We will be in Rome area Oct 10thish. Early morning tickets to vatican on their site are sold out.... we've been before. Should I go with a 3rd party and do early morning or is afternoon that time of year OK? Last year we went in Nov early entry tour guide and it was empty.
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Washington DC
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I went to to the Vatican Museums in the early afternoon in the first half of March 2023, and they were quite busy. Some areas--basically the ones along the path to the Sistine Chapel--were crowded; others--including the Pinacoteca--were nearly empty. I'm sure the entire place would have been busier in April or October.
There are no longer early-entry tours that get you into the Museums before they open to the general public, so I doubt the experience is ever "OK" these days. Reports from this year have suggested the earliest entry time (which you might get by taking a tour) is better than later in the morning. I doubt that early afternoon is better than mid-mornjng. Late in the afternoon things may improve a bit, but you have to decide how much time you want to spend in the Museums. Since you've been there before, you are in a better position to know how much time you need than a first-time visitor who has no conception of how large the place is.