Although not a day I requested, I've been assigned tickets to the Scavi Tour at St. Peter's on Monday morning at 9:00 (I assume this is the first tour of the day.) The reply says the tour should take about one-and-a-half hours, which would put me out at roughly 10:30. I'll be going late Feb-01, at which time I believe the Vatican Museums close at 12:45. <BR> <BR>If I'm heading to the entrance at the Vatican museums at 10:30 on Monday morning, should I expect a massive wait to get in? <BR>Do you think I'd have enough time to hit the 'highlights' (take the roughly 90-min audio tour)? Should I come back another day to do the museums, and maybe just do the Scavi, St. Peter's and Castel Sant. Angelo on that day?

If you're scheduled to finish the Scavi tour at around 10:30, you probably won't get back to the entrance to the Vatican Museums until closer to 10:50 or 11 am. It's a bit of a trudge from St. Peter's to the museums entrance; and though they try to keep the Scavi tours running to a tight schedule (our guide was rushing back to pick up her next tour), you might finish a bit later than 10:30. <BR> <BR>I wouldn't expect too much in the way of lines at the museums in late February; when I visited the Vatican at the end of January, there were no "lines" to speak of, just crowds in the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. I didn't have to wait in any sort of line to buy my ticket or anything like that, and was pretty much able to go at whatever pace I desired. I don't expect the crowds will have picked up that much by the end of February, so you probably would have enough time for the "highlights"--but not to really linger. I spent a good two hours in the Vatican Museums and only left because I had to rush to *my* Scavi tour; would have liked more time, definitely. I stood contemplating Raphael's School of Athens for at least 20 minutes, and a friend tells me he spent half an hour or more in front of Michelangelo's Last Judgment. <BR> <BR>How long will you be in Rome? If you have a morning when you think you can come back and devote two hours or more to Vatican Museums, I'd recommend doing that and, as you mentioned, spending time on the Basilica and Castel Sant'Angelo after your Scavi tour. If your time in the city is more limited and coming back another day would be a problem, I think you *can* work in the highlights of the Museums in 90 minutes-ish. You're likely to feel rushed, though.

Thans, Gina, for the helpful information! May I ask, when you said the Sistine and Raphael rooms had 'crowds,' just out of curiousity, was it shoulder-to-shoulder, force-your-way-in-metropolis subway-at-rush hour type crowded, or just full-but-able-to-move-around-well crowded?

The latter, fortunately. There are low benches all around the sides of the Sistine Chapel, so that you can sit and tilt your head back and contemplate the ceiling, and I was able to find a seat more than once. (Sit for awhile, get up and walk closer to the Last Judgment for awhile, sit again, etc.) Both the Chapel and the Raphael Rooms were definitely well populated, but not jammed to overflowing. I did wonder how crazy it must get in, say, mid-July.

We tried to get into the Vatican on a Monday morning and the line was really long. We were told by the cab driver that Monday mornings always have the longest lines. Not sure why. We went back on Tuesday at noon and there were not any lines at all, just a lot of people inside. Good Luck, I hope your plans work out.

WH, <BR>Be aware that 2/28 is Ash Wednesday, which is obviously not a Monday, but I would expect crowds in St Peters on 2/28, and maybe the days before as well. Just a thought. <BR>Pam

Ooh, yikes, I had forgotten about the Lenten season. That definitely could hike up the crowds a bit.

Thanks to all for the tips. I hadn't even thought about Lent! I guess the Vatican is like New Orleans - it's darn near impossible to find a time when there isn't SOMETHING major going on creating crowds. (footnote: this may be the only thing the Vatican and New Orleans have in common...)