Vatican crowds in October / November?

It is crowded at all times, so if you are buying tickets in advance I am not sure it matters at all, it is always operating at near capacity hence the long line out front.
If you were not buying tickets in advance (and very foolishly) planning on waiting on line that it would matter a great deal.

I don't think there is ever not a line and you completely skip the line and walk right in with advance ticket purchase.

Only tip is do not stand on the line.

We went mid week early October in the morning, around 9 AM and that was a great time to visit but still had hundreds on line which we cut ahead of.

The advantage of booking with a private company like Walks of Italy is they get you in at 7:30am, before the doors open so we were able to see the highlights without the crowds, it was nice being in the Sistine Chapel and not be shoulder to shoulder with people, like it was when they did open the doors. Mama Mia, so many people!!

Not sure that it matters that much but the museums are closed on Sundays, and the National Museums are closed on Mondays so Mondays and Saturdays are probably busiest of the always-busy days of the week.

Thanks so much -- mille grazie!

I realize it's like the Louvre or the Palace of Versailles in that you have to expect crowds and just go with the flow. (And unlike Stonehenge, which has timed tickets and a daily quota.)

But a 7:30 AM entry might be well worth the price, especially because my husband has mobility issues and has been known to get panicky in a crowd if he fears (sometimes with good reason) that he'll get pushed and thrown off balance.

Usually the tour groups meet up at 7:30 and get into the Museums a little after 8. They go straight to the Sistine chapel. However, there are crowds everywhere by 9, and walking in crowds is unavoidable, perhaps less so in November.

I think mid-day is generally the time to avoid due to influx of tours/people from cruise ships.

I am not sure, but just FYI - November 1 is All Saints Day, which means the Vatican museums are closed. It is a religious holiday, so obviously there will be mass in all the churches, but I am not sure if this limits the hours for tourist visits.

We are booking the Pristine Sistine tour through Walks of Italy for our visit in October. Can't vouch for it yet, but the reviews I've seen are excellent.

we were in roma in early novembre and spent the day at the vatican museums. after they kicked us out at closing (it's huge), we stopped at a sidewalk cafe for a glass of wine. we walked back to our bus stop across piazza san pietro it was beginning to get dark at about 6:00 or 6:30 and we noticed there was no line at the basilica. it's a church so we walked right in and much to our amazement there were only about 50 people there in a church the size of two football fields! as a bonus, they were finishing up the evening mass way down front so we also had music. an amazing experience seeing the pieta and other works of art without the crowds.
ciao

we were in roma in early novembre and spent the day at the vatican museums. after they kicked us out at closing (it's huge), we stopped at a sidewalk cafe for a glass of wine. we walked back to our bus stop across piazza san pietro, it was beginning to get dark at about 6:00 or 6:30, and we noticed there was no line at the basilica. it's a church so we walked right in and much to our amazement there were only about 50 people there in a church the size of two football fields! as a bonus, they were finishing up the evening mass way down front so we also had music. an amazing experience seeing the pieta and other works of art without the crowds.
ciao

Try booking for the evening - much less busy.

Great suggestions, thanks!

What do you plan to do there?

For me, a great time to visit St. Peter's in early morning, before there are lines for the security check, before there are lots of people in the church. Then climb up to the dome. There's limited capacity, so if you don't go up soon after they open, you can get stuck in a long line. I went in February, about 1/2 hour after they opened - no line and I climbed at my own speed (much of the ascent is narrow and you can only go as fast - or as slow - as the people ahead of you, no passing possible). An hour later or so later when I came down, there must have been a hundred people in line to go up.

From St. Peter's, it's a 10-15 minute walk to the Museums. There's a one-way route to walk through the museums (which are huge). Do you want to spend a lot of time looking at the incredibly extensive and varied collections? Or do you want to see a few highlights and the Sistine Chapel? The Sistine Chapel is almost always really crowded, but you're looking up, so it doesn't really make a lot of difference. So if you don't take a tour and just want to see a few "bits" it doesn't matter so much when you go, as long as you have a reservation so you don't spend a long time in the security line. If you want to spend a lot of time seeing the museums, Thursday and Friday are usually less crowded. If there's a papal audience on Wednesday morning, the museums may not be so busy, but when it ends, a lot of the crowd will head for them. My first visit was on a Monday in February - I knew Monday wasn't a good day, but it was the only day I could do it. Some of the galleries were so crowded, it was difficult to walk through them. BTW there's a one-way route through the museums, more or less ending at the Sistine Chapel. You can backtrack (before the chapel), but if it's crowded, you'll be like a spawning salmon - upstream against the current.

Fall openings for the Vatician Museum are September 2-October 28. 7:00 pm-11:00p.

Really? 7 PM to 11 PM? Sounds like a lovely way to spend the evening!

If you are unable to do the evening Vatican, keep in mind they have wheelchairs available for free at the special permits desk in the arrivals hall. Notify them a day or two ahead to be sure you have one.