Vatican Tours too long..painful?

5 hrs on your feet is too long for a lot of people, including me, I personally would avoid a tour that had me on my feet that long.

Our tour was about 4 hours. It went by pretty fast, but I think the issue is the crowds for the Vatican tours. Too many people in a small space, you really can't enjoy seeing anything. You move along in a wave of humanity, trying to hear what your tour guide is saying,and really only see a fraction of what you could. If you are short in stature...forget it!

Skip the Vatican Museum tour, see St Peter's if you want. You will miss the Sistine Chapel, but then it's small, crowded, no pictures allowed, and life will go on if you don't see it. There is so much more to see in Rome anyway!

There are no chairs, and no way to sit down anyway, no space in the halls. You can't even find a place to lean up against a wall.

There are chairs in sections of the museum and along the walls of the Sistine Chapel there are places to sit. It's isn't a huge space, say, compared to St. Peters, but really shouldn't be missed simply because you are tired. Maybe instead of going on a tour, go on your own and pace yourselves. The Vatican Collection is huge, and it takes time to cover all the treasures it holds. I suggest a hearty breakfast, and then at some point take a break and bring a light snack with you (try and be discreet about it though.) Obviously don't go if you feel it just to be chore, but go because you want to see the Sistine Chapel or stand in front of the School of Athens or the Laocoon Group. In the end it is worth the tired "Museum feet". Recover with a big lunch afterwards, and don't overplan the afternoon.

I really want to see the Sistine Chapel, but I also have a child with CP who really only stands on one leg, so is limited how long she can stand. She does better with walking than standing (she is also 5 feet tall so seeing may be difficult in crowds, too) I know you can rent wheelchairs, but I think most tours don't allow them (tour goes places it can't). We will be there early Oct.,and on a Sat. but I'm sure the crowds are still heavy. We were thinking of spending the money on a tour so we will skip the line and get as much out of our visit as possible. Maybe we will go with a shorter tour.

Anyone have suggestions to help us solve this problem?

Try the tour given by the Vatican. I've heard it's 2 hrs. long and may be your best bet since you get to skip the line and it wont' be as long as the other tours, hence easier for your daughter. That's what we plan to do in Oct. when we take our 6 yr. old with us.

mv.vatican.va Click on "English" and then click on "vatican museums."

Yes, go with a shorter tour!

We took the official Vatican tour last summer. It is a two hour skip the line tour. You have to check in ahead of your scheduled time, but there were places to sit while waiting for the tour. The longest we stood in one place was at the beginning of the tour, where the guide stopped by some visual aids to talk about the Sistine Chapel. This beginning part was in a large area so I don't think it would be difficult to get a chair for that part of the tour (you could ask when your check in/buy tickets). Through most of the museum the tour moved pretty quickly, so more walking than standing. For my kids, their concern wasn't that they couldn't see, but more that it was uncomfortably crowded. The tour actually ends before the Sistine Chapel, so you go there without your guide and can stay as long as you like. There is seating along the sides of the Chapel, but the seats were full-you have to hover and be quick when someone leaves. Hopefully someone would be nice and give up a seat

Consider getting a good guide book (Ricks Italy 2008)and do it on your own. We did not and regreted it immediately. You can get tickets in advance and there are places you can rest. Our tour in September was four hours and covered the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters. There is too much to see in such a short time and the tour moves along rather quickly and other guides with their group speaking another language. Either keep up, or see what you want to see and get lost. Compare the experience to leaving a sporting event early and walking down a concourse with hundreds of other people speaking six different languages, all the while trying to look back at the Jumbotron or monitors along the way to keep up with the game.

If you do it on your own, allow a day in the three above mentioned places, know what you want to see and SEE IT, and simply take your time. A pair of noise canceling headphones listening to Rick's walking tour downloaded on your iPod will also be gre