no-line Vatican museum tickets?

If you do a web search for vatican tours you will get a list of tour groups. Some, like myvaticantour.com, will have a "button" just for purchasing advance, Skip the Line tickets.

here are a few to try: Viator.com, prestotours.com, rome-museum.com, aboutroma.com. We're going in June, rome-museum had the best rate 26.5E for adults, 21.5E for kids. That works out to $144 for a family of four. rome-museum has an 8:30 tour that puts you in the Vatican museum before the thundering herd. This a guide-less tour. Some have suggested if you can wait until the afternoon, the lines are much shorter.

From what I have heard the "free" Sunday is a nightmare but someone else may be able to elaborate further. When I did a tour last year our guide told us that Tuesday is the best day to go and to go in the afternoon. The exception is when the Vatican museums have been closed on the Monday. This happens about once a month I believe.

The Vatican Museum is open on Mondays unless it is a holiday, such as Easter Monday.

Jean & Helen,

I've done "free" Sunday once... and not sure I'll go back on a "free" Sunday. First it was extremely crowded with a huge line. Once inside, we were all packed together - especially in the Sistine Chapel where you just could not move.

The combination of "free" Sunday and the Pope speaking at 12 noon in St. Peter's Square led to a mass of humanity - And note that "free" Sunday hours are limited... so you cannot go LATER when the line dies down. The hours you can get in are only 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM, and then you have to be out by 2 PM.

Nope, I'll pay my 14 Euro and "enjoy" my experience.

Though it may not be quite as jammed as on free Sundays realize that no matter when you go through you won't be able to browse very long at any one spot. We've been through it twice with different groups and you pretty much have to keep walking because its packed with people.
The Sistine Chapel was standing room only both times.

Thanks for all the helpful hints. You confirmed what I thought about free Sundays & gave me some good leads on no-line tickets. The best prices are indeed rome-museum.com (26.5 euro), & vatican-tours.com (29 euro), both of which give you assigned times. Sorry we ended up w/only 2 days in Rome on a weekend in high season! We'll just have to join the other sardines packed into the Sistine Chapel.

It is a couple of years since we were there, but I seem to recall that in one of Rick's books he had suggested arriving at the lunch hour. Instead we listened to some tourists we met, and went early in the morning and the line-up and crowds were horrendous. However, when we were leaving - around noon - there was no line up, so you might try that.

Angela

Have you checked out Rick's free audiotours? Won't help with lines but may be good for the tour.
http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/0804/italy_audiotours.htm

Rick's audio tours cover St. Peter's and Sistine Chapel, but not the Vatican Museum.

I've been to the museum many years ago and want to go back on a free Sun with my parents. They don't mind being crowded, just want to see the highlights. The last entry is 12:30. If we show up 11:30-12, will we be able to get in?

I don't know if I'd risk going that late as the lines can be horrendous. If you want to guarantee getting in I'd go no later than 11:00. Donna

The Vatican Museum website offers no line tickets for 15 euros plus 4 euro reservation fee. http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/

Ruth is right. Just what you need. I'd consider going on the Monday after the free Sunday. Mondays are usually crowded because the museums are closed on Sunday. Logic tells me the "Monday after" might not be. Still worth it to pay the few euros and save standing in a long line. Be sure to take your printed reservation. There is a separate security line - it may be so short you don't even see it.

Go early in the morning and have your tickets in hand for early entrance. I always try to be the first person into a historic site. To get tickets directly from the Vatican:
http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking

Hired a private guide for the Vatican museum once and he assured us that if we arrived about 1PM the line would be completely gone. He was right! I've done this twice since then and walked right in both times. That gave us about 3hrs in the museum which is a reasonable visit for most people.

Jean, I just got back from Italy and the Vatican Museums, and there is no such thing as "no line" there - however, with advance reservations or pre-purchased tickets, your wait will be a few minutes rather than hours, so I suggest you book in advance. I went through Select Italy and reserved tickets at the Vatican Museums and the Borghese Gallery in Rome, and at the Accademia, Uffizi and San Marco museums in Florence. Other than the Vatican, there really were no lines.

We were just there in May, on a Wednesday after the Pope spoke and the week of the Beatification. I would suggest buying your tickets from the Vatican website like others have said. Even with all those people we didn't have to wait in line at all. I would take Rick's Rome book and use it as your tour guide. Also, then you don't have to return the audio tour to the front of the museum and you can use Rick's hint of sneaking into the Basilica from the Chapel. If you have to take back the tour you have to go outside and get in line for the Basilica....which on our particular day wrapped entirely around the perimeter of St. Pete's Square and then some!

Just returned Wednesday, August 3rd. Ruth is right, that is where I booked my tickets mid July. I have the RS 2011 Rome Edition and I followed his suggestions and it worked great. I booked my time for 2pm - walked right in. The only difference I did not get a bar code to print out and get right in, I just got a reservation number and needed to stop at the reservation booth for my entry ticket. I went to the Sistene Chapel darting around all the poor people in tours. Then I returned to see the museum sights.
I sat next to a woman on my train to Venice and she never got to see the Chapel, as her tour was too slow. I would never attempt to go on a free day.