Hi, I'm heading to Rome in about two weeks. I'd like to know what to be on the lookout for in terms of being the most efficient with lines, etc.

1. I believe that there's a combo ticket for Palatine Hill + Colosseum + Roman Forum. Is it the best to buy tickets at Palatine Hill? I think I've read the lines at the Colosseum are the longest.

Does someone know if there's an official website? I'm interested in looking at the maps more closely. Also, any historical background info is useful. I found a thread started by ParadiseLost on the Roman Forum but I haven't had time to look at it yet.

2. Vatican Museums: Now open until 6 pm with last entry at 4 pm. Any tips regarding when the lines are likely the shortest?

Any other discount tips? I've read about the Archaelogical Card, but that doesn't seem to include the Roman Forum?

Please feel free to add anything you think is useful.

Some more comments:

A. I'll probably skip the Borghese Gallery this trip, having been there two years ago.

B. I've checked the Vatican after hours tours at Italy With Us. There're no tours for our dates.

Thanks!

ttt

No one has any tips?

No tips, but just wanted to share your joy! We're leaving for Rome, Venice and Lake Como in 3 more days!!!

In Rome (we've been there twice before), we will be going to the Borghese and Vatican Museums (somehow havent been there yet!). also plan to spend some time wandering around Trastavere...and drinking lots of wine at outdoor restaurants! Have a great trip! (I heard lines at the Vatican are shorter in late afternoon, but we prebought tickets for a 10:30 entrance).

If you plan to vist at least two museums it might be worth it to buy the Roma Pass (20&euro or the Rome& Piu Pass (25&euro. It includes free admission to your first two museums, etc. and discounts at others. It also includes bus/tram/metro/local trains for 3 days (Piu includes a few more outgoing lines).
www.romapass.it

A good web site for hours/tickets is:
http://www.pierreci.it/do/show/corporate/4

That's great, casa. Enjoy your trip!

Kybourbon, I found those websites also. The Roma pass is a little mysterious to me. I don't quite get how it works. For example, I looked in this PDF file:

http://www.romapass.it/doc/guida.pdf

There are various sites listed, but the numbering starts from #6? And the grouping under each numeral is weird. I don't get the logic.

It looks like the Roma pass doesn't include the Roman Forum. That's weird. Or maybe the info needs updating since the Roman Forum only started to charge admission recently.

We just got back from Rome this past Saturday. I would definitely buy the combo pass at Palentine Hill. We did not, and ended up waiting in line at the Colosseum, though it was only about 20 minutes. One ticket gets you into the Colosseum, Palentine Hill, and the Forum. I must confess, I knew nothing about Palentine Hill before we visited, but really enjoyed our time there. Be sure to wander to the back of the ruins, and look for the underground ruins of Augustus.

We went to the Vatican museum at about 2:30 on Monday. While the lines were not long, we felt really rushed to see everything we wanted to (I think the last entry was 3:20pm). Based on advice in one of the travel books, we purchased the museum guidebook. My recommendation is not to do this - the book has a lot of information, but I didn't find it easy to follow. The problem is the actual artifacts are not very well labeled in the museum. If I ever get to do it again, I would hire a guide. I felt very frustrated by the experience, though we did see some wonderful things.

We did not get the Roma Pass, but in retrospect it would have been worth it. You kind of need to list out what you want to do, then see if it makes sense.

The Borghese was one of the many highlights of our trip, but I had not been there before.

Feel free to ask more questions!

Hi Marigny, how was the crowd in the Sistine Chapel? Was it crowded in the afternoon?

I actually have two guidebooks to the Vatican Museums that I bought two years ago. I was pretty familiar with the highlights in the Pinacoteca and the sculpture collection (I think that's Pio-Clementine, if I remember). But on this visit, I'm not sure if I'll drag my parents through all of that.

I also have a guidebook for Borghese. As I mentioned, I think I'll skip for this trip. I don't think it's essential for my parents. They don't share my art interests.

I think the PDF is missing a few pages and I'm sure the list hasn't been updated since they started requiring a ticket for the forum. Look at the list on this link, but you have to click each choice (archaeology,modern, etc.).
http://www.romapass.it/english/musei/archeologici.html

Also do the same for events. Many discounts for concerts,theater, etc. that your parents might enjoy.
http://www.romapass.it/english/eventi/index.html

Perhaps this link will be easier to see at a glance what is covered.
http://www.ticketclic.it/gb/HTML/musei/RomaPass.cfm

If you purchase from Pierecci, it automatically rolls over to ticketclic.

for the vatican museum and sistine chapel, I would DEFINITELY hire a guide. First of all a guide will most likely be able to get you right in at the front of the line to avoid wasteing valuable vacation time in a very long line. Secondly, the vatican museum collection is so vast you may go into museum overload...therefore a guide will be able to show you the "important" things to look at as well as providing a great narrative along the journey through this vast collection...a guide is worth every penny spent my friend.
This past November our group of 4 was blessed to have Sonia Tavoleta as our guide. Her extensive knowledge, experience and connections were truly invaluable. I recommended her to a couple in our city who just returned from Rome a few weeks ago and used her as well per my advice and they raved about her.

The Sistine Chapel was very crowded. However, we were able to find a seat on one of the benches against the wall pretty quickly, which offers you a slightly better angle for viewing the ceiling.

Even with the crowds, it was still quite amazing to be in that space and see the work of Michelangelo in person.

Thanks kybourbon! It looks like the pages all need to be refreshed -- some of the events listed look old. But it's useful for getting some ideas.

I was hoping that Sistine Chapel wouldn't be so crowded now that the Museums are open for longer, but I guess that's not to be.

Roma Pass is a good deal.
What the line up will be like for any attraction at any time of day no one really knows for sure.
Rome is a very crowded place!

<<I believe that there's a combo ticket for Palatine Hill + Colosseum + Roman Forum. Is it the best to buy tickets at Palatine Hill?>>
YES! then you can just walk right in at the colloseum!

Re: the vatican.
if you book your guide through the musuem, then you don't have to wait in line at all.
you can email them to reserve a spot:
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...zi_Visite.html

have fun!

We were in Rome last year when the Forum was still free and there was a combined ticket to the Palatine and Colosseum. At that time it was much easier to get the tickets at either entrance to the Palatine (one in the Forum, at the foot of the Farnese Gardens, the other on Via di San Gregorio.) I am sure it would still be fast to get the ticket at that second entrance since relatively few people seem to tour the Palatine. I highly recommend visiting it if you have time. Even if you cannot see the entire archeological area, it is worth going up from the Forum to the Farnese gardens for the view.
The Colosseum has much longer lines.
I am not clear how the ticket lines entering the Forum work now.

I think this is the best website to use
http://www.romaturismo.com/v2/allasc...n/musei08.html

It does seem odd that the Archeological card would not include the Forum but the info on this web link does not include it

For entrance to the Vatican museums I think you will find much shorter lines at mid day than when the museum opens. Try around 1 p.m.? If it is really crowded at the Raphael Rooms/Sistine chapel area you can escape the crowds briefly by detouring into the Modern Art collection. The Pinacoteca was also much less crowded than the S. Chapel-- fewer people than at most major art museums.

Just returned from Rome; RE Vatican
Museum; I booked a tour through the vatican museum official website, reqeusting the latest time (2:30) with several days as options. Received an email confirmation for a tour at 10:30 am on Monday. We have visited the museum several times on our own, the last visit being in May 2004; lines were never a problem and we usually arrived mid morning. This time we arrived
about 10:00 and were able to enter the museum quickly, avoiding the long lines for those without reservations. Long story short; it was a nightmare from then on; There were so many tours, both vatican sponsored and private, that there were times when we were unable to move, in the tapestry gallery and map room , which are narrower rooms: then there is a long narrow corridor leading to the stanza dei seignori ( the Raphael Rooms); again, traffic stopped and all were jammed together , like a subway; several people tried to turn and go out, and our guide asked if anyone felt faint!! Once the traffic began moving, half the people held their cameras up and ramdomly snapped photos non stop, making it even more difficult to see. The Sistine Chapel was a mob scene , with guards herding and yelling at people to stay in line. It was truly a horrible experience. The museum needs to address this issue.
My advice; go as late in the day as possible,and being part of a tour is no help at all earlier in the day

Thanks. We just arrived in Rome right now. I'll see how things go.

Hi we went to St. Peter's and Vatican Museums today. Lots of people, and Sistine Chapel was crowded, but not as crowded as I was expecting. We started touring around 3:15 and got to the Sistine Chapel around 4:30. We went to the Pio-Clementine section (classical sculpture), the gallery of tapestries and maps, the Raphael rooms and then the Sistine Chapel.

I would estimate around 100-200 in the Chapel, but we could actually find seats on the sides to sit down, and I could actually see the ceiling and the paintings on the sides fairly leisurely and carefully.

St. Peter's was also crowded around noon. When we left around 2, the lines to get in were even longer. But these lines moved quickly. There were also lines to get into the Museums, but we waited very briefly.

Please note that admission was cash only. Full price was 14 euros.

Oh, one thing -- I think they started closing galleries around 5:30, or even sooner. The Pinacotheca was my last stop. By the time I left around 5:30, the entrance was closed, but I think if you were already inside, you could finish touring.

Also I probably will go to the Borghese Gallery after all. I made my reservation for Sunday after finding out that there's a show on Correggio.

For those planning a trip to Rome, we used the Palatine entrance today a little after noon and waited about 20 minutes. There were two ticket counters. We bought the Roma Pass there. Later in the afternoon we went to the Colosseum. We cut the line with the Pass.

The waiting time to get into the Palatine far exceeded the time to get into the Vatican Museums.

I feel like we are making pretty good time here. We've already seen

St. Peter's
Vatican Museums
Pantheon
Piazza Navona
Trevi Fountain
Palatine Hill
Roman Forum
Imperial Fora
Colosseum
San Pietro in Vincoli (actually only I went)

We still have two full days. I have Borghese scheduled for Sunday.

Any other thoughts regarding what to see? I've been to Campidoglio (but not the Museums). Maybe Castel Sant Angelo?