Hello,
Planning on taking the above tour next year. In the morning of day 16, we will tour the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel leaving us to our own design in the afternoon. Would it be best to go directly to St Peters from the Sistine Chapel ( I understand there is a shortcut from there)? What other sights within the Vatican have you found interesting? We will have 3 more days on our own. We plan on doing thr Borghese Gallery and grounds, will have done the Colesium and ancient Rome sights earlier. Suggestions for some not so popular sights/ museums. Thanks.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16752 posts
Jeani,
That shortcut is reserved for tour groups only. If you wish to be able to take it, then sign up for a combo tour of the basilica and museums either on the Vatican website or through a private company. Some visitors have been able to sneak through but others have not; it's up to the whim of the guards on duty. The tour groups who are allowed through pay extra for the privilege of doing it so paying for the same is only proper.
We did the basilica (free) museums (ticket) and Papal tombs (free) but didn't have any interest in tours (mandatory) to the gardens or limited amount of the rest of what's available to the public.
Our personal highlight of several trips to Rome has been walking a good-sized section of the Appia Antica.
Some of the wealth of churches to see (many of them can be considered to be museums) are:
Santa Maria Maggiore
San Giovanni in Laterano
Santa Maria del Popolo
Santa Maria in Trastevere
San Clemente
Pantheon
Il Gesù
A few ruins:
Area Sacra dell'Argentina
Terme di Caracalla
Porticus of Octavia
Museums:
Musei Capitolini
Museo Nazionale Romano
Posted by
OP
Centennial, CO
53 posts
Thanks,
We would be finishing a tour of the Vatican Museum and The Sistine Chapel so perhaps we would qualify for the short cut.
Posted by
Placentia, CA
1079 posts
I was on the Best of Italy tour in 2015. Not only did the tour include the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, it included St. Peter's Basilica. I am surprised that they discontinued it as part of your tour. When our tour left to go thru the door to St Peters, no one checked if we were on a tour. We just followed everyone thru the door. I think you could probably follow any tour thru the door. The worst thing that could happen is that they say no.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16752 posts
OK, if you're on an escorted tour of the museums (versus touring them yourselves) then it very likely does exit into the basilica. This would be 'best' as it eliminates the walk around and 2nd security queue for the front entrance to the church.
The guards do visual checks for tour-group tags/stickers as they pass through. Although the worst they can do is refuse entry to the stairway, it's useful to know that has indeed been reported to have occurred.