Tickets are Free!
Tickets to Papal events are always free. Always.
Never pay for someone to get you tickets – even if it includes “help” in getting you through the line and in a good seat. Just don’t.
When are tickets required?
Check out the full Papal Calendar.
No tickets are ever required for the Angelus or Regina Caeli in Saint Peter’s Square.
Tickets are required for Papal Audiences and Papal Masses in Saint Peter’s Square.
Tickets are required for Papal Masses and Papal Events inside Saint Peter’s Basilica and the other churches he visits throughout Rome. These tickets can be very hard to get. It’s best to make the request as soon as you know you are coming to Rome.
Requesting Tickets
Prefecture of the Papal Household
Anyone can request tickets in writing or by fax(!) directly from the Vatican. If you write well ahead of time, you’ll get a yes or no response via mail (not the electronic kind) from the Vatican. It’s a cool souvenir. Contact the Prefecture of the Papal Household.
US Visitors’ Office
Americans can instead email the U.S. Visitor’s Office for tickets. I recommend this method as picking up tickets takes a lot less time – and your time is very important when traveling. Email the U.S. Visitors’ Office at visitorsoffice@pnac.org.
Swiss Guard
If you happen to be in Rome and did not request tickets to the Audience, you can sometimes get a few tickets from a Swiss Guard at the Sant’Anna gate in the Vatican. Simply walk up and ask.
Winging it
No tickets? No problem! Usually. If you are unable to get tickets for a Papal Audience or a Mass in Saint Peter’s Square, go anyway. You may have to stand further back in the Piazza, but you’ll still be able to see and hear the Holy Father.
If you are unable to get tickets for a Papal Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica, that’s a bit more risky. If you try, just know you may wait for hours to get in, only to be turned away without tickets.
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.