Private Vatican Tour/Papal balcony blessing
 

We are planning on being in Rome from September 6-9. We also want to take a private tour of the Vatican (not necessarily that day), but the research is beyond overwhelming- there seem to be a thousand companies offering this and I don't know where to start!

Looking for thoughts from anyone who has done a private tour here and/or if you have company recommendations. We want to get a good taste of the Vatican, but don't intend or want to spend more than a day here.

We are also thinking of attending the Angelus from the balcony on the Sunday- if anyone has done this can you confirm we do/don't need tickets and what time you arrived to hear the blessing in the square from the balcony?

Thank you for your thoughts!

We, along with probably 50,000+ other faithful, stood in the square for the papal appearance. It was a hot day. I suggest you get there early, take binoculars (so the pope looks larger than an ant) and take plenty of water. You do not need tickets for this. I think I felt blessed when it was over.

Have not done a private tour.

The Vatican itself offers private tours. You can see all their offererings here: Visit the Museums - Vatican Museums

If you want a tour just for your group, of up to 15 people, there is a flat €250 fee to pay the guide, plus the regular entrance tickets. You can see this option under the category Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. The private tours are those which indicate "with exclusive guide". If you don't mind being part of a group tour, choose one of the "tours for individuals". These tours are all two hours long, if I'm not mistaken.

If you want to include St. Peter's Basilica, you need to take the "Art and Faith" tour, shown on the same page. These tours don't have an exclusive guide, and they can't guarantee they'll include St. Peter's Basilica, because the Pope may need the basilica for a private function with little notice. In that case, they just spend longer in the musuems. This is a three-hour tour.

There is an interesting full-day tour of the Vatican, available only on Saturdays, which includes a visit by private Vatican train to Castel Gandolfo, where you can tour the papal villas. (The present pope doesn't use the villa, because he doesn't take vacations and he doesn't care for splendor.) This tour also includes the Vatican gardens, and early entry to the Museums, which allows you to avoid the worst of the crowds. It's a reasonably priced tour, especially for families with more than one child, because the children after the first child get in free.

Speaking of crowds, they're horrendous at most times. I suggest you reserve either an early entry tour or an evening visit. Apart from the all-day tour, there are other early entry tours under "Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel". There is one tour that opens at 7:15 with breakfast, and lets you tour freely with an audio guide. You would probably be able to start your tour at 8 AM, which is the same as the time you can enter with the all-day tour.

Early entry to the Museums & Breakfast - Vatican Museums

This tour is also available with an exclusive guide.

If you don't want to do an early opening tour, the next best way to avoid the crowds is the night entry, available only on Friday evenings, from April through October. This costs the same as the day-time tour, but is much less crowded. (I took my granddaughter on this tour last summer, and it was very pleasant compared to the hordes you encounter in the day time. The evening tour costs the same as the day-time tour, and can be done either with a guide or an audio guide. There are no exclusive guides for these tours. There are also concerts inside the museum on the Friday evenings, at no extra cost.

Saturday is absolutely the worst day to visit the Vatican Museums, and Friday isn't much better, unless you do the evening visit. If you don't want either the early entry or the evening visit, I would suggest going on the Thurday afternoon, when the crowds are usually a little less than at other times.

If you want to visit St. Peter's Basilica independently of these tours, I suggest you go very early in the morning. The lines begin to get long already at 9 AM. The Basilica opens at 6 AM at that time of the year, and the earlier you go, the better.

Your visit to Rome runs from Thursday through Sunday. On Sunday, the Museums and Sistine Chapel are closed, and the Angelus takes place only on the Sunday. So if you want to do both, you'll have to go to the Vatican on two different days. As Huggy says, the Angelus will take a lot of time, unless you want to have a position way in the back of the crowd. It doesn't make much difference, as you can barely see the pope even if you have a good spot. I was there for the Angelus once, about 15 years ago, when we just happened upon it. The crowds weren't huge in those days, but we really saw just something white on the balcony which we took on faith was the pope.

One other thing I should mention is the possibility of visiting the Vatican Necropolis, also known as the "scavi tour". These tours are available on a very limited basis, and it's not easy to get tickets. Try to reserve early, and tell them a number of different times you'd be able to go. The tour takes you through a Roman Necropolis, where it's believed St. Peter was buried. The body of St. Peter has tentatively been identified, and the tour ends with a chance to get a glimpse of where the tomb is. It's not easy to see, as it's under an altar in the crypt. You get to see it from below, and then from above, in the little chapel in the crypt, by looking down into an opening in the floor. If you take this tour, you can enter directly into the Basilica from the crypt, without waiting in the long line.

Visit of the Excavations below St. Peter's Basilica

You can also visit the crypt if you're visiting the Basilica, and you can see the little chapel. Usually you can't enter the chapel, so you won't see the actual tomb. The chapel is open, and they have kneelers in front of the opening, so you can kneel and pray or reflect.

We have used Context Tours for private tours of the Vatican twice (first with kids, then with kids and their spouses) and in a month for a third time with our parents. Each time we have been very pleased with our experiences. The docents are very knowledgeable and engaging, provide the right level of detail and ensure you see all important parts of the Vatican. It may cost a bit more than you typical tours but they are totally worth it.

Thanks for the very helpful information.