Vatican tour - This might be a silly question but if all these private tour companies offer 8 AM "private" tour of the Vatican how private can it be?. Isn't it just as crowded as 9 AM? Is it better in the afternoon instead?

Also, are there any tours that focus on the art rather than religion? Thinking of Context, Italywithus? Any stand out as being different?

It's not private, but it's not as crowded as at 9 am, when most tour operators, including the big-bus ones, start rolling up.

Context and Italywithus both use scholars and focus more on art than religion.

We had a Context Rome tour of the Vatican Museums and it was ALL about the art. Loved our tour. (And we met our tour guide at 1pm.)

I've taken Vatican Museum tours with Context and Enjoy Rome and neither tour was about religion.

i was just there two weeks ago... we had a res but we just walked in about an hour early....i think about 11AM...

why take a tour, do it yourself....there is so much you will find it overwhelming anyways....adding verbal to it would just add to the over-awe...

there is a nice deli about 1/2 way through and it is a good place for something to eat...

if you take a tour, you will be allowed to enter st peters from the sistine, but we were not allowed even though we tried it in the middle of a group tour... it will save you a huge walk around the outside...