sproctor23

Hello everyone,

Just need some advice. Would it be better to do St. Peter's Basilica first and then get tickets for a guided tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel so that we can skip the lines? Or should I buy tickets to St. Peter's for a guided tour as well? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Travel_Nerd

St. Peter's does not have a fee, but does often have a long security line. If you want to do a guided tour, that of course would have a fee associated with it. That would be up to you - I'm unfamiliar with guided tour options to the Church.

My suggestion: pre-purchase tickets for Vatican Museums ahead of time. I do not know when you are traveling, but I opted to do an audio guide with breakfast - this was in the summer. This allowed me to get into the Museums well before the crowds. Then I toured the church on my own. The audio guide was dry, but did its job to keep away from the crowds.

Supposedly, there is a "secret door" that can allow you to enter St. Peters from Sistine Chapel, but I've been hearing on this forum that option is not available due to Covid. That could change.

One point: St. Peter's opens as early as 7am, if i remember correctly. At that early, even in summer, there was no security line (I made the rookie mistake of heading to the Church instead of Museums). Personally, if you can time it right, I'd do St. Peter's early, and then with your pre-purchased Museum tix, head over to the Museums after.

My visit was in 2017, so there is a possibility things have changed. I'm sure others will chime in with thoughts as well.

alandavid

Nearly all tours start in the Vatican Museum and end in St Peter's. Traditional order is: Vatican Museum>Sistine Chapel>St Peter's.
Some tours merely drop you off at St Peter's entrance, some include a guided tour thru the Basilica (worth it if its your 1st time).
As mentioned, there is a side door that takes tour groups directly from the Sistine Chapel through a small courtyard & into the side door of St Peter's. It was blocked during COVID, but is a HUGE time-saver if its open.
IMO, the earliest tour of the day, or very late in the day are the times to book your tour.

Underhill

Does anyone know whether the tours of the catacombs beneath St. Peter's are still being given?

joannyc

Yes, according to their website. It’s called the Scavi Tour.