Vatican Museums: Better In Late Afternoon?
Jun 22nd, 2011, 10:36 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Vatican Museums: Better In Late Afternoon?
I read in my Rick Steves Italy book that it's better to visit the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's later in the afternoon, as opposed to first thing in the morning. Is it any less crowded later in the day than in the morning? We'll be there the last few days of September, if that matters. I kind of like the idea of not booking anything specific until later in the day anyway, so we're free to sleep in or explore in the morning without having to be somewhere at a certain time. A couple friends have separately visited the Vatican over the past few months and have told me how awful the crowds are, especially in the Sistine Chapel. Is it smarter to go later in the day, like maybe 3-4pm (or even later)?
Thanks,
Erica
Thanks,
Erica
Jun 22nd, 2011, 01:25 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 11,212
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The ticket office closes at 4:00 and the museums close at 6:00 so you'll have very little time to see anything if you go then.
1:00 is a much better time to visit the Vatican Museums. The Sistine Chapel will be crowded and noisy no matter when you go.
1:00 is a much better time to visit the Vatican Museums. The Sistine Chapel will be crowded and noisy no matter when you go.
Jun 22nd, 2011, 02:53 PM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 263
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We were there in April. We started the day with the Scavi tour so we didn't have to wait in any lines to get into St. Peter. We ate lunch around 12:30 and headed toward the Vatican Museums at 1:30. There was no line to get in. We looked through the galleries that we like and breezed through the ones we didn't. Everyone ends in the Sistine Chapel so there are a lot of people in there but even that wasn't awful.
