Vatican -- tour necessary?

We were there last year and toured the Vatican Museum on our own. We like to go at our own pace and take our time, see what we like & skip what we don't. True that we do not get detailed explanations of the art, etc. but we're willing to forego that for our convenience. We read up ahead of our visit and take a guide book. I'm sure others will disagree, but if you want to go it on your own, go for it.

I wouldn't be worried. Just do your research and get a good guidebook. Maybe an audio tour. In my opinion, the main issue is the crowds of people, not the museum.

We did a guided tour because we were with a Rick Steves group, and I enjoyed the explanation of the art because I am not well versed in that. When we were going in, we saw the long, long line of people waiting to get in. It was July at 10 am- there were hundreds of people. We walked right in. To me, that is one huge benefit of doing a tour.

The downside is that you are not at your own pace. You have the highlights explained, but you really can't stray away from the group because of all the people.

I think it really depends on what is important to you. Really check on the time of day if you do it on your own. Perhaps there is a better time to get in.

I was very happy seeing the museums (7 hours and will definitely return) using the "Guide to the Vatican." I was lucky to find one in a used book store before I went which saved some $$. New ones were about 12 euros.

Most of the works on display are simply a joy to look at. And you can always eavesdrop on a tour here and there.

Best recommendation: do some online homework (or at your public library) and pinpoint the collections that are of most interest to you. The museums are vaster than vast and you want to make sure you have the time to see what most appeals to you.

You'll be fine doing the museums on your own. You can go at your own pace and see what you want to see. You'll also be able to take breaks when you wish. there is a cafeteria if you need to get lunch while you're there. You can rent an audio guide but you must return it to the front of the museums when finished.

Donna

The Vatican museum is much more than the Sistine Chapel. The main crowd charges thru the museum toward the chapel like the bulls at Pamplona, but there are side rooms full of great art worth stopping for. You won't get lost; follow the crowd and the signs for "capella." If you get there when the museum opens, you may be able to avoid the tour masses. I was part of the tour masses last time I toured the museum. It's not bad if you have a guide and headsets so you can hear her/him.

We just returned from Italy and in Rome took the Through Eternity tour of the Vatican Museum. Stephan was an excellent guide and navigated us through the crowds. I highly recommend this tour company. We booked 4 tours with Through Eternity. Stephan and Mario were wonderful, very knowledgeable and entertaining. Also, max number in group is 15. We only had our family on one of the tours.

If you have lots of time than going by yourself at your own pace is probably a good way to go. If you don't wan't/can't spend more than about 2 hours than I'd definitely recommend to get a guided tour. Otherwise you can easily get lost and miss the parts you really wanted to see. It's such a huge place that even with a guide book it can be hard to navigate by yourself.

We went with our 2 kids and knew that their patience would not go beyond a couple of hours so a guided tour (Angel Tours) worked better for us.

We hired a local guide (45euros/hour) who did a great job pacing us through the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, making sure we hit the highpoints and giving great detail on the most significant or interesting points to us. Took three hours but was money very well spent.