October 5, 2024 15:50 PM

Visiting Vatican City For The First Time? Here Are Five Things You Need To Know

Vatican City is one of the most notable cities when it comes to religious and cultural sites. The first thing that a person dreaming of a tour to the Vatican City wants to experience is a closer encounter to the great Saint Peter's Basilica or to the Sistine Chapel. However, as a first time tourist who wants to explore all the famous sites the Vatican City has to offer, you must need to know few things before you travel to guide you on your trip and to make your tour worthy of your time and money.

1. Some tourists choose to have their trip to the Vatican City off the peak season such as Holy Week so that there will be fewer people on their destinations. Actually, there is no "best day" to schedule a trip to the Vatican City. All over Rome, the holy city is considered to be the most popular site among tourists all over the world. Therefore, you can always tend to find more tourists in Vatican all year round.

2. Your trip to the Vatican will never be complete without you having a sight to the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, or simply the Saint Peter's Basilica. St. Peter's is famous as it the papal enclave in the city of Rome and it is also known for being a place of pilgrimage and remarkable liturgical functions.

Take note that the admission to the St. Peter's Basilica is absolutely free of charge. It will just actually take quite long until you reach inside St. Peter's considering the tons of people who wants to go inside it. But do not ever pay anything for some sort of skipping the legit lines. According to TripAdvisor, it is best to go to the basilica as early as 7 o'clock in the morning in order for you to beat the crowd of tourists and locals.

3. Aside from the St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican museums are also popular among tourists as they contain the world's largest private art collection. Because many tourist groups tend to begin their tour in the morning, the Vatican museums are slightly less crowded during the afternoon and more jam-packed during Saturdays. Please take note as well that Vatican museums are closed on Sundays so if you are planning on a trip to the Vatican City, make sure to avoid scheduling a trip on a Sunday.

According to The Rome Toolkit, availing of pre-purchased tickets to the Vatican Museums through Vatican's official website could make your waiting time shorter compared to those who do not have pre-booked tickets.

4. To maximize your once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Vatican City, you might as well consider hiring for licensed tour guides who can give you a complete sightseeing to all the tourist destinations in the Vatican City. With a licensed tour guide, you can actually save time and energy as there guides known exactly all the things a tourist must see in Vatican perfect for personal praying, the time when these tourist spots are less crowded, the sights where you can take your photos, and all the things that you need to explore during your stay in the Vatican City.

This 2017, Vatican City may be the best place for the most memorable travel of your life. Whatever your plan is, wherever your trip will be, just remember to enjoy and always make the most out of it!

Tags
Vatican city, Travel tips, Rome, Italy
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