Hello, we would like to visit the Vatican Museums on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. When booking the tickets on the official website the first time slot is 8:30 am, but the website states the museum opens at 9:00 am. Sorry, I'm confused. Is the museum actually open at 8:30? Thanks.
Posted by
Chicago
8242 posts
9 am is when the ticket booth opens if you did not buy one online for all the people that show up to buy tickets.
If you buy it online the first entry is at 8:30;
at the same time there are other private tours happening before that as early as 7:30 am.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thanks so much!
Posted by
World
138 posts
They have even earlier tours at 6am like this
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16742 posts
They do have a 6:00 AM tour....that costs €21 per person plus a fixed group fee of €3500 to be split amongst a group of no more than 20.
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-to-get-the-vatican-museums-all-to-yourself
Posted by
World
138 posts
Thanks, Katty, that sounded too good to be true. Additional 3500 Euro is insane. And they still charge the price of a regular entrance ticket, thats hilarious. Thank you for informative link! You live and you learn
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16742 posts
You're welcome, Alejandro! Yep, that is one expensive little tour but I guess the more exclusive the experience, the higher its price tag can be?
Posted by
World
138 posts
I know but regular private tour in Rome costs like 200-300 Euro for 3-4 Hours, I would agree the price around 1k can be called a fair one, but that's not the case. I wonder why they do not mention this on their website
Posted by
Charlotte, NC
238 posts
We just returned from Rome and had booked a First Entry to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum tour with Walks of Italy - it wasn't a private tour, either.
Started at 7:20 and we were able to go thru the Hall of Maps and Tapestrys among other places with no one else around. Spent about 20 minutes in the Sistine Chapel with maybe 30-40 other people and then was free to wander the Vatican Museum on our own. But boy, after 9am, forget it - place was packed!
We had to leave at 10:15 in order to make our Scavi tour - by then, the ticket line was down Viale Vaticano and around the corner onto Via Leone IV
Posted by
World
138 posts
You are correct, 9am in the Vatican already packed and its not real travel season yet. Imagine that place in mid Summer - crazy! But I don't think those morning tours worth overpaying.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16742 posts
The early-access, small-group tours that meet about 7:30, such as Walks of Italy's "Pristine Sistine", The Roman Guy's 'Vatican Gold" and some others, have become very popular options for beating some of the mob. The Vatican itself offers two early options w/breakfast: one with a guide/group no larger than 10, and one with just an audioguide. Still somewhat pricey, they aren't nearly in the "luxury" class of that 6:00 tour.
Posted by
World
138 posts
When I been to Vatican, I saw a couple from the US who were very disappointed by that breakfast. They expected to have some kind of breakfast at the restaurant. Instead, it was like an Mc Donalds-like cafe and they had to share the table with other visitors. The guy was yelling at staff there, not a pleasant experience overall :(