We're going at the end of August and wondering about acquiring tickets and anything else we should know. I'd appreciate anything helpful and what else to see on our own while there. Thank you!
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
10394 posts
First of all, expect crowds. Lots of crowds. If this is a "bucket list" item for you then go for it, just be prepared for the large number of people who share your passion. Generally, it can be a bit more bearable at the beginning of the day (8 am) or at the end of the day in the late afternoon.
Buy tickets from the official site and don't get fooled by tours declaring they offer early entry. They really don't.
https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html
Posted by
Colorado
34 posts
We are doing this tour in October and the Vatican Museums and St Peter's Basilica were high on my list of things I wanted to see there.
I ended up booking a 4p tour on day 13 of the tour to see both. I chatted with the RS folks and they said the morning walking tour ends at 12:30p at the Roman Forum, and we are free after that. I decided to book for 4p to allow for transportation, lunch, and exploring a bit before the tour. I'm hoping that perhaps since it is later in the day, it might not be as crazy as it might be earlier, but I'm expecting large crowds. Hoping it works out!
https://www.getyourguide.com/rome-l33/rome-vatican-museums-sistine-chapel-basilica-tour-t429439/
Posted by
74 posts
No photography in the Sistine Chapel, and they are very serious about it. My son and a friend got kicked out the side door (separated from the rest of their group!) because the guard said they were taking pictures. My son wasn't; not sure about the friend.
It's one of the top places where you want to have your valuables in a money belt or similar, and your phone safely stowed. The crowds create great cover for miscreants.
We did an Italy tour with Tauck (a wonderful but pricey company). We got to tour the Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel after hours. Just our group of 24 people, the Tauck guide, the local guide, and a guard (who didn't care if we took pictures). That was a "wow" moment.
Elsewhere in the Vatican, I enjoyed the Gallery of Maps. The ceiling there was pretty darned impressive too.
Posted by
15 posts
Our big bit of advice for the Sistine Chapel is to book the 8am tickets and arrive at 7:30am to get in the ticket line. You are actually better off not booking a tour if the Sistine is important to you. When they start to let tour groups in, ignore everything and go all the way to the very end -- you will pass ALL the tour groups, as they all seem to stop and do the route in order. It will take 15 minutes or more to get to the Sistine Chapel, which is meant to be the last stop - don't get diverted! We got to the Sistine at 8:15 am and were in there virtually by ourselves for a good 20 minutes. There were maybe a dozen other tourists there, plus the security staff -- this was in June! We had time to linger and even walk the entire length slowly panel by panel, with our heads craned to the ceiling, and backing into no one. No pickpocket risk either.
Then instead of exiting, you can re-enter the beginning and see the rest of the museum, which took us another 3+ hours. When we arrived back at the Sistine at the end of that loop, it was shoulder to shoulder people, all being very loud and not at all peaceful. We bypassed the Sistine the 2nd time to exit.