Vatican City for the non-Catholic

The Vatican Museum is incredible. It not only has the Sistine Chapel but thousands of other pieces. Even the fastest person couldn't get through in less than 2 hours. I recommend budgeting 3-5 hours to see it.

San Pietro is incredible. Michelangelo's Pieta (behind bullet-proof glass), Bernini's seven-story high altar, Michelangelo's dome and the view from the roof.

San Pietro's piazza is a deserving front to this massive church. The Collumnade that aligns perfectly at two different spots and the Obelisque from Egypt is huge, but overshadowed compared to the immensity of the city.

Quick Tips:

The Museum is only open Mon-Sat from 9am until 2pm. The entrance fee is 18,000 lira

San Pietro is free, but requires shoulders AND knees to be covered. Pack accordingly. I recommend putting a long skirt or pants in a day bag to change into, especially in the hot summer!

Best Way To Get Around:

Take the Roman Metro line B and get off at Ottavanio or Musei Vaticani and walk inside this little country. A shuttle bus runs between San Pietro and the museum. A rail system exists, but I don't think tourists can access it.

Vatican City has no tourist accommodations. The surrounding area of Rome has a few. Some places are really nice, but our budget didn't allow us to stay there.

We stayed at the Pensione Ottaviano about 10 blocks from Vatican City (Linea B:Ottaviano). For $15 a night in a dorm setting it was fine. No meals are served and they provide a lockbox for anything valuable. Although, why you wouldn't keep all your valuables in your moneybelt is beyond me.

Overall a nice place with travelers from all over so you will have a chance to experience some other cultures while being absorbed by Italian culture.

Another great hostel in Rome is the Beehive. It isn't near Vatican City, however. You can check out their accommodations at www.the-beehive.com.

My wife and I were on a very strict budget so we often skipped many of the places to eat right outside of the Vatican walls. Many catered to tourists which usually means high prices and low quality food. Any place that says 'We accept credit cards' or 'Engish spoken' is probably a waste of your money.

Vatican City itself offers no dining options.

My wife and I found the market on Via Andrea Doria prior to visiting the Vatican Museum. It was an open air market and had plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and some meats. We grabbed some bread and sandwich options and a carton of juice from the nearby Meta supermarket for our lunch that day. We interacted with some locals and spent about $5 each. We ate it while looking at San Pietro from the square. Couldn't get that view from any restaurant. =)

Admission=18,000L The hours are M-F 8:45-16:30 and Sat 8:45-13:45. Last entrance: 45 minutes prior to closing. Mondays are especially big days for tour groups to hit the museum. We were there on a Monday morning at 8:30 and waited 1 hour. On Tuesday some fellow travelers went and had no wait at 9:00. More info can be found at www.vatican.va

This is probably the most incredible museum I've ever seen. It is filled with everything from Egyptian artifacts to Rennaissance art. It has a very simple one-way system to move the thousands of daily visitors through in an organized manner. Most people visit to see the Sistine Chapel, but to rush to it would be a HUGE mistake! The quickest option would be a minimum of 2 hours. My wife and I spent 4 hours and we felt we moved rather quickly. This museum is too immense to try on your own. You will need a guidebook because what you can obtain at the museum is lacking in background information. I am a huge fan of Rick Steves, and his book 'Mona Winks' was fabulous for walking us through this massive museum. You can rent a CD-Rom wand for 8,000L

Some famous works are Hammurabi's Code, sculptures of Laocoon and Apollo Belvedere. Also the Belvedere Torso is on display. Michelangelo considered it his master and teacher. Raphael's School of Athens is on display (my personal favorite!). A hall of tapestries which are incredibly moving is prior to the Sistine Chapel and often overlooked. The Sistine Chapel cannot be summed up in words. Definitely worth the hype!

The Vatican Post is right before the exit, but can be accessed when you enter. It is much quicker than Italian post.

At the rear of the Sistine Chapel is a quick way to get to San Pietro. You have to act like you're with a tour group, but saves you some time. I don't know what you miss, but after the Sistine Chapel, you will probably be 'arted' out.

WOW! That is the only words to describe this massive structure. San Pietro (St. Peter's) is enormous, but built so that it doesn't seem so huge. It has a 14 story dome, but a 7 story altar so that the ceiling doesn't appear so high. The letters around the base of the dome are 6 FEET tall. Each pillar has two statues: The lower one is 15 foot tall and the 2nd (further up the pillar) is 21 feet tall. This gives the illusion they are the same size.

San Pietro has markings on the floor indicating where other churches would be if they were put inside it. It has the purple stone that Charlesmagne was crowned on. It has the Pieta (pity) created by Michelangelo that has his name across a sash on Mary's chest. St. Peter is buried (or some believe) under the main alter. A statue of St. Peter that has a foot that most pilgrams touch or rub for good luck. It has so many things, like a mosaic version of Raphael's Transfiguration.

Definately worth your time is the 300 step one-way trip up to the top of the dome. It costs 10,000L, but is worth it. Roman law forbids anything to be built taller than San Pietro, so it has the best view of Rome. From the top of the dome you get the best view of the Vatican gardens and what is behind the walls.

A VERY strict dress code is enforced. Shoulders and knees must be covered at all times. Bring a day bag with a pair of pants/shirt and a shirt with sleeves. Don't miss San Pietro because you are afraid you might pit out. Look around; everyone else is. Viva Italia!

The Pope called 2000 A.D. a Jubilee Year and many improvements were made to ensure that the thousands of pilgrims would be taken care of. Hundreds of volunteers in blue vests are willing to point you anywhere. Not all speak English so be prepared to be tossed between a few before you get your question answered.

The Jubilee door on San Pietro is open and you can walk through it. It will be closed at the end of the year and will stay that way for another 25 years.

Even with all the pilgrims trying to see the Pope, who shortened his traditional summer-long vacation to give mass and entertain pilgrims, Vatican City has done a marvelous job moving people around. It will be crowded, but not overly crowded, and nothing unusual compared to some of the other sights in Rome.

If you aren't interested in seeing the Pope, ask at any of the TIs for information on when he will be appearing and plan around his appearances. If you have a chance, go to Vatican City in 2000 before the volunteers go home and the fabulous art is hidden by scaffolding.