My wife and I just booked our Necropolis Under the Basilica tour. We are scheduled for 10:30 in the morning with it expecting to last 1.5 hours. My question is whether or not to do the Sistine Chapel and Museum afterwards or a completely other day. I here it get pretty busy come mid day and think our time might be better spend doing something else as we have 4.5 days in Rome. Also, is it a good idea to book our tickets to the Sistine Chapel ahead of time with the Vatican website? Do you really get to skip the line as indicated? Thanks
Posted by
Austin, TX, USA
492 posts
The Scavi tour (Necropolis), left us off under St. Peter's Basilica so it was very easy to just go up and then look around the Basilica after the Scavi tour. In our case we had 1:00 Scavi reservations so we did the museums and the Sistine Chapel in the morning, then the Scavi and the Basilica in the afternoon. The Sistine Chapel is at the end of the Vatican Museums, that's pretty much the only way to get there. If you are starting at the Scavi tour, I would probably consider going to the museums next, and then taking the shortcut to the Basilica from the Sistine Chapel when you leave there. In the Sistine Chapel, if you exit to the right, it takes you to the Basilica directly, if you go to the left, it takes you back out the Museum exit and you have to go back around and through the security line to go into the Basilica.
Posted by
Pittsfield, MA
89 posts
I like to keep my site seeing itinerary in one neighborhood at a time. It doesn't make sense to constantly criss-cross the city. If you do the Necropolis, tour the Basilica, have a lunch, then tour the Museum, the crowds may be thinned out by then. We did the Museum at 2:00 and it was not that bad until we got into the Sistine Chapel - very crowded. We had reserved a private tour in advance but never found the guide (the only glitch the entire trip). Since he had our tickets we couldn't get in without buying two more tickets but it was no problem at all. The line was not long at that time.
Posted by
Alta Loma, CA, USA
60 posts
We booked that tour thru the Vatican website last year. Only had to wait about 10 minutes to go thru security and to check-in for tour. If I had to do it again, I would. No need to waste your time in a long line, when you can be inside the museum.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
If you book a tour or entrance tickets through the vatican website you will be able to bypass any entrance line. You will still have to go through security but you are put near the front of the line. From there you either check in for your tour or go straight into the museums. The museums and lines are usually not bad in the afternoon. You will find the Sistine Chapel crowded the whole day as the room is small and you pass through it on your way out. There is no way to just see the Sistine Chapel. On the way out of the chapel you can re-enter the museum, great if you take a tour and wish to see other rooms, or go into the basilica.
I would suggest spending the whole day at the vatican or in the area. No sense in having to come back. You can easily go the the basilica in the morning, do your scavi tour, get some lunch and then see the museums. Make sure to check any bags you bring with you before you go for the scavi tour as you won't be allowed to take them with you into the excavation.
Donna