Hi,
I am looking for a Vatican Tour and both of the companies have received positive reviews. Is a 7:45am tour early enough to put a dent in the crowding (mid-May)? Also, it appears that Walks is now owned by City Experiences (by Hornblower). Do you think that will impact the quality of the tours? I also have contacted several private tour groups but they don't seem to offer anything that a small group does not.
Thank you.
Posted by
Arizona
127 posts
I have done tours with both, and they are very similar. In fact, our guide with Walks told us that she also works for The Roman Guy. Many of the guides must be freelance workers. However, I did find the Roman Guy tours (the company not the guide) more responsive if I had questions. That being said, either company would probably meet your needs. Doing the early Sistine is the key because you will experience the Sistine Chapel with very few people and quiet! It is well worth it!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16367 posts
Doing the early Sistine is the key because you will experience the
Sistine Chapel with very few people and quiet! It is well worth it!
The question here is if those former early-entrance tours even exist under the new extended museum hours. Even the Vatican doesn't sell a tour which allows access before the new general-entry time of 8:00 AM. As the new hours just went into effect on Jan, 1, I'm interested in seeing reviews of tours sold by companies which imply access before the public crowds but haven't read any yet. Of course "crowd" could also have a different definition in January as in May. Let's just say that there are some unknowns here?
Posted by
Washington DC
27616 posts
Given the shift in the opening hours and the (apparent) lack of tours allowing access before the general public is admitted, I question how accurate the prior positive reviews are in predicting future satisfaction.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16367 posts
That's what I was getting at as well, acraven. It would be great to see some firsthand accounts of advertised "early entrance" tours conducted AFTER the Jan 1 change. That said, both companies mentioned have had good reputations for a long time...an issue with cancelling some Colosseum underground tours in the 11th hour aside.
But referencing Sharon's comment again about the Pristine Sistine tour providing a less mobbed experience in the chapel, that wasn't this poster's experience:
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you so much! Your posts were the first I heard about the updated hours and the end of early access tours. Numerous tour comapnies I researched were still calling the tours early access as of yesterday. Do you know if there will also be an end to the "skip the line" special access for tours?
Posted by
Washington DC
27616 posts
I'm not sure how much easier it is to get into the Museums if you're on a tour. With a regular (timed) entry ticket, you're in a separate line outside the building. I arrived before my scheduled entry time, and I wasn't in that line very long at all.
When you get inside the building, you have to swap your ticket voucher for an actual ticket (this being Italy). It's sort of a scramble system as you line up at your choice of ticket window; I may have been in line for about 10 minutes at that point. That's where being on a tour might be a bit faster, because the guide may already have obtained all the tickets the group needs to get through the turnstile. I remember seeing signage in that ticket lobby for a Get Your Guide meeting point. However, in the whole scheme of things, I didn't find the time it took me to get into the Museums particularly unreasonable. The problem is the crowding once you get inside.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16367 posts
Same as what acraven has told you: As far as I know ALL pre-purchased tickets and tours are "skip the line" as they're timed entry (for a specific date and entry time.) The only really long queue is the one for people who haven't purchased tickets/tours in advance.