Information Regarding Post-COVID Vatican Tours

Early morning tours don't seem to be a thing anymore. Tour groups
enter the same time general admittance does.

Can you share where you got that information? Early entrance tours do not appear not to be "a thing" as Walks of Italy is selling one (their "Pristine Sistine" tour has been a big seller for a long time) and the Roman Guy is offering a couple as well. That's just two of the companies I checked.

https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours/pristine-sistine-chapel-tour/

https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/vatican/sistine-chapel-vatican-tour

https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/vatican/vatican-gold-tour-with-sistine-chapel

That doesn't mean the current crowd levels are up to pre-COVID numbers so the need to avoid the mob isn't maybe as great. I might agree with that. Still, while the tours may follow the same route, that they get to the front of a much-used route before the general public is a plus. I say that as a short person who is too often stuck behind taller folk. That said, whether you chose to take a tour or not is just fine - it's your trip after all! - but I'll question the source of some of the information you've been given?

I care more to visually see them than get the historical context
behind the paintings, building, etc.

...all a Tour guide does now is offer you context to the exhibits you
will be seeing.

And therein lies what can be an important difference in why tourists choose to sightsee as they do. To some of them, understanding the what/why/who/when of a thing they're looking at is as important as the thing itself. No right or wrong either way depending on personal preference but a valid reason for differing methods.

It appears the less-expensive early-access tours offered by the Vatican itself are not available at this time.

The source comes directly from talking to the companies themselves. Their online info is outdated/incomplete (hence why I made this post). You don't get to the front, because everything special about the tour is removed in terms of timing and access (i.e. its the same as general admittance), unless the tour physically pushes you out of the way when you're there.

The mob levels are usually not as bad in August, and combined with covid times, I'd almost say they're non-existent. You can literally buy last minute tickets for these Tours tomorrow, whereas in the past you'd have to buy them months in advance. Add in the fact you can't buy tickets in person, and only online. I think this gives a very good impression of demand and how many people are there.

Of course, the Tour does offer the context, which might be important for some, and less for others (hence why I brought up my own personal preferences). The vatican itself offers a audio tour (I believe its either the same price as admission or cheaper), which could provide the same context. I personally also don't like how rushed some tours feel, or inversly how sluggish they feel (i.e. they spend too much time on some exhibits, not enough time on others). Again, all personal preference, but wanted to make a post that gave everyone all the updated information so they could make their decisions properly (i.e. I was actually going to get the early access one, sounded perfect, until I realized its not longer early access)

Can you share exactly which companies you spoke with?
I don't doubt that the tours have had to change their schedule, I do hope the changes are temporary and wil get worked out over time. The early entry to Sistine tours are quite popular and as I said elsewhere definitely money well spent, I'd hate to see that gone for good.

From Walks of Italy website, under Pristine Sistine Tour:

Due to Covid-19, this tour has been amended to ensure the safety and
wellbeing of our guests. Please note that the opening time of the
Vatican Museums may vary, we will vary the tour start time
accordingly. St.Peter's Basilica may not be accessible. If this occurs
during your tour we will spend more time inside the Museums & Chapel
and your guide will give you a tour of the church from the outside.

Just to be clear the early entry tours take you directly to the Sistine Chapel (yes it is adjacent to Basilica but you don't go into Basilica til end of tour- after Sistine Chapel & Museums you then go back thru the Sistine Chapel and take the secret door to Basilica)

(i.e. no more directly to the Basilica)

I guess we all just need to keep on eye on this til things settle down.
Consider yourself lucky to be visiting Vatican now without the crowds!

And if anyone is looking at booking a tour, good idea to contact the company and find out exactly what you are getting now.

.

Wow. It's tough to believe that that a couple of reputable companies - which were already very hard hit by the pandemic - would risk upsetting future customers by selling them something that isn't what they say it is: the opportunity to get in before the general public. One of those companies has been recommended by Rick himself. Can I ask which businesses you spoke with?

I'm not challenging your decision whether to book a tour or not, it's just that something about this doesn't smell quite right (not that it's your fault) so might be worth a follow-up. I saw that Context states on its site that it's not possible for tours to go directly from Sistine to the basilica via the inside route at this time so I'm not questioning that.

Editing to add:

And if anyone is looking at booking a tour, good idea to contact the
company and find out exactly what you are getting now.

This is really good advice from Christine as the travel situation in general is so fluid in so many ways just now! Also, I see that WOI is booking "Pristine Sistine" tours starting on Monday so reviews should start rolling in soon as well. TRG's "First Entry" tour is available starting July 1 so same for reviews around that point. Or just contact them if interested in these tours.

Apologize for the late reply, been busy planning the rest of the trip. I talk to multiple tour companies (Walks of Italy, Throught Eternity, etc.), this is not a tour policy, but the Vatican policy. And yes, they are selling tickets for events that cannot occur since the Vatican prevents early access and their exclusive routes. Since it seems Walks of Italy is quite commonly used, I'll post their reply as evidence:

Hello Sam, Thanks for your reply. At the moment, the museums open
to the public at the same time to everyone, while in the past we had
special agreements with the Vatican to enter before the general
admittance time. The exclusive route that connects the Vatican Museums
to the St. Peter's Basilica is closed at the moment. That being
said, we are still offering our Pristine Sistine Tour but we are
visiting first the Saint Peters Basilica and by 8:30 AM we are
entering the museums. The special agreement with tour operators
will be active soon and we'll be able to enter before the general
admittance again, but we are not able to confirm the exact date.

Please let us know if you have any other questions. All the best,

Walks Team

They presume it will change, which might be true if you are planning your tickets a couple months down the line, but probably not for the next couple of weeks. Hence why I made this post, because this disclaimer/info is not posted anywhere on any of the various sites I checked/talked to regarding Vatican tours.

This is nothing new or exceptional with these companies. I have had multiple of my friends now who's euro trips have been cancelled last week or this week (tickets they had booked 3 months ago), just a couple weeks before their trip. This is probably due to demand/travel restrictions in some of the places of the Tour, but there were no disclaimers that the trips might be cancelled (I presume the companies had assumed places would be opening up, just like Walks of Italy). It's why I've been planning my own trip, and avoiding tours for the most part (reading reviews from the past few weeks from multiple different tour agencies for various activities reveals many of these companies sell tickets, then cancel, and make getting a refund a pain, this is all outside of ruining ones plans last minute). Again, not exclusive to Walks of Italy/Vatican Tours, this seems to be a widespread issue with these companies as things start to slowly open up. A lack of clarity.

Thanks for sharing that info

Thanks from me too. Weird that they wouldn't state that information more clearly on their sites! Oh well, will keep a bit of an eye out for updates.

Well this is interesting. From the apparently updated WOI website page for the "Pristine Sistine" tour:

"Free Upgrade for 2021
In order to ensure that you get inside the Vatican Museums before opening time, we've upgraded all 2021 departures of this tour to include an exclusive breakfast experience on a beautiful museum terrace. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this is currently the only way to get inside the walls of the Vatican before general opening.

You'll spend an hour enjoying the buffet before your guide whisks you to the Sistine Chapel, ahead of the public and fully fueled for the adventure ahead. If you would like to purchase this upgraded tour for a date in 2022, you can book our VIP Pristine Sistine Vatican Tour with Museum Breakfast here."