Hi all -- I am looking for a good small group tour of the Vatican/Sistine Chapel/St. Peters. What I am finding is that St. Peters generally isn't combined with the Vatican tour and even the ones that used to get you inside/skip the line no longer do that due to COVID. Plus, I keep reading that St. Peters is free, but then when I look at tours, it says it doesn't include the cupola. So basically, I'm just trying to find out how one sees all of these on the same day, with a decent guide and without waiting in line, to the extent it can be avoided. Thanks!
Posted by
140 posts
Can’t help you with small tour recommendations but can clear up the St. Peter’s question — it is free to enter the Basilica, but it costs to climb the dome, and you can also pay an additional fee (I believe it is 2€ pp) to take an elevator part of the way up. I also did not see any tours that combined everything in one. You will probably need to book a morning tour for one area, then an afternoon tour for the other area, maybe find lunch somewhere in between. Some tours do offer the “skip the line” but that often refers to the ticket purchase line, not the security line. I think some expensive private tours have more legitimate skip the whole line options, but they were way above my budget (hundreds of Euros pp if you are only a group of two— pricing might be better if you have a larger group)
I booked the Basilica, Crypt and Dome on our first morning in Rome, and the Vatican Gardens, Museum and Sistine Chapel on our last morning. For us, spending the entire day there was more than we wanted to absorb in one day, plus we wanted the shorter security lines that first thing in the morning provides.
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
"Skip the line tickets" are an urban legend, the only line you can skip is the line to purchase tickets on the day and I bet you can purchase tickets in advance on the official site by yourself.
The Sistine Chapel is the last room of the Vatican Museums and it's included in all tours.
Saint Peter's is free. You must pay to climb the Dome, but the line is quite quick and the tickets can be purchased easily inside Saint Peter's. I guess it's not included in tours because of Covid. Or maybe they can't buy and re-sell the Dome's tickets like they do with the Vatican Museum's.
Posted by
Washington DC
28372 posts
Some time ago they closed off the door between the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters that tour groups were previously allowed to use. Someone mentioned very recently that it appears the tour companies that used to offer combination tours are no longer doing so. It's quite a long walk between the two if you have to walk back through the Vatican Museums and then take the outdoor route to St. Peters.
Posted by
Paris
10336 posts
Acraven is exactly right. This is what our guide explained to us in January.
Posted by
8412 posts
Read the book, "The Basilica" about the history of building St. Peters.
https://www.amazon.com/Basilica-Splendor-Scandal-Building-Peters/dp/0452288606
Posted by
30 posts
If you wanted to do the Vatican first thing in the morning, then do St. Peters after, do you have an estimate as to how long the security line will be to get in mid-day? Is it hours?
Posted by
Florida
173 posts
I hope I can jump in here too and ask because I am in the same predicament. Currently my plan is to do the Sistine Pristine tour with Walks of Italy. They say it starts at 7:15 and is 4 hours long so we should be finishing around 11:15.
They say that because of Covid they can't use the passage way that connects to St Peters so they give you information about the Basilica and dome outside and then it is up to you to make the visit independently.
Assuming they drop us off around 11:30 at St Peters, anyone have any idea what I should expect in terms of a wait?
I have a 5:30 food tour in Trastevere scheduled that evening. I assume it should be no problem to get to right? Or should I maybe look at coming back to St Peters to do the dome climb another morning?
Thanks!