First things first: Do not confuse this with the famous St. Peter's Scavi, the excavations of another set of ancient Roman tombs directly underneath the Basilica di San Pietro, including (supposdly) the original grave of St. Peter.
Though similar (and physically located very nearby), that necropolis is accessible only via an entirely different tour that leaves from St. Peter's.
No, we are talking here about the newly opened Vatican Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis, an ancient Roman necropolis (graveyard) that was discovered by accident while digging the Vatican's massive underground parking garage in 1956.
It was only partly excavated at the time, but archaological work picked up over the past decade, and several sections of the necropolis were finally opened to the public in December of 2013 (tours began in February 2014).
Those patient excavations have revealed more than 1,000 tombs and graves dating from the 1st century BC through AD 320.
(Despite its location under today's the Vatican Gardens, this was merely a grassy hillside outside the city walls at the time, and the archaeologists estimate that probably only a handful—maybe 50—of the graves and tombs might have belonged to early Christians.)
Luckily enough, mudslides covered up much of the necropolis, preserving it remarkably well—many frescoes have survived, as well as some of the paint on the statues.
What makes this find even more remarkable is that these were largely the graves of simple folk—laborers, middle class, and poor Romans—not the usual elaborate tombs of the patrician class that have survived so well elsewhere.
It has proved a treasure trove of information about the daily lives—or at least burial practices—of the common man in ancient times.
The modern catwalks routing you through these ongoing excavations provide excellent views of the broken tombs and their contents, and are well posted with interpretive signs and plaques.
Even better, video stations along the way that help recreate what eah section woudl have looked like when new and unbroken and set into a grassy hillside under the sun.
Note that, at this time, you can visit only via a tour, which lasts about two hours (a bit too long, frankly, but what are you going to do?).
You must book this tour ahead of time through www.vatican.va. (Click on "Musei Vaticani" near the bottom of the homepage.)
Tours in English are currently offered Mondays and Saturdays (and some Tuesdays) at 8:30am—but tend to sell out, so book it early.
Tours: Mon and Sat at 8:30am (for English)
Cost: €10 (in addition to Vatican Museums admission)
Book the required tour: www.vatican.va
Viale Vaticano (on the north side of the Vatican City walls, between where Via Santamaura and the Via Tunisi staircase hit Viale Vaticano; about a 5–10 minute walk around the walls from St. Peter's).
tel. +39-06-6988-4676 or +39-06-6988-3145
www.museivaticani.va or www.vatican.va
Mon–Sat 9am–6pm (last entry: 4pm)
* May 2–July 25 and Sept 5–Oct 31 also open Fridays 7–11pm with advance booking (» more)
* Open the last Sun of each month 9:30am–2pm—and it's free!... and terribly crowded
* For other closed dates, see "tips" below
€16
Roma Pass: No
Tickets: Select Italy or Viator
Bus: 49; 490, 492, 496; 23, 32, 81,Tram 19, 271, 492, 590, 982, 990
Metro: Cipro-Musei Vaticani (A)
See "Tips" for more info
Planning your day: The required tour of the Vatican Necropolis takes approximately two hours—a bit too long, frankly, but you're stuck with it.
However, plan to spend all day at the Vatican. Two days if you can swing it. Even on a tight schedule, expect to pretty much spend one full day seeing the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's together. They're worth it.
Warning: The ticket office closes 2 hours before the museum, with the last entry at 4pm.
You can book Vatican entry tickets ahead of time to help avoid the lines, which can last for up to an hour or so in the summer. However, this adds a €4 fee to the already steep admission of €16 at www.vatican.va. Or you can do it online via one of our partners:
Vatican tours: There are two-hour tours of the museums and Sistine Chapel available (in English usually four time a day) for €32 per person. Three-hour tours that also include St. Peter's cost €37. Note, though, that those prices include the €16 admisison ticket and €4 booking fee, so the tour portion actually only costs an extra €12–€15. For more info: tel. +39-06-6988-3145 or www.vatican.va.
If you prefer a private guided tour of the Vatican and its museums, book one via our partner sites Viator.com or Context Travel:
The Vatican Museums are free on the last Sunday of each month, when they stay open until 2pm (last entry: 12:30pm). This, however, is no secret, so they are also intensely crowded.
On any other Sunday, however, the Vatican Museum are closed—and if that final Sunday of the month happens falls on a church holiday (see below), they also remain closed.
The Vatican is also free on Sept. 27 (World Tourism Day)..
The Vatican Museums are most crowded on Sundays (because they're free) and many Wednesdays (because in the morning St. Peter's itself is often closed for the papal audience in the piazza, so everyone who doesn't have tickets walks around the walls to kill time inside the museums, and by afternoon all the audience-goers join them).
The Vatican has been experimenting with reopening the museums on Friday evenings in spring and early summer then again in fall allowing a limited number of visitors—upon advance booking only—to wander the mooonlit galleries without the crowds.
More info: www.vatican.va.
To book: Viator.com
The Vatican Museums are closed on all church holidays: Jan. 1, Jan. 6, Feb. 11, Mar. 19, Easter Sunday and Monday, May 1, June 29 (Feast of St. Peter and Paul—major Roman holiday), Aug. 14–15 (everything is closed in Rome on Aug. 15; head to Santa Maria Maggiore for mass with a "snowfall" of rose petals), Nov. 1, Dec. 25 (Merry Christmas!), and Dec. 26 (Santo Stefano—huge in Italy).
Note that the Vatican Museums close surprisingly early (last entry at 4pm, doors close 6pm).
So see the Museums first, then walk around the walls to visit St. Peter's.
Recently, the Vatican (or at least some guards) seems to have decided that you must dress "appropriately" to visit any part of Vatican City—including the museums—and not just St. Peter's, where a dress code has long applied.
Err on the side of caution and make sure you arrive with no bare shoulders, knees or midriffs.
That means: no shorts, no miniskirts, no sleeveless shirts or blouses, no tank-tops. Also, no hats.(If it's hot and you want to wear a tank top around town that day, just bring a light shawl to cover your shoulders while inside; » more on packing the right items for an Italy trip.)
Also, you cannot bring into the museum any bag or backpack larger than 40cm x 35cm x 15cm (roughly 16" x 14" x 6")—there is a cloackroom where you can leave it.
Cipro-Musei Vaticani is the closest Metro stop (on the A line, about 5 blocks northwest of the entrance; just follow the crowds).
Otherwise, bus 49 stops right in front of the museum entrance (you can catch it from Piazza Cavour, or anywhere along Via Cescenzio, which starts at the northwestern tip of the piazza, near Castel Sant'Angelo).
You can also take bus 490, 492, 496, N1 to Via Candia (two blocks north of the entrance), or one of many bus lines to Piazza del Risorgimento, tucked into a inside corner of the Vatican walls a short walk east of the musuems entrance: 23, 32, 81,Tram 19, 271, 492, 590, 982, 990, N11.
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Tours: Mon and Sat at 8:30am (for English)
Cost: €10 (in addition to Vatican Museums admission)
Book the required tour: www.vatican.va
Viale Vaticano (on the north side of the Vatican City walls, between where Via Santamaura and the Via Tunisi staircase hit Viale Vaticano; about a 5–10 minute walk around the walls from St. Peter's).
tel. +39-06-6988-4676 or +39-06-6988-3145
www.museivaticani.va or www.vatican.va
Mon–Sat 9am–6pm (last entry: 4pm)
* May 2–July 25 and Sept 5–Oct 31 also open Fridays 7–11pm with advance booking (» more)
* Open the last Sun of each month 9:30am–2pm—and it's free!... and terribly crowded
* For other closed dates, see "tips" below
€16
Roma Pass: No
Tickets: Select Italy or Viator
Bus: 49; 490, 492, 496; 23, 32, 81,Tram 19, 271, 492, 590, 982, 990
Metro: Cipro-Musei Vaticani (A)
See "Tips" for more info
This article was written by Reid Bramblett and was last updated in June 2014.
All information was accurate at the time.
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