View of Vatican gardens on a sunny summer day. The square garden with green lawn, benches and trees

Renata Tyburczy

Vatican Gardens

Top choice in Vatican City, Borgo & Prati

LoginSave

Why you should go

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.

Spend an afternoon meandering the garden's many fortifications, grottoes, monuments, fountains, and even a tiny heliport and train station.

Tickets and other practicalities

Visits are by guided tour only – either on foot (2 hours) or by open-air bus (45 minutes) – for which you’ll need to book at least a week in advance.

After the tour you're free to visit the Vatican Museums on your own; admission is included in the ticket price. Check the museum's website for various tours and pricing options.

 

 

 

Transportation

  • bus: Piazza del Risorgimento
  • metro: Ottaviano-San Pietro

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Rome Lazio Italy. The Vatican Museums in Vatican City. Raphael rooms frescoes

    Vatican Museums

    0.19 MILES

    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…

  • Basilica di San Pietro. Rome. Italy. 160245212 ancient, architecture, basilica, building, capital, cathedral, catholic, church, city, day, dome, egyptian, europe, exterior, facade, famous, front, heritage, historical, history, italian, italy, landmark, monument, obelisk, old, outdoor, peter, piazza, religion, roma, roman, rome, saint, san pietro, sightseeing, sky, square, st peter, street, touristic, travel, urban, vatican, view

    St Peter's Basilica

    0.22 MILES

    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…

  • 568886113 2015; Ancient History; Ancient Rome; Archaeology; Architecture; Capital Cities; City; Copy Space; Day; High Angle View; International Landmark; Italian Culture; Italy; Lazio; Majestic; No People; Old Ruin; Outdoors; Photography; Roman; Roman Forum; Rome; Rome - Italy; Scenics - Nature; Temple - Building; Temple Of Saturn; The Past; Tourism; Travel Destinations; Vertical; The temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum, Rome, Lazio.

    Roman Forum

    2.02 MILES

    An impressive – if rather confusing – sprawl of ruins, the Roman Forum was ancient Rome's showpiece center, a grandiose district of temples...

  • Farnese Gardens built a top Domus Tiberiana on Palatine Hill at the Roman forum in Rome, Italy.

    Palatino

    2.16 MILES

    Sandwiched between the Roman Forum and the Circo Massimo, the Palatino (Palatine Hill) is one of Rome's most spectacular sights. It's a beautiful,…

  • Inside the Colosseum, an amphitheater located in Ancient Rome. 614830518 Lazio, Color Image, Travel Destinations, Horizontal, Panoramic, Famous Place, Photography, Amphitheater, Rome - Italy, Italy, Capital Cities, Roman, Coliseum - Rome, Europe, Monument, Old Ruin, Built Structure, Indoors, Ruin, Innovation, Rome

    Colosseum

    2.32 MILES

    Everyone wants to see the Colosseum, and it doesn’t disappoint, especially if accompanied by tales of armored gladiators and hungry lions. More than any…

  • OCTOBER 3, 2012: Antique marble busts inside the Capitoline Museum. 311817245 hill, italian, nobody, rome, national, sculpture, capitol, italy, travel, statue, european, destinations, culture, landmark, attraction, details, old, roman, historic, figure, famous, interior, inside, classic, exhibit, tourism, art, roma, antique, ancient, indoor, vacation, capitoline, europe, museum, close-up, luxury, human, man, nice, tourist, many, lot, history, stone, marble, head, fine, hellenistic

    Capitoline Museums

    1.8 MILES

    Dating from 1471, the Capitoline Museums are the world's oldest public museums, with a fine collection of classical sculpture.

  • The Roman Pantheon is the most preserved and influential building of ancient Rome. It is a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods of pagan Rome.

    Pantheon

    1.37 MILES

    With its revolutionary design, this awe-inspiring temple has served as an architectural blueprint for millennia.

  • Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy

    Piazza Navona

    1.19 MILES

    With its showy fountains, baroque palazzi and colorful cast of street artists, hawkers and tourists, Piazza Navona is central Rome’s elegant showcase…

View more attractions

Nearby Vatican City, Borgo & Prati attractions

1. Necropoli Via Triumphalis

0.13 MILES

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…

2. Vatican Museums

0.19 MILES

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…

4. Tomb of St Peter

0.19 MILES

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,…

5. Sistine Chapel

0.2 MILES

The Sistine Chapel is the one part of the Vatican Museums that everyone wants to see, and for good reason.

6. Vatican Grottoes

0.22 MILES

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…

7. St Peter's Basilica

0.22 MILES

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…

8. St Peter’s Basilica Dome

0.23 MILES

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…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "vatican-city/attractions/vatican-gardens/a/poi-sig/390497/1321012",
  "destination": "Vatican-City,-Borgo-&-Prati",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Italy",
  "region": "Lazio",
  "city": "Rome",
  "neighborhood": "Vatican-City,-Borgo-&-Prati",
  "position": "superzone"
}