Another Scavi Tour Question

And a follow-up question. I'm guessing that it would be useful to schedule the "other" Vatican day, i.e., the Museum, the Basilica, Sistine Chapel, etc, either the day before or the day after our visit to the Scavi excavations. Is it important to the context of the Scavi to see the Scavi the day before or the day after our tour of the other Vatican City wonders? I'm trying to schedule a week in Rome with as many of the advance reservations (e.g., the Borghese, etc) established as possible, and then set a day for a trip to Ostia Antica somewhere in our week.

You can easily see the vatican museums in the morning and still be on time for the scavi tour. There is a 10:30 am tour that lasts about 2 hours that would be fine or you can just book entry tickets. It will let you see the museums then have a quick lunch and be back for your scavi tour. After the scavi tour you can visit the basilica. This way you won't have to come back to the area unless you wish to re-visit the sites. Donna

It doesn't matter which of the sites at the vatican you see first. The order makes no difference. I would not split up the day and would just try to do the area on the same day to prevent any backtracking. Donna

It is probably economical of our time to compress the Vatican sites-seeing into one day, but 1:30 pm for our Scavi visit seems an awkward part of the day. RS recommends that to see the Museum, Sistine Chapel, etc, reasonably well one needs more like three to four hours. He points out that mornings are very busy and lines long. There apparently is an opportunity to "skip the ticket-buying line altogether by reserving an entry time on their website for €19 (€15 plus €4 booking fee, pay with credit card)." By skipping the ticket-buying line, is the entry then pretty easy, i.e., the entry line not long for ticket holders? We think we'd like to gain entry closer to 9:30 am than to 10:30 am, thus giving us a good three hours for the Museum and the Chapel before our move over to the Scavi tour. Is the Basilica itself also part of the Vatican Museum entry fee, or does one move directly from the Museum to the Sistine Chapel? Or, if the Basilica itself can be visited separately, is there a fee and advance reservation necessary?

Hello Neighbor-to-the-North! We did the Scavi tour last fall. indeed the entire Vatican area in one long day, although we did ahve a good two hour lunch break. Here's what I'd recommend given your 13:30 Scavi tour. Get the first possible entry to the museums, which is 09:00 for individuals (no tour). The Vatican runs Englsih tours at 11:00 and 13:00, which is not going to work for you. If you want a guided tour and it is in your budget, Walks of Italy has a "Pristine Sistine" tour that meets at 07:45 and ends in the Basilica at Noon. Assuming you go to the Museums on your own from 0900-1130 or so, You'll have a couple of hours to make your way to Piazza San Pietro and the Scavi Office. It's about a 15-20 minute walk. You might want to grab a bite to eat in the Vatican Museum cafeteria. Do allow check in time as well. If you have a backpack or anything that requires checking before entry, you have to go thru the security line for the Basilica to check your bag. That can take quite a bit of time, so if you can manage your day with only a purse and what you can carry in your pockets and money belt, do so! (I was allowed to take a reasonably sized purse in, but my husband's daypack had to be checked. It took us an hour in line!) Then you present yourself to the Swiss Guards on the left side of the Piazza 15 minutes prior to your tour time, so 13:15. You will exit the Scavi tour in the grottos of the Basilica about 15:00, so can take time then to tour St. Peter's at that point.

If you have time, by all means visit Castel d'Angelo which is about a 10 minute walk away.

Thanks, Laurelneighbor to the south. We chose the Pristine Sistine Tour and, I hope, we booked for the early morning start on 1 September (we received some sort of confirmation from Walks of Italy but nothing was showing in our cart when I exited the web site after printing whatever I could get my printer on). The web site indicates that St Peter's is also on the tour. Can all this be squeezed into the 3.5 hours projected on the site?

Hi Jim. You'll be happy with Walks of Italy. You'll meet them at 7:45 near the museum entrance. About Noon you'll emerge from the Basilica into Piazza San Marco. If you have a daypack, check it then so you won't be delayed going into the Scavi. It is very warm and close in the Scavi, so be prepared for that! Also, take a copy of your tour confirmation with you (Walks in Italy as well as Scavi) in case of confusion. Have a wonderful time! EDIT : While I love the wormhole idea, you'll emerge into Piazza San Pietro. ;-) Thanks Michael!

Unless there's a wormhole from Rome to Venice, Laurel meant to say you emerge into Piazza San Pietro. :-)