Dress code in the Vatican.

you cannot have bare shoulders and must wear pants. Don't worry though, most people wear shorts and tanktops in summer. When I was there in March I wore shorts inisde and nobody really seemed to care.

I always follow respectful dress when in sacred places. Women wear skirts or pants or capris - covering knees. Shoulders are also be covered. Men wear long pants and have covered shoulders.

It is just respectful. Whether or not anyone enforces it!

I wear a broomstick style skirt and tank top. I carry a scrunchy long, wide scarf for when I enter a sacred area. Hubby wears long trousers and golf style shirts.

I am just back from a European vacation which included Vatican City.

The dress code was STRICTLY enforced in St Peter's. I saw the guards address a number of people, including a woman in the tour I was taking who's scarf had fallen off of one shoulder so it was bare (she had a halter dress on)

I don't remember seeing anything in the Vatican, but I assume the rules are probably similar. I would not go to St Peter's without appropriate clothing, you don't want to be asked to leave.

I wore a tanktop and pants that zipped off into shorts. I carried a long sleeve button off shirt, that doubled as a jacket if need but I could put it on and roll up the sleeves for St Peter's and other religious places. My husband used a similar pair of pants that zip off into shorts and just wore a short sleeve shirt and he was fine.

Enjoy!

Brendon is absolutely wrong. There is security staff posted at the entrance to the Vatican strictly enforcing the dress code.

Yes, I am surprised at Brendens post,, it was not our experience at all.

In Italy they are much stricter then any other western Europeon country I have visited, they did in fact have people posted at doors at several places we went.

Knees must be covered, so capris or skirts ( that cover knees) and tank tops are strictly forbidden ,, shoulders must be covered. They sell disposable scarfs to cover shoulders in some places, and I personally saw a teen girl get yelled at by staff when she took off the scarf while wandering around inside the Vatican..

I don't often call out other posters by name when I think they're giving bad advice (I do for a couple egregiously bad posters), but today I noted several bad pieces of advice by someone who appears to be new here.

And it would be tragic to be assured that the Vatican doesn't police its dress code when, in fact, they do so aggressively.

Just visited the Vatican museum a couple of weeks ago when it was in the 90s and saw a girl wearing short shorts and bare shoulders told by a guard that she would need to cover up to go into the Sistene Chapel. She had a shawl out and ready but he waived it off and said only for chapel.

I would cover my knees and shoulders if I were you just to be safe. St. Peter's is much stricter- they have big signs with pictures of what is ok/not ok.

If it's extremely hot, try capri pants that cover your knees and bring a shawl to cover your shoulders.

To be fair somewhat to Brendon, he noted that it wasn't enforced while he was there. Others have said before that the dress codes are enforced hapazardly at times at various churches. It probably has to do with who is one duty and time of year.

The point is this to those regularly asking this question: Italian churches ask visitors to cover shoulders and knees. You should respect that request whether someone is baring the door or not and don't be surprised/upset if you are denied entry or asked to leave if you ignore their request.

When we were there in April they were absolutely checking the dress code at St. Peters and we saw men in shorts turned away. We didn't see the "dress code police" at the Vatican Museum but that's not to say they weren't around. A lot of young girls got in with short-shorts with tights.

Despite what some (one) has said, always be respectful of where you are. It is a tourist destination for sure, but first and foremost it is a church and the seat of the Roman Catholic religion. Yes, you will probably see some people breaking the dress code. I personally have seen young girls in extremely short hot pants and fishnets roaming St. Peter's Basilica. This does not give everyone else a license to do so. Dress appropriately.

We were there last night and saw a few women not following official code - a few tank tops (wide straps though not cami type) and skirts above knee. One gal had a mid-though length skirt. I never saw a guard say anythig.

The just above knee length is quite common and doesn't seem to be a problem.

At the Sacred Stairs the man gestured somewhat rudely to a few women with uncovered shoulders - they had scarves with them though to use.

They are also starting to get more strict with the dress code for the Sistine Chapel, which is a chapel.

It is true that the guards don't catch everyone who is not conforming with the dress code but with all the people who go in every day it's hard to see and stop them all. They ask that everyone dress respectfully by covering knees and shoulders. To not do so is, even in the heat of the summer, is disrespectful and rude. It's not about your comfort it's about what the church is asking you to do if you wish to visit them.

Donna

I leave for Rome (Florence and Perugia!) on Tuesday. My plan is to pack all capri pants and one pair of bermuda shorts.

The shorts are for in the apartment if it's hot. The rest of the time I plan to wear capris because I don't want to risk not getting into a church or chapel.

In super hot weather I personally find flowy skirts cooler then many shorts or capris( which are normally made from heavier or denser fabrics) . A gauzy cotten skirt or sundress that goes to the knees can be cool and fit in with the dress codes .

I just returned from Italy. I advise you to have your shoulders and knees covered when planning to visit any churches. Rules are not consistently enforced in Italy but why take the chance? At the end of our trip, my daughter was refused entrance to the Duomo in Milan with her tank top and we forgot a shawl. Sometimes you can buy paper clothes and shawls outside the sacred sites, but not that day. She had to be content with the roof tour and the interior was fantastic.

Regarding the discussion of Brandon's experience of getting into the Vatican with shorts, it may be that they were knee-length or longer. I forgot to be the fashion police for my godson the day we went, a few weeks ago, but his shorts went to the knee at least, a bit below, and he was fine.

I wouldn't count on any breaks, though. It's kinda like TSA -- if the TSA guy says you can't carry it on, you can't, even if it's on the OK list they publish. Same at the Vatican - if they say no go, you'll be waiting outside while the rest of your party gazes at the Sistine Chapel.

Is there any kind of code regarding shoes?
Can I/my husband wear open-toed shoes or do they need to be covered?

No, there is no "shoe dress code" (other than you need to wear them).