My friend & I are traveling to Rome in November. On her "to-do" list is purchasing rosary beads for her mother at the Vatican. The only gift shop I remember from previous trips is inside the Vatican Museum. Since we waited for hours to gain entrance to the museum, is there a way to shop for gifts at the Vatican without waiting for entrance to the museums? Perhaps another gift shop within Vatican City?

Yes, there is an official shop just outside the Vatican. (Probably still technically inside the Vatican City.) You can buy all kinds of official gifts and post mail if you wish. I recall it being off to the left as you face St Peters.

You no longer have to go inside the Vatican to go to the gift shop; facing St. Peter's there is one on the left (walk toward the Swiss Guard kiosk and you will see it)

There is a Post Office there too. They even have a table where you can sit and write out your postcards you just purchased or brought with you!

Correct, there is a large gift shop in the Vatican, but outside of St. Peters. Forward and to the left side of the square as you face St. Peters.

After you buy the rosaries at the gift store, you can go inside St. Peters and have a guard direct you to a Priest and you can also have them blessed. I did that for a few people and they were very happy with the fact they were blessed in St. Peters.

There is a big store (Savelli Religious Galleria) if you exit the Piazza on the left and cross the street. They've been in business since the late 1800's.
http://www.company.savellireligious.com/

Many thanks for the above information from all the posters - just the answers we needed!

With the halls of the Vatican museums there are several areas to buy prints or jewelry etc.. You can also shop just outside of Vatican City at all the religious stores lining the streets.

I just returned from a trip in June and purchased a beautiful rosary at a gift shop to the right of the entrance of St. Peter's. It was toward the right of the entrance (near the entrance to see Pope John Paul II's tomb.) It was a lovely yet small shop and found there were unique things not found at the less expensive and bigger religious shops just outside Vatican City. Hope this helps! Karen

When we were at the Vatican a couple of years ago, one of the women in our group bought rosary beads at a shop inside the Vatican Museum. When we were walking along outside after our tour, she stopped a priest on the street and asked him to bless her beads. He was glad to oblige. Turns out he was from Philadelphia.

We purchased two matching gold metals from a nun inside the Vatican in 2007 for my son and husband. My son lost his and we want to get an identical one. Does anyone know if it is possible to reach the gift shop inside the Vatican online? Thanks

Were they coins? Some of those are online, but the Vatican doesn't seem to have online shopping for other things.
http://www.vaticanstate.va/EN/Servic...oni_monete.htm

Galleria Savelli has two shops just outside the Piazza. They might have the same thing.
http://www.savellireligious.com/index.php?lang=eng

They were medals of Jesus