Another Vatican Question, please
 

Happy to say that my Scavi Tour has been confirmed for Wednesday, 14 Oct at 3pm!

Trying to plan my day which is looking very full:

8:30am or so - arrive Vatican for a long wait with about 5,000 others for the General Papal Audience (received email from Santa Susanna that they have a ticket waiting for me)
10:30 (11am?) - 12:30pm or so: Papal Audience (possibly leave early (noon) to visit Vatican Musuem and Sistine Chapel)
12:30 - 2:30pm - Vatican Musuem and Sistine Chapel (probably use the Rick Steve podcast and certainly would buy an advance ticket)
3:00 - 4:30pm - Scavi Tour (tour ends at or under the Basilica, correct?)
4:45 - 6:30pm: Treasury and St. Peter's Basilica (won't be climbing the dome)

I know I haven't left any room for eating and rest.... figured I can carry some snacks in my purse and sleep very well that night!

Is 2 hours enough for the Museum and Sistine Chapel (I'm sure I could spend an entire day but the rest of Rome beckons also. And, tours that I've looked into seem to last 1 1/2 - 3 hours). Or, should I plan to do the Museum and Sistine Chapel on another day?

Is the Treasury included in the cost of the Museum ticket?

Thanks very much!

Your day exhausts me.Why do you want to cram al of this in one day. Yo will be running from place to place. I would do the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel another day. Take time to have lunch and walk through the Basilica while you wait for the Scavi tour. Depending upon how much time it takes to see the Basilica you can go though the Treasury then. There is no cost for the basilica but there is a cost for the treasury. AS for the scavi tour--They will take you at three but you may not actual go through the tour immediately. The Scavi tour is wonderful but it is temperature controlled so it will be very humid. It sounds like this is very important to you so take time and breath and take in the majesty of the place. There is so much to see and absorb. Go back a second day and not only go to the museum but check out the gardens. You will thoroughly enjoy every moment as long as you don't try to do too much in one day.

your itinerary is ambitious for one day, but sounds like something i would be doing. :)

having done all of those before, minus the treasury thing, i suppose you can do it in one day! the papal audience should be done by noon. grab seats towards the back, and to the right, that will speed up your exit time. also, you might have to stand in line to get into the vatican, so give yourself more time. ive gone to the vatican in May (the line was at least an hour long) and in January (no line whatsoever!) But in my opinion, you can get thru the vatican and sistine in an hour and a half, even while using a guide headset, that is if it isnt crowded. You can definitely check out st. peters after the scavi tour. For the Scavi tour, if you have bags or a jacket, you can check that in the office, before your tour starts.

your schedule is definitely doable. have fun!

I'm with the "your day exhausts me" camp. You'll love the scavi tour, but after going through the museums/Sistine Chapel, I'd have information overload and not truly appreciate it. I've been through the museums/Sistine Chapel about 5 times, and have never gone through in as short a time as 2 hours - but I want to savor the priceless works of art. Definitely reserve tickets prior to your visit. I've been through in May, June, September, October, November - and have never experienced anything other than masses of people - but perhaps you'll luck out. Hope you have a wonderful trip...

Last fall we were in Rome and visited the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel on October 14th. It was so crowded it was difficult to even get through the museum and the chapel was packed with so many people all standing and trying to see something. It was not pleasant.

We had visited the museum and chapel a few years before this visit so we hurried through the museum and the chapel.
I would advise you to come back on Thursday to see the museum and chapel. It will still be crowded but perhaps less so as a lot of people go on that Wednesday.

Our first visit was in May and there were so few people there that we could sit on the benches along the wall and view the ceiling.