I recently noticed something on the official Vatican Museums website that seemed too good to be true. Normally, to purchase a general admission ticket to the Vatican Museums costs €20, plus a €5 on-line booking fee; to visit the Vatican Gardens (which requires a tour), the charge is €40 for the “open bus” tour plus a €5 on-line booking fee — a general admission ticket to the Vatican Museums is included in this price.
But, what I saw advertised was this:
May is the month dedicated to Our Blessed Mother Mary. Join us for this Marian pilgrimage in the Vatican Gardens to see the many ways the Popes / Holy Fathers have honoured Mary in this unique garden designed as a place of prayer and contemplation. Amongst the highlights on this journey is the exclusive opportunity to see the mosaics of the apparitions of Virgin Mary from Latin America. In addition, the pilgrim path leads us to the Vatican’s own replica of the Grotto of Lourdes, the Madonna of Fatima and Our Lady of Guadalupe. We look forward to joining with you for this journey of art, contemplation and nature here in the Gardens of the Holy Father. Vatican Museums Admission Ticket included.
The total price — guided tour of the Vatican Gardens, headphones, and Vatican Museums general admission ticket — was just €13.50 which is less than the general admission ticket alone. And, there was no €5 booking fee. This special tour — considered a pilgrimage of sorts — was offered only on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and only at 11:45 a.m.
Although we have visited the Vatican Museums many times, we had never visited the Vatican Gardens. And, this tour looked much more interesting to us than other tours we’d seen of the Vatican Gardens. So we took a chance, and booked the “May with Mary” Vatican Gardens tour. When you purchase online, what you receive by email is a voucher to pick your tickets on the day of your visit.
On the allotted day, we showed up 20 minutes before the tour time. The lines for the Vatican Museums were already incredibly, horrendously long. We followed the sign to the area for people with reservations.
We showed our voucher to the guard, and he asked us to stand off to one side.
Five minutes later he called our group (we were grouped by entrance time), and we walked up to one of the little white tents that you see off to the left in the photo. We proceeded through security, then walked past the general admission ticket booths, up some stairs, and to the booths for guided tours. From the moment we were told to enter, to standing at the guided tours booth, it took maybe four minutes.
At the guided tours ticket booth, we presented our voucher and collected our tickets and were pointed to a spot where to wait for our tour to start. We waited by the sign for our tour, across from the ticket booth where we had picked up the tickets.
Ten minutes later, our guide showed up. Sister Emanuela, a lovely British woman with a sense of humor and an obvious true love for giving this tour, was our guide that day. Her flowing dark green habit seemed so appropriate for someone with a love of gardens.
Our tour started in the English Garden, which clearly was a favorite of our guide.
The walking tour (almost 2 hours) focused on the many statues of the Virgin Mary in the Vatican Gardens, including a recreation of the Grotto of Lourdes. Some representations of the Virgin were quite traditional:
Other representations of the Virgin were clearly more modern.
Sister Emanuela discussed the different stories behind the statues, the religious story, and often that of the artist who made it.
A short and often touching prayer was said at each stop. About half the people on the tour (about 18 people total) joined the prayer, the rest of us simply bowed our heads in respect.
Our guide also described other places of interest in the garden, such as the Jubilee Bell of 2000, the Rose Gardens, and the Italianate Gardens.
Note that you cannot book this tour and then just go to the Vatican Museums. The website states that if you do not join on the tour, you will be charged the full price of €25 for the admission to the Vatican Museums. But quite frankly, the Gardens tour is very much worth your time!
Overall, this ended up being a wonderful way to see the gardens and the stunning views of St. Peter’s Dome. Sister Emanuela and her enthusiasm made this visit very interesting and special. If you are in Rome next May, we definitely recommend this experience.
The Spanish Steps Apartment on Via della Mercede 