Discover the oasis of nature and art that lies within the Vatican walls! The Vatican Museums offer a new type of audio-guided tour of the Vatican Gardens, which makes it possible to enjoy this architectural and artistic site from the comfort of a small open bus.
The Vatican Gardens have been a place of rest and meditation for the popes ever since 1279 when Nicholas III (Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, 1277-1280) moved his residence back to the Vatican from the Lateran Palace. Within the new walls, which he had built to protect his residence, he planted an orchard, a lawn, and a garden. The event is recorded on a stone plaque which can be viewed in the Sala dei Capitani at the Palazzo dei Conservatori on Rome’s Capitoline Hill.
After the bus tour of the Vatican Gardens, you can access the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with your skip-the-line tickets and spend as much time as you want inside.