I will be buying tickets for the Vatican and Museums with auto so that we do not have to wait on line to get into the Basilica but the ticket will be for a specific time. Does that time mean I must be at the Museum entrance for that scheduled time or is time for the Basilica and I can enter the Museum at will? Thanks

Contrary IME - the Basilica, like any active church, is free to enter - the Vatican museums can get very long lines to enter so a timed entry there could be good. That said I have not been in Vatican for several years but I'd be surprised that the main church charges an entry fee - in my many previous visits there, there were Vatican security or real morality guards at the church to turn away folks with too much skin, especially women and forbid folks with shorts on entry - not sure what is banned now but think pretty much the same.

There is no ticket for the basilica. I assume you'll be taking the museum tour and entering the basilica from the museums. If you enter the basilica from the front entrance you'll have to queue for security.

If you can get to St. Peter's earlier in the day then definitely do that as it'll be less crowded.

On my first visit to Rome 30+ yrs ago you could appreciate the basilica in peace and quiet nearly any time of the day, including quiet time sitting or kneeling in a pew just soaking in the atmosphere. On my most recent visit a few years ago it was mobbed with wall to wall tourists, many in large tour groups. I think we spent about a total of 15min inside and decided we'd rather spend our time strolling along the Tiber where it was quiet.

The Tiber bike/walking paths are great - well below most of Rome right along the river - good way to go between some areas. If into biking there are some great places to reach by these paths:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tibe...ih=625&dpr=1.5

I really wouldn't recommend the Tiber paths. Some parts might be all right, but many sections have encampments of people sleeping rough, sometimes under the effects of alcohol or drugs. Unless you know the area well, you should avoid these paths. The streets that follow the river, are just as convenient for walking, and are quite safe, but I probably wouldn't want to bike on central Roman streets.

The Tiber paths are about the most unfriendly riverside paths in all of Europe. Not only does Rome not have much of a river culture, like most other European cities, those paths are singularly unattractive and, nowadays can be forbidding.

The stretch of the Tiber we walked was from the Vatican to Isola Tiberina. We never encountered a single homeless camp or came across anybody that gave us any cause for concern. That was exactly 3yrs ago, May 2016. If things have changed since then it's new news.

If anything it's likely less of an issue now. There is even a "beach" set up.

But there are some people living along the river. During the day it wouldn't be a huge issue but late at night likely not the best place to stroll. There was the American kid who died down there.

The Tiber beach was an expensive folly that lasted two months. The area is again overgrown and muddy, and there are no plans to reconstruct it.

With the weather this year they could have ice skating on the river. Brrr

We had snow flurries in Le Marche today, in the first foothills. I'm sure it was snow higher up, but it's too cloudy to see.

I don't doubt that some stretches of the Tiber paths are safe. In fact, I said so in my initial post. However, I wouldn't think a tourist would be able to judge where it's safe and where it's not.

Just a few days ago, a Tunisian woman, a champion javelin thrower, long resident in Rome, was found dead along the Tiber. It hasn't been determined yet the cause of death.

And has it been determined she was killed there or dumped there? Certainly not a place to go at night but all those positive reviews on TripAdvisor, etc.?

bvlenci is not a Roman local but lives far away. How about the many positive reviews on TripAdvisor? That's firsthand info, right.

Cripes, Pal, bvlenci is often in Rome and FAR more of a local than you've ever been. Her advice on anything in Italy is always spot on.

Do you really place much faith in TripAdvisor as opposed to someone like bvlenci? If so, you need a big re-think.

Bottom line is that the trails along the sketchy banks of the Tiber in Rome are NOT anywhere you want to venture. If you found them fascinating in the Paleolithic Age, Pal, get over it.

As I said, Palenq, it hasn't been determined yet how the woman died (or where). But I can assure you that no one would murder somebody in Piazza Navona, or dump a body in Trevi Fountain.