Tickets of the Vatican Gardens

Behind St. Peter's Basilica, tucked inside the walls of the smallest state in the world, lies one of Rome's most extraordinary and least visited places. The Vatican Gardens cover approximately 23 hectares of landscaped grounds, fountains, sculptures, woodland paths and centuries of papal history. Tens of thousands of visitors walk through the Vatican Museums each day without ever knowing this space exists on the other side of the walls.

The gardens are not open to independent visitors. Access is exclusively through a guided tour, which includes skip-the-line entry to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. For anyone planning a visit to the Vatican, this is one of the most complete and distinctive ways to experience the entire complex.

A Garden Built Over Centuries

The history of the Vatican Gardens begins long before the current Museums complex existed. The area within the walls was originally divided between an orchard, a lawn and a small formal garden, used by the early popes as a private space for walking and prayer.

The gardens reached their artistic peak between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when successive popes commissioned some of the most celebrated architects and artists of the Renaissance to redesign and embellish the grounds. Donato Bramante reshaped the hillside above the Belvedere Courtyard, while Pirro Ligorio designed elaborate water features and decorative elements that can still be seen today. What had started as a working garden gradually became an expression of papal power and aesthetic ambition.

Today the gardens contain three distinct landscaping styles: a formal Italian garden, with geometric flowerbeds and clipped hedgerows; an English garden, with more naturalistic planting, winding paths and softer water features; and a French garden, characterised by symmetrical layouts and ornamental plantings. Moving between them in a single tour gives a rare sense of how European garden design evolved across different traditions.

What You'll See Inside

The gardens are punctuated throughout by fountains, monuments and buildings that tell the story of the Vatican's daily life over several centuries.

The Fountain of the Eagle and the Galera Fountain, a stone galleon that shoots jets of water from its cannons, are among the most photographed features. The Grotto of Lourdes, a full-scale replica of the French shrine, sits tucked into a wooded corner and remains an active place of prayer for Vatican residents. A monument marks the site of the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, a detail that brings recent history sharply into focus against the much older surroundings.

The tour also passes the Vatican Radio building, the Governor's Palace and the Vatican Railway Station, a reminder that this is a functioning sovereign state and not simply a museum complex. Seeing the administrative and working side of Vatican City is something most visitors to Rome never experience.

Walking Tour or Bus Tour

Two formats are available for visiting the Vatican Gardens, and the choice between them is worth considering before you book.

• The walking tour covers the main garden paths on foot, with a guide providing historical and artistic commentary throughout. It lasts approximately 1.5 hours and suits visitors who want to move at a considered pace and get close to the individual monuments and fountains.
• The open-top bus tour covers a wider area of the gardens, including elevated viewpoints and more remote sections that are not accessible on foot. It is a practical option in summer heat and for visitors who prefer not to walk for extended periods. Both options include skip-the-line entry to the Vatican Museums at the end of the tour.

One important practical detail: once the garden tour ends, visitors proceed directly into the Vatican Museums. There is no option to leave and return later; the gardens and museums function as a single visit with no re-entry permitted. Planning your day accordingly, and making sure you have time and energy for both, is essential. 

Practical Information

The Vatican Gardens tours take place in the morning, with museum entry following around midday. Comfortable shoes are essential, particularly for the walking tour. The gardens are generally closed on Sundays, with the exception of the last Sunday of the month when the Museums offer free entry.

Booking in advance is strongly recommended. Entry to the gardens is limited, with only a small number of reservations accepted each day, and availability during spring and summer sells out well ahead of the visit date.

Getting There

The Vatican Gardens entrance is located within the Vatican Museums complex, at Viale Vaticano, in the Prati neighbourhood of Rome. The nearest metro station is Ottaviano on Line A, approximately a 10-minute walk from the entrance. Several bus lines also serve the area. The garden tour begins at the Vatican Railway Station, inside the complex, where your guide will meet the group at the designated time.