Hello! Does anybody happen to know if a guided tour purchased on the Vatican website currently allows the shortcut to St. Peter's Basilica? If not, how much time before the dome closing should I book my Vatican ticket if I also want to visit the Basilica and climb the dome? Rick says to plan on at least 2.5 hours for the museums and two hours for the Basilica and the Dome climb, but I'm not sure how much time to plan for the transfer between the two including the security line. We'll be there on a Saturday in June, so I'm sure the lines will be long! :) Thanks in advance!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
18110 posts
The Vatican's own tours of the museums do not include access to the basilica through the internal 'shortcut' passage. You need to book a tour through an independent company which clearly includes that benefit in the description of their museum tours. That passage is also not accessible to tours during on Wed. mornings due to the Pope's Wed. audiences, and may occasionally be closed for other special religious events.
Haven't climbed the dome but hopefully someone else can answer that question.