Ness_07

Hi!
I received confirmation of my booking for this tour on May 15. For those interested, from my initial request on 23 April, the total time the booking took was 23 days. So the response was much quicker than I'd anticipated. In addition we had no flexibility at all with dates, so requested only the 3 July. So I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email booking us in for the 3:15pm timeslot. Perhaps it helped that I mentioned we were Catholics and included the name of our Parish?
Which brings me to my query. I want to be able to maximise the time I spend at the Vatican, but with the new opening arrangements for the Vatican Museums and the reports about very long waiting periods to get in, is it feasible to attempt to see the Museums in the morning, before the Excavation Tour?
As I understand it, the Excavation Tour concludes inside the Basilica, allowing time to explore there. So that will be great, but it would be a shame to come so far and not see the Raphael Rooms, Sistine Chapel and all the other highlights in the Museums. My question is will there be sufficient time to attempt to see Vatican Museums prior, or are we better off visiting the nearby Castel Sant'Angelo or other attractions nearby? Can others who completed the 3:15pm tour shed some light on how they managed their Vatican day? Many thanks!

annhig

hi, ness,

i can't answer your exact question as we didn't do any tour, but perhaps others wil have that info.

as for vatican museum tours, you would need to book a very early one to be sure of being finished in time for your 3.15 tour. Also, at the end of the vatican museums, you are in the sistine chapel, so can take the "secret" exit at the back ,and slip round into St. Peters' without having to trapse all the way back the to the entrance and then all the way round the walls again. so that it a very good opportunity to explore st.Peters'

However, the biggest draw-back is how tired you wil lfeel after touring the vatican. Even if you get a cab to the entrance, and book a tour, you will be exhausted by the end.

so unless you only have one day in Rome [and if you do, do you really want to spend all of it at the vatican?] I strongly suggest that you schedule something light for the mornnig [castel san angelo would be fine] and book a vatican tour for another day.

regards, ann

Ness_07

Thanks Ann. I had read about the entrance from the Sistine Chapel - it sounds like the best way to do both things and stand in line just the once.
Unfortunately we only have 3 July available to see the vatican. We are getting married in Rome so haven't been able to fit in any other completely free days and the scale of the Vatican requires a full free day. We are in Rome for four and a half days all up, but one of those will be taken up with the wedding and another half of another day with doing the paperwork, having the declaration etc.
I feel like this is my one chance to see the Vatican!

KTtravel

I think you can do it quite easily. If you go to the Vatican Museums website, it states there are guided tours that last 2 hours and hit the highlights starting at 10:30. You have to reserve in advance, but the website indicates you'd avoid standing in a long entrance line. I haven't done this guided tour myself, but hope someone else can chime in who has done this recently. (I have toured the museum without a guide several times - one can spend many hours there or head straight for the artwork that interests you most.)

peppermintpatti

Hi Ness, I think you have plenty of time to visit the Museums in the morning. Go for it! Have a wonderful time in Rome, and best wishes for a happy healthy life together! pp

annhig

hi, ness,

well, in that case, I'd go for it, but only if you can get on a tour - you don't want to spend your honeymoon in a queue!

if you can really splurge, there have been some threads about private tours, some of which are in the evening - but we're talking 150E plus pp!!!

good luck with your nuptials,

regards, ann

caroline_edinburgh

Whenever I've been to the museums I've arrived about noon and walked straight in. So what I'd do is have a late breakfast/early lunch, do 2 hours in the museums 12-2, then start making my way to the excavations office. If you then want more time in the museums you can go back another time. (It sounds like you only have 1 day this time ?)

kybourbon

I would book the 10:30 tour through the Vatican which lasts two hours (no waiting in line). The museums have a nice cafeteria (better food than American cafeterias)and a separate pizza area where you could have lunch and relax at the end of your tour. You would still have plenty of time to make your 3:15 Scavi tour.
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...zi_Visite.html

annhig

hi, ness,

i second the idea of the 10.30 tour plus lunch in the vatican cafe. we too were impressed - reasonable food, reasonably priced.

don't think the idea of a 12 noon tour would work - you need to be at the start of the scavi tour at least 30 mniutes in advaance, and if you wanted to linger in the sistine chapel or st. peter's you couldn't. plus not time to rest/eat/ablute.

there is another thread going about this- someone got on one of the new 8am tours which they speak very highly of as no emmets. [=tourists in cornish].

good luck!

regards, ann

PS I believe that the Scavi tour comes out in St. Peters' too, so you can get two bites at it in a day, if you like!

caroline_edinburgh

I didn't suggest a noon tour, but going round on their own from noon (preceded by late breakfast/early lunch) - the point being IME you don't have to queue then. I've never seen the point of these tours - I prefer to go round at my own pace and linger over what interests me. And you can control your own time that way too.

Ness_07

Some good thinking here. I like the idea of trying around noon on our own as a potential way of having the chance to see what we want to see but not encounter an overly large queue (hopefully!). I guess we just need to be mindful of allowing enough time to return to the Excavations Office in time for our tour. Many thanks to all for the advice!