Vatican Museum Tour and Handbags/Backpacks
 

It is my understanding that you must check your handbag/backpack with security before you enter the museums.

If that is SOP, when you complete your tour at the Sistine Chapel, does that mean you must exit the chapel through the door that leads back into the building to retreive your possessions?

We would like to exit the chapel through the "tour" door and proceed to St. Peter's Basilica, which saves a lot of time.

This is what is nagging at me: If anyone who has exited the tour door and did not have a handbag when they first entered, where do you keep all your "stuff" for the remainder of the day. In your pockets?

I had a fairly large purse, maybe 10" x 12", and didn't have to check it for the Vatican Museum. I think you do have to check it if you have a backpack. And yes, if you check it, you would have to go out the regular exit from the Sistine Chapel to get back to the checkroom.

We were just there this week and took a backpack in with us. It wasn't a problem at all.

Great, if no one else has an opposing comment about this issue, then I will assume a small handbag will not be an issue.

BTW, does anyone remember exactly how long it takes to get back to the Admission/Checkroom area, if you must exit the Sistine Chapel through the "regular" door.

Hello,

We were there last month, and handbags/purses were OK, but my husband was not allowed to take a backpack into St. Peter's Basilica.

If you don't go to the Basilica from the Sistine Chapel, you would walk back through the museum complex to return to the Museum cloakroom area. Probably a 15 to 25 minute walk, depending on your pace and assuming that you don't stop to look at new things along the way. Maybe this web site would help you visualize the distance? It's an interactive map from the Vatican Museum:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Visite.html

Hope you enjoy your trip, SusanEva

The walk from the Sistine Chapel exit back to the cloakroom/checkroom at best will take up a good 1/2 hour with kids in tow.

We will probably avoid taking a backpack, and stick with handbags.

Thanks everyone.

I just got back from Italy and we didn't have to check anything at the Vatican Muesum. We didn't have a backpack but I had a large purse and my boyfriend had a large camera bag.

It does say about both the Vatican and St. Peter's that you must check backpacks so you might want to get a large purse and maybe something else that doesn't look like a backpack.

You do have to check everything at the Borghese Museum though.

Kimberly1881,

Would you please clarify your statement <It does say...> Who or what is "it?" Thanks for mentioning the camera bag being allowed. One person in our group will definitely have one.

wliwl,

I will be visiting the Borghese Museum; however, I'm taking a guess that one doesn't have a long trek back to retreive the handbag. Am I right?

Kane,

Correct about the Borghese. You must check the hand carried items, bags, backpacks, etc. at a location right next to where you pick up your tickets, which is at the ground floor of the villa. That said, there was a surprisingly long line for checking these items. We were worried, because we were still in this line at our time of entry, but there wasn't a problem with going inside the museum 10 minutes later than our appointment time. BTW, I did the Borghese opposite of the crowds - second floor with paintings first, and then first floor with sculptures. It was wonderful to have all the rooms virtually to oneself.

SusanEva,

Very clever idea about starting on the second floor. Will do.