What are 10 things to see at the Vatican?
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, and it is inside Rome.
Vatican City may be the smallest country and city in the world, but it has many incredible places to go see. From St Peter’s Square to all the art you can find in the Vatican Museums. Let’s get into 10 things you can see when you make your trip to the Vatican.
1. St. Peter’s Square
St. Peter’s Square is one of the most beautiful squares in the world. As you walk towards St. Peter’s Square, St. Peter’s Basilica comes into view. Around St. Peter’s Square, you’ll notice a lot of columns which there are almost 300 columns!
2. St. Peter’s Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica has been around since the 4th century. But the one you see today has been there since the mid-15th century. The outside of St. Peter’s Basilica is stunning and the inside has beautiful artwork. Michelangelo’s last commission he received was to be the chief architect.
3. Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums have some of the most famous artworks. You’ll find paintings from Michelangelo and Raphael to Van Gogh and Da Vinci. It can take anywhere between three to four hours to walk through the Vatican Museums.
4. Raphael Rooms
There are four Raphael Rooms inside the Vatican Museums. The rooms are full of Raphael’s frescoes. The rooms are called the Room of Constantine, the Room of Segnatura, the Room of Heliodorus, and the Room of the Fire in the Borgo.
5. Bramante Staircase
The Bramante Staircase is two staircases inside the Vatican Museums. When you visit the Vatican Museums, the Bramante Staircase marks the end of your visit! The staircase is open to all visitors. While the original staircase only has a limited number of people to see.
6. Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel has a famous collection of Renaissance art inside. As you walk through Sistine Chapel, there is artwork everywhere from the walls you walk between to the ceilings.
7. Sistine Chapel ceiling
The Sistine Chapel ceiling was something we had to signal out from the chapel itself. Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He painted art in fresco between 1508 and 1512.
8. Vatican Gardens
The Vatican Gardens is a great place to go for a different scenery compared to the rest of Vatican City and Rome. Though there are still a lot of people here, it’s beautiful and a great way to get some peace. You can walk through the gardens, between the green hedges.
9. Vatican Necropolis
Lying under Vatican City sits the Vatican Necropolis, the city of the dead. Below St. Peter’s Basilica is where Vatican Necropolis can be found, which is a Roman burial ground.
10. Vatican Library
The Vatican Library is a beautiful building and has a 70 metre long hall. There are thousands of books that were printed before 1501 and over 25,000 medieval hand-written books. You’ll even find there are thousands of manuscripts that the library has kept since 1450.
With all these fascinating places to go and see, we hope you manage to see them all during your visit! We recommend you book a tour to get a tour guide and skip the queue for tickets.
