Must see attractions in Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

  • Top Choice

    Vatican Museums

    Founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century and enlarged by successive pontiffs, the Vatican Museums boast one of the world's greatest art…

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    St Peter's Basilica

    In the city of outstanding churches, none can hold a candle to St Peter's, Italy’s largest, richest and most spectacular basilica. Built atop a 4th…

  • Top Choice

    Vatican Gardens

    The Vatican stands atop the low-lying Vatican hill, just west of the Tiber. Much of its 109 acres are covered by the perfectly manicured Vatican Gardens.

  • Top Choice

    Castel Sant'Angelo

    With its chunky round keep, this castle is an instantly recognisable landmark. Built as a mausoleum for the emperor Hadrian, it was converted into a papal…

  • Sistine Chapel

    Home to two of the world’s most famous works of art – Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes (1508–12) and his Giudizio Universale (Last Judgment; 1536–41) – the…

  • St Peter’s Basilica Dome

    Entry to the dome is to the far right of the basilica's main portico, where you also buy your ticket. A small lift can take you halfway up, but it’s still…

  • St Peter's Square

    Overlooked by St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican’s central square was laid out between 1656 and 1667 to a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Seen from above,…

  • Ponte Sant’Angelo

    The emperor Hadrian built the Ponte Sant’Angelo in 136 to provide an approach to his mausoleum, but it was Bernini who brought it to life, designing the…

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    Tomb of St Peter

    Excavations beneath St Peter's Basilica have uncovered part of the original church and a necropolis with what is held to be the Tomb of St Peter. In 1942,…

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    Museo Storico Artistico

    Accessed from the left nave of St Peter's Basilica, the Museo Storico Artistico (Tesoro; Treasury) sparkles with sacred relics and priceless artefacts,…

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    Vatican Grottoes

    Extending beneath St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Grottoes contain the tombs and sarcophagi of numerous popes, as well as several huge columns from the…

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    Necropoli Via Triumphalis

    Not to be confused with the Tomb of St Peter, this ancient Roman cemetery extends beneath the Vatican hill. Guided tours, which must be pre-booked, take…

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    Palazzo di Giustizia

    This vast landmark palazzo, built to a neo-baroque style between 1888 and 1911, is the seat of Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation.