Vatican Tour question

Posted by jamies421 on 04/05/25 11:41 PM

I’ll be visiting Rome in June with my family. I have already book LivTours early morning Vatican Tour which includes Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica (7:30am tour time). That said I’ve been doing my research and I understand once we leave the Vatican to go to the Basilica we can’t re-enter. With this in mind and also the fact we are hoping to purchase a gold cross at a jewelry store near the Vatican and hopefully get it blessed I’m wondering if we should change our tour to the one that is a bit shorter and does not include the Basilica. My thought is this:
7:30-10:00am - tour
10-12pm - spend additional time in the museums
12-2pm - lunch near Vatican and purchase necklace
2pm - return to Basilica with a time entry through the jubilee app

I have never been to Rome and this is just my idea. Does this seem like a better idea?

Posted by Laurel

Forest Grove, OR

04/06/25 12:02 AM

11927 posts

I think by 10:00 you will be exhausted and tired of the museums. It will be very crowded by then. Can you buy your necklace the day before? There are places away from the Vatican, especially near the Pantheon, where you can find religious items.

Posted by ChinaLake67

NorthCarolina

04/06/25 12:46 AM

1154 posts

The shop at the Vatican run by the NUNS is very good and I highly recommend it. It is near St. Peters. Don't miss St Peters Basilica - it is the best part of the whole experience.

Posted by Buffalo

Ohio

04/06/25 03:29 AM

106 posts

When your tour is over you will have seen everything that is worthwhile at the Vatican Museums and Basilica. No way will you want to go back and spend two more hours at the museums. You’d have to get tickets and wait in the lines again. Not does it make sense to wait in line for a second time to see the Basilica. Find something else to do with the rest of your day. Nearby Castel Sant Angelo is fascinating. If it’s that important to have something blessed inside the basilica buy it ahead of time and get it blessed during your tour or before you walk out of St. Peter’s when your tour ends.

Posted by acraven

Washington DC

04/06/25 03:58 AM

28929 posts

I wouldn't say 2 hours in the Museums is enough; I spent much longer than that in the Museums, of which only a few minutes was in the Sistine Chapel. (I'm not a fan of painted ceilings.) But it is certainly possible 2 hours will be all you can take of the massive crowds in the Museums. I think it also could be pretty hot, but I'm not sure, because my trip was in March. So you really need to think about how you and the other members of your family deal with oppressively crowded conditions and how interested you truly are in religious art and decorative art. A good tour guide will make the experience more engaging and may be able to get you through the crowds a bit faster than you could manage on your own.

This is what Google delivered when I asked for photos of crowds in the Vatican Museums: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=photos%20crowds%20in%20vatican%20museums&form=IQFRML&first=1

Look at the worst pictures; that's what you should expect, though if your tour guide gets you into the museums close to the 8 AM opening time, you may have some less-bad time at the beginning of the tour. Maybe. I don't know how much worse things will be in June of a Holy Year.