One of the most visited tourist attractions in Rome is the Vatican City. The smallest country in the world, the Vatican is a must-see even if you are not a religious person.
It holds one of the most important and impressive collections of art pieces in the entire world. This is why you should definitely add Vatican to your travel list when in Rome. However, you will have to take a few precautions in order to not get scammed and I’ll tell you why.
1. How to avoid scams at Vatican City
The scams at Vatican City are hard to avoid if you haven’t done your homework. I should know better since my best friend warned me about the existing scams and I still fell in the trap.
What you will notice is that once you get closer and closer to Vatican, there will be many people on the streets trying to sell you entrance tickets. You will find these agents even near the official ticket counter of Vatican.
They are wearing badges and uniforms to be more convincing. Since the Vatican ticket office is not very well signaled, these agents will take advantage of tourists and will convince them to buy tickets from them which, of course, are a lot more expensive than the regular ones. Avoiding this will save you up to 30 euros.
You should only buy tickets from these agents if you really really want a guide. I have heard stories when tourists had to wait more than 2 hours until the guide started the tour so it’s a risk you’ll have to take.
Usually, the guide will be in hurry since she or he has to do as many tours as possible in a day and you won’t have enough time to admire the beautiful collection of art pieces at Vatican or take photos as you please. Our guide didn’t even take us through the whole museum – we skipped the Egypt exhibition which os one of the most interesting ones.
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I would have loved to have more time at Vatican and wander the museums at my own pace. Apart from all these drawbacks, the biggest disadvantage of taking such a tour is the price you will have to pay. They will ask for around 40-50 euros when in fact the actual ticket costs $17 (+$4 if you want to skip the line).
With a simple search on google you will see that there are many websites that seem to be the official ticket office of Vatican when in fact they are not. If you want to buy tickets, use only this website. This is the real one.
The only apparent advantage for these guided tours is the fact that you will have a guide. However, I wouldn’t put my faith in this since our guide was in a big hurry. I am not saying that they are all unprofessional, but you should definitely be careful.
Having said all this, let’s recap how you can avoid the Vatican City scam. It’s simple: only buy tickets from the Vatican City counter, situated in the main court or online from the website mentioned above.
2. Where to stay in Rome
Rome is a big city and there are lots of hotels, guesthouses and hostels to choose from. For the perfect trip, always look for an affordable place located in a good area. I’ve done all the research for you and below are my recommendations:
- Budget – Rome Guest Hospitality – beautiful apartment in good area, modern rooms, good amenities, comfortable beds
- Mid-Range – Navona Theatre Hotel – great location, beautiful and spacious rooms, friendly staff, minibar
- Luxury – Charme Spagna Hotel – excellent location, modern and luxurious rooms, close to tourist attractions, excellent amenities
3. Final thoughts
Only accept going on a guided tour if you don’t have too much time to spend at Vatican and you don’t mind paying extra. If you’re travelling on a budget and you want to avoid scams at Vatican, buy your tickets directly from the counter or online from the official website.
May the travel bug bite you!
Aurelia Teslaru is a professional travel blogger and the writer behind Daily Travel Pill. With a 4-year experience as a travel writer and photographer, Aurelia only shares travel guides about destinations that she visited.
She has been to more than 40 countries during the past 10 years and aims to explore 50 countries before turning 30 years old. Aurelia is a digital nomad who transformed her passion for travel into a lifestyle. Read more about her here.
To follow her adventures, check out her Instagram and Facebook pages!
This is great advice! My first time to Italy I went to the Vatican Museum and we didn’t get the guided tour. Instead, we pre booked our tickets online for right when it opened in the morning. We were among the first 500 people into the Vatican for the day. So if you’re crunched for time, just schedule an earlier ticket because the line took almost no time at all and you’ll still pay the regular ticket price and be able to explore at leisure.
It reminds me of my trip to Italy where I visit Rome, Naples, Capri and Pompeii. Amazing landscapes
Italy is such a beauty!