My wife and I are first time travelers to Rome and will be turned loose from our Best of Europe in 21 days tour before lunch on Day 13. It was suggested to book Vatican Museums tickets at 11:00 but I was only able to get tickets at 13:00 on October 25. From what I have been able to find it appears that it takes between 3-4 hours to tour the Vatican Museums. Looking at the Colosseum ticket web site it appears that the last entry is at 17:15 on October 25 and it appears that the Colosseum closes at sunset or at about 18:15. My question is if it would be possible to also visit the Colosseum after touring the Vatican Museums with entry tickets to the Vatican Museums at 13:00?
I have the following schedule but question if it is possible.
1300-1600 Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel
1615-1645 transit to Colosseum
1715-1830 Colosseum
Wonder if we could spend less time at the Vatican Museums and have an earlier entry to the Colosseum. I did include the audioguide rental with the Vatican Museum tickets and don't know how long that audioguide takes to tour through the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Posted by
136 posts
I think physically it’s possible but mentally may be too much. There’s a LOT to see and learn about in the Vatican. Once you’re done you’ll likely want to turn off your brain for the evening. But if it’s your literal only time to fit in the Colosseum and know that you’re generally good to squeeze a lot into a day, then yes I think it’s technically feasible. Just not sure how much you’ll retain or enjoy by the end of the day.
If you do plan to do both that day, would leave the Vatican a bit earlier to ensure you get to the colosseum in time before they stop letting people in. You need to account for traffic if you’re taking a text or delays if you’re taking public transportation. And also entry lines which are unpredictable. I’m assuming they won’t be terrible that time of day but you really never know
Posted by
Washington DC
28155 posts
I've never taken an RS tour, but people often comment that the only tour activity on the last day is breakfast, and some people skip it because of early travel plans. I suspect you could have an early breakfast and visit the Colosseum before you go to the Vatican Museums--assuming Colosseum tickets are available at the time you need. You might even have time to line up for tickets at the Colosseum, if necessary. Worst case, you'd have a very good view of the exterior of the Colosseum.
The Vatican Museums are a mob scene. There's signage showing the most direct route to the Sistine Chapel, which allows you to bypass some parts of the museums if you aren't interested in them (including the Pinacoteca and the Museum of Contemporary Art--both of which I enjoyed), but there's still a lot of walking involved, and you really cannot choose your pace because of the crowds. What I'm saying is that--assuming you want to see the Sistine Chapel--there's a limit to how short the visit to the Museums can be. And they are something of a walk from the nearest Metro station.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33887 posts
I'd think that a morning of touring, lunch, the Vatican Museums (and their crowds) then across town from top to bottom then all over the Colosseum (not the Forum and Palatine?
No way I would have that much energy and power of absorption. You must be way younger and in far better shape than I.