Booking tickets to Sistine chapel and Vatican Museums

I don't have an answer for you. I joined this forum to ask very similar questions. My wife and I will be visiting Rome, Naples, and Sorrento in July 2024 and will have 4 days in Rome. I bought a travel guide which offers sample daily itineraries. The more I learn, the more I am leaning toward booking our own tickets in advance to Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica and just purchasing the audio tour(s).

I haven't taken a tour, so I cannot compare. I want to be sure both of you realize that as Rome gets busier (as it will between now and your travel dates), the Vatican Museums will probably sell out farther and farther in advance. The regular entry tickets (without a Vatican-offered tour) are the first to sell out, because they are the least-expensive option by a considerable margin.

The major issue for most of us at the Vatican Museums is the nearly unbelievable crowding. I'd guess it would be marginally less bad (and "bad" is accurate, believe me) at 8 AM than at 10:30 AM. If I wanted a tour, though, I would probably go ahead and choose that. I guess maybe it would depend on how much I prioritized having a less-than-dreadful experience in the Sistine Chapel specifically.

The ticketing procedures, opening hours and types of tours available all changed this month, so we don't have current information on how things will be, beyond the types of tickets now visible on the Vatican Museum website.

I just checked the Vatican Museums website and found general-entry tickets already sold out for many days in February. At this point, it appears the 8 AM tickets are the last to sell out; I guess I'm not the only person who struggles with the idea of getting up at 6:30 AM in order to get to the Museums by 8!

Note: There is no ticket for St. Peter's. There is a line for the required security screening. It is reported (and it makes sense) that the line is pretty short when the basilica opens at 7 AM. If you want to see the Museums and St. Peter's the same day, be aware there's quite a long walk between the two. In the past, commercial tours combining the Museums and St. Peter's (Vatican-operated tours do not do that) were often allowed to use a back door between the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's. That saved a lot of time (the long walk as well as the time in the St. Peter's security line), but clients on combo tours had no opportunity to remain in the Museums when the tour moved on if they felt they hadn't seen enough.

I found a video last night on YouTube suggesting that the Sistene Chapel - Extra Time tour would be returning in March - that would be the one that I would go with, having taken it back in November.

It hasn't shown up on their website yet. I did look at your 4/23 date - the official Vatican regular guided tour is available at 16:00 - that might be a viable option - at 80 Euro for two tix. Note that the morning 8:30 & 10:30 tours are sold out, while the afternoon tours are still available.

https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home/fromtag/2/1713855600000/Biglietti-Musei

The docent for our tour was excellent. Note that the Vatican tour is highlights - only selective stops - you don't have time to linger.

I noticed on the Vatican site that there are tours for the museums and Sistine or the Sistine and Gardens, but not all three. Is there not a way to do all three? Also, it self populated for our date showing 40 euros but listed for 2. When I put 2 in the ticket number, it raised the price to 80 euros. Has anyone successfully ordered tickets from the updated site and could educate me?

I think 40 euros is the cost of the tour per person. The general-entry tickets for just the Vatican Museums are around 20 euros, I think (that's from memory). And then there's the very annoying ticketing fee (maybe another 5 euros per ticket).