Question 1

When to Visit the Vatican City?

Accepted Answer

Italy can get pretty hot in the summer so if you want the weather to be a little milder so that you can explore the beautiful outdoors of the Vatican City while the tourist crowds are a little thinner, I highly recommend you visit during spring or Autumn from April to May and September to October respectively.

That said, the chance of clear days is also fewer during those periods unlike the summer months of June to August so if you do not mind the heat and the crowds but you just want the weather to be nice out most of the time, visiting the Vatican City during the summer months is also recommended.

Question 2

How to Get to the Vatican City?

Accepted Answer

The Vatican City is an enclave surrounded entirely by Rome, which is a huge travel hub of Europe and you can easily find many flights flying in and out of Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO) without problems.

From the US, there are many direct flights from JFK, Miami, and LA offered by ITA Airways that will take you straight to Rome in about 12 hours. You can browse through great direct flights from here.

From Europe, you have quite a lot more options here. You can either fly directly to Rome from places like the UK via Wizz Air, take a train from all the major train stations around Europe, or catch one of the many buses to Rome. Flixbus is highly recommended when it comes to bus travel in Europe.

From Asia, there are also many direct flights to Rome operated by local carriers from cities like Singapore, Seoul, or Tokyo or you can go with connecting flights which are often a bit cheaper. There are many flights from Asia that connect via middle east countries like Emirates via Dubai or Etihad via Abu Dhabi. The journey should take approximately 12 hours direct.

To find a cheap flight to Rome, I would recommend you use Skyscanner or Expedia to look for the cheapest route and schedule so you can compare and pick the best one.

Question 3

How to Get Around the Vatican City?

Accepted Answer

The Vatican City is very small and you should be able to cover the entire enclave on foot without problems. Rome on the other hand is a different story and since you will most likely be staying in Rome, knowing ways to navigate the city is crucial.

By metros: The metros are great to get around with a reliable schedule and excellent coverage across the city. The fare is around 1.5 EUR per person for a 75-minute ride and you can buy it at the ticket kiosk at every station in the city.

Even better, now you can easily tap your Visa or MasterCard credit cards on the machine at the entrance and it will automatically deduct the fare and let you in. Extremely convenient for travelers like us!

If you expect to be traveling on metros several times that day, you can also get a 24-hour card at the metro station for around 7 EUR per person.

For the best deal, especially for those who are looking to visit the Colosseum, the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum, and all the main tourist attractions in Rome, Roma Pass is the one you should get.

With the Roma Pass, you will get unlimited rides on Rome's public transport system including metros and buses as well as free skip-the-line admission to 1 or 2 attractions, discounts on services and activities, and so much more. For more info on what the card offers, you can check it out here.

By Bus: Buses are also quite convenient in Rome with most of the schedules are available on Google Maps. All you have to do is punch in the location and the app will tell you which bus stop to catch which bus line and when you should be there. Very easy!

Again, with Roma Pass, you will get unlimited rides on Rome's public transport system including buses among other things. For more info on what the card offers, you can check it out here.

By Rental Cars: Rome is a nightmare to drive in with small narrow streets, traffic jams, and barely any space for parking so I do not recommend you rent one to explore Rome. If you insist, you can hit the link below to find out how much it is to rent a car in Rome:

Rent a Car in Rome

Question 4

Is it Safe in the Vatican City?

Accepted Answer

Like any other big touristic city in Europe, the Vatican City/Rome requires you to be on your toes at times, especially in crowded places like the train stations and the metros where there are higher chances of petty theft and pickpocketing which can be quite prevalent in cities like Rome.

It's best to always exercise precautions by not leaving your belongings unattended and always, ALWAYS keep an eye out on your belongings at all times. Keep your hands in your pockets when entering or exiting crowded places like a metro or a train station and make sure you are holding your phones and wallets tightly.

Other than that, you should be fine traveling around the Vatican City and Rome. I didn't have any problems in Rome when I was there for about a week. Keep your wits with you and you will be fine.

Question 5

Which tourist SIM card is best for the Vatican City?

Accepted Answer

You can use the Italian sim card in the Vatican City without problems. There are 4 major carriers in Italy, TIM, Vodafone, W3m, and Iliad, that offer prepaid sim cards tourists can buy while they are traveling in Italy. Unfortunately, with the rise of esims, having to be in the country to buy a sim card at a store is quite inconvenient and not ideal.

If you have a smartphone that supports esims, I highly recommend you take a look at this esim. They have a variety of data packages, price points, and durations for you to choose from ranging from 1 GB for 7 days costing only 5 USD to 10 GB for 30 days costing 22.5 USD.

The setup is fast and instant and you can buy it prior to your trip so you don't have to scramble your way to get one at the airport after a long flight. The data speed is also equivalent to what you get with a local sim card with 4G speed across the entire country.

Or if you are traveling to Italy as part of a bigger Europe trip, I highly recommend you get the regional Eurolink esim which will give you access to data from over 39 countries across Europe. I have personally used this esim on my 3-months trip around Europe and it has worked wonders.

For more information on esims in Italy, click here: Check Italy's Available eSim.

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Visiting the Vatican: 8 Best Things to Do & More