Around the Vatican: What to See Within a 10-Minute Walk

The Vatican takes up a large part of one bank of the Tiber, but what surrounds it deserves a detour too. Ten to fifteen minutes' walk from St Peter's Square, you reach a castle, a monumental avenue, a pedestrian street, a large covered market and a residential district. This guide offers a realistic walking radius, with approximate times, to fill half a day without taking the metro.

Distances to know

All times start from St Peter's Square and are walking estimates.

Place	What it is	On foot
Via della Conciliazione	Approach avenue to St Peter's	1 min
Borgo Pio	Pedestrian street	3 min
Santo Spirito in Sassia	Church and former hospital	5 min
Castel Sant'Angelo	Former mausoleum of Hadrian, museum	10 min
Piazza del Risorgimento	Crossroads with metro/bus access	5 min
Vatican Museums entrance	Viale Vaticano	15 min
Trionfale market	Covered market	15 min

First loop: from St Peter's Square to the castle

The Via della Conciliazione

Walk down the Via della Conciliazione, the wide avenue opened in the 1930s that frames the dome of St Peter's Basilica. Parallel to the avenue, the Via di Borgo Pio is quieter and narrower; come back that way to compare.

At the end, Castel Sant'Angelo takes about two hours to visit; the terrace offers a view of the city. The Ponte Sant'Angelo, decorated with angels from Bernini's workshop, leads to the left bank and Piazza Navona in ten minutes.

The Passetto di Borgo seen from Castel Sant'Angelo

The Passetto di Borgo, the fortified corridor linking the Vatican to the castle, can be seen from outside along Via dei Corridori. It can only be visited on special openings; check the offer on the castle's website.

Second loop: north, Prati and the market

From Piazza del Risorgimento, Via Ottaviano leads to the metro station of the same name, then to the streets of Prati. Via Cola di Rienzo, a shopping street, runs down towards Piazza Cavour and the Palazzaccio (the law courts). The Trionfale market is about 15 minutes' walk away: it makes a popular lunch stop; read where to eat near the Vatican for the choice of streets.

The museums and the basilica

The Vatican Museums have their entrance on Viale Vaticano, to the north, not on St Peter's Square. Allow about 15 minutes' walk from the square along the wall: plan this trip before your time slot. To decide what to do first, read our comparison of the Vatican Museums and St Peter's Basilica.

A half-day idea

Early morning: St Peter's Basilica (shortest queue), proper dress required.
Via della Conciliazione and Borgo Pio, coffee break.
Castel Sant'Angelo in late morning.
Ponte Sant'Angelo, then Piazza Navona for lunch.

For the full picture of the district, read our guide to Prati and Borgo.

Practical tips

The Via della Conciliazione is only pedestrian in places; watch out for scooters at the crossings.
Sellers offering "skip-the-line tours" at the metro exit are best avoided: book on the official sites (tickets to book in Rome).
In great heat the avenue offers almost no shade; carry water.