One of the must do things in Rome, is actually in a completely different country – Vatican City! Yep, as you may already know Vatican City is a country all on its own located right in the heart of Rome. Vatican city is famous for many things – St Peter’s Basilica, world renowned art by Old Masters such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, and of course…The Pope! But, before you plan your trip to see the Pope in Vatican City, here are some top tips for you to know if you want to easily see the Pope in St. Peter’s square!

Where Can I See the Pope in Rome?

• St. Peter’s Square
  Your best bet for seeing the Pope when you’re in Rome is to get yourself to Vatican City, specifically St Peter’s Square. Millions of pilgrims come from all over the world each year to this fixed meeting time and place to see the Pope. St Peter’s Square itself is extremely easy to get to by public transport or taxi, but give yourself some time to travel there in case there is a build up of traffic – you can also refer to our full guide on How to get to Vatican city post. Although St Peter’s square can be busy when the Pope is in Rome, it is one of the only fixed meeting times that will allow you to definitely see the Pope.
• Non-Holiday Papal Masses
  If you are lucky the Pope will be visiting one of the other Patriarchal Basilicas in Rome. For these events tickets are free but you must request them beforehand. Although these Papal Masses aren’t held in Saint Peters Square, they are located in many different locations around Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovanni in Laterano or San Paolo Fuori le Mura. Make sure to check the Papal Mass schedule
• Holiday Papal Masses
  It’s much more difficult to get tickets for the holiday Papal Masses as thousands of people want to come to Rome to see these but of course you can try! For particularly popular masses like Christmas and Easter Sunday, you should request a ticket at least 6 months in advance. But lucky for you, if you do not get a ticket you can stay outside of the Church and watch it on the huge screens.

When Can I See the Pope?

You may be surprised to hear this but it is actually pretty easy to see the Pope if you’re in Rome midweek or on the weekend. You do not have to prepare much, unless of course you actually want a seat. The easiest way to see the Pope, which doesn’t take much preparation at all, is to attend a Papal Audience or the Sunday Angelus, both located in St Peter’s square.

• Papal Audience – Tickets required if you want a seat.
  Wednesday around 10:00AM.
  The Papal Audience on Wednesday mornings are held nearly every Wednesday when the Pope is in Rome. The Papal Audience is not a mass, it is a chance for you to see the Pope speak and allows you to have religious articles blessed. While the Papal Audience does not begin until 10:00AM, security opens around 8:00AM and is closed at around 9:00AM, so make sure you head down to St Peter’s square early! The whole Papal Audience should last for around 1-1 1/2 hours so if you want a good seat to rest your legs, you will need to reserve your tickets beforehand and arrive and get in the line an hour or two before the gates open. But, if you’re not bothered about sitting, then you can easily arrive anytime before the Papal Audience begins.
• Angelus Prayer – No tickets required.
  Sunday at around 12:00 PM.
  The Angelus Prayer on Sunday will allow you to see Pope Francis speak from the Apostolic Palace apartment window. The prayer will consist of a speech from the Pope, followed by an Apostolic blessing and finally a greeting to the crowd in the  many different languages that Pope Francis speaks. You do not need to reserve tickets for this, but, as it is on the weekend and during a perfect time then it can be very busy. If you want to have a good spot to see the Pope in the apartment window then you should arrive early.

Note – Pope Francis is not always in the City – he travels just like you! Although it can be disappointing if you want to see the Pope speak, to avoid this disappointment make sure to check the Vatican website to make sure he is in Rome during your trip.

How Do I Get Seated Tickets to See the Pope?

All of the events to see Pope Francis are free, however, you may need to request tickets for some.

On Wednesdays if you want to sit and watch the Papal Audience, then you must request tickets beforehand. There are two very easy ways to request the tickets, depending on how many tickets you need. If you need less than 10 tickets then you are able to pick them up in person from the Swiss Guards at the Bronze Doors , located just after the security for St Peter’s Basilica, on the right hand side, between 3pm until 7pm in Summer and 6pm in Winter. If you need to buy more than 10 then you need to fill out and fax a form from the Prefecture of the Papal Household to the Vatican. There is no contact email so you must wait to hear back from them in order to know if your tickets have been confirmed. Once you get an answer then you need to pick the tickets up from the Vatican prior to the audience.

For the Angelus Prayer on Sunday, tickets are not required. Instead you should just head down to St Peter’s square early in order for you to get a good spot.

Useful Tips before seeing the Pope

• Being Far Away is Ok! St Peters square can hold up to 300,000 thousand people max so expect there to be a lot of people, but don’t worry so much about not being close – there are huge screens around St Peters square which give you a solid view of the Pope.
• Buy your religious articles beforehand! On Sundays Pope Francis will conduct an Apostolic Blessing on the pilgrims and the religious articles you have brought with you so make sure you’ve bought then beforehand so you can get them blessed by Pope Francis himself.
• Make sure you stay hydrated. Summer in Rome can get very hot, especially with the big crowd. To make sure you’re hydrated and feeling good, bring a big bottle of water with you!
• Dress appropriately. If you’ve already been to St Peters Basilica you will know that there is a very strict dress code, although in St Peters Square it is not as strict, it is still expected that those who attend will dress respectfully. The main rule is that shoulders and knees must be covered!
• Be aware! Make sure you keep your belongings close to you and steer clear of pick pocketers.
• Pick a spot to see the Jumbotron screens! As it can be very busy, you may not get a spot very close to the Pope.
• Get two in one! If you’ve never had the chance to see all that the Vatican City has to offer then you can get two in one. The Small Group tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel allows you to watch the Pope’s address on Wednesday morning, grab a nice slice of pizza after and then take a tour with us at 2:30 PM.

Rome is full of things to see and places to go. If one of the experiences on your list is to see the Pope in Rome, these tips should highlight how easy that can be! As long as the Pope is in town, there are two opportunities every week for you to see him. Now that you know how to see the Pope in Rome, with a little bit of planning you can add this experience to your Italian vacation.