We just got back from Italy and Rick's books were amazing! I did want to report one tip that is no longer good - we tried to slip through with a group to take the shortcut out of the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's, but they are checking really closely. Our girls and I managed to get through but my husband got snagged (and as we were leaving some others got caught too). It is a VERY long walk back through the museum, out of Vatican City, over to St. Peter's Square and then a long wait back through security. We are walkers and had time to spare, but I still probably would have opted for a skip the line tour add-on to avoid this (which is exactly why they've cracked down, I'm sure).
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15856 posts
Hi Amy!
Yep, the same has been reported in some other threads and travel forums as well. It's great that you've backed up that info with this timely report of your own. 👍
Voting with you: the ability to enter the basilica directly is a valuable enough time (and shoe leather) saver to be well worth booking a tour for. Someone recently mentioned that they were told by one of the indy tour companies that the tour must also include the church and not just the museums/Sistine.
Other than this little snag, did you and the family all have a great time in Rome?
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Yes, it was wonderful, and Rick's books were a huge part of that. Traveling with our two tween girls, it saved us a ton of money in planning and in being self-guided. The acqua alta in Venice was an adventure we'll never forget and the weather was surprisingly good other than that (we were almost too warm in Naples/Pompeii!).
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Amy, I'm curious as to how new your RS books were. The Sistine Chapel shortcut has been restricted and enforced for a few years now and I'm wondering if that needs to be updated in his book. (We went in 2003 when we were able to slip through with a Japanese tour group, even though we clearly didn't belong. :-)
Posted by
OP
9 posts
This was the 2019 version of Rome.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14043 posts
Amy, if you have time you may want to fill out the guidebook form. It's hard to find but I know where to look so here's a link.
https://www.ricksteves.com/forms/guidebook-feedback-form
And I agree, I'm surprised that's still in the book.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8511 posts
I cant find my most recent book, but as I recall, from going through the secret door in 2012, it was always described as something like if you're lucky and they're not guarding the door, you might be able to slip through. It wasn't a guarantee and although it worked out for us, the RS tour leader* told us we got lucky. Others in our group who lingered in the crowded Sistine Chapel were not so lucky.
*RS tour leader is not an officially authorized tour guide so once inside the museum, we were on our own and not on a tour authorized to use the door.
Posted by
New Jersey
58 posts
Hi all, I was there the end on May and everyone was taking the "short cut". There was no "slipping through". That's just the way everyone went. We didn't even know there was another option.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15856 posts
I think consistency has been the problem? For some time now it has been left up to the whim of the guards on duty to decide whether to check badges/deny entry or not. Given that Amy is one a number to have recently reported tightened control, there probably has been some recent push-back from the tour operators - including the Vatican's own - as access to that passage is supposed to be an amenity that comes with the price. Sheer volume of tourists tramping through the shortcut might have a wee bit to do with it as well? The guides may be having some difficulty sorting their charges from the rest of the mob.
Posted by
Kentucky - USA
118 posts
We were there in June 2019, and we were able to slip through. I will say that I was careful about which group I went with. We were getting ready to go through when I realized we were walking along with an all Asian group, and my family of 5 is very tall and very not Asian! That wasn't going to work as we stood out like a sore thumb. We waited until a group that had a similar look as us went through and slipped through no problem.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15856 posts
For what it's worth, a previous thread on the subject:
And from the blog article I linked in that thread:
"As of July 2019, the Vatican is also requiring even tour guides to show that they have reserved to use this door so sneaking through is almost impossible. Tour guides pay €1.50 per person to use this special exit. You cannot purchase this additional access on your own"
Another mention of recent restriction:
https://www.facebook.com/Romewise/posts/1172844992894446?comment_id=1173624396149839&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D
And a note on this recent thread (3rd to last post) from Jenny, who was told by City Wonders that to use the shortcut, she had to book a tour which also included the basilica, not just the museums.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/walks-of-italy-vatican-tour
Lastly, a mention from Sara in her Oct. trip review that getting through the exit was a no-go for them:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/6-glorious-days-in-rome
"We'd planned on trying to sneak into St. Peter's from the Sistine Chapel, but a) those guards weren't having it..."
Sure wish I could find an official notice from the Vatican regarding the policy but have so far been unsuccessful. If anyone else finds one, please share? Going forward, I guess we'll have to see how consistently diligent the guards are about checks?