in advance—we actually had time to grab a coffee and gelato nearby before heading in.
Looking back, there are a few things I’d definitely do differently. I would request the Necropolis tour well in advance and plan my entire day around it, skipping a separate visit to the Basilica. I would also pay for skip-the-line museum tickets without hesitation and aim for a later afternoon entry time instead of early morning or mid day. I will consider a different tour for the museum and potentially access to the gardens - they looked beautiful from the dome. A little more strategic planning would have saved us a lot of time and race walking back and forth between the areas.
Some bulleted notes for summary:
Visiting the Vatican & St. Peter’s: What I’d Do Differently Next Time
The first and most important tip: make sure you’re booking tickets from the official Vatican websites. The correct URLs will always end in “.va”—not .com or anything else.
Official Basilica site: https://www.basilicasanpietro.va/en
Official Vatican Museums tickets: https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home
There are a lot of third-party sites out there, and it’s very easy to end up on the wrong one.
The Necropolis Tour (Hidden Gem + Major Time Saver)
Booking it is…unusual. There’s no standard ticket page—you submit a request form via email, suggest availability, and wait. If you don’t hear back, it likely means it’s fully booked.
I submitted our request just a few days in advance (not ideal—this should be done much earlier if possible).
The day before, we got an email offering a 3:30 pm tour, which we accepted and paid for.
The timing was a bit unfortunate, since we had 1pm museum tickets, which I had noted on the email request.
What I didn’t realize (and wish I had):
The Necropolis tour ends inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
This is huge.
You completely skip the massive entrance lines
You enter directly into the Basilica at the end of the tour
If I had known this, I would NOT have visited the Basilica earlier in the day.
Timing & Arrival Tips for the Necropolis Tour
Tours are small (around 10 people), which makes it feel much more personal
There are multiple Vatican-led groups running throughout the day
The entrance security line for this tour is basically nonexistent
We even tried to go in early and were told to come back about 10 minutes before the tour.
While the ticket says to arrive 15 minutes early, the meeting point isn’t super clearly explained. It’s just past security on that specific side, so don’t stress about arriving too early.
Visiting St. Peter’s Basilica (Without the Tour)
We originally arrived around 9 am hoping to visit the Basilica before the museum—but the “free entry” line was already huge.
So we pivoted.
Scanned a QR code on-site
Booked paid timed entry withdome access with the elevator, which I was hesitant about—but it was 100% worth it.
Even with the elevator, there are still a few hundred stairs at the end, but the views are incredible.
Bonus tip:
At the top (near the elevator area), there’s:
A small shop for religious items
A café/deli where we actually had lunch
If you want to have items blessed:
You can buy them up there or bring your own
But if you leave and try to re-enter, you’ll have to go through security lines again
Vatican Museums: What I’d Do Next Time
I’ve done both:
Guided “early access” tours
Self-guided visits
Neither avoids crowds entirely
Even with early access, there were still massive tour groups.
This time:
I skipped the guided tour
Used Rick Steves’ audio guide instead
Booked standard timed entry (€20 + €5 booking fee)
Big regret: not upgrading to “skip the line.”
There are two lines:
Line A: standard timed entry (very crowded - though less crowded than the no ticket line)
Line B: skip-the-line (much faster)
Next time, I would absolutely pay for that upgrade—it saves a ton of time and stress.
Also, I would book late afternoon.
Entry Experience & Security Notes
We arrived early hoping to get in before our timed slot—this is not allowed.
Instead:
You’ll be placed in a line with others in your time window
The line can be long (hundreds of people), but it moves fairly quickly
Security can be inconsistent:
I had small souvenirs in a paper bag and was told to check them
Meanwhile, others walked through with large backpacks
So…your experience may vary depending on the line you end up in.
