We are planning to book the vatican museums tickets for Saturday, March 25 since the free Sunday is not advisable.
Question -
Should we book a guided tour (duration-2 hours) or buy the audio guide instead(can spend more time inside the museums) ?
What is a better option? I have heard the audio guide does not work always.
Thanks,
Komal
I highly recommend Walks of Italy tours. We took three, two in Florence and one in Rome. The guides were knowledgeable (Marco had a Master's degree in history) and the tour sizes are small.
Consider the Pristine Sistine Tour (https://www.walksofitaly.com/vatican-tours?min_date=Mar+25%2C+2017&max_date=Mar+28%2C+2017) We didn't take this particular tour, but next time we're in Rome it is definitely on our list.
Komal, I would suggested booking the THREE hour tour which includes St. Peter's basilica. This tour hits the highlights of the museums vast collections, the Sistine Chapel, plus enters the basilica from an inside passage reserved only for tours. This saves you from standing in the 2nd security line for the basilica plus a long walk between the church and museums.
After your tour ends in St. Peter's, you are free to explore more of the basilica at your leisure, if you wish. You can book the tour on the Vatican's website:
I think the question will be how much time and how much of the Vatican Museums - there are several - do you want to see. In 2 hours on a tour you will be exposed to some of the art but at a quick pace. Tours tend to push forward to be sure to get to the Sistine Chapel - on a busy Saturday - push can be the proper description. There seems to be limited tickets, only for the afternoon on the 25th - so it will be crowded.
With an audio guide - mine have always worked - you can set your own pace and stop and enjoy the parts and pieces of the museum which appeal to you. Sometimes people forget to simply look up and around at the amazing buildings they are walking through!
That said I have never got to the Sistine Chapel in less than 3 hours - I do tend to dawdle. The museum is always a 4 hour visit for me. Five hours if I include the Pinoteca - a must - the finest "small gallery" in the world.
Finally when you are in the Sistine Chapel the tour guide cannot explain anything because of the "silence" rule. The guides usually have to do a description before you enter. With an audio guide you can be looking at the work while hearing a description.
Komal is traveling with a small child so I'm guessing they may not dawdle as much as those of us who don't have tots in tow? :O)
Apologies for the redundancy, Komal, as I see I'd already recommended this tour in one of your earlier posts. It's worth recommending again for efficiency, though!
Joni, I checked the Vatican's website and it appears there are only time slots open for the tour I'd recommended in the morning of the 25th: 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 and 11:00.
Hi Komal - Sorry I did not know you were traveling with a child. A tour may indeed provide you with the best experience. The times I stated were for the museum only tour not the 3 hour tour Kathy suggested.
Ah, Joni. I didn't check the museums-only tour!
We don't know just how "small" the child is, either, so I'm just assuming his/her endurance levels for busy art museums (looking at adult backsides is not a lot of fun for very short people) and walking distances could both be a challenge.
Thank you all for the inputs.
I am traveling with a 4 year old kid, I feel he walks quite a bit for a 4 year old. So that should not be a problem am hoping.
I am reaching Rome only by 10 AM on the 25th so I cannot reach in time for the morning tours. At present, I see a 2PM slot for the guided tour which suits me.
If I book only the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel tour won't I be allowed to use that connecting passage to the Basilica? And if I only take the audio guide, am I not allowed to go through the passage?
Connecting passage is important for us because am pretty certain my kid will not be okay walking all the way back to the Basilica after a tiring walk inside the museums.
I am leaning towards the audio guide as we also like to do things at our own pace but am worried about the "no entry" at the passage. Is there a way we can still sneak in? ;)
And the reason we have settled down on a Saturday is -
Three days in Rome - March 25, 26 and 27
Saturday - Cloudy with rain. Good to spend it indoors. Reaching Rome in the morning so will get to spend half a day at the Vatican.
Sunday - Nice and Sunny. Free Sunday not recommended for Vatican museums.
Monday - Cloudy with Sun. Planning to do Colosseum and Roman Forum.
Is that decent enough a reason for a Saturday or would Monday be a better choice?
To use the passageway you are supposed to be with a tour group. I have seen people turned away because they tried to "join" a tour at that point.
I think if you use the audioguide, you will be able to go at your own pace as well as stop when your child needs to rest a bit. There are numerous snack bars and food courts, including a very good café with a small menu in the courtyard. Do NOT eat the pizza at the cafeteria on the lower level - you have been warned.
Then perhaps you could visit the basilica a little later in the day?
Hello everyone,
I actually found a podcast for the museums by Rick Steves. The forum mentioned we don't have one so I was confused.
How about using this podcast instead of the tour or the audio guide?
http://podcasts.ricksteves.com/walkingtours/vatican-museums.mp3
-Komal
It's much too early to expect any sort of accuracy from weather forecasts for 9-10 days out so I wouldn't plan your itinerary around them at this point.
Kathy,
But since we need to book almost all the tickets in advance, we can only trust the forecast and plan accordingly. No?
You can if it won't bother you if the long-range forecast turns out to be wrong? Even the forecast you've supplied above doesn't match some of the others I'm seeing online for the same dates. That's how sketchy they can be this far in advance.
But since we need to book almost all the tickets in advance, we can only trust the forecast and plan accordingly. No?
I watched the weather up until we left for Tuscany. The weather on any particular day was not what was forecast. You may plan for an indoor day because of forecast rain only for the day to be gorgeous and sunny. You may plan an outing that needs sun and warm temperatures only to find the day chilly and drizzly.
Make your plans using other factors first. For instance, if you'd rather take an early tour to avoid the lines (the Walks of Italy tour begins an hour before the general public can get in), plan to go Monday instead of Saturday. If you have to plan around nap times, let that instead of the weather determine your schedule.
Good advice from Doug. I'll second it! :O)
Thank you Kathy and DougMac. Am pretty new to Europe, I will learn from the experiences. The forecast wasn't true for my recent Paris visit so I know how it is.. :)
Coming back to the original question - Given a choice, which day is preferred for Vatican Museums?
Saturday afternoon, Free Sunday or Monday morning/afternoon.
I am pretty certain I am going in with Rick Steve's audio podcast (just heard it and it is quite decent) so taking a tour is on a backseat right now.
Also, when you suggest, do let me know a good day/time for Colosseum and Roman Forum. We are planning to take the underground tour at Colosseum.
Vatican Museums: any day BUT Free Sunday. I wouldn't even try to do it on that day
With general-entry advance tickets, you can be flexible with the Colosseum and Forum; those tickets are good any day the sites are open until the end of this year. What you can't be flexible with is a tour of the underground, which is separate from general entry. What website/service were you planning to use to book it? I just looked and the tours offered on the Coopculture website are completely booked for the dates you'll be in Rome so you'd need to use a different resource. I'm sure other posters will be able to offer some suggestions for those, though.
Thank you Kathy.
I was planning to book it on Coopculture website only. It does let me select the day and time of the tour but when I try to select the number of people it does not let me.
I have been trying to call their call centre since today morning, + 39 06 399 67 700, but it puts me on hold and then automatically cuts the call. People have suggested that even if the website shows no availability, there is a chance that you can book the tickets by calling them.
I do not plan to use any other tour operators to book since they are all unnecessarily costly.
You might think about doing the Vatican on Monday morning when all of you are fresh? As it's going to take a certain amount of stamina - especially for your 4 year-old - maybe it's best not to go in the afternoon unless you don't try and do too much the same morning.
Another thing to consider? This may not be the only trip you ever take to Rome? What if you just put the Vatican aside for this trip and did it on the next one when your son is older? I'm a big fan of introducing children to museums at a reasonably young age but the Vatican's size and crowds can be really tough for little people to handle. Or maybe just do the basilica and save the museums for that future trip?
Coopculture underground tours fill very quickly almost as soon as they become available so it's not surprising that they're full for next week.
Kathy,
You have been so helpful and prompt in your replies. Appreciate it.
We also had thought of skipping the museums altogether and only visit the Basilica considering the long walk for the kid. But I saw some of the pictures and got tempted to do it :) This might be my only trip to Rome but if we skip museums I will come back for sure :)
Regarding the Colosseum underground tour, is there any way I can contact them other than the call centre number? My husband is very keen on the tour and would have loved to accommodate it on this trip.
Regarding the Colosseum underground tour, is there any way I can
contact them other than the call centre number?
Sorry, the only 2 ways I know to book the Coopculture tours are via the website or phone. And really, I'm almost certain they're fully booked up at this point. All of the slots were showing red (no availability) on the website when I looked.
Yes Kathy. That is correct, I checked the website for other languages tour and I can see the availability.
Thinking of booking a non-English tour. Though we won't understand a word of what the guilde says, it will at least give us access to the area. Is this completely insane a thought? :)
Not insane at all. There have been any number of tourists whom have done the same just to have access. Give it a go!
If there are two adults, would one be willing to forgo the Vatican Museums and do something with the 4-year-old during that time? Go to Saint Peter's Basilica together either before or after?
Hello everyone,
Wanted to update about our plan -
As suggested by some of you, we have booked the Vatican Museum tickets for Monday. Plan is to visit the museums and based on the energy left, visit the Basilica and square.
Thank you all for the inputs. I will share my experience after I return.
I would not take a four year-old child to the Vatican. When were there it was incredibly crowded. At one point we were descending some stairs with a mob of people and I thought, "If one person trips and falls, we all go down." The place is not safe for children.
