Options for Vatican Museums, Including Private Tours?
 

Hi, could you please review options for the Vatican Museums?

1. It looks like the Museums run a tour, but it looks like confirmation needs to be done via fax. However I've read that someone has posted an e-mail here and it works.

2. What are the reputable (private) tour agencies? I know that people have posted on this. What's the cost?

3. The Vatican Museums have extended their hours.

Basically I am wondering what the most cost-effective method is to see the Sistine Chapel in early/mid June. Of course regular admission is the cheapest, but I'm afraid the Chapel will be overrun with people.

Thanks!

bump

3. Night tours of the Vatican, are, to my knowledge, the most expensive.

2. Italy With Us does a Vatican tour, as does VasTours as does Context Rome and Enjoy Rome. Prices flucuate depending on who you use and I think whether or not you're going at night. I've seen rates like 35 Euros per person and then 950 Euros per small party of folks going at night.

I hope Steve James answers this one as I defer to his better grasp of this. The great advantage of going on a guided tour is that you skip ahead of the line of folks who're there on their own.

BC

Thanks. It doesn't have to be at night. The important thing is to have a relatively uncrowded Sistine Chapel -- if that's possible. But maybe that makes an evening, private visit inevitable.

The tour by the Vatican Museum guides are about 30 euros per person and are very good. That price includes the guide, headset and admission. You do not wait in a line. Their guides are excellent. Click on my name and you'll find the Vatican email address.

The after-hours tour by Italy with Us is an unbelievable, fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime splurge (250 euros per person). Unless you do the afterhours tour, there will probably be a mob in the entire museum complex. With afterhours, you are virtually alone, like 2 dozen people. www.italywithus.biz

Sorry, but can't help with the private agencies.

dave

Great, thanks. I remember your posting, but I just couldn't recall your name, and I didn't have time to search. It's good to have your info so I didn't have to search for it.

"Italy With Us" is a private agency. You probably thought that I was talking about something else? I just meant a tour agency not necessarily affiliated with the Vatican Museums.

Is the "helen" that Helen that temporarily made a splash on this board?

this message was sent to me. you may find it worth checking out.
Hello Richard

The after-hours tour costs €250 per person and is simply priceless.

Here are some articles written about it:
http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-vatican6may06
http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a...731#5861077731
http://www.frommers.com/cgi-bin/[email protected]^[email protected]
http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a...5/m/7501059493
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/travel/20rome.html

And a video:
http://www.passagetoroma.com/vaticanmuseum1.wmv

Let me know what you think,

We took the After Hours tour with Italy With Us and *loved* it. Highly recommended.

We took the official Vatican Museum Tour, and thought it was well worth the money. I used the email information that daveesl posted, and it worked fine.

I'm not sure there is an uncrowded time in the Sistine Chapel, but we found an empty spot on a bench, and sat and enjoyed it for a long while.

We did a private daytime tour through TickItaly.com for 5 persons at 68 euros per head. Very informative and entertaining, though all rooms, chapel, St Peters were crowded.

We have friends who are patrons of the museums. They done the Sistine chapel alone, at night. Just a thought.

Is there any speculation about what crowds in the Sistine Chapel will be like in June? Perhaps a good time to visit when it's not so crowded?

Just trying to figure out what if I really need to consider doing the private tour. For me having a guide is not important. It's more having a quieter place.

Thanks!

It's hard to judge the crowd flows now since last year the Vatican changed their policy to tour companies/groups only from 8-10 and then this year reversed the policy. It does seem that most groups and individuals tend to go early morning and there are less crowds after lunch. I would use the Vatican's own tour (perhaps the noon time if possible) and just stay in the museum after your tour. Grab a bite to eat in their cafeteria (the food is quite decent) and then revisit the Sistine Chapel on your own around 4 pm before the guards start shooing everyone out to close. I think you will find it has cleared out considerably by then. We stayed until close one June and many rooms were empty. It was if we had the place to ourselves.