Vatican

Amy, whether or not you need advance tickets will depend on what day of the week you're headed to the Vatican or if there's a Museum closure the week you're visiting. If you're visiting later in the month and headed there on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday, odds are better that you can get in after 12:00 with little or no line. Mondays and Saturdays can be quite crowded. You might read these two articles for more insight into the Vatican Museums: 20 tips on visiting the Vatican and Should I pre-book at the Vatican?

Ron,
That helped greatly. Thank you so much. Love your www.

I was there in February (on a Monday), booked the day before on the internet and saved an hour's wait in line. Yes, I went at 9 am, but honestly, even 7 hours wasn't enough.

I agree with Chani. We were just there a month ago and the lines were huge. We had a 9:30 admission, they actually let us in a bit earlier. We had our hotel book the reservation and I gladly traded 4 Euros to not stand in the Vatican sunshine. BTW, even though I sent my beautiful wife up to ask, we we not allowed access to the St Peters shortcut out of the Sistine Chapel. But, by the time we'd walked all the way around, the wait to get through security was down to 10 minutes (it was about 2:30PM). If I were doing it again, I'd try to just tag along through with a tour group. (Just look slightly bored with the lecture and slightly frantic you'll not keep up with the group).

The other day that is quite crowded is on a Wed. after the Papal Audience. It seemed like everyone heads for either St. Peters or the Vatican Museum following the audience (11:30ish). Wed AM might work great if you go straight to the museum.