Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel - Online Ticketing Problem

Robb, what dates are you trying to purchase for?

Kathy: My preferred day to visit is Wednesday 19 September. I have all day free that day to devote myself to the area around the Vatican.

I arrive in Rome on Tuesday the 18th, but don't think I should try to tour the Vatican that day because I will be very tired. On Thursday 20 September I need to catch a train out of Rome just after noon. I come back to Rome on Sunday 30 September, but I understand the museums are closed that day. Maybe I could do it on Monday 1 October, but I leave to come back to the US in the afternoon that day. I can't purchase online tickets yet for Monday 1 October. Now I am not sure when to purchase for 1 October if I absolutely can't get any tickets for 19 September.

Robb, I just looked at the ticketing calendar on the Vatican's website and I think that you're just one day or two too early for trying to book your ticket. It currently only shows ticketing through Sept 17th, and I'm betting my elbow that the 18th becomes available tomorrow, and the 19th tomorrow or the next day. Yes, it's supposed to be 60 days out but it's not always EXACTLY 60 days.

So relax and try again tomorrow? I wouldn't worry about not be able to get them for the day you want! :O)

I should ask: you are wanting to buy this ticket, right? Or were you looking at guided tours?

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/musei-e-collezioni/musei-vaticani-e-cappella-sistina/visita-libera-musei-vaticani-e-cappella-sistina.html

Kathy: Thanks so much for your reply. Now that I read your comments and look at the calendar on their website, I understand what you are saying and it makes more sense to me. Following your advice, I will check out their website tomorrow and Sunday (or will the site be closed that day) for ticket availability on the 19th of September.

Yes, I am only trying to purchase individual tickets along with audioguides. I have read that the audioguides are much better than trying to do the tour on your own. Or do you feel that the guided tours are more helpful and worth the extra expense?

Also, since you have been so helpful, can you give me your feedback on these two questions?
1) I have read that you should give yourself 1-1/2 to 2 hours to properly visit the museums and Sistine Chapel. Have you visited them and do you agree with this assessment?
2) Since my preferred day is a Wednesday and there are papal audiences that day, I thought that I should tour the museums around 10:30 or 11am when St. Peters will be closed and then visit the basilica around 1pm when it reopens. Do you agree with this assessment as well?

Robb, one advantage to the guided tours? They allow you to access the basilica directly from the Sistine Chapel versus having to return to the entrance to return the audioguide, walk all the way to the church, and then stand in the security line at that entrance. It moves along pretty well but a queue is a queue, ya know, and it could be a hot wait in the sun.

I would say that you definitely need more than 1.5 hours for the museums. The tours steer folks to some of the highlights and provide spoken narration. You might consider this 3-hour combo of museums and basilica? That tour ends in St Peter's, and you can spend as much or as little time exploring the church as you wish to when it's over.

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/musei-e-collezioni/musei-vaticani-e-basilica-di-san-pietro/visita-guidata-musei-e-basilica-s--pietro-per-singoli-e-gruppi-.html

Due to the massive crowds the museums draw, tours which offer early entrance are also highly recommended by RS posters who've done them. These go directly to the Sistine so people can see it before it becomes a wall-to-wall mob. The Vatican offers this reasonsably-priced version with breakfast and an audioguide (but doesn't include the basilica):

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/musei-e-collezioni/colazione-ai-musei-vaticani/ingresso-anticipato-ai-musei---colazione.html

And without audioguide (no basilica, and see below for another option for an audioguide):
http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/musei-e-collezioni/colazione-ai-musei-vaticani/ingresso-ai-musei---colazione.html

Some sort of guide - either human, printed or audio - is useful as the museums are very large and there really isn't any signage to tell you what you're looking at. Guides also aren't allowed to speak in the Sistine. Here's a sweet deal, though: if you have a device of your own, you can skip the Vatican's audioguide and download Rick Steve's for the Sistine, the museums and basilica for free!

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy

I've not done the Friday night late openings but people who have speak favorably of them. You would need to visit the basilica BEFORE the museums. Sorry for the novel but, well, lots of choices! Hope this helps?

Thanks Kathy for all the detailed comments. I really appreciate it. I will study all the options and consider what will be best for us to do.

Kathy:
Was looking at the 3-hour combo of museums and basilica link that you provided to me. Wonder what time to book this if we do it on Wednesday (19th Sept) when the basilica is closed during the morning for the papal audience? Not sure about how much time is spent in the museums first and then the basilica on this tour. Or will the website for this tour on a Wednesday address this by only offering the times that will work for this tour? Can't check this on the website because all of the Wednesday dates currently available are full. Thanks for your comments on this issue.

Can't check this on the website because all of the Wednesday dates
currently available are full.

Oops. Sorry but looks like that 3-hour museum/basilica tour isn't offered on Wednesdays. Sorry about that: didn't check the actual day of the week you wanted to go.

Kathy:
Sorry to hear that on Wednesdays you can't schedule a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. Nice to have a shortcut to the basilica with this tour. So I went ahead and scheduled a tour of just the museums and Sistine chapel and will have to re-enter the basilica through a separate que. Oh well, I have all day to do the Vatican that day so I will be fine. Thank you again for all of your help and advice for getting this setup.

Kathy, 20/7+60 days=18/9. I think that The Vatican computer on the other side works by italian time at the minute, like trenitalia's.

You're probably spot on, Dario!!! :O)

Robb if you scheduled a guided tour, you'll almost surely be able to exit directly into the basilica even if your tour doesn't include it. Did you book it through the Vatican website?

This isn't an option with rented audioguides as the they have to be returned at the entrance.