The priceless art and historical treasures of Vatican City capture the attention of many more than the world’s 1.34 billion Catholics, but so, too, does the Pope himself. Regardless of religion, tourists who catch a glimpse of the Catholic Church’s Holy Father during their visit to the world’s smallest country almost universally mark the moment as a highlight, contributing to a respect and curiosity that extend far beyond the faithful. For many within the flock, celebrating Mass at the Vatican is the pinnacle of practice, but the crush of crowds, mess of multiple lines and general chaos of surrounding Rome seem daunting obstacles to overcome on the way to this bucket-list experience. Good news: It’s much easier than you think to attend Mass at the Vatican. Here’s how.

Masses are celebrated daily at St. Peter’s Basilica, the world’s largest church, and are all free to the public. Even better, no tickets are required for these services. You do, however, need to wait in the same line as the tourists queueing to gawk at the basilica’s cavernous interior, so you’ll want to show up with enough time to clear this security checkpoint before Mass starts. In general, Mass is held at least five times daily on weekdays, with even more options on weekends. Because this is an active parish for local Romans, most of the Masses are held in Italian, but there is at least one Latin Mass celebrated daily. These Masses are spread among the basilica’s many altars, and while Vatican.va does list Mass times, it rarely lists locations or languages, so you’ll need to ask on your way in or poke about until you find it once inside. The most common Mass sites are the Altar of St. Joseph (left transept), the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter (apse) and the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (right, before the transept), otherwise open only for prayer. You’re also welcome to confess while visiting St. Peter’s Basilica; to do this, look for the roped-off reconciliation area to the right of the monumental main altar and inform the guard of your purpose. Confession is available in several languages, including English. Keep in mind that to enter St. Peter’s, knees and shoulders must be covered, and no shorts are permitted.

The process becomes a bit more difficult if you’re hoping to have your Vatican Mass celebrated specifically by the Pope. The primary hurdle to clear here is scheduling, as the Pope doesn’t regularly say Mass. Other than Christmas and Easter, it’s difficult to know far in advance whether or not the Pope will be celebrating while you’re in town. Though Vatican.va does update a “Pope schedule” with all upcoming appearances, including Masses, it rarely ranges beyond a month or two ahead. Unfortunately, this means you typically won’t be able to schedule a Papal Mass into your travels until the last minute, if one is available at all (and they’re not frequent). If you are fortunate enough to find a celebration during your stay, the only additional obstacle for attendance is ticketing, but these are free.