5 Reasons to visit the Vatican in Winter

Here are our top 5 reasons for visiting the Vatican in low-season

Once the Italian Christmas celebrations come to a halt with the feast of Epiphany on the 6^th January, Rome enters a period of quiet and calm. Locals hibernate away from the cold temperatures and the number of tourists visiting the Eternal City drops significantly until spring. This makes January and February perhaps the best time of year to visit the Vatican and see its masterpieces in all their glory.

Here are our top 5 reasons for visiting the Vatican in low-season:

• No crowds

Although those with reservations or entering with tour groups automatically get to skip the line for tickets at the Vatican Museums at any time of year, there are often long waits as hundreds of people pass through the security checks. Once inside the museum the obligatory one-way system slows down to a shuffle making it a slow, laborious process to pass the more famous exhibits. In low-season visitors can stroll right in and wander pleasantly through the museums without delays or crowds.

• Get up close and personal with the artwork

Overcrowding in the summer usually means having to view the museum’s fabulous statues, paintings and frescoes from a distance, through a sea of heads, phones and cameras. In winter the almost deserted galleries provide the chance to take your time and fully appreciate the incredible artefacts from touching distance.

• Admire the Sistine Chapel in peace

Michelangelo’s spectacular frescoes in the Sistine Chapel are undoubtedly the biggest draw at the Vatican but in summer visitors are packed in, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, making it difficult to get a full sense of his awe-inspiring work. Visiting in the quiet period is an altogether more tranquil affair and allows you to take a seat and peacefully experience both the artwork and the solemnity of the place.

• Escape the weather

January and February are the coldest months of the year in Rome and therefore the ideal time to visit the city’s many museums and galleries. While in the hot summer months the Vatican Museums suffer from a lack of a/c, the winter is the perfect time to spend a day exploring the miles of galleries inside.

• Walk straight into St Peter’s Basilica

The largest church in the world, centre of the Catholic faith and home to sensational sculptures by Michelangelo and Bernini, St Peter’s Basilica attracts both pilgrims and art lovers. Although the church is free to enter, in high-season the security checks cause an almost constant line of tourists snaking through the piazza. Quieter months allow instant access and a chance to see both the basilica and the immense piazza almost completely devoid of people.     

Miles & Miles are happy to help make the most of your Vatican visit at any time of year by organising a private tour of the Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica.