Confused re Vatican Ticket Pricing & Question About Free St. Peter's Tour
 

(1) Would appreciate someone clearing this up for me. I've been emailing several tour companies for a private Tour of the Vatican for our small group. Every company has been telling me to purchase on my own the advance tix on the Vatican website.

When I go on the website, the pricing lookslike:

16 Euro (ticket for entry)
4 Euro (reservation fee)
1.5 Euro (headset rental)

But all the companies are telling me that the charge per person is 26 Euro for the Vatican. What am I missing? I am not going all the way to the payment page yet so is there VAT added to that pricing? Another service charge? A service charge for the headset rental?

(2) I read about N.A.C. offering a free short tour of St. Peter's at 2:15 p.m. Has anyone been on this tour? Is this still happening?

If this free tour is there, I'd much rather just go with the Vatican-led museum tour and leaving for the "free" St. Peter's tour.

The only reason why we're considering the private tour is because none of the "group" tour times offered by the "reputable" companies ranked well on Tripadvisor works with our schedule that day. Does anyone know of a group tour that starts at 2:00 p.m.?

Thanks!

Also, does the free St. Peter's tour happen on Wednesdays? We are only there on a Wednesday (coming in 1 day by cruise ship).

Thanks.

I love the LivItaly Vatican Tour. It includes the tickets and is at 2:30 every day except Sunday. Go to http://www.livitaly.com/index.php?op...d=62&Itemid=63

You are misunderstanding. The Vatican has entry only tickets and tours (several different ones). The Museum or Garden tours are 32€ + 4€ reservation fee (these are 2 hour tours - currently the garden tour isn't running). The Museum/St. Peter tour (3 hour tour) is 37€ + 4€ reservation fee.

Entry ticket for the museums only (no tour) is 16€ + 4€ reservation fee. You can rent an audio guide for 7€.

You don't need tickets to enter St. Peter's. There are audio guides for rent there also.

Sorry - seems they've factored in the 4€ reservation fee in the tour prices already so it's 32€ for two hours total.

They break it down like this for the Vatican's own tours.

Ticket 16.00€
Reservation fee 4.00€
Headphones 1.50€
Guide fee 10.50€
Total 32.00€

kybourbon

Thanks for your breakdown. I guess this is where I'm confused. I've had 3 tour companies tell me that the tickets + headset rental fees total 26 Euro. I am just not seeing that on the Vatican page.

Outside tour companies mark the price up usually to make some money. I doubt they would pay a reservation fee at all. They just go to the group desk since they are licensed tour guides (and I'm sure registered there in order to lead tours).

Why not just book a tour with the Vatican? You would want "guided tours for individuals".

http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/...?weblang=en&do

Is guided tour for individual better than audio headset only. First time visit!

The Pontifical North American College offers tours of St. Peter's Basilica M-F at 2:15 P.M., these tours leave from the Visitor's office located in the wing known as the "Braccio Carlo Magno" on the left hand side of the Basilica as one faces the facade.

These tours are free. They last approximately 2 hours. They only include St. Peter's Basilica the other advertisements you may have seen listed as visiting the "Vatican" refer to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.

In 2013 the last spring tour will be May 31st. Tours will recommence on October 8th.

Hope that helps!

Agree - you need to clarify what you mean by "the Vatican".

Are you talking about the museum and Sistine Chapel? That one tour from one location and will take a couple of hours.

If you want to see St Peter's itself - even just the cathedral without the Dome and Treasury - that will also take a couple of hours - and happens from a completely different location - without any tickets required by the Vatican (but you would have to buy a tour if that is what you want.)

Anybody here do a tour using the Vatican's own tour guides?