Confusion about Vatican Tours

Jennifer-My family has used 3 Millennia Tours http://threemillennia.com/ on three separate occasions over the past 4 years and they have been fantastic. Tony (owner) will take excellent care of you. You may be paired with a couple of other people, but the tour groups are always small - the biggest we have had was 6 people. That is the key really - small groups. I have seen lots of bigger groups (like 30 or even more) go through and they all look miserable - many of the spaces are too small to get everyone in, and the only ones who can hear and see the guide are the 3 or 4 people at the front of the group. Headsets help a little bit, but you still cant see anything. You would find yourself trying to see the item afterwards as the group trails away then you miss the next thing. Headsets are terribly impersonal anyway. With a small group, the guide will personalize the tour to what you are interested in, because you cant see it all in one day anyway - you don't have time and you don't have the energy/attention span to do that. I am generally an anti-tour-group tourist - we always design our own European travels anyway and go it completely on our own - but the Vatican is one of the few exceptions where you have to have a guide. Even if you only use it to skip the 3hour line. Also - be sure to check and honor the Vatican dress code. For the Basilica itself - it is free and you may find it better to go back on your own first thing in the morning because nobody is there then - you can literally just walk right in.

Just use the official websites for both. For the Vatican museums use:

http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=en&do

They have a few different tours to choose from. They are all very good and you won't be disappointed.

For the colosseum use:

http://www.coopculture.it/en/events.cfm?id=6

Click on the "guided tours in English" link to book the underground tour. You'll then need to book the entry tickets or you can pick them up when you check in for the tour. Unless you plan on visiting the forum or palatine hill before the colosseum there is no need to buy the entry tickets online.

As for the use of headsets, I disagree with the above poster. Headsets are a great way for you to hear everything the guide is saying without needing to be right next to them when they say it. Also, the Vatican tours are not 30 people large so you won't need to worry about that, and the underground tour of the colosseum cannot accommodate that many people so you never need to worry about that. I wouldn't pay for a private company unless you want a private tour with just your family. Also, the line outside for the Vatican museums can be long but I've never seen it be 3 hours or more, that is misinformation given by tour companies in order to get you to sign up with them. The Vatican tour allows you to bypass the lines, but you can also do that with just the entry tickets. You don't "need" a tour of the vatican museums. If you have a good guide book you can make your way through the museums visiting the rooms that you're interested in.

donna

I disagree with some the statements a couple of posts above.

As I said in a similar thread elsewhere,

I think it is important to stress facts. I have never seen a 3 hour line at the Musei Vaticani. I've seen some lines but I've never stood in one.
When I go it is just after lunch on a Thursday or Friday and I can walk in pretty easily. There always is a short security line that everybody has to go through, to protect the priceless objects.
I've never used a tour guide at the Vatican Museums. I can read a tour book fairly well and I find that the Michelin Green Book does a great job there, and the Rick Steves book does a decent job of showing what i want to see. I also find the free map handed out at the ticket office is very good.
Also, regarding the comment that you can just walk straight into St Peters Basilica. I've never seen that. Yes, there is no admission ticket. But everybody, and there are always of thousands of everybody, has to line up for the security inspection there too.
The only way to avoid that is to go to the Basilica after the Vatican Museums, through the tour exit behind the Sistine Chapel. Depending on the day it isn't always necessary to be on a tour to go that way.

Just seconding Donna and Nigel's information. Donna has provided the correct site for booking tours through the Vatican itself, and while I haven't done them myself neither have I read many complaints so you'll be fine. But as they've noted, a tour isn't necessary for either the museums or basilica as long as you have a good guidebook and are willing to do some reading up in advance. The advantage here - besides obviously saving money - is being able to choose what you wish to see, and spend as long, or as short, a time doing that. The biggest advantage to a tour which include both museums and basilica is that groups are allowed to access the church directly via some backstairs, avoiding the long walk between and the security lines at the basilica.

No, I've never seen St Peter's without some sort of line - longer or shorter - to go through security but shorter might be more possible in January than shoulder seasons, when we've been there.

Regarding headsets, there are definite advantages to tours which use them for the reasons already presented. You're going to hear your guide much better, and especially so if you get stuck beside some very noisy tourists. They also allow guides to speak at normal levels to reduce the overall din. If you've even been in a museum overrun by headset-less tour groups, you'd opt for the sets! It's a very good thing that the Vatican requires them for groups over 10 people.

This is why I have generally just stopped commenting on sites like this, because there is always somebody who comes along and says it isn't so, even when it is, just because they haven't done it that way. The fact that other folks haven't tried it and succeeded doesn't mean that it isn't possible. So - I say again - If you go to the Basilica first thing in the morning, you can get in with no line at all. I say that because I have done it myself, most recently in the 2nd week of May 2013. So I will go back to just not contributing because the nay say-ers just make it not worth it.

Speaking for myself, Ed, I wasn't negating your experience but simply stating that your situation hasn't been my own. It's not unusual for travelers to have had differing experiences or to prefer different ways of going about something. Offering up all sides and options provides a bigger picture by which to make decisions regarding personal preferences (travel style) and budget.

No one said it couldn't happen but it's just not a given. The line for the basilica starts building as soon as they open and can be up to an hour long. It's possible to get there early and not have a line but it doesn't happen often.

When you say things such as ** but the Vatican is one of the few exceptions where you have to have a guide.*** , Headsets help a little bit, but you still cant see anything and this *** Headsets are terribly impersonal anyway.**** you're not giving a fact, you're giving an opinion, which is what we have done as well.

I personally don't think you need to spend a lot of money on a guide in order to see the museums. That's my opinion just as your is that you need a guide. I also like the fact that the Vatican requires groups of more than 8 to use headphones. It cuts down on the shouting that used to go on and makes it a much nicer experience.

If you feel you don't want to post here because others don't share your opinion and have had different experiences that's your choice. I just don't understand why you would think you can come to a site and post your opinion and not have others offer their own opinions and observations as well.

Donna

Donna and Nigel offer great spot on info
But we saw very big lines to the Vatican and the colosseum
having said that we did a tour of The Vatican quite early, and when we finished our tour of the Colosseum it was 12 noon we saw a line about a mile long I think. Our guides gave us great tours and we felt these tours were worth every pound but I do know thats thats just personal choice

yes there are so many websites its a pity if some look like booking agents rather than the real thing

Personally, I would not do a tour simply to skip the line outside to get in. You could easily do this by just buying your ticket through the official Vatican Museum site ahead of time or go in the afternoon. The reason why I think it would be great to have a tour (before the museum opens, of course) is so that you beat the crowds inside. My (one and only) experience happened at 2pm on a late June afternoon. No line to speak of outside and we walked right in, but the crowds inside were unbearable, and the walk to the Sistine Chapel was quite miserable and we could not wait to escape through the "secret" exit (for all the wrong reasons). I am generally not a tour person, but would definitely make an exception for this should I be fortunate enough to go to Rome again (the Trevi Fountain said I would!).

Also, get the Roma Pass to skip the line to get into the Colosseum, and perhaps use it to go to Borghese Gallery as well (so fabulous!).

Perhaps it all depends on the day and time. When we went for a morning tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine and St. Peter's, the line was over a mile long, and we were very glad not to be in it! But we hated standing in the Sistine Chapel with a thousand other people. It really detracted from the experience, so next time (In June and July 2015) we will bite the bullet and book early tours that go to the Sistine first, an hour before the opening, and be in it for 15-20 minutes with no more than 50 people. Our group will have just 10-12 people. I do not like large tour groups for any tour, but the small ones are good. I hope they give us headsets -- we take our own and usually they work on their receivers -- because it blocks out all the background noise. I love to have a good guide, because you can get all the "inside" information and details you don't really have time to read as you look at the various pieces. I would much rather view a work of art while being told about it than try to see it with my nose in a book. Each to his or her own, I guess.

Jan

Donna's advice is the best. There is no reason to book tour companies for either of these sites unless you are travelling with a group and its more economical. I found the guides employed by both these sites very knowledgable, welcoming and helpful. You will save money and be with a reasonable size group. However its important to book in advance and for the Vatican give yourself lots of time to find the meeting point and go through security. Its easy to get lost in the crowds and not so easy to get directions. If you are a little early you can do shopping in the gift shop located where the tours start but only after you have gone through security and checked in at the registration desk. As for headphones i wouldn't do without them at either locations. They will enhance the learning experience. This is not to say that private tour operators might not offer some excellent tours. However with some advanced planning you can save some money and learn from experts who have been hired for their knowledge about these sites.

Thanks everyone, much appreciated advice!