Audience with Pope and museum on the same day

That museum can be unpleasantly crowded from the time it opens until closing.

If you are booking far enough in advance, you could book a Scavi tour for after the audience with the Pope. The Scavi tour will end by putting you directly into St. Peter's. This plan would skip the ridiculously crowded Vatican museum, though.

Thank you for your reply. But what is a trip to Rome without seeing the Sistine Chapel. I was trying to avoid going to the Vatican on two separate days.

Kate, as said earlier in this thread, the museums are mobbed almost all the time anymore, and a chunk of the audience crowd will be flocking to them just as you intend to. Overcrowding is a reason quite a number of forum posters have purchased early-entry tours; to see the Sistine and some of the museum highlights before they're overrun. Unfortunately, that won't work for you unless you go on a different day.

If you still think you want to go on Wed. afternoon, I'd book a tour which include BOTH the museums + basilica. These enter the church via a direct indoor passage reserved just for tours, will save you a 15-20 minute outdoor walk between St Peter's and museums, and eliminate the potentially long security queue for the church as well. Unfortunately, the Vatican doesn't offer their economically priced combo tour on Wednesdays but the highly respected "Walks Of Italy" company offers one at 1:30 PM, and appears to have openings on your date (Wed. Oct. 23rd., I believe?).

https://www.walksofitaly.com/vatican-tours/complete-vatican-tour/

IMHO, while we are usually devoted indy travelers, this is one situation where I think a tour is going to be a plus. Having an expert navigate you through the crowds to the highlights + saving the shoe leather/time between museum/basilica is worth the price. You will be wearing headsets so won't have any issues hearing your guide. As talking isn't allowed in the Sistine (although the mob routinely and loudly ignores that ban) he/she will provide an overview before you go inside the chapel.

As you'll want to arrive quite early for the audience to get a good seat, you're looking at a long day by the time all is said and done! :O)

I totally understand the desire to see the Sistine Chapel. So, if that is a must, then I would suggest going on a different day and booking an early entry with a company like Walks of Italy. Check if they have an after hours tour that night. I fear going the afternoon after your Wednesday audience will be very unpleasantly crowded. We visited this spring, booked a Pristine Sistine tour and couldn't believe the crowds as soon as it opened. I wouldn't go the afternoon after an audience if it was me.

Kate,

We recently did this. Audience and museum. We were exhausted after both. Some members of our tour asked to be taken to St. Peter’s after our museum tour, and the museum employee took them there. Be aware that on audience days, the museums don’t reopen until 1. That gives you time for lunch, away from the Vatican, where lunch is expensive. If you book the audience with a guide, they will tell you to arrive very early for seating. We used Viator. Guide was Oscar. He was excellent. But yes, the museum was crowded.

Be aware that on audience days, the museums don’t reopen until 1

Mary, that only applies to the basilica on audience days. The museums are open 09.00 a.m. – 06.00 p.m Monday - Saturday except for scheduled closures and high-season Friday night openings. See calendar here:

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/dam/museivaticani/pdf/utilities/calendario_musei.pdf

And general hours for the museums:
http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html#lnav_info

Thank you all for your responses. I am going to take the plonge and book with the walk softly tour group. Hopefully that will avoid the lines if not the crowds. Hopefully we can find a restaurant near by for a relaxing lunch. I have been fortunate to see the Sistine Chapel on three other occasion, but, this will be a first time for my friends.

Hopefully that will avoid the lines if not the crowd

"Lines" are not an issue to get into the museums with just a pre-purchased, general-entry ticket from the Vatican's website. ALL of those are for a specific day and time; the only entry line is for the mandatory security check and no one can avoid that one. The only queue you WILL avoid with a museum+basilica afternoon combo tour is the outdoor security-check line to get into the church; your tour will enter St Peter's through a passage at the back of the Sistine instead.

If you will be in Rome Friday night, you can get tickets to go to the Museums at night.

How is the lighting in the museum at night?