Sistine Chapel or St.Peters Basilica

There is a security line for both, but I believe if you have a pre-reserved paid time you get in a special line that gets you in ahead of others, but groups may be in that line too. I had a time of 1400 and walked right in as RS suggests and headed right for the Sistine Chapel and from there, getting quick looks while walking through the museum. We would have had plenty of time to go to St. Peters as well, but was at the church the day before. There was mass at 1700 so the security line seemed to move quickly. It was my plan to do it all in one day but due to "day strikes" I moved it to two visits.
If I had my choice I would do St. Peters after seeing both.

We enjoyed a tour that included both! They are both so fabulous I think it would be a shame to be in Rome and miss either one. Being on a tour gave us the advantage of "skipping lines" and we had plenty of time to enjoy the splendors of the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel, together with St. Peter's in one day. Magnificent!!!!!

Hope one of you - or all of you - can help me with this. I too will be in Rome, for the first time, in mid September and with guidance from this and other threads am trying to settle on a tour that will include the Vatican, the Sistine and St Peter's. I found the right combination on the Vatican website - thanks to a reply here - and chose 4 tickets for Monday Sep 19. (This is our only choice - we are ending a Tuscany trip with three days in Rome but get in too late on Saturday for the only available time.) I thought the ticket prices were pretty reasonable (36 euros, 1,50 for headsets, 4,00 for reservation fee, till I got to the end and saw (I think) 300 Euros for the guide. Am I reading this correctly? If I am, some of the private tours, such as the Walks of Italy Pristine Sistine, seem a better choice. Would really appreciate some feedback!

I just purchased this tour for October and did not pay for anything except the tour. Nothing about extra money for the guide.

Thank you both for your response. Susan, were you on a tour other than the ones offered by the Vatican? Their website gives you a choice of one or the other, not both in one tour. Thanks,
Cynthia

You may want to go back to the site and look again. I found the combined tour listed and showing availability for each Friday in September. Just go to: vatican.va; museums; hours & tickets under visitor information; skip the queue and buy tickets online; guided tours for individuals; Vatican museums and St. Peter's. Check the train schedule and then reserve your ticket. Times are limited and may not work for Friday but there is availabiltiy on Saturday. Good luck!

Yes, we took a tour that was not a Vatican tour. It was through Angel Tours in Rome - we also took a tour of the Colosseum/Palatine with them and they were great. Knowledgeable, informative and enthusiastic guides!

Cynthia:
The Vatican has an option under "Guided Tours for Individuals" that should fit your needs: "Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica." It takes you through the museum highlights and then the Sistine Chapel, ending in the Basilica. It is 36 euros and lasts about 3 hours. We used Walks in Italy for their Pristine Sistine tour and enjoyed it very much. Costs more, but small group and about 4 hours. Check it out here: http://www.walksofitaly.com/. Ciao!

Thanks to all for your advice, I booked at the Vatican website, but the latest I could get was 11:15 am on Friday. We will be traveling from Florence that morning. We have 3 days in Florence, but I am beginning to wonder if we should see if I can get another night at our hotel in Rome (Smeraldo, near Campo de' Flora) traveling late in the day on Thursday, thus cutting our time in Florence to 2 nights. That way we won't be scrambling to get to the Vatican by 11:15 am.
I was probably in too much of a rush to book the Vatican, because now I realize that many other sites are closed on Monday, so perhaps that is the better day to go. Can any travel veterans give me their opinion?

Mondays are probably the worst day to visit the vatican museums. They are very crowded after being closed on Sunday. I would stick with your plan. Depending on which time your train gets in you may easily be able to visit the vatican on the same you come from Florence. Get an early train and take a cab to your hotel. You can also take a cab to the entrance of the museums if you are running late on time. If you can't get an early train then coming the night before would make more sense. Donna

Oh, geez, thanks, Beth. I see now that I had clicked on the tour "with an exclusive guide" - 300 Euros would be a little too exclusive for me! I may be a little disappointed that the Pristine Sistine tour is not the better bargain - I do like the sound of it. Thanks again - Liz

That would be if you want an exclusive guide for just your party. If you are going with a regular group then the 300 euros doesn't apply. Donna