boundfortravel

I am planning out my itinerary for our day in Vatican City. It fits wonderfully into our larger itinerary on Tuesday, 10/23/12. It will be just me and my partner (28 & 30) and we have no mobility issues. I’ve done some reading around here and have noticed a 50/50ish split in people’s preference of order. I’ve also read RoninRome’s very helpful tips. Based on this, I’m not as overwhelmed but I still have lingering questions. First, here’s my tentative plan:

Tour the Scavi first thing in the morning (I know I need to buy the tickets like yesterday)
Go up Michelangelo’s Dome, view Cupola, go out on to roof
View inside of St. Peter’s
Lunch
Walk to entrance of Vatican Museums (be sure to visit Raphael rooms, Pinacotecea)
View Sistine Chapel

What I most want to know is, is it wise to do Scavi first thing, even before St. Peter’s? Or is there some reason this is not a good plan?
Do you have specific recommendations of rooms in the Vatican to view (particularly for someone who loves Caravaggio)?
What time should I purchase advance tickets for the Vatican Museums for (assuming I’ll do them on the second half)? I’m thinking 12:30 or 1:00pm
Assuming I keep this plan, any particular lunch recommendations?

Finally, I want to be able to wander freely around and view all that we can/want to in the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s. However, I also enjoy the knowledge/history of what I’m looking at. Thus, I’m leaning away from a guided tour (if I did one, it would probably be with Walks of Italy), and instead meandering around with a guidebook or two. Seems like the best fit. I think we’re the last two people without smartphones or a nook, so apps/mp3’s/ebooks won’t do it. Suggestions for good book guides for carrying around with us?

Thanks so much in advance! This board is very helpful.

kybourbon

You do not have a choice about the Scavi tour. You can't just buy tickets. You send in a request (it's best to give a range of days you are willing to take the tour) and you take whatever they have if you are lucky enough to even get a spot. The tour is very limited with only a total of 200 people per day which includes other language tours.

kybourbon

After you find out if you get a Scavi tour, then you will need to arrange the rest of your schedule around that.

You can book a tour directly with the Vatican of the museums only. If you want to stay longer than the two hour tour, then do. You also have the option of buying entry tickets only and then renting the audio guides.

There is also an audio guide you can rent in St. Peter's.

boundfortravel

Ah! Thank you! That one little piece of information that you have to just take what the give you to tour the scavi clears everything up. I will do that before any other planning.

Thanks!

denisea

Send the Scavi office an email ASAP to be sure you get a time slot.

We were assigned 1:00pm, so you may not get an AM time slot.

boundfortravel

Just sent in the request. Thanks!

kybourbon

>>>Go up Michelangelo’s Dome, view Cupola, go out on to roof<<<

You can't just wander through here whenever you want either. You have to get in line to get a ticket and then in line to go up(sometimes very long). You can either take the stairs (550) for 5€ or elevator part way and stairs(320) for 7€.

lennyba

As kybourbon says, you'll get what the Scavi office assigns you (but as I recall you can tell them a time preference). This is what we did last fall with a 10 a.m. Scavi res - we stayed at a B&B in Piazza Risorgimento so just had to cross the street.

Got to the square about 7:30, no line for the cupola. Bought tickets and went right up at 8. Plenty of time to spend on the roof. Went out (now there was a huge line) and walked across to the security line to enter the Scavi tour area. At the end of the tour you come up right in the basilica. We spent an hour or two, got some lunch and headed over to the museums for our 1 p.m. reservation.

PeaceOut

Big tip:
Tour the Vatican Museum first, and then go directly from there into St Peter's via an inside route.

You avoid an entire line-up for St Peter's this way.

In the Chapel, ask which exit door leads to St Peter's without leaving the property. I think it is on the left, in the back.

I don't think they promote this back door route necessarily. I found it in Rick Steve's book and it was a huge time-saver. Not to mention we didn't have to stand in the hot sun.

We reserved our Museum tour using the Vatican's on-line service.

Delaine

The "back door" from the Sistine Chapel is for tour groups, so to use it, you will have to either be with, or pretend to be with, a tour group.

PeaceOut

We were touring with the Vatican's guide, which we recommend. No one asked us at the door, though.

indy_dad

The "back door" allows you to skip the security line but not the ticket line for the cupola. That line was huge when we came down from our early morning visit. That's why I favor going up first and then hit the Vatican Museums in the afternoon when the tours have passed (walked right in).

boundfortravel

Okay, I have a reservation for the Scavi at 10:15am. So... lenny, it sounds like we might do what you did... Does this sound about right:

Arrive before 8am to stand in line for to climb up to the cupola; purchase tickets when they open and climb. View outside from roof. View inside St. Peter's (hopefully we'll get our fill before our Scavi res). Does that seem doable?

Early lunch when we finish the Scavi tour.

Purchase admission tickets (online) to Vatican Museum for a 1pm entrance. This gives us 4 hours for the Museums and the Sistine Chapel.

(And a big personal bonus - no need to worry about breaking the rule or not breaking the rule at the back door of the Sistine Chapel. )

indy_dad

Pre-purchased might not be necessary for the afternoon Vatican slot if you want to save a few euro and have some additional flexibility.

http://www.roninrome.com/%20sites-an...re-book-or-not