VATICAN--Advance reservations vs. Tour group

Hi Paige --

I made reservations -- NOT with a guided tour -- and got a voucher from the Vatican Museums. It says, "On the day of the visit, before entering the Vatican Museums, you'll be asked to exhibit an identity document and the voucher ** at the queue reserved for visitors who have booked (right hand side of the Main Entrance)."

I have not gone yet (26 days and counting), but it looks to me like my advanced reservation voucher will allow me to bypass general admission queue. How long a line there will be for advanced reservations entrance, I don't know.

Gary

To add to Gary's post, which is pretty spot-on, the reservations queue on the right is the same one the tour groups use. As long as you don't get there at the same time as a group (or three!), the line won't be a problem.

A lot of people think the line is due to buying tickets--it's not. The security detectors are right at the entrance, so there's not a lot of room inside and a lot of people that need to go through. The tour/reservations line to the right likely gets preferential treatment.

Once you are in through security, you need to go all the way up to the top floor to exchange your confirmation for tickets.

A person and website that can tell you a lot about the question you ask is: http://www.roninrome.com/.

Ron In Rome's blog entry on the Vatican is right on. You should also listen to the podcast "How to Tour Italy", episode #11, by Anthony Capozzoli on iTunes. the information is current. From personal experience, last March 2008, I made reservations for the Vatican tour with one of their guides at a cost of 29.50 Euros a ticket. The tour was scheduled for the afternoon and arrived to find absolutely no lines. I personally didn't think the tour given by the guide was very good. My mother equated it to a forced march, with minimal narrative, only to end up in the noisy Sistine Chapel. Next time I'll just show up in the afternoon and go on my own or hire a personal guide with art history experience. Regards.

I found some other current information on the Vatican Museums. Check out http://ikangaroo.com and their article "Vatican Museums: 15 Things to know". Regards.

Paige ~ There is a queue for Advance Reservations, but it is not as long as general admission. I opted for the Vatican Guided Tour last summer as it was considerably cheaper 29,50 EU per person & I thought it was very thorough. The guided tour lasts 2 hours & the rate includes the admission ticket. Tickets must be purchased only on the day of the visit at the Vatican Museums "Guided Tours" desk. To avoid any queue, you are allowed to enter the Vatican Museums from the entrance side, at Viale Vaticano, 30 minutes before the tour leaves. I have more info if your interested in this tour.

Thanks for all the advice and info, as always!!!!