We will be traveling with our two boys, 12 and 15, in April and are buying tickets online to the Vatican Museum. I have read that going in the afternoon is less crowded than the morning, but also am being advised that we'll want to be there "all day" because there's so much to see. I realize there is enough there to keep us occupied for more than one day, but am trying to be realistic about how long we'll want to spend. (We're in Rome for 5+ days.) Thanks for your advice!!
Posted by
Denver
787 posts
We took our 10yo (almost 11) daughter to the Vatican Museums while in Rome last fall. We had reservations for 9 am, and it wasn't quite as crowded then as it was later. We spent a good deal of time in the Museums - we all love art (paintings and sculpture), including our daughter, and we were there for almost 3 hours.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
You may have misunderstood about the crowds at the Vatican museums. The lines are always long in the morning, tapering off in the afternoon, but the museums are always crowded.
As for how much time to spend in the museums, I usually tire of them after 2-3 hours. You can take a break and go to the cafeteria for a snack or meal and continue on through the museums but with young teens they will not want to spend all day seeing "stuff".
Donna
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
28 posts
The museum is great, but with a 12 & 15 yro....I guess it depends on what the boys like, about 2-3 hours is enough for me, and I personally prefer the museum from the area with the "apartments" of the popes to the more modern collection of art. So I guess it depends on how many statues you want to look at. I would spend more time in the rear of the museum and then in St Peters. We spent about 7 hours between the two when we went in December and that included the museum, copula climb and St Peters. Download Rick's Self-guided tour for the Museum, Sistine Chapel and St Peters, that may help keep the boys more interested.
Have a great time.
Ciao,
Christina