I've been scanning all the old posts I can find about Vatican tours, and am still undecided about how much time to devote to the Vatican. We are not Catholic, but interested in history and art. We are confirmed on the Scavi tour. YAY!
While in Rome we also want to see the Borghese, the Forum and Coliseum and have some time to wander.
Here's the schedule:
Arrive Friday at 1:05
I'm figuring that puts us in our hotel about 3:00 pm?
Saturday morning: Scavi at 10:45 a.m.
Sunday open
Monday most of day in Rome. Depart for Florence, probably 6:30 pm train.

Is it reasonable to tour the Basilica and Museums/Sistine Chapel before and after the Scavi tour? Is that way too much? Maybe break for lunch? Maybe come back a different day? Will the lines be horrendous on Saturday morning?
I'd prefer not to spend extra money on a guided tour--but should I?

Your suggestions, please.

Vera

topping

Hi Vera. Here's what we did. Arrived in Rome, Saturday and at hotel by 11 a.m. Grabbed a quick pizza lunch and headed towards Coliseum for our 2:30 p.m. tour wtih Icon. Tour lasted until about 6:30 p.m. Back to hotel and changed for dinner.

Sunday, 9 a.m. reservations at Borghese. Left Borghese about 11:30 a.m. Had a nice long lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring other sites Pantheon, Piazza Navona Trevi, etc. Had a great picnic on the steps of the Trevi for late afternoon snack. Back to hotel to change for dinner. Went to Spanish Steps after dinner.

Monday, we were supposed to do a Vatican/Catacombs/Other famous religious sites tour but the Vatican part was cancelled due to the Pope's passing. We took a cab to St. Peter's and spent about 2.5 hours between the Basilica and taking in all of the "events" involving the Pope's passing. Went over to the capital area and had lunch and explored after. Did the second part of our tour in the afternoon. Dinner.

We were whipped! But enjoyed every minute. Have a great trip.

I don't think I am the best to answer this but since no one else is I'll give my opinion and bring it to the top for you.

Friday: relax and get settled in, see Pantheon, Trevi fountain, etc. walk around.

Saturday: If you feel like getting up and out early, go to St. Peter's in the morning before the Scavi tour or sleep in and go to St Peter's after the Scavi tour. Stop for lunch. Go to the Vatican museums after lunch when the lines go down.

I would normally say break it up but the Vatican museums are closed on Sunday and you leave Monday afternoon.


Sunday: Borghese- it's closed on Monday and perhaps add the Colosseum. They are far apart but you can't save the Borghese for Monday since it's closed.

Monday: Forum area, and Colosseum if you didn't get to it Sunday.

Last time I was in Rome I spent only 4 hours at the Vatican on a tour that included the Scavi tour. It wasn't enough but I am going back next week.

Thanks for the advice--hope to get more opinions also, particularly about tours vs. going alone. The site stpetersbasilica.org has terrific information, including a self-guided tour.
I am thinking about going to St. Peter's before the Scavi tour,(it opens at 7:00 a.m.)because we usually wake up before five a.m. day after the flight, anyhow. But wonder if a) that gives us enough time; and b) if it there is a long line there, also, in the morning?

Hi,

I believe the Vatican Museum opens at 8:45AM. On Sat it closes early, I think at 1:45PM but last admission is earlier than that.

Hi Vera,
On our first trip to Rome, we did the 2 hr highlight tour of the Vatican Museums, and then toured the Basilica on our own. We probably spent a half hour to 45 minutes walking around. We then had lunch nearby and so it ended up taking most of our day.

This year, we plan to climb the dome at St. Peter's, and do the Scavi Tour (if we ever hear from them!)

Have a great trip!

St. Peter's doesn't usually have a line
and I think you could easily see that before your 10:45 reservation if you get there early.

I have heard that the Vatican museum headphones are good if you don't want a tour.

If I read your message correctly, you have 3 days plus a bit of an afternoon in Rome, one of which is a Sunday. The Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel are closed on Sundays, other than the last Sunday of each month when they are open, and admission is free and they are quite crowded as a consequence (and the last entry is at 12:20 pm, see below). Therefore, whether you take a guided tour or not, I would suggest you schedule a trip to the Vatican Museums on the Saturday or Monday. St Peter’s Basilica itself is open on Sundays, but there will be masses going on on Sunday mornings (and probably around 5 pm on Saturday afternoons) which may make it difficult for you to see some of the art and architecture. If the Pope is saying a mass or giving a blessing on Sunday, you may find it difficult to get into the basilica at all. You should check the website for the Vatican Museums, if you Google those words, it should come up.

As mentioned above, the Borghese is closed on Mondays, so you will need to go on one of your other days. Reservations are mandatory and are for a set time, you have to be there 30 minutes before your scheduled time.

For the Vatican Museums and St Peters, I would recommend 3 hours at a minimum, and of course more if you want to really see other parts of the collection other than the highlights, and/or if you want to climb to the top of the basilica (which I recommend, see below). I strongly recommend the Context Rome tours of the Vatican Museums and the basilica. I think the extra money is really worth it, especially for the museums, as the tour guides are excellent. In addition, the collection is vast and the layout quite a labyrinth so the guides are helpful in making use of limited time. From memory, the Context Rome tour is just under 4 hours. However, if you prefer, I have also used the audiotape for the museums, which I thought was very good also. If you have a particular interest in an artist, period or type of art, you could mention this in an e-mail to the Context Rome people and they may be able to set you up with a guide who has an expertise in your area of interest. If not, you may be better off on your own or with an audiotape. (You can Google Context Rome to get to their website.) Also take a look and see if Rick Steves has a walking guide to the museums and/or St Peters; if so, I would imagine this is very good, I would strongly recommend their book for the Florence museums.

In the summer months, the last entry for the Museums is at 3:20 pm, except on the free Sundays when the last entry is at 12:20 pm.

If you don’t want to do a tour, I agree that there is usually not a long line to get into St Peter’s (it’s just a line to get through the security procedures and it moves quickly) so IMO if you can get there 2 hours or so before the Scavi Tour, that should give you plenty of time to see the church and its art and have a stroll around the magnificent piazza before the Scavi tour. If time permits, you may also be able to climb to the top of the church, you may want to allow extra time for this, or see what the weather is like on the day you visit. You can only gain access to the Sistine Chapel through the Vatican Museums so you won’t be able to see the Sistine Chapel before the Scavi Tour.

Context Rome also does a great Forum/Coliseum tour.

Thanks to everyone. I'm beginning to get a clearer view of what we might want to plan.
It really helps to hear what others have done.
Vera