The Vatican

The only areas of the Vatican State usually open to the public are the Vatican Museums, Saint Peter's square and the Basilica.

The Museums are always crowded, get tickets on the official site as no re-seller can make you skip the security line.

The Basilica and the Square facing it are free and crowds are quite unpredictable. For sure they are always over-crowded when the Pope speaks from the balcony and immediately after.

There is a security line to enter the Basilica; the only way to skip it is entering the Basilica through a back door in the Museum's last room (known as the Sistine Chapel). Unfortunately only those who are part of an official tour can use that door. The rest of the world exits the Vatican Museums, walks back for 20 minutes to the Basilica and waits in the security line.

November 1 is a Christian festival and a public holiday in Italy.

As I wrote there are no "Skip the Line tours", including those sold by the Roman Guy.

Those who get tickets in advance skip the tickets line, that's all. Nobody skips the security line.

It's best to visit the Vatican first thing in the morning. Getting up super early is well worth it. The lines are much shorter.

I also highly recommend climbing to the the top of the dome (get there as soon as it opens for a short line). The view of the church from inside the dome is amazing. The exterior roof affords spectacular views of Rome and the Vatican Gardens. There is even a mailbox on the roof.

Enjoy your trip!

Hi,
We just toured the Vatican, it was amazing! We avoided going on Monday as we heard it can be quite crowded, and so went on Tuesday. Our guide confirmed that Monday had indeed been extremely crowded and that we were very fortunate to be there when it wasn't too bad. We highly recommend the guided tour offered through the Vatican, it was very informative. Hope you have an amazing trip!

Buon Viaggio,
Dianne