The Apostolic Palace: Papal residence in Vatican City

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Apostolic Palace
























































From happy customers

Loved by 51 million+
Trustpilot rating: 4.5 out of 5

Irina G

Armenia
Couple
2 weeks ago
All was great, I really enjoyed all the rooms. It desplayed masterpieces of different artists and periods of time. I felt the history myself.

Mariam A

Georgia
Group
2 weeks ago

+1 more

Everything went smoothly, no lines - we skipped everything, audiophile was also helpful, so over all it was an excellent experience

Deryk R

United Kingdom
Couple
3 weeks ago

+3 more

The history, the architecture, the mesuem, the half way arena built on top of wooden beams supports. Ontop of the advice to visit the Roman forum and Palestine hill from our trusted guide tours that saved us a hefty wait time.

Attilio C

Family
3 weeks ago
Excellent organization, well-designed app. Perhaps the route could have been improved, as the stops were scattered and not contiguous, but overall it was a positive experience.

Eszter F

Couple
3 weeks ago
The start was a bit stressful. We couldn’t find the contact person at the designated meeting point as quickly as we had expected. After searching for a while, a man appeared wearing a small badge on his shirt and a cord around his neck. Since we had already been looking everywhere and almost no one seemed to know anything about the company, we started to feel slightly panicked and even wondered if we had been scammed. He also arrived a little later than the indicated time. However, when we approached him, it turned out he was indeed the person who led us to the rest of the group. At that moment, a sense of relief set in, we finally felt we were in good hands. It did take some time before our guide arrived, and the waiting was a bit unpleasant. [It’s important to arrive well in advance at each location to ensure you’re on time and able to enter without issues.] Then our guide arrived, and from that point on, I can only write praise. She is truly a powerhouse. You simply cannot miss her voice, she speaks loudly and clearly. She engages actively with the group and makes sure to keep everyone involved. She prepared us well for the waiting time and filled it with genuinely interesting facts and historical insights, which made the long wait much more bearable. Unfortunately, the “skip-the-line ticket” didn’t quite feel like it, as one of the gates was closed—this remained somewhat unclear. In total, we ended up waiting in line for an hour and forty-five minutes. That said, the guide was very attentive, making sure no one cut in line. She confidently addressed anyone who attempted to do so, which was both reassuring and impressive to witness. She frequently checked in to make sure everyone was doing okay. It was also helpful that people were walking around selling ice-cold water in the heat for just €2. As an additional suggestion, it would be helpful to inform participants in advance to bring food and drinks, as it can be a long day. This simple tip would have benefited many people in the group and made the experience more comfortable overall. Once inside, everything went smoothly. The guidance within the church was engaging and informative. She even arranged for a priest to give our group a blessing, which was a very special moment. She was a warm, energetic, and passionate guide with many wonderful stories to share. The experience was absolutely worth it. Once again, thank you for this memorable tour. We loved her very much!!!! xxx

Ivan A

Spain
Couple
3 weeks ago
An incredible and truly wonderful experience—I highly recommend it. It’s one of the most beautiful places in Rome, and I’d love to go back again.

Tanya O

Switzerland
Couple
3 weeks ago
A really interesting and wonderful tour! Our guide, Valentina, gave clear explanations and provided fascinating background information! It was a long walk, but we weren’t bored for a single moment. She guided us smoothly through the crowded museum and eventually to St. Peter’s Basilica without any lines. Thanks for the fun afternoon!

Aleksei Z

Cyprus
Solo
3 weeks ago
Susanna was just awesome, showed everything in a pleasant 3 hours Spanish tour, that flew just like 5 minutes. One of the best experiences ever, highly recommended. Easy to find the meeting point, nicely organised, visit only highlights with no necessity to discover yourself. Just take the unpacked treasury of art prepared for you to enjoy!

Top things to do in Rome

What is the Apostolic Palace? 

Situated in Vatican City, to the northeast of St. Peter’s Basilica, is the Apostolic Palace is known as the official residence of the reigning pope.

Not to be confused the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, the former summer palace of the Pope; the Apostolic Palace is the formal residence of the Pope. The palace comprises over 1000 rooms, excluding which there are several Papal Apartments, the Vatican Library, a few Catholic Church’s government offices as well as numerous private and public chapels among other buildings.

Apart from being the Pope’s formal home, the Apostolic Palace consists of several administrative offices which are used to administer the function of the Vatican State. Perhaps the most important part of the Pope’s home is the fact that it has become a tourist-facing component in Rome. The several gardens, fishponds, attractive museums, library, and natural conservatories, to name a few, are amongst the few outstanding features that the Palace is known for and is a spot to be explored. The palace is also otherwise known as the Papal Palace, the Vatican Palace, the Vatican Palace, and also the Palace of the Vatican.

Plan your visit to the Apostolic Palace

Apostolic Palace Timings

You can visit the attractions of the Apostolic Palace between 8.30am and 4.30pm. The Vatican is not functional on Sundays.

Best time To visit

  • Off-seasons are a very good time to visit, with less heat and no chaos. 
  • Wednesdays are quite packed at the Vatican Palace as a lot of tourists head to attend an audience with the Pope. But it is a great time to visit the museums. 
Detailed timings of Vatican

The Palace is situated within the Vatican City walls.

  • By Train: From the Roma Termini station take the RE 12524 towards Civitavecchia or RE 4134 towards Pisa Centrale and alight at St. Pietro.
  • By Bus: Take bus 40 or 64 from Roma Termini. Bus 40 stops at Piazza Pia, and bus 64 stops at Terminal Gianicolo or Holy Spirit Hospital.
  • By Metro: Take Line A to the Ottaviano-S. Pietro station. From here, it’s just a 5-minute walk to St. Peter’s Square.
  • By Tram: Take line number 19 to Piazza del Risorgimento.
Directions to the Vatican
Vatican Tickets
  • Standard Entry Tickets: With these tickets, you can enjoy access to the Vatican Museums & the Sistine Chapel.
  • Skip-the-line Tickets: Bypass long queues and enter the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with these tickets. Depending on the ticket, you might even enjoy access to St. Peter’s Basilica.
  • Guided Tours: guided tour will allow you to skip the lines with an expert guide.
Book tickets to the Vatican
Apostolic Palace Rules
  • They follow a strict dress code. If you are not dressed appropriately, you will be denied entry.
  • Video cameras, umbrellas, banners, signs, and sharp objects like knives, are not allowed inside.
  • Phones must be kept in silent mode. The use of phones is forbidden in the Sistine Chapel.
  • Visitors are allowed to take photographs for personal and domestic use only. Photography is prohibited in the Sistine Chapel
Detailed rules & regulations

Structure of the Apostolic Palace

Arranged around the Courtyard of Sixtus V, the Apostolic Palace is a series of self-contained buildings consisting of a recognized outer structure.

Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is the best known amongst the Palace chapels and is named in honor of Sixtus IV. The Chapel is well-known for being a venue for the gathering of the College of Cardinals, used for the election of each successive Pope. Here, the cardinals elect a successor to the traditionally first pope, St. Peter, who is traditionally buried in the crypts near St. Peter’s Church. The Chapel is famous for its frescoes by various Renaissance artists during the era.

Know More

Raphael Rooms

The Raphael Rooms are a suite of reception rooms in the Apostolic Palace, which is now a portion of the Vatican Museums, in Vatican City. These rooms are popular for their frescoes, done by a team of artists who were guided under Raphael.  Commonly known as the Stanze, situated above Alexander’s Borgia Apartments, the Raphael Rooms were the apartments intended for Pope Julius II. He decided to redecorate the interiors of the rooms entirely, possibly to outshine the apartments of his predecessor.

Borgia Apartments

The Borgia Apartments consists of a suite of rooms that were for the personal usage of Pope Alexander VI. The apartments were decorated lavishly with frescoes and used iconic themes from medieval encyclopedias, to add meaning and to celebrate the divine origins of Borgias.

The rooms are a part of the Vatican Library and Museums. Currently, these rooms are used for the Vatican Collection of Modern Religious Art, by Pope Paul VI in 1973.

Clementine Hall

The Clementine Hall, also called the Sala Clementina, was created in the 16th century in honor of the third Pope, Pope Clement I, by Pope Clement VIII. Just like the other apartments, the Clementine Hall also consists of numerous large collections of artifacts and frescos, that make the Clementine Hall a famous structure in itself.  It is used by the pope as a reception room and sometimes as a site of various ceremonies and rituals. It is in the Clementine Hall that the body of the pope lies for private visitation by officials of the Vatican until it is moved to St. Peter's Basilica or the Basilica of San Giovanni.

Who lives in the Vatican Palace?

Apostolic Palace facade with statues and columns in Vatican City.

The Apostolic Palace is home to the Pope and numerous officials involved in religious and administrative functions. It functions similarly to a state residence, managing the Vatican's various responsibilities.

Can visitors go inside the Vatican Palace? 

Visitors can explore parts of the Apostolic Palace, including the Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms, and Borgia Apartments. Some areas like the Sala Regia and Cappella Paolina are not open to the public.

Plan your visit to Vatican Museums

Paintings inside Vatican Palace

Pinacoteca , Apostolic Palace

The paintings in the Sistine Chapel are the most prominent works of art in the Apostolic Palace.

You can spot The Vision of The Cross (in the Hall of Constantine) and The Fire in the Borgo in the Raphael Rooms.

The Pinacoteca room houses notable works such as The Crucifixion of St. Peter.

Book Tickets to Sistine Chapel

Apostolic Palace of Vatican | Site of administrative functions of the Holy See

Apostolic Palace

Apart from being home to the Pope, the Apostolic Palace serves many functions. The Palace is used for performing several administrative meetings of the Vatican in terms of political, social, and economic aspects as a State. The palace has within it beautiful gardens, museums, a library, and more. Hence, this structure has become one of the top tourist attractions in the city of Rome, Italy.

Due to its dual nature as being the home to the pope as well as the site of administrative functions of the Holy See, it has assumed the same stature as the White House. It is a space that exercises various economic, political, and social responsibilities as a State. The term Apostolic Palace has, hence, come to be used as a metonym for the papacy itself, and not just the physical building.

History of the Apostolic Palace

Construction of the Apostolic Palace began between 1471 and 1605. It evolved from an earlier papal residence built by Pope Symmachus to serve as an alternative residence to the Lateran Palace.

Pope Eugene III sponsored the construction of a second fortified palace. This palace was extensively modified under Pope Innocent III in the twelfth century.

In 1447, Pope Nicholas V razed the ancient fortified palace of Eugene III to erect a new building, thus giving birth to the current Apostolic Palace.

Over the next 150 years, the Papal Palace went through major additions and decorations.

The current structure was developed under Pope Sixtus V and his successors, culminating in the 20th century with additional expansions by Pope Pius XI.

History of the Vatican

Frequently asked questions about the Apostolic Palace

The massive Apostolic Palace is the Pope’s place of residence. It's also home to various apartments, museums, offices, public and private chapels, to name a few amongst the lot. The Palace is inclusive of rooms such as the Sistine Chapel as well as Raphael’s room famous for its paintings and architecture. The Palace serves as a space to perform the religious and administrative functions of the city.

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