I have read about front of the line tickets for things like the Vatican and the Coliseum in Italy. When I read the fine print, it sounds like you are just ordering tickets online so you don't have to wait in line at each place but there are still lines. Some people have written that there are still long lines to get through security. Is it worth it?
Posted by
Chicago
7808 posts
we bought in December 2017 a tour escorted about 12 in agroup and entered the Vatican at our scheduled time 9:30am. We went through security through a queue for groups it did not take long. But the experience in the gallery is not that great if you happen to enter in the morning when it opens for the public.
You might consider an early morning 7:30 am before the museum opens to the public tour. They do offer them.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15795 posts
Advance, timed-entry tickets have become nearly essential for bypassing long TICKET lines, especially during high and shoulder tourist seasons, They do not allow you to skip the queues for SECURITY CHECKS, and most top tourist attractions in Europe now have those. They are usually much shorter than the tickets lines and move along more rapidly.
In Rome, the Colosseum is said to have the longest security queues but again, advance, timed-entry tickets are really essential for that one, and you are even required to make an advance, timed-entry reservation if using a tourist pass, such as the Roma Pass (which is not accepted at the Vatican Museums.) As your trip is during peak season, I'll strongly recommend pre-purchasing either advance tickets or tours for both of Rome's #1 and #2 most popular attractions.
It's unfortunate that you've placed this question under "Tourist Scams" as unavoidable security checks definitely do not fall under that heading. In the times we live in, keeping Europe's irreplaceable monuments and museum treasures, and the millions who visit them, safe requires these additional measures. :O(
Posted by
Washington DC
27057 posts
I think tcbhouse is suggesting that the marketing of ordinary admission tickets as "skip the line" tickets is a bit of a scam.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15795 posts
Gotcha.... except that they DO avoid the only lines which CAN be avoided and are usually the longest: the ticket lines. Security queues simply can't be skipped.