apatinage

I have been looking all over online for hours of operation to see everything in Vatican City... I will be in Rome only for 3 days - from 2/24 - 2/26. I found that many things in Vatican City are closed on Sundays, however it seems as though on the last Sunday of the month, some things are open. If I go on 2/26 which is the last Sunday in February, will I be able to see most things in Vatican City or would it be better to go on Saturday 2/25?

Thanks

kayd

The principal sights at the Vatican are the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. You seem to be looking at the schedule for the Museums because the church certainly is open on Sundays, and for much longer hours than the Museums.

Tours for the necropolis (Scavi) are by advance reservation only, and I don't know about weekend availabliity.

What else at the Vatican are you interested in, and that you think will be closed?

kayd

Oops, I just realized that you might be thinking of the Sistine Chapel -- it is part of the Vatican Museums.

luv2cthings

There is also the Vatican Gardens, which are accessible only by taking a tour.

I just found a useful web site for Vatican visitors - http://www.pnac.org/general/visiting...#museum%20tour -
which indicates that the Vatican Gardens tour is available on Saturdays only when you will be there.

You should be able to find much more information if you google.

apatinage

yes, I am definitely interested in the Sistine chapel. I hope that this is included in the museum that is open on the last Sunday of the month.

Also, are the archaeolgical excavations beneath the Vatican Basilica worth the tour?

luv2cthings

You should also do a search on this forum, for example by entering "scavi" in the search box above for the archaeolgical excavations you will many postings. I haven't done the scavi tour myself, but there are many raves on this site by Fodorites.

kayd

Yes the Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums. It open when the other parts are, except on rare occasions when it is in use for religious purposes (that's where the cardinals meet to elect a new pope).
And yes, the Scavi tour is excellent, but folks reserve months in advance for the very few slots. Search here under "scavi" for many discussions of the subject.

reginadiroma

To answer your question about the Sistine, yes, vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel are open on the last Sunday of every month, and admission is waived on these days. However, I suggest you do yourself a HUGE favor and pay the 12 euros on any other day of the week to avoid a 2-3 hour wait to get it. Saturdays are another bad day to visit, so if you have a friday or a monday in Rome, I would do the Museums on those. Saturdays and Free Sundays make for a very unpleasant time inside the museums.