Wednesday with no papal audience

The Holy Father's pastoral visit to Milan is Friday June 1 - Sunday June 3, so it doesn't coincide with a Wednesday audience. None of the Wednesday audiences for May or June have been cancelled. The crowds are quite large anyhow; yes, they fluctuate a little depending on the day and also the time of day (see Ron in Rome's web site for more on this: http://www.roninrome.com/sites-and-attractions/20-tips-on-visiting-the-vatican-museums ); but I doubt very much there will be much difference whether the Holy Father is in town or not. In any case, if you get your tickets in advance, you can skip any line that might be there. The museum may be quite crowded once you get inside (depending on day and time of day), but you will have at least not had to wait in line, and you can just take your time and enjoy it. http://mv.vatican.va The best time to visit St. Peter's is in the early morning (between 7 and 8:30am), when it is open primarily for priests to offer Mass. It is a quiet and prayerful time and you can attend the Mass of your choice (just find an altar where you want to stand by and participate - the priest will not have a problem with this) and then afterwards you can enjoy the Basilica while it is still more like a Church and less like a mob scene. At 8:30 the hordes begin pouring in. I am not positive whether the Basilica is still open early-morning like this on Wednesdays or not. My hunch is yes, but I am not sure what time it closes in preparation for the Wednesday audience. Take care.

Important also to note, as is mentioned on the Ron in Rome site, that at the conclusion of your Vatican Museum visit you can pass directly from the Sistine Chapel into St. Peter's Basilica. So, if you don't get there in the morning, you can always go there in the afternoon after visiting the museums (the Sistine Chapel is the last point in the incredibly enormous museum).

In order to go directly from the Sistine chapel into the basilica you must be on a tour. The guards at the door have been checking tickets before letting you pass. If you're not on a tour you must use the regular door. There's no much difference other than you'll need to go through the security line for the basilica. That line moves very quickly. donna

Once again, you have all saved me from myself. OK, now realizing that there WILL be a papal audience next Wed. do you think that the Vatican museum would be less crowded that morning? Then we could go to St. Peter's in the afternoon and also attend the sung mass at 5 p.m. Or should I just avoid Wed altogether. I had sort of blocked out Wed. as our Vatican day and Thurs. as our Forum, Colosseum, and possibly Capitoline Museum day because we have reservations on Thurs. afternoon for the Domus Romane. But we could do some re-arranging (except for Domus Romane. You folks are great.
thanks,

Judith, generally when there is a Papal Audience (usually from 10:30 AM to about 12:30 PM), the Vatican Museums are less crowded. And during this period and as mentioned, some time leading up to it, the Basilica is closed. Thus, once the Audience is completed, there's a mad rush to the Museums, to the Basilica, and to LUNCH! If you go to the Vatican Museums in the AM of a Papal Audience date, you will see less people, but because it's summer, there will still be lines to get in. If you hope to avoid waiting, you might consider a skip-the-line option on this date. Once you're in the Museums, Donna is correct. The "shortcut" to St. Peter's Basilica is FOR groups. Yet, everyone uses this back staircase. But as Donna aptly points out, if the guards are efficient (okay, this is Italy), then you may be denied access to this shortcut. I've been turned away a few times in my 100+ visits. Like many rules in Italy, it depends on who is manning the door and enforcing the policy. The other challenge... if you get to the Sistine Chapel at say 12 noon on the day of a Papal Audience and you want to take the shortcut to the Basilica, the door will be locked. That's because NO ONE will head down these stairs - group or solo - while the Papal Audience is ongoing. The Basilica is closed for security reasons. You would have to "time" your arrival and exit out of the Sistine Chapel to after 1 PM to take this option... and again, unless you're with a group, you may be denied access.

I've been in the Basilica early morning a few times before the Papal Audience. Once in the winter, we were held back by a group of Swiss Guards entering the Basilica from a side door. We stared in wonderment as out walked Pope Benedict XVI. He walked up onto the Papal Alter and blessed/spoke to the crowd (maybe 5 minutes). And then proceeded to the auditorium for the Audience. Truly an incredible and random experience!