clifbob

I will be in Rome in 3 weeks. I'm abit confused reagrding the vatican/ sisitine chapel/ and st.basilicca. is this all do-able in one day. Do i need advance reservations? what's the best wat to see this place? thanks

Jayne11159

I too am trying to schedule a visit next month and it is very confusing. I have contacted them directly via email to schedule a Scavi and Vatican tour. Here is the website where you can get the contact info:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...o_Servizi.html

I understand that they usually contact you at the last minute to confirm and that you should leave them the fax and email for the hotel where you're staying. Others have been successful by enlisting the help of their hotel which I plan to do.

I hope you get some good responses because a lot of us are interested. I"m sure you did a search here as I did, but I'd love "the best of the best" tips. I don't know about you, but I don't want to break the bank for a tour guide, but if I'm travelling that far to see something that extraordinary I want the best possible experience.

txgrl99

We had our hotel contact the Vatican for us. The Vatican tour was wonderful (and we're not big tour people), and we learned things about different pieces of art I probably wouldn't have noticed or cared about. The best part, though, was being able to skip the extremely long line. And yes, all is easily do-able in one day.

vjpblovesitaly

I would consider "the Vatican" to be the whole shebang.

You are allowed to visit:

St. Peter's Basilica (free)
Vatican Museums
Sistene Chapel (you must walk through the Museums to get to it)
St. Peter's Square (in front of Basilica also free)
Vatican Gardens (w/tour only)

You can pay to go on a Scavi (excavations tour) underneath and you can pay for a tour of the other parts mentioned or you can do them on your own.

The Scavi tour is amazing. It is 10 euros and must be booked in advance.

There are other parts to Vatican City, of course, such as the Papal Apartments, but the parts mentioned above are the only ones people can visit to my knowledge. (Hopefully someone will let us know if this is not correct).

Get a map of Vatican City and look at it. Maybe it will become more clear that way.

dwzemens

The best way to "see this place" is to hire Francesca Carusu to give you a private tour.

We used her four years ago and it was the *best* money we ever spent. Expensive, but a great value.

She can be found by searching for her name on Fodors forums.

You won't be disappointed if you are fortunate enough to use her.

dwzemens

Here is a link to a Fodor's post with Francesca's email address.

http://tinyurl.com/54b8f6

dwzemens

Sorry, here is the *actual* link to the post with Francesca's email address.

http://tinyurl.com/47pk5k

I wish Fodors would allow us to edit our posts...

clifbob

Is it a bad idea to tour the Vatican on my own..or should I take a tour of somekind? If I do it on my own do i need to book in advance?

elcon

Hi clifbob,
I went to Rome in May and went on a tour of the Vatican that I booked through the Vatican tour office. The cost was 29 euros and it lasted about two hours. It ends in the Sistine Chapel and then you are permitted to go into St. Peter's after for as long as you wish, until closing. You can go to www.vatican.va for more info or e-mail them at [email protected]
For Scavi tours, e-mail [email protected]. Include your travel dates, language preference, time preference and number of people in your group. I went on a wednesday and went to the papal audience at 9 am, then into the Vatican and spent pretty much the whole day in Vatican City. My guide was great, very informative. Have a great time.
El

Ozziez

If you go on a Vatican tour that is conducted by the Vatican are you able to:

1. Stay in the Sistine Chapel for as long as you wish (until closing)?
2. go back into the museum after the tour has finished?

I understand that you visit St Peters after the tour, but if you want to spend more time in the museum and Sistine Chapel on your own is this possible?

casanic

You can do this on your own--in one big overwhelming day if you want, or 2 leisurely days.

Day 1: Scaavi tour, St. Peter's Basilica, and square

Day 2: or afternoon of Day 1: Vatican museums & Sistine chapel (get tickets beforehand)

kybourbon

Oz - If you go on the Vatican Museum tour (I'm only talking about the one booked through the Vatican, not an outside tour company), you can stay in the museum. Many people (mostly tour groups that aren't official Vatican tours) exit through a door in the Sistine Chapel, but this is not the regular exit(don't use it unless you are sure since you won't be able to come back in that way). If you want to spend more time in the museum, just tell your tour guide. Most tours that are done by outside tour agencies, exit through the Sistine Chapel and continue their tour in St. Peter's because their tours are Vatican Museum and St. Peter's. AFAIK - The official Vatican Museum tours do not include St. Peter's. They only offer two types of tours, Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel or Vatican Gardens.
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...zi_Visite.html

The cafeteria in the museum is quite decent if you need a break.

kybourbon

If you look at this map, you will see the entrance to the Vatican Museum is #22 and the Sistine Chapel is #9 (it's not in St. Peter's). The museum is all of the area between 22 and 9. The reason people want to exit through the Sistine Chapel is they will bypass the security line to get in St. Peter's. Otherwise, you exit at #22 and walk around - about 10-15 minute walk and then you have to get in security line, but it moves really fast.
http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/vaticancity-map.htm

Ozziez

Thanks for replying Casanic. Unfortunately 2 of my children are under 5 so we wont be able to do the Scavi tour (although it does look fascinating).

Kybourbon, I think you had better come to Rome with us! You really are a very helpful Fodorite. This is very useful info because what I have in mind is to allocate an entire day to the Vatican. Being able to do the tour organised by the Vatican and then do the rest at our own pace (especially since we'll have been to Pompeii the day before and may be a bit - LOL -tired) will suit us. The tip about the cafeteria is also great because I'm sure the kids (and the adults) would benefit from recharging batteries along the way.

Ozziez

Sorry Casanic - I meant to say that 2 of my children are under 15.

nona1

There were loads of tour companies 'touting' nearby. I picked a lady who had excellent English, and the tour was good.

We also got to spend as much time as we liked in the Sistine chapel and return to the museum on our own at after the tour. She just did her 'spiel' on the chapel, pointed out both the exit door and the door that led back to the museum so we could choose, then left us to it.

Ozziez

So if we decided to spend longer in the museum after seeing the Sistine Chapel, could we then go back through the Sistine Chapel after redoing the museums and then exit through the door that allows us to bypass the security line into St Peters?

anna_roz

Rome Walks (google the name) for a few Euro more.

kybourbon

Yep, as long as you know which door is the exit to St. Peter's. As you enter the Chapel, there are doors at the back. One goes to the courtyard and one into St. Peter's. From the courtyard, you can enter other areas of the museum. You should also be able to exit the chapel through the door you entered. I didn't visit the museum last month when I was in Italy so that may have changed, but I doubt it. There are many rooms/areas of the museum that most of the tours never enter. You will likely be alone in many of them.

There was also a separate pizza area beside the cafeteria. They have wine, but it's boxed (small individual boxes).

Here's a picture link from the courtyard.
http://tinyurl.com/6ytfga

fitznj

How about the rest of Vatican City? The railroad station, the gardens, etc. What is the advice on seeing things in the Vatican other than St. Peter's and the Museum? Do you have to prearrange this? Thanks.