Vatican tours

We visited Rome last November on a RS tour. They arranged everything including a tour guide for the Vatican for our small group. Maybe if you contact their tour department they can give you a lead. We had a wonderful woman who I think was British...but I can't remember her name. The tour guide was fantastic...but the crowds are crazy so sometimes the guide was hard to hear, even with headsets...and she moved us through pretty quick...I think you'll be just fine with the RS tour book. BUT, you need to get their and get on line FIRST THING IN THE MORNING ...before the posted opening time!! Don't doddle around or you'll be in line for hours!

We used 3 Millennia in June, and we were very pleased. Their website is very out of date, so you need to contact them (Tony Polzer - very honest and responsive) for the current information.

We were guaranteed no more than 10, which is what convinced us to go with them (besides being impressed by Tony, via e-mail communication). Turned out, our family of 5 was the whole tour, which was a very pleasant surprise. And, the guide that we had was excellent.

Also, you really don't have to be there in the wee hours of the morning. It has been proven that the best time to arrive is early afternoon, 1-2 or so, and the lines are minimal. We showed up for our tour at 1:00 (on a Friday), and there was absolutely no line - not a single person in front of us.

Becky's advice dates from before the Vatican lengthened their hours. In Nov they were only upen until 1:30pm--now they are open til 6pm. This has obviously changed around the ideal time to visit the museum, and current reports on the Helpline advise that:

1. Lines are all but gone, especially in the afternoon. If you mostly want the tour to skip the line, chances are you won't need it.

2. There are a number of recommended tours on this Helpline: Angel Tours, 3 Millenia, and Context Rome, among others are all often mentioned. Using the search box in the upper right corner will let you retrieve previous discussions.

Hi! We have a reservation at 9:15 for the SCAVI tour on a Thursday in October. I am wondering, given the Vatican's extended hours, if we will be fine going straight from the SCAVI (approx 90 mins long) to the Vatican tour?

we were very pleased with angel tours. morning tour was 4 hours and we passed all lines. would use them again when we return to rome. good luck :):)

Thank you everyone!! Great info/tips. Will look into all.
Thank you RS and staff for creating this site...it is very useful and the users are are wonderfully helpful!

I saw very good reviews for Presto Tours on Tripadvisor. They offer small group guided tours and (something new to me) VIP tickets...no tour but a gauranteed entry time with no wait in line.

Drats!!! I missed out on the extra time!!! Every moment in Vatican City is precious...no matter how many you get..savor them all!