Shortest wait for the Vatican without prebooking online?
 

Hi there,

I [stupidly] waited to book tickets for the Vatican. It's Thursday night and I want to go on Saturday. How early would I need to get there Saturday morning to be the first in line? Essentially I want to spend the least amount of time in line. Not interested in guided tours, and would like to keep things as inexpensive as possible, so buying a guided tour isn't ideal if it's avoidable.

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

We're also trying to see the Colosseum if that matters.

Do you want to see them both on the same day, and is there a reason you can't book online?

Lee Ann

We're looking to do the Vatican tomorrow, and the Colosseum on Sunday. I mentioned it because I know both require tickets but wasn't sure if there was some ticket that allowed admission to both that I may not know about.

We can't book the Vatican online because it's all sold out apparently (all but two days were greyed out.)

Saturday is the busiest day at the Vatican Museums, and the fact that they're not selling any more tickets for that day indicates that it's even busier than usual. May is one of the very busiest months of the year for tourism in Rome. I don't think there's any time of day you can go that wouldn't be subject to a very long wait for a ticket.

Usually there are fewer visitors in the afternoon than in the morning. The last entry is at 4 PM. You might try going at around 2 PM to see how the line is, but I don't think I can reassure you.

I once went to the Vatican Museums on a Saturday morning in early March. This is low season, but it was so crowded that I swore I'd never again go there on a Saturday at any time of the year. (My husband says he's just not going there again at all, period.) Here's a photo I took that day in the corridor leading to the Sistine Chapel.

https://goo.gl/photos/Yygt4xxskeShsrAP7

You might want to consider if you'd be up for this and also a visit to Colosseum, likewise crowded and hot, on the same day. I know I wouldn't. (There's very little air conditioning in the Vatican Museums, and it's supposed to be hot this weekend.) Every time I've been to the Vatican Museums, it sucked up all my energy for the rest of the day.

I appreciate the advice, but Italy may be a once in a lifetime thing for me, and as far as I can tell, the Vatican Museums are a must-see, so I'm pretty much going to have to wait. We're staying right next to the Vatican - what time would I need to be in line to be within the first 25 ppl in line?

I've never tried it, but I would guess around 7:30.

What do you mean, "as far as I can tell, the Vatican Museums are a must-see"? There's no such thing as a "must-see". If you'd have more fun sitting at a sidewalk café table sipping an apertivo, you have a perfect right to do so. You're paying for your vacation, why let someone else decide what you need to see? Do you let other people decide what car to buy?

Two years ago, in June, one of my cousins from the US came to Italy, with her husband and three teenagers. I offered to show them around Rome. They had paid for an expensive tour of the Vatican Museums on the Saturday morning. I warned them, as I'm warning you, but she said exactly the same thing you're saying: we may never get back here, and the Vatican Museums are on our bucket list. She also offered to treat me to the tour, but I declined the offer. When they entered the museums and saw the crowd, they decided they'd rather lose the money they'd spent, and left without taking the tour.

>>>We're looking to do the Vatican tomorrow, and the Colosseum on Sunday.<<<

I'm too late for this thread I guess, but I've found afternoon entry to have less lines. You need to allow for a few hours inside the museum as they attempt to herd people towards the exits before closing.

I've also bought tickets last minute at the Vatican Post Office (on the left of the Piazza S. Pietro as you are facing St. Peters). You do have to pay the booking fee, but we purchased, walked over to the Museums entrance and by-passed the very long line.