Scavi tour question
Jan 13th, 2009, 03:13 PM
#1
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Scavi tour question
I have reservations for the Scavi tour at 9:15 am on March 13. If I wanted to go straight from this 90 minute tour to the Vatican Museums should I ask for reservations for at 11am? I need to be able t get from one place to the other, but I don't want to spend a lot of time standing around waiting for my reserved time.
Jan 13th, 2009, 03:24 PM
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It is your call. Personally it will be too much for me one after the other. But of course what I feel is not important.
The scavi tour in itself is fairly long and the guide provides lots of information and it is amazing.
The scavi tour in itself is fairly long and the guide provides lots of information and it is amazing.
Jan 13th, 2009, 07:20 PM
#3
We did the tour in late October and found that the different Scavi guides did not all move along at the same pace. Our group asked a lot of questions, and the guide was very enthusiastic. Maybe that's why the group that started after us was out before we were. Also, you're released into an area containing many popes' crypts that you can spend some time wandering through.
Jan 13th, 2009, 07:37 PM
#4
Some people have reported their tour was 1 hour while others said 1 1/2 hours. It would be pushing it if the tour lasted 1 1/2 hours and you still have to trek to the Vatican Museum entrance and go through security.
I would visit St. Peter's after the Scavi tour since you can bypass the security line (just go up the stairs as you are leaving instead of out the exit gate). Schedule your museum tour for later allowing time for lunch.
I would visit St. Peter's after the Scavi tour since you can bypass the security line (just go up the stairs as you are leaving instead of out the exit gate). Schedule your museum tour for later allowing time for lunch.
Jan 13th, 2009, 08:05 PM
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We went on the Scavi Tour a few years ago. Seems like we had to leave our bags at the coat check which was on the opposite side of the entrance to the Scavi Tour. So allow extra time before the tour to be sure you are ready.
The Scavi Tour was one of the most interesting things we did in Rome.
The Scavi Tour was one of the most interesting things we did in Rome.
Jan 13th, 2009, 08:11 PM
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We took the tour in early November and, as a previous poster said, the tour length varies with your guide. I don't recall how long we were down there, but my DH seems to think it was about 2 hours. We had a wonderful young guide who majored in ancient Greek/Latin and interpreted lots of the writings on the tombs.
We also had a young woman who started to feel claustrophobic about halfway through. Our guide escorted her out and was gone for quite a while.
I would schedule the museum tour for after lunch. When you finish the Scavi tour, wander St. Peter's, have lunch nearby (there is a street with a couple of good cafes to the left side of the Basilica, when facing it. Go back for the museum tour after lunch.
We also had a young woman who started to feel claustrophobic about halfway through. Our guide escorted her out and was gone for quite a while.
I would schedule the museum tour for after lunch. When you finish the Scavi tour, wander St. Peter's, have lunch nearby (there is a street with a couple of good cafes to the left side of the Basilica, when facing it. Go back for the museum tour after lunch.
Jan 13th, 2009, 08:12 PM
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I agree it is too much stimulation. I would reccomend getting to San Pietro around 7:30 or 8 and seeing it doing its job as a church before the tour groups arrive. If you have extra time in between, grab a croissant and a cappuchino at nearby caffe.
I've heard the best time to see the Vatican museum is either when it opens or during the tour buses lunch hour.
I've heard the best time to see the Vatican museum is either when it opens or during the tour buses lunch hour.
Jan 13th, 2009, 08:34 PM
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Does it matter?
IF you're booking a specific Vatican Museums GUIDED tour, it probably does. Allow 90 mins for the excavation tour, and a good 15 minutes to get to the front door of the Vatican Museums. So you're pushing it, since there's possibly the added problem of waiting to get through security at the Museums. There MIGHT be a queue problem picking up tickets, but we'll come back to that in a minute. You certainly need a guided tour leaving after 1115
Ignore, BTW, the advice about the security-free quick entrance to St Peter's. It's accurate, but irrelevant to you since you need to get to the Museums which are a good kilometre away.
BUT if you're just booking tickets for the Museums online to go round them under your own steam, you're probably making a fuss about nothing.
These tickets aren't actually timed, though the website makes it look as if they are. You're really booking morning access. Collect the tickets at your leisure, then saunter through the barriers whenever you get to the Museums.
You might think trusting me on this is dangerous. If so, just collect the tickets BEFORE you go into the excavations - allowing plenty of time to get to the Museum door, then to find the excavation office. That means collecting them by 0845-0850. There were no queues whatsoever for collecting or using prebooked tickets a few weeks ago, and all the stories about Vatican Museum queues come from people who hadn't booked online. Obviously, though, by mid March you're coming into the pre-Easter buildup, and queues might be longer - but as far as I'm aware, there's no history yet of what queues at the busy periods are like for online bookers, since the online system is relatively recent.
IF you're booking a specific Vatican Museums GUIDED tour, it probably does. Allow 90 mins for the excavation tour, and a good 15 minutes to get to the front door of the Vatican Museums. So you're pushing it, since there's possibly the added problem of waiting to get through security at the Museums. There MIGHT be a queue problem picking up tickets, but we'll come back to that in a minute. You certainly need a guided tour leaving after 1115
Ignore, BTW, the advice about the security-free quick entrance to St Peter's. It's accurate, but irrelevant to you since you need to get to the Museums which are a good kilometre away.
BUT if you're just booking tickets for the Museums online to go round them under your own steam, you're probably making a fuss about nothing.
These tickets aren't actually timed, though the website makes it look as if they are. You're really booking morning access. Collect the tickets at your leisure, then saunter through the barriers whenever you get to the Museums.
You might think trusting me on this is dangerous. If so, just collect the tickets BEFORE you go into the excavations - allowing plenty of time to get to the Museum door, then to find the excavation office. That means collecting them by 0845-0850. There were no queues whatsoever for collecting or using prebooked tickets a few weeks ago, and all the stories about Vatican Museum queues come from people who hadn't booked online. Obviously, though, by mid March you're coming into the pre-Easter buildup, and queues might be longer - but as far as I'm aware, there's no history yet of what queues at the busy periods are like for online bookers, since the online system is relatively recent.
