Official Vatican Guided Tour vs Private Tour

The big difference is that the official tours do not give access to the shortcut to St. Peters.

If you're going for a first-entry tour, the official tours start later than the 3rd party tours, since the 3rd party tours gather everyone and get organized before they enter, while official tours have to wait until the whole group shows up and gets through security.

No matter what, your guide will be knowledgeable, but some travel bloggers who've been on a bunch of tours say that the official tour guide can be more hit or miss on personality.

Thanks Jeff! If we were to do the Official Vatican Guided Tour, do you know what our options would be to see St. Peters afterwards?

I did the Key Master's Tour last October and planned to visit St. Peter's afterwards. But by the time I got out of the museums, the lines were so long and I was on overload, so I skipped it and went back another day at the crack of dawn to be one of the first to enter. So glad I did it that way.

But I had 11 days in Rome; you probably won't have that much, so it might be worth it to you to figure out the best option to see both on the same day.

Here's one tour that I've heard good things about: https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/vatican/sistine-chapel-vatican-tour. It's a maximum of 10 people. At $108, it's a lot more than the official tour but a lot less than a completely private tour. And it does use the secret passage from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's.

St Peter's now lets you prebook an audioguide that gets access to a shorter security queue https://www.basilicasanpietro.va/en/products

When I went in March there was basically no line for those who had prebooked. I expect the line will be longer now that the it's more publicized, but it should still be shorter than the main line.

If anyone convinces me to visit the Vatican museums again, it would have to be on a Key Master's Tour (plan on getting up VERY early). Have a look at the details, really the only way to experience the museum without huge crowds.

Jeff - That's great news about the audioguide / shorter line into St Peters.

Thank you all! I think our plan is to do the Official Vatican Guided Tour first, and then the St. Peters audiobook guide. Looks like it totals € 47 between the two. Does that sound like a good approach?

Does anyone know where we'll exit the Official Vatican Guided Tour? And where the line is for the St. Peters? Just trying to see how close it would be.

Thanks again all!

The museum exit is on the same little square as the entrance. The queue audioguide queue for St Peters is on Via Porta Angelica. When you leave the museum, keep the city wall to your right, then when you approach the double arches, keep all the way to the right. It will seem like you're going down an access path for the souvenir shops but that's the queue. If you need help, ask someone in a green or yellow vest.

Thanks Jeff! Really appreciate all of your insight