We just received confirmation that we will get to do the Scavi tour this year! We're jazzed about that.
The info we received says to go to the Excavations Office, left of the colonade. Is that the area near the Post Office? Left of the Basilica as you are looking at it from the square?
Thanks for your help! I've looked for a map of Vatican City - but the only one I can find is so small I can't read the print!
We never heard back for the days we wanted but we kind of figured that as we didn't send a request too far in advance. :(
Does anyone know if it is worth checking in with the place last minute to see if there are no shows?
Walk past the post office to where the Swiss guards are standing. Show the Guards your confirmation and if it is no more than five minutes prior to your scheduled tour time they will let you continue walking to the office which is ahead and to your right. Go into the office to notify them of your arrival, then wait outside for your tour guide to arrive and collect the group.
Thank you Connie. We thought that was probably the spot as we've seen groups in that area before.
Be sure to use the toilets near the post office, if needed, before the tour.
After the tour we went up to the dome. It was great to see the St. Peter's from the very bottom to the very top.
I am not real familiar with the Vatican but I just received confirmation of a Scavi Tour for 11:00am
I am not sure how it works as far as getting into the area where we will enter the tour.
When people say they have booked Vatican entrance passes online ahead of time to avoid lines, would I need to do this (or stand in line and wait) to get to the point where I would enter this tour?
Or is there a separate entrance?
Once inside, is there a need to get tickets for vatican museum?
Cheers!
Dallas,
Their website tells you everything. As should your confirmation.
We got our final payment confirmation today and again all the detail is there.
Find the post office on St. Peter's square - to the left as you face the basilica- and ask from there if you aren't familiar with St. Peter's. The Scavi is not at the Vatican Museum entrance.
Thanks Sally.
The part in the confirmation which said where it is was a little confusing to me...
"The Excavations Office is reached through the Holy Office Gate (through Colonnade to the left): ask the Swiss Guard for the Excavations Office."
I had no clue where the Holy Office Gate was or what the Colonnade was.
Oh, and based on some prior posts, it seems like it is worth doing the scavi tour then viewing the crypt and then the museums/sistine.
Once we are in as part of the Scavi Tour, will we have access to the museums without an admission ticket or do you have to go back around to the main entrance to get in to the museums. In which case its a good idea to buy a ticket online.
I feel like a tool as I should be able to figure it out but it is a little confusing to me.
Not a fool Dallas. It is confusing. No question is ever foolish. Since we've been to St. Peters and the Vatican Museum previously, we are familiar with the general area.
Dallas, the Scavi Tour is separate from the Vatican Museum, which means that you'll need a totally separate ticket for the Vatican Museum. FYI, the crypt is nothing that special. There's a few really nice mosaics covering the a few of the niches in which caskets are stored. Otherwise, the crypt is basically several rows of caskets holding dead popes. 10 minutes should be more than enough time. When we took the Scavi Tour about 8 years ago, the Tour ended at the crypt, so you won't even have to make a special trip for the crypt.
As previously mentioned, the office for the Scavi Tour is on the left-hand side of St. Peter's, as you're facing it. To get to it, you'll walk down what basically looks like a driveway. The office is on your right.
Thank you for the information.
I really appreciate it!! :)
Not really sure Rick is talking about the scavi tour. The scavi tour takes you on a tour of the underground cemetary. The cemetary is set up like a small city. There are street and the tombs look like houses. You get to see several of these. They are not where the popes are buries, they were where wealthier people were buried. Near the end of the tour you see the tomb of what is believed to be St. Peter. It is directly under the dome and the baldacchino. At the end of the tour you exit into the papal grottos where the popes are buried.
The vatican museums are a different tour and the entrance is about half an hour away. You can book tickets or a tour for the museums directly through the vatican. The tickets and tour allow you to bypass the lines outside.
Donna
We did this last year and were also confused about where to go in. We just showed our ticket to a security guard by the main entrance and he led us through a large gate and around the corner to the waiting area. I don't think we would have found it on our own, so just ask!
Thanks for the info everyone.
I have a feeling we will just show our payment confirmation and ask where to go.
As others have said go up to the Swiss Guards on the left side of the Basilica and show them your receipt. IIRC, they will let you in about 20 minutes before the tour starts. The Scavi office is about a 50 yard walk from the guard gate.
