In other words, visiting the Vatican is very interesting considering that the Vatican is the smallest country in the world!

What to see when visiting the Vatican

When visitors talk about visiting the Vatican, they most often think of visiting the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica, but a visit to the Vatican can easily go beyond these popular sights.

From the incredibly popular to the relatively few, here are the parts of the Vatican to consider when planning your visit.

St. Peter's Square

St. Peter's Square is the easiest part of the Vatican - you can simply walk in and admire the beautiful oval square and the exterior of St. Peter's Basilica without any pre-planning.

Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are home to some of the most incredible works of art in the entire world, including Raphael's most famous frescoes and the Sistine Chapel.

You'll need a ticket or a tour to visit, and when people talk about how long the lines are to get into the Best Vatican City Tickets Tour, they're most often referring to the museum lines - more on that in the next section. of this post on the Vatican blog.

Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel, with its magnificent ceiling painted by Michelangelo, is one of the most famous temples of worship on the planet.

Saint Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica is the largest church on the planet and a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture (it was designed by both Michelangelo and Bernini).

It's free to visit, but you'll have to go through security to get in, and the queues for that can be very long.

Vatican Necropolis

The Vatican Necropolis (or "scavi") lies beneath St. Peter's Basilica—and even beneath the "grotto" area, which is also beneath St. Peter's Basilica.

This area was a first-century cemetery and, most importantly for Christian history, is the supposed resting place of St. Peter himself.