Vatican Garden Tickets

The Vatican Gardens, also known as the Pope’s ‘personal garden of Eden,’ are housed within the imposing Leonine walls enclosing the Papal city.

It is adjacent to the Vatican Museums, and if your ticket includes such access, you can visit both attractions by using the spiral staircase in Bramante’s Belvedere Courtyard.

We understand that the magnitude of the basilica and the Museums can be overwhelming even for seasoned travelers, and the Gardens’ serene landscapes make for a compelling visit.

Moreover, you’ll find numerous fountains, sculptures, and statues of the Virgin Mary dotting this lush green area of the Vatican.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Vatican Museums and Gardens tickets.

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Vatican Gardens Tickets

Entry to the Vatican Gardens is often restricted and not open to all museum visitors. Here are the best tickets giving you access to the Gardens, their antiquity, greenery, and maybe even a chance to spot the pope!

Vatican Gardens Ticket with Bus Tour + Vatican Museums

This is one of the attraction’s best-selling tickets, and hence, the tour is limited to 15 members per group.

The tour lasts three hours, and you can enjoy the Gardens’ monuments, topiary, lawns, and woods in a minibus without breaking a sweat. 

You can also access an audio guide in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

The bus ride includes meandering through the garden’s many fortifications, grottoes, monuments, fountains—even a tiny heliport and train station—before you’re dropped at the Vatican Museums’ entrance.

From here, your guide will take you in and ensure you have priority access to the Museums and the Sistine Chapel.

This popular open-bus tour has five time slots available: 9.30 am, 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, and 1.30 pm. 

Ticket details

Adult (18+ years): €75

Child (7 to 17 years): €54

Note: This tour is not available for children under 6 years of age

Cancellation Policy

You won’t be offered a refund if you cancel your ticket and you can’t reschedule for another date.

Private 5-hour Vatican Gardens ticket + Vatican Museums

This 5-hour tour commences at 9 am and is available from Monday to Saturday. It takes you through the Vatican Gardens first, then the Vatican Museums, and finally, St. Peter’s Basilica.

One of the biggest benefits of buying this ticket is that you can skip all the entrance lines at the attractions and visit the Vatican Gardens, which are generally closed to the public.

Once you have toured the Gardens, the guide will lead you to the Museums from Bramante’s Courtyard. 

After seeing the Gardens and Museums, the guide will lead you back to the Museums’ entrance. 

Previously, you could take the shortcut from the North side of the Sistine Chapel directly to St. Peters. This secret passageway will reopen in 2025, the Vatican’s Jubilee Year.

Ticket details

Group of 10 (Irrespective of age): €315

Cancellation Policy

This ticket is not eligible for a refund, nor can you reschedule it for another date.

Timings

Note: The Gardens remain closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Planning a visit to the Museums? Here’s all you need to know about the attraction’s dress code, its three entrance lines, opening and closing hours, the amenities within the Museums, how to reach the Vatican, and special tours like the Vatican Museums early morning and late evening tickets, Castle Gandolfo, and Vatican Grottoes & Necropolis tickets.

What to see at the Vatican Gardens

Most visitors assume the Vatican Gardens is just full of lush botanical marvels but it is more than that. 

Nestled within are meticulously sculpted masterpieces and intricately designed fountains, to name a few. 

Here are some wonders you ought not to miss when visiting the Vatican Gardens:

Berlin Wall Slab: A portion of the Cold War-era Berlin Wall lies near the entrance of the Vatican Gardens. Marco Piccinini gifted it to Pope John Paul II in 1994 in gratitude for his support of Germany’s reunification. 

The Gardens’ Artwork: There are so many of them that it’s almost impossible to decide which is the most impressive here. But two stand out: The Fountain of the Eagle, celebrating the return of water to the Vatican from the Acqua Paola, and the Lourdes Grotto, replicating the Grotto of Massabielle, France, where the Virgin Mary appeared 18 times.

St. John’s Tower: This round structure is said to have been built by Pope Nicholas III in the 1270s. It was later rebuilt by Pope John XXIII in the early 1960s. Today, it’s mainly used as a papal apartment for special dignitaries to stay during their visits to Vatican City. 

The Vatican Polity: The Governor’s Palace, which also happens to be the seat of the Vatican government, lies within the Gardens. You can’t miss it, as it’s right behind St. Peter’s Basilica, making it one of the most recognizable buildings in the Vatican Gardens.

The Gardens’ Trinity: Yes, the Vatican Gardens are full of orchards and green spaces, but nothing beats the Italian, French, and English Gardens. The Italian Garden is more formal and adorned with symmetrical designs and classical sculptures. The French Garden is known for its romantic atmosphere, while the English Garden is famous for its picturesque pathways and naturalistic features.

The Gardens are also home to the Vatican heliport, train station, and radio station. While the heliport and train station are mainly for the Pope’s private use, the radio station—added by Guglielmo Marconi in 1931—is meant for public use.

Did you know?

• The Vatican Gardens actually began as a single orchard, lawn, and garden under the directions of Pope Nicholas III in 1279
• The Gardens cover over half (57 acres) of Vatican City’s total area!
• It today houses the Vatican heliport, train station, and radio station and the seat of the Vatican City’s government, the Governor’s Palace
• The Gardens contain a fragment of the Cold War-era Berlin Wall
• There are 17 ‘Maria’ images inside the Vatican Gardens, with the most recent being a mosaic of Our Lady of Quinche, the patroness of Ecuador

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FAQs about the Vatican Gardens

Here are some frequently asked questions about the Vatican Gardens: