Shortly after our son turned one, we took a crazy unplanned trip through Europe, wandering wherever the cheapest train and plane tickets led us. At one point we ended up in Rome and decided to visit as many major sites as we could, even though a number of them didn’t seem particularly little kid friendly. One of those sites was the extremely famous and lavish St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Although short, our visit went smoothly and we’ll never forget the image of our baby toddling down the steps of St. Peter’s. Keep reading for answers to the questions we had before we went or jump to our top tips based on our experience for a quicker read!
Do I have to buy tickets to visit St. Peter’s Basilica?
No! Entrance to the main square and St. Peter’s Basilica is free, making it the perfect activity with a toddler and/or baby, because if it’s not working out for you, you can leave with the only thing lost being some time. That said, you do have to pay if you decide you want to climb to the top of the dome for views out over the city. Purchase tickets at the office to the right of the portico (5 euros to take the stairs and 7 euros to take the elevators).
What time of day should I visit?
Anyone with a toddler or a baby knows that standing in a long line can get pretty miserable, so visiting St. Peter’s at the right time of day will make a difference as the lines can get insanely long at this important site. St. Peter’s is open from 7am-7pm year round, and people seem to agree that going between 7am-9am or in the evening is your best bet to beat the crowds. For whatever reason, Tuesday is also often mentioned as being a less busy day. I can’t remember what day of the week we visited, but since a toddler never sleeps in, we got there at 6:30am and were really glad we joined the opening queue. Even at that time there were already around 20 people ahead of us and it rapidly swelled to hundreds of people behind us. Once security opened the gates, it was a quick process to pass through the metal detectors and enter the basilica.
Should I take a stroller?
Maybe. Strollers are not allowed in St. Peter’s Basilica, but if you want to use one to reach the basilica, they have a cloakroom where you can store your stroller. I’ve also read that the no stroller policy really depends and what guards are working that day. We opted to carry our little one in his backpack carrier to spare our arms and prevent him from running around too much as visitors are asked to maintain quiet and respectful behavior in the basilica. While St. Peter’s is incredibly impressive, it’s not that big so you can easily carry kiddos or have them walk.
Can I bring snacks and drinks into St. Peter’s Basilica for my toddler/baby?
No, food and drinks are not permitted and this seems to include baby bottles with milk. That said, as mentioned above it doesn’t take a crazy amount of time to explore St. Peter’s so your little one(s) will be just fine if you feed & water them before entering. If you like to use snacks to keep your little one occupied and quiet, that unfortunately won’t be an option.
Can I breastfeed in St. Peter’s Basilica?
Maybe. Breastfeeding in public is welcomed in Rome and Pope Francis has repeatedly shown his support for breastfeeding mothers, but some say that breastfeeding in the basilica has been met with disapproval. This is understandable in light of the fact that all visitors have to adhere to a specific dress code that is felt to be respectful. The easy solution is to use a nursing cover, blanket etc. if you plan to breastfeed in the basilica.
What’s the dress code?
Clothes need to cover the shoulders and knees, no low cut tops, and no hats for men. This of course doesn’t apply to your toddler or baby, but it will save you time by adhering to the dress code so you don’t get turned away and have to get back in a potentially super long line after remedying things. We saw multiple people being turned away as we were entering so the dress code is definitely enforced.
How much time should we plan for?
How much time you need to explore St. Peter’s Basilica of course depends on whether you plan to climb the dome and much like you exploring every corner, reading plaques etc. In general though, I’d say give yourself 1-2hrs. We ended up spending around 1hr and that felt about right with a toddler.
Top Tips
Plan to visit between 7am-9am or later in the evening to avoid the longest lines. We got in line at 6:30am and there was already at least 100+ people behind us when we reached the entrance gates, so I’d say if your toddler and/or baby wakes up early plan to go when it opens at 7am. You can see the full St. Peter’s Basilica hours of operation here.
Strollers are not allowed in St. Peter’s Basilica, so plan to either leave yours in the basilica’s cloakroom or use something else like a baby carrier. If your kiddo is calm and you also don’t mind carrying them in your arms, you can definitely visit without any stroller or carrier.
Give your little one(s) snacks and beverages before you go to St. Peter’s as food and drinks are not allowed inside the basilica
If you plan to breastfeed in St. Peter’s, take a nursing cover, blanket, jacket etc so you can do it more modestly to avoid potentially getting in trouble
Adhere to the shoulders covered, knees covered, no low cut shirts, and no hats for men policy to avoid being turned away and having to get back into a potentially super long line - not great with a toddler or baby that’s done standing in line!
Visitors are asked to maintain quiet and respectful behavior, so keep that in mind if you have a particularly rambunctious toddler. Our little one can get pretty rowdy running around, so we opted to bring our baby carrier in case we needed to contain him. We let him walk around about half the time though and no one seemed to have any issue with a babbling toddler being in the basilica.
Have you visited St. Peter’s with your own toddler or baby? Leave us a comment. We and our readers would love to hear your stories and tips!