Vatican Museum. I know,

Hi April,

Did you try:

011 - international access
the country code: 39
then the number: 0669885100

yep, I'm just trying again...

011-39-06-6988-5100

Keeps dialing and dialing and then I get a "no answer"

Well, maybe they turn the fax off at night? Since it's in the middle of the night?

Can you tell I'm waiting for replies? :o) I happen to be at work this evening so I was trying to figure it out to get it sent out. Anyways, I was thinking the same thing that maybe they turned off the fax (?) since it is around midnight there. Just wondering which combination of numbers to try tomorrow during the day...it seems to me to stick with the:

011-39-06-6988-5100 and cross my fingers my boss will let me fax from work in the morning! Thanks for your replies....

It took me four days to get through to that number! Within a half hour period I would get busy signals, no answers, and even an occasional "the number you have dialed is invalid" despite the fact that the same number was being redialed automatically. I did get a quick response once I finally got through - I heard back the next day for an early October visit. Keep trying!

If I were you, I would phone. It is quite inexpensive and at least you know they are getting the message.

you can get a tour with Angel Tours and they reserve by email. 25 Euros for a tour and they get your tickets so you don't have to wait in the long line. check out their web site; www.angeltoursrome.com

thanks for everyone's help. I think it was the case of them shutting of their fax in the evening. My husband faxed from our computer at home the next morning and it went right through and the confirmation fax was waiting at work for me the next night!

Last night I sent a fax to 011-39-06-6988-5100 at 12:30 AM Calif. time. At 2:50 AM I received the return fax from Vatican Museums confirming my request for a tour on Oct. 3!

Note the time difference! I had tried earlier in the evening (our time), and the fax at Vatican Museums never picked up. I believe the Vatican Museum tours office opens at 9 AM, Rome time, and they turn their fax on at that time.

Do you need to put a "1" in front of the 011-39-06-6988-5100 ?

Also- how does a return fax number look? I want to list in in the email. Is it 001-xxx-xxx-xxxx coming back here? Am I missing a country code here?

Please excuse my dumb questions!

Angela....no question's a dumb question. Both numbers you have listed are fine the way they are,...no "1" is necessary before the 011 when dialling overseas. For us, 1 accesses North American long distance....011 access overseas long distance. For Europeans, they access long distance with "00" and the "country code" for North America is "1."

I plan to tour the Vatican this November. So what is this tour? Does it allow you to enter without waiting in line for buying the ticket?
Also, does anyone know what is the typical wait for buying a ticket?

You can see the Vatican Museum (including Sistine Chapel) without a tour; just stand in line and buy a ticket. The ticket line was quite long over the summer, but I don't know what the wait will be like when you are going. A way to avoid the line is to reserve an official Vatican tour, by sending a Fax as described earlier in this thread. On a thread called "Vatican Museums-dazed and confused" from 8/22/07 I described what we saw on our tour (as I remember it).

3 days ago I walked right in at 2pm with absolutely no wait whatsoever.

Thank you for the info, I'll try to fax them tonight and see waht happen.

Just got back from our trip. We went to the Vatican on Friday September 7. Our tour time was at 10:30. I've never seen such a line in my life to get in anywhere. At 10:00 am we walked up to the "tour-singles" line and waltzed right in in front of everyone. I highly recommend reserving.

Took the Viatour skip the line tour and it was crazy. They were suppose to pick us up at our hotel at 7 and picked us up more like 8 and then had to tranfer from the van to a large bus. The crowds were awful. We still had to wait outside with all the other tours for about 1 1/2 hours. They gave us an earphone to hear our guide, but it did not work too well. We rushed through and my husband lost out tour. The mobs were too too much. Don't sign up for this tour. We took it because we could not get though to the Vatican fax. What a waste of money.

Can you sign up for the tour and then leave it once you are inside? In other words, just use the tour reservation to avoid the lines?

Richard...

Ummm, I guess technically you could. Once you enter the inside you go through the scanners and go to your left to the groups desk, they verify your reservation and send you over to pay for your tickets then you're supposed to go back to this holding area where you wait for your guide and then you get the audio equipment to hear them during the tour. You could probably skip this part and leave after you purchase the tickets if you really wanted to go at it alone.

Personally, I don't like tours at all. I'd rathar do things on my own but I really enjoyed this tour. I got so much out of it and learned so much more than if I wandered alone. Plus, she by-passed stuff that wasn't that important and pointed out the things that were. I guess it's up to you. But I do highly recommend the tour ;o)