This was an absolutely beautiful tour! I am so glad my husband tacked this on to our guided tour of the Sistine Chapel. It’s a peaceful walk with lots of history and beautiful gardens and buildings. They have various garden styles (English, French, Italian) and lots of hidden gems. It’s also one of the few places where the smell of smoking isn’t heavily present (if at all). So, definitely see the gardens if you’re desperate for fresher air.

We had been to the Vatican Museums many times, but this was our first visit to the gardens. The Vatican Gardens are normally only open only via a tour (either walking tour or small electric bus). We took the “May with Mary in the Vatican Gardens” tour, only offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the month of May – for the amazing price of 13.5 euros! The ticket included entrance to the Vatican Museums (normally 20 euros) and the 5 euro booking fee was waived. 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. Our guide, a nun, was terrific -- she made this visit very interesting and special. A short prayer was said at each stop. Overall, this ended up being a great way to see the gardens.

Compared to the mayhem that is the Vatican Museums, the gardens were a wonderfully peaceful escape as they are off limits to the casual visitor. We took the walking tour (there is a bus, but this didn`t appeal to us) which went through most of the gardens surrounding parts of the City. We went at a fair pace and the guide wasn`t particularly knowledgeable (but did seem to have a master`s degree in stating the obvious) and was to keen to keep reminding us that under no circumstances were we to wander off. It was, however interesting to see the City from a different angle (especially St Peter`s) and we did learn a few fascinating facts. The tour ended with a visit to the overcrowded museums before were were left at the door of the Sistine Chapel to continue by ourselves. We were issued with earpieces, so even inside we could always hear the guide. A different activity from the usual, so worth booking (which you`ll have to do in plenty of time)

The Vatican Gardens was our favorite part of our visit to Vatican City. The gardens are so peaceful and gave us a peak into the private life at the Vatican. We were able to experience the serenity that popes and visitors find in the gardens. The history of the gardens was so interesting. The landscape and views are beautiful. We enjoyed this more than the overcrowded museum and rushed Sistine Chapel. It felt more sacred. We actually booked it by mistake and it ended up being the best mistake we made!