Appropriate attire for Vatican

[2KentuckyCats]

Any required dress code for Vatican 

[Flatbush Flyer]

10 minutes ago, 2KentuckyCats said:

Any required dress code for Vatican 

"Clothing. Entry to the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Gardens is permitted only to appropriately dressed visitors. Low cut or sleeveless clothing, shorts, miniskirts and hats are not allowed."

And, if you are a guy, they really do mean to take off your hat (please) as you would in any Catholic church.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[Cruiser_1977]

IMPORTANT TIP:

To visit St Peters Basilica, you must be properly dressed: no bare knees, midriffs or shoulders. Sandals and jeans are fine.

Be careful when wearing knee-length shorts and skirts; the opinions of the Vatican guards as to what is acceptable may vary.

You may wish to bring a sarong or wear the kinds of shorts that have attachable legs, such as hiking trousers.

In a pinch, you will find plenty of vendors just outside the Vatican, who sell t-shirts or scarves.

[TXCruiser10]

Yep--knees, stomach and shoulders need to be covered.

[taglovestocruise]

16 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

IMPORTANT TIP:

To visit St Peters Basilica, you must be properly dressed: no bare knees, midriffs or shoulders. Sandals and jeans are fine.

Be careful when wearing knee-length shorts and skirts; the opinions of the Vatican guards as to what is acceptable may vary.

You may wish to bring a sarong or wear the kinds of shorts that have attachable legs, such as hiking trousers.

In a pinch, you will find plenty of vendors just outside the Vatican, who sell t-shirts or scarves.

Let me add that for men the vendors on the corner also sell paper pant extenders for men wearing shorts. 

[dogs4fun]

From the Vatican website:

"Clothing

Entry to the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Gardens is permitted only to appropriately dressed visitors.
Low cut or sleeveless clothing, shorts, miniskirts and hats are not allowed”

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/consigli-utili.html

[GlennaRoseGoes]

I usually have a scarf in my bag. Drape it over my shoulders if bare that day or wrap it around like a sarong if I wore shorts. Don’t have a contingency plan for sleeveless shorts days, but I usually don’t bare than much skin!!

[donaldsc]

deleted

Edited May 30, 2019 by donaldsc

[cheeseclan]

Last time we went I wore capris and a short sleeve shirt,  I had a nice big scarf with me if I needed for my arms but did not have to use.

My boys had worn zip off pants and izod type shirts.  They zipped the lower half of pants back on to make them long and took off their ball caps.  

We had no issues.

[panoramaofthepast]

I had a broomstick skirt that I pulled on over my shorts and a scarf to cover my head. Both pack easily. 

[Aplmac]

My wife somehow managed to traipse thru the Vatican

with one shoe on and one shoe off.

 

Short story - it was a wet and rainy day

and her already-worn and comfy shoes came apart when they got properly wet!

The glues gave way!

 

Laughing all the way,

she got back to the ship barefoot, with shoe-remains in a bag.

 

Don't do that. The Pope doesn't like it.

Wear proper footwear.

[navybankerteacher]

50 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

My wife somehow managed to traipse thru the Vatican

with one shoe on and one shoe off.

 

Short story - it was a wet and rainy day

and her already-worn and comfy shoes came apart when they got properly wet!

The glues gave way!

 

Laughing all the way,

she got back to the ship barefoot, with shoe-remains in a bag.

 

Don't do that. The Pope doesn't like it.

Wear proper footwear.

Actually, going barefoot would be hardly likely to be a problem - uncomfortable, perhaps,  

but  not as likely as a miniskirt to be noticed.

[MicCanberra]

I wouldn't bring anything  (bag/backpack) too large either or you will have to store it. and then go back for it when finished.

[lisiamc]

10 hours ago, panoramaofthepast said:

I had a broomstick skirt that I pulled on over my shorts and a scarf to cover my head. Both pack easily. 

 

For the Vatican, you won’t need to cover your head.  The scarf is likely to be handy if you have bare shoulders, though, or if you’re going on to tour a mosque somewhere.

[LynnTTT]

Should be common sense.  Dress as you would when you go to a religious service back home. 

[lisiamc]

28 minutes ago, LynnTTT said:

Should be common sense.  Dress as you would when you go to a religious service back home. 

 

There are always a few people who say they go to church in shorts and tank tops at home.  I get the feeling that many churches are quite a bit more casual than the Vatican!

[Cruiser_1977]

@LynnTTT Do you attend church regularly? If so and you never see shorts, women in above the knee dresses/skirts or bare shoulders, I want to go to that church! When I attend service it's at the Catholic church near my home. I was there two weeks ago. There was a male in a camo baseball hat! While I was raised a bit "old school" most people seem to have an anything goes mentality. 

[donaldsc]

Quick note to the OP.  If you had typed "appropriate dress for the Vatican" into Google, you would have gotten your answer in less than 1 minute.  Google should always be your first go-to for any questions.

 

DON

[slidergirl]

1 hour ago, JennyB1977 said:

@LynnTTT Do you attend church regularly? If so and you never see shorts, women in above the knee dresses/skirts or bare shoulders, I want to go to that church! When I attend service it's at the Catholic church near my home. I was there two weeks ago. There was a male in a camo baseball hat! While I was raised a bit "old school" most people seem to have an anything goes mentality. 

You need to go to an LDS service.  No, I'm not Mormon, but I live near multiple ward and stake houses (LDS-speak for church) and I see people coming and going all Sunday long (multiple wards meet at the same stake house, just at different times of the day).  They are in knee-length or lower dresses/skirts, sleeved shirts, dress trousers, button-down shirts, ties...  

 

I never wear shorts and sleeveless shirts when I visit a European city.  It just seems so out of place.  I always wear pants or a knee-length skirt and short-or-long sleeves shirts.  I don't feel like I'm dying in the heat, either.  I'm a  bit of a church freak - I LOVE to look at church architecture and interior designs.  Dressing the way I always do, I am always able to visit.  

[dogs4fun]

3 hours ago, lisiamc said:

 

There are always a few people who say they go to church in shorts and tank tops at home.  I get the feeling that many churches are quite a bit more casual than the Vatican!

There are, indeed, quite a few churches that are more casual than the Vatican - especially in my home city!

We are always respectful of the customs/rules of the churches/cathedrals/synagogues/mosques that we visit when traveling. 

Edited May 31, 2019 by dogs4fun

[slidergirl]

13 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

There are, indeed, quite a few churches that are more casual than the Vatican - especially in my home city!

We are always respectful of the customs/rules of the churches/cathedrals/synagogues/mosques that we visit when traveling. 

 

I totally agree.  If I dress according to what I must wear to get into St. Peter's, I will most likely be respectfully attired for any house of worship that I frequent.  I always also carry a bandana ( long-standing tradition from decades ago as a Girl Scout) in my   purse or bag.  It is multi-functional and can always serve as a head covering if I visit a more conservative/orthodox place.  

[MicCanberra]

9 hours ago, donaldsc said:

Quick note to the OP.  If you had typed "appropriate dress for the Vatican" into Google, you would have gotten your answer in less than 1 minute.  Google should always be your first go-to for any questions.

 

DON

Really, I guess that this forum is not needed at all then.

So can I ask why are you using CC, or do I need to google that as well?. 

[donaldsc]

3 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Really, I guess that this forum is not needed at all then.

So can I ask why are you using CC, or do I need to google that as well?. 

 

Wrong.  CC is very useful for questions that are a bit complex or for questions that ask for an opinion.  However, many of the questions are entered either because the questioner either does not know that Google exists, does not know how easy it is to use or is too lazy to do a bit of their own research .  If the questioner is not willing to go into Google, type a few words and then click on one of the first 3 or 4 hits, they are clearly in one of my 3 categories described above. 

 

As a perfect example, how many posts have you seen where the OP wants to know how warm it is in a certain spot at a certain time.  How many posts have you seen where someone wants to know how far it is from point A to point B when they could go into Google maps and get the answer immediately.

 

I rest my case.  Just remember the old adage - if you give a man a fish, they will be hungry tomorrow.  If you teach them how to fish, they will always have food to eat.

 

If you check my posts, you will find that I frequently answer questions on CC.  I just will not answer questions that can be answered by doing a 10 second Google search.

 

DON

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Well using your criteria, the OP may have been asking for opinions as there is no question mark.

[Bizmark'sMom]

Others have covered the basics - shoulders, knees, midriff covered.

For Orthodox churches, and some Catholic churches during festivals, women must cover their heads. I always have a scarf with me so that I can go in.