Vatican Gardens Tickets
Vatican gardens tickets are reservations for a guided visit, and you get them on the official Vatican Museums portal or in a bundle from a licensed partner. The gardens are private papal grounds, so you cannot buy a pass at a gate and walk in. A standard Museums ticket does not cover them either.
Why do the Vatican Gardens need a guided slot?
Yes, you need a ticket. The gardens are private urban grounds owned by the Pope, and Wikipedia says individuals and pre-formed groups may visit only with a tour guide present. Pope Francis opened them to the public in 2014, and that guided format has stayed.
So there is no door where you pay and enter alone. Your reservation for a set visit is the entrance ticket to the Vatican Gardens. The official "Choose your tour" page lists the Vatican Gardens as their own visit, next to the Museums, the Papal Palace at Castel Gandolfo and the Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis.
The grounds cover about 23 hectares, roughly half of Vatican City, and rise to 60 meters above sea level. That is why a guide or a vehicle makes sense. You cannot wander them freely, and you cannot walk through them without a booking.
Guided slots are limited, so book before you fly. The gardens show as open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm and closed on Sunday in map listing data. Treat those hours as a rough guide and trust the time on your own reservation. For the wider picture of every ticket type, start with our Vatican tickets hub.
Short on time? Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Entrance Ticket, from $36See skip-the-line tickets →Walking vs open-bus tour: which format fits?
Choose a walking visit if you want to stop at every fountain, and a bus or minibus format if you dislike hills or are tired from the Museums. The gardens are steep in places, and one traveler on Google Maps called the bus ride "somewhat a blessing" for that reason.
The official Vatican Museums accessibility page also names a guided visit called "Vatican Gardens without barriers", which it describes as using a route that works for wheelchair users. If mobility is a concern, ask the portal for that option first.
Some partner listings sell a Vatican Gardens minibus tour as an option you select at checkout. Read the option name carefully. A listing that only says Museums does not put you inside the gardens.
- Walking: slower, good for photos and history, wear comfortable shoes.
- Minibus or bus: easier on the hills, suits families and anyone short on energy.
- Accessible route: the official barrier-free visit, booked through the Vatican Museums.
Ready to see prices? Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Entrance Ticket, from $36See times →Do Vatican Museums and gardens tickets come together?
No, not by default. The standard Museums ticket entitles you to the Museums and the Sistine Chapel on the day it is issued, and the gardens are listed as a separate visit. So a Vatican museum ticket does not let you visit the garden by itself, and it is not a pass to the Garden of Eden or any other garden inside the walls.
Some combined products do exist. One partner listing offers a Vatican Gardens minibus tour as an add-on to Museums entry, but only if you pick that option. If you want the Museums side explained in full, read how do I book Vatican Museums tickets and the guide to the Sistine Chapel tickets that come with it.
My rule is to treat the gardens and the Museums as two visits you can place on one day. Book the gardens first, because slots are scarcer, then fit the Museums around them. The Museums open 8 am to 8 pm Monday to Saturday in map data, so an early garden slot leaves room for the galleries. If you want both plus the Basilica in one booking, see Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica tickets.
Travelling with family? Rome: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Basilica Tour, from $71Check family times →How much do Vatican Gardens tickets cost?
The gardens have no fixed fare we can confirm, because the official tariff page does not state one. Check the live price on the portal for your date and format before you pay.
What is confirmed is the Museums pricing, which most garden visitors add on the same trip. Dollar figures use the ECB reference rate of 1.1165 dollars per euro on 2026-11-06. For more, see Vatican Museum Ticket Price 2026.
Partner tours cost more because they bundle extras. Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Entrance Ticket starts from $36, Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Skip-the-Line Entry Ticket from $53, Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica Tour from $60, and Rome: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Basilica Tour from $71. Compare them with official vs reseller prices before you choose.
| Ticket | Official price | Approx. USD |
|---|---|---|
| Museums full entry, no online booking | EUR 20 | about $22 |
| Museums reduced entry, no online booking | EUR 10 | about $11 |
| Reduced entry with skip-the-line booking | EUR 10 + 5 | about $17 |
| School reduced ticket | EUR 5 | about $6 |
| Vatican Gardens visit | Check the portal | Not stated |
Where do you book Vatican Gardens tickets?
Book on the official portal first. The Vatican Museums state that tickets.museivaticani.va is the only official site for buying tickets online, and they warn that look-alike domains may charge much more. Our guide to the Vatican Museums official ticket website shows how to spot the right address.
Follow these steps to buy tickets for the Vatican Gardens online:
We are an independent guide, not the official ticket office. Links to partner tours go to GetYourGuide and are affiliate links, which cost you nothing extra. If you want a bundle, a partner listing can make sense, but you may pay more than the official fare.
Tickets cannot be refunded on the official page, so confirm your date before you pay. Partner cancellation terms differ, so read each listing. If you only want the Museums and not the gardens, a Vatican entry ticket without a tour is simpler, and Vatican City tickets lines up the other sites.
- Pick a date that is not a Sunday.
- Open the official portal and choose the Vatican Gardens visit, or choose a partner listing that names the gardens.
- Choose a time slot that leaves room for the Museums.
- Enter names exactly as on your ID.
- Save the voucher on your phone and note the meeting point.
- Arrive early, because tickets are valid only for the reserved time.
Questions visitors ask
Are the Vatican Gardens free?
No. There is no free walk-in entry. Free Museums entry on the last Sunday of the month, for children under 7 and for disabled visitors with certified invalidity of at least 67% applies to the Museums, not to a garden visit.
Can I get skip-the-line Vatican Gardens tickets?
The gardens are a booked, timed visit, so you reserve a slot rather than queue at a gate. For the Museums, a skip-the-line ticket saves waiting. Partner reviews mention two to three hours of queueing without one.
Where can I find jardins du Vatican tickets?
The tickets are the same product in any language. Use the official Vatican Museums portal, choose the Vatican Gardens visit and pick a date. Check that the address reads tickets.museivaticani.va before you enter card details.
Who gets reduced tickets for the Museums?
The official reduced ticket is EUR 10, and the school reduced ticket is EUR 5. See Vatican reduced ticket for who qualifies. This applies to the Museums, not to the gardens visit.