Vatican Museums and Gardens: Tickets, Tours, and Tips

Experience the serene Vatican Gardens and the awe-inspiring Vatican Museums with a guided tour. Learn more about ticket options, prices, and the best way to explore these iconic Vatican treasures.

Did you know the Vatican Gardens (Giardini Vaticani) covers over 50% of the city’s area?

The Gardens, also known as the Pope’s ‘personal garden of Eden’, are housed within the imposing Leonine walls enclosing the Papal city and sit adjacent to the Vatican Museums.

It thus makes for a compelling visit once you are done viewing and being inside St. Peter’s Basilica and Museums, especially with its lush greenery and serene landscapes.

To visit these gardens, tourists must buy Vatican Museums tickets that include access to the gardens.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Vatican Museums and Gardens tickets, what they entail, and why a guided tour could leave you with pleasant memories for a lifetime.

Top tickets

# Vatican Museums + Gardens tour by bus
# Private guided tour of Museums & Gardens

These Vatican Museums and Gardens tickets sell out quickly, so securing your spot early ensures you don’t miss out on this unforgettable experience.

What’s ahead

Why opt for a Vatican Museums + Vatican Gardens tour?

The Vatican Gardens is a must-visit as it offers a soothing contrast to the Vatican Museums’ rich artistic and cultural exhibits. 

For instance, if you are overwhelmed by the crowds at the museums, you can relax and wind up your itinerary for the day at the aesthetically pleasing Vatican Gardens.

The Gardens are renowned for their exclusivity, and you’ll find numerous fountains, sculptures, and statues of the Virgin Mary dotting this lush green landscape.

Another benefit of buying a Vatican Gardens ticket is that you can sometimes spot high-ranking papal officials—including the pope—strolling along the Gardens’ pathways.

Vatican Museums and Gardens tickets

There are two ways to explore the Vatican Museums and Vatican Gardens. 

You can either purchase the Vatican Gardens + Museums Bus Tour, which is cheaper and popular or opt for the exclusive private 5-hour Vatican tour.

The tour of the Vatican Gardens usually begins near the Vatican State Railway Station.

Vatican Gardens + Museums Bus Tour

Vatican GardensPin

If you book this Vatican Gardens + Museums open bus tour ticket, you can enjoy the Gardens’ monuments, topiary, lawns, and woods in a minibus without breaking a sweat. 

The tour lasts for three hours and has an audio guide available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

The Vatican Gardens bus tour ticket costs €75 for Adults 18 years and above. Children between 7 and 17 years pay a discounted price of €54. 

This is one of the attraction’s best selling tickets, and hence the tour is limited to 15 members per group.

The bus ride includes meandering through the garden’s many fortifications, grottoes, monuments, fountains—even a tiny heliport and train station—before you’re dropped at the Vatican Museums’ entrance.

From here, your guide will take you in and ensure you have priority access to the Museums and the Sistine Chapel.

This popular open-bus tour has five time slots available: 9.30 am, 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, and 1.30 pm. 

Buy This Ticket

Want to get closer to the Vatican?
Fancy a guided tour by an expert Vatican priest? Then, book this “Experience of the Vatican City” ticket. The tour begins at the Vatican Gardens and ends at St. Peter’s Basilica. Another highlight of this tour is that you get to pass near the Pope’s apartments, and who knows, you might catch a glimpse of the Pope, too!


Recommended


Private 5-hour Vatican Gardens & Museums ticket

Vatican Museum LawnPin
Image: Viator.com

The Private Vatican City & Vatican Gardens ticket includes a 5-hour tour that takes you through the Vatican Gardens first, then the Vatican Museums, and finally St. Peter’s Basilica.

The tour starts at 9 am, is available from Monday to Saturday, and ends at St. Peter’s Square. 

One of the biggest benefits of buying this ticket is that you can skip all the entrance lines at the attractions and visit the Vatican Gardens, which are generally closed to the public.

Once you have toured the Gardens, the guide will lead you to the Museums from Bramante’s Courtyard

After seeing the Gardens and Museums, the guide will lead you through the shortcut from the North side of the Sistine Chapel directly to St. Peters. 

This Private Vatican City & Vatican Gardens ticket costs €315 for a group of 10 visitors, irrespective of age.

Note: The entry to St. Peter’s from the Sistine Chapel is currently restricted. You will have to make your way to the Museums’ entrance and then visit the Basilica.

Buy This Ticket

Find out whether the Roma Pass includes access to the Vatican Museums. Its a great way to save money!

Do’s and don’ts
There are certain do’s and don’ts that need to be followed irrespective of what guided tour ticket you buy. For instance, avoid wearing sleeveless and low-cut garments, shorts above the knee, miniskirts, and hats. Big bags and suitcases aren’t allowed inside the attraction. Make sure you leave them at the lockers on-site.  Also, you aren’t allowed to click photos and record videos inside the Sistine Chapel. Knives, scissors, metal tools, and food and drinks aren’t permitted inside the Museums. 

An overview of the Vatican Gardens

Vatican City MapPin

Besides Saint Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter’s Square, this map also specifies the location of the Vatican Museum within the Vatican City.

The Vatican Gardens were built during a period when the Western Roman Empire was in decline, and the Italian Renaissance was at its start.

Pope Nicholas III is credited for establishing the initial Vatican Gardens in 1279. Back then, it comprised an orchard, meadow, and garden enclosed by walls. 

With time, more orchards and vineyards were added to the Gardens, and each successive Pope kept expanding and embellishing the gardens as per their liking.

In the early 16th century, Donato Bramante redesigned the Gardens’ lush green landscape under the stewardship of Pope Julius II. 

Bramante divided the Gardens into three courtyards: Cortile del Belvedere, Library Courtyard, and Cortile della Pigna, integrating both Renaissance and Baroque designs. 

Bramante’s genius also shone through a boxwood labyrinth that he framed with pinewood and Lebanon cedar—not to forget that imposing defensive wall he erected in place of a smaller one built by Nicholas III.  

Over the centuries, gardens have become a focal point for diverse styles. This included the orthodox and geometrical Italian garden, the Baroque-inspired statues and water-themed French garden, and the English garden of caves, streams, and temples.

Today, the Vatican Gardens has a surface area of 23 hectares—nearly half of the Vatican City’s 57 acres! Its highlights include sites like the Giardino Quadrato, Casina Pio IV, Fontana dell’Aquilone, Grotta di Lourdes, and a monument commemorating the assassination attempt on John Paul II.

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Researched & written by
Mark thrives on the serenity of mountains, the comfort of coffee, and the depth of poetry. As a traveler with a strong passion for history, he delves deep into the cultures and cuisines of the places he visits, often making friends with local cats and dogs along the way. His extensive travels provide a rich foundation for his writing, filled with authenticity and insightful tips for everyone. Mark’s articles capture the unique spirit of each destination, serving as an invaluable guide for explorers. Favorite travel movie: Spotlight. Next destination: Italy

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