Do the tiquets and other guided tours (E27)allow one to avoid going through security lines? Can one stay afterwards, after the one hour tour is over? Are they worth it?
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
Sure, a company called Hezbollah sells "skip the security line" tickets.
Google it.
Who would ever wait in line for 30 minutes when you can buy a better treatment?
Posted by
Alexandria, VA
771 posts
We did the "Pristine Sistine" early entry tour with Walks of Italy a few years ago. I don't think you can skip the security lines at all, with any company. The tour ended in the Basilica, and we could stay as long as we wanted.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5583 posts
Are you referring to St Peters tours or the Vatican museum and Sistine chapel tours?
No, of course you can't skip the security lines! Normally you can stay in St Peters on your own. Their worth depends on the expectations of each person, and what they want to get out of the visit.
Posted by
Florida
276 posts
We also did the "Pristine Sistine" tour with Walks of Italy in November 2019 and while we did go through a security line, we were there before the Vatican museum opened to the public, so our group (and a few others like ours) were the only ones in line. I don't remember waiting at all, we just walked through with our group. After our tour through the Vatican Museum, we went directly into St. Peter's without having to go through another security checkpoint. From there, we were free to stay in St. Peter's as long as we wanted. As I remember, our tour was 3 hours long, but we abandoned the tour group once we got to St. Peter's (we had our then-3 year old toddler with us who was over it at that point haha). I'm not sure whether we could have stayed in the Vatican longer, but we wouldn't have wanted to do that anyway, because we would have missed the cut-through to St. Peter's.
If you're interested in the Vatican Museum, I HIGHLY recommend the early-access tours. We are not "tour group people", but found the early access worth every penny. Seeing the Sistine Chapel with 20-30 people is a completely different experience from being crowded in there with 200.
Posted by
Washington DC
28372 posts
The Vatican Museum has its own early-access tours that are quite a bit cheaper than those offered by private companies. I haven't take either so am not in a position to compare them.
The cut-through from the Vatican Museums to St. Peters (which save a lot of walking) that was used by tour groups has been closed for some time. I am not aware of an announcement about whether or when it will be reopened.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16660 posts
Denny, according to one of your TA posts, you visited the basilica a week ago, in the early afternoon? Were you wishing for a return visit with a guided tour for the information, or are you just hoping to avoid the security queue? If just wanting to get in quickly, I'd go get in line shortly before the 7:00 AM opening hour.
I've not done one of the Vox Mundi tours but they do indicate more rapid access to the church with a pre-booked tour. I would assume the tour ends in the church and you're free to wander around on your own after it concludes.
https://www.voxmundi.eu
You can always contact them if you have questions the website doesn't answer:
https://www.voxmundi.eu/contact-us/