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Vatican museum official tours

Posted by (Nor cal) on

I will be visiting Rome in June so it will be busy. I am considering booking the official Vatican tour which is bookable now for my dates. (Regular entry tix are not bookable yet)

Questions:

  1. Has anyone taken this tour? What was your experience with it?

  2. A big question I have not been able to find an answer to is:
    When the tour is over, can you return from the Sistine Chapel to the museum galleries on
    your own or must you exit from the chapel? If this is possible would you go through
    the chapel again to exit? I want to see the galleries as much as possible not just the Sistine
    and I know any tour will be rushed. But after reading about the difficulties getting regular
    entry tix, I thought guided tour might be the way to go.

  3. I know you must go thru a security line. Any insights how long this takes in a busy time like June so you don’t miss the tour time?

Any insights/opinions will be much appreciated.

Posted by
28247 posts

I didn't take a tour, but last March I was able to reverse course after seeing the Sistine Chapel (which was absolutely mobbed) and go back through the museums to the Pinacoteca. There are places where you need to follow a specific path, but I believe you will be able to get back to things you want to see again; you may just have to double back a little farther than you'd expect. On any given day, some of the galleries are likely to be closed.

Honestly, I'm not sure how early I showed up with my timed ticket voucher. Knowing me, it wasn't all that far ahead of my entry time. The ticket confirmation may have provided instructions on how early to show up. I know there were separate outdoor lines for people with online vouchers for regular entry tickets (like me) and folks hoping to buy tickets. I don't remember whether there was a separate outdoor line for folks who bought Vatican tours or whether folks like you go to a designated meeting point once they're inside. If you need to convert your online voucher into a ticket (as I had to do) and that isn't taken care of by your guide, you'll have to line up at a ticket window once you're inside.

Posted by
86 posts

Acraven thanks for the reply. Good to know you were able to backtrack thru the galleries. For guided tours, according to RS Rome book, you show your voucher to the guard outside, then security, then to a Guided Tours desk in the lobby implying you do not go to a ticket window but I’m not sure about this. (One of many things I’m not sure about).

If anyone has more specifics on the Official Guided Tour, I would be grateful for your info.

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