I have been scouring the hundreds of different tour options to the point I have driven myself a bit mad. I'd love some guidance.
My top priorities, I believe, are the Sistine Chapel, Dome Climb, and then the Basilica itself.
I have found a Dome Climb tour, but I also read that you can purchase access to the Dome there on site for 8-10 Euro, something like that. So, to me, it seems crazy to buy a Dome Climb tour. Also, admission to St. Peter's basilica is free. So, I guess I feel like I don't need to buy a tour with Basilica access. I suppose the perk is the skip-the-line priority access it gives you. I'm not opposed to a tour that includes Basilica access. But, I'm also fine to wait in line, if it would save significant money. That said, I did read in a couple of articles that if you are doing tours, there is a shortcut to the Basilica. I am not sure if this is still the case.
One thing I have read is to spring for a tour with early access, which helps to avoid the massive crowds. If I did something like this....would you recommend doing the standby entrance to the Basilica at 7am, then booking the tour at say 8 am? Or book an early tour 7:30ish say, and then do the Basilica afterwards?
I thought about purchasing the Vatican Museums ticket from the official website, as they are significantly cheaper than the tours, but those are not available until 60 days out. And, the general tickets don't include early access. It starts at 9 am. And, even at the 60 day mark, they sell out pretty fast. The prime tour through the VM starts at 7:30 am, which is perfect, but it is like 68 euro; they have a general tour that starts at 8 am, which is still pretty good, for almost half the price.
That said, I think I would much prefer the exclusive entrance/self-guided option than a full tour.
Anyway, I am sort of all over the place, if you can tell.
What combination of tours or non-tours would you recommend for me?