Vatican- book ahead or from hotel?

What is your purpose in signing up for a tour? If you simply want to skip the lines, the general report these days is that the new Vatican hours have almost eliminated the line, especially in the afternoon.

If you want a tour because you want a guide that explains the artwork, history, etc. then there are many recommended ones on this Helpline and in Rick's book, including Angel Tours, 3 Millenia, and others. Just do a search in the upper right corner.

Chances are you won't need to book a tour before reaching your hotel unless you want a popular date/time or are going during high season (June-September), or want to book an official tour through the Vatican itself.

We did a skip the lines tour last Sept. We still had to wait in long lines outside for 1 1/2 hours and then were herded through. From what I have read on this web site the Angel tour sounds alot better then the one we went on.

Thanks for the help. Mainly we wanted to skip the lines. When we went 2 years ago we walked right in with out tour while others waited 2 hours. We were there during the big heat wave and it was 105 degress!

We used Presto for a skip-the-line tour. Then we used Rick's book to guide us through the art. We were there in late June, on a Friday morning, and the lines were not that long. When we left at around noon, there wasn't any line. Other posts confirm what we experienced. I was happy with Presto. We met at 8:30 and were in the museum just a little after 9:00.

Understandable, however I note that one poster went last September and the other poster notes the lines were not that long in June. The Vatican lengthened its hours (to 6pm) starting in January I believe, and the most recent reports are that if you choose your day and time wisely, you can walk in or wait no more than 10-15 minutes. If your only purpose for taking a tour is to avoid lines, I would suggest saving your euros.

Our resident Rome expert, Ron, can give you an up-to-date idea of when the best times to visit are, as he lives not too far from the Vatican. As best as my memory recalls, afternoons (1pm and on) on Tues or Thurs are the best times to avoid crowds.

Otherwise, feel free to sign up on one of the many recommended tours. Do some research on the websites to see which one you like and how the prices work out, then you can easily email the company of your choice to set up a tour.

You have all been great! Thanks so much.

I was there two weeks ago and very nervous because of the infamous long lineups. A couple of years ago, I waited for hours in the lineup, and I was determined not to do so this time. I had a tour booked with Angel Tours for the very purpose of skipping the line, and because of a mixup on their part, the tour guide didn't show up. However, at 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon, there was absolutely no lineup at all and we walked straight in on our own. We used the Rick Steves podcasts to tour us around. Frankly, we saved a lot of money by not having to pay the tour guide - and we were able to spend that saved money on food and wine! :)

Scott, thank you so much. After reading all of the suggestions we are doing that exact thing! Extra cash for wine and gelato is a very good thing!