twoteachers

I have read that Vatican tours are free for the disabled; however, it does not say what qualifies. Can I still reserve a tour online and skip the long queue because I find no place to reserve a free tour. I am not in a wheelchair but have significant knee, sciatica and back problems that I think would qualify. I know I need a note from a doctor, but I do not know how to reserve a tour. I will have only one afternoon after my transatlantic flight in Rome, so I need to know what I am doing to survive. Thank you for any help or experience with this matter.

socaltraveler

This should explain it to you:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...o_Servizi.html

The way I read it, you are not considered eligible for free admission unless you can show proof of 74% disability.

adrienne

How are you going to walk through the Vatican Museums with those problems? If I were you I'd have a wheel chair.

According to the Vatican web site you cannot book disabled tickets on line.

I couldn't copy the note so here's the link. It's in the FAQs on the Vatican site.

http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/...ction=supporto

twoteachers

Thank you very much for the information. I have a cane with a folding seat and can manage if I am really motivated.

adrienne

If you take a tour you need to keep up with the group. It's a lot of walking. Perhaps an audio would be better then you could go at your own pace.

bvlenci

On the link provided by SoCalTraveler, you'll see that you can reserve a wheelchair for your visit, if you have someone who can accompany you and push the chair. If you qualify as 75% disabled, your accompanying assistant and you can both enter free, and you can go to the head of the line even if you haven't reserved a ticket.

I don't think a note from your doctor will suffice. You'll need some sort of official document attesting the degree of disability, for example for a pension or for eligibility for disabled parking.

Even if you normally don't use a wheelchair, I would reserve one for the Vatican visit, because the walk is very long and the crowds in the corridor leading to the Sistine Chapel are almost always horrendous. (The only other place I've seen such crowds was on the Great Wall of China at Badaling.) Not only would it be difficult at most times to unfold your chair to take a rest, you'd run the risk of being constantly pushed and shoved, which wouldn't do any good to your sciatica. You can reserve the wheelchair even if you're not 75% disabled. It shouldn't be difficult to find an assistant to push the chair. You might be able to recruit one from the long line waiting to buy tickets. Just announce that you're offering free skip-the-line tickets to someone who will push your wheelchair and you'll probably have 100 offers.

If you can't document 75% disability, you should reserve tickets online and reserve a wheelchair. I agree that you wouldn't want to do a tour, as you might not be able to keep up. Get the audio headset tour, or bring a good guidebook, or both.

cathies

As others have indicated the long queue is only the first chapter of the nightmare (for me) that is the Vatican Museums. It was a long, long walk, or perhaps it just seemed like it at the time? Also, once you get to the Sistine chapel it is crowded with only limited seating. If I was in your position I would only attempt it with a wheelchair.

adrienne

Especially on an afternoon after a transatlantic flight! I'd be swooning!

But I doubt the OP will pay attention to our advice.

cathies - you are not imagining the long walk. I was on tours both visits so the time seemed to go quickly. And then there is the long walk across St. Peter's plaza to get to the street. The sensory overload of the museums and Sistine Chapel is enough to wear you out (at least it does me!).

adrienne

And at the end of all this magnificence there is still St. Peters to see.

DebitNM

I have no idea if this is correct, but other discounts offered In Italy/ EU (student, elderly etc) are only for EU residents. As the Vatican is a separate country, their rules and regs could be different.

So, even If you can provide documentation needed ( , and it wouldn't hurt to have it translated) and they decide to give you free admission - the bigger issue in my mind is your lack of mobility.

And not to make lightly of your issues, but I'd bet a huge number of anyone over age ... 60??... has back and sciatic issues. (DH and myself including). We did buy a skip the line tour and that was a great way to not have to queue up for long entry wait bUt there is still a lot of staying around and no place to sit which was troublesome. You also have to keep up with the tour.

And doing this on the afternoon when you first arrive on Trans-Atlantic flight? Oh ,my. Have you been in Rome before, are you used to traveling oversea? This will surely add to issues.

I humbly ask if you are doing this to save some money? If you are taking this trip, you are likely spending $$$; if it were me - I would spend the extra $$ and buy a ticket through a tour company and do a small group or even private tour. It seems to be it will be money well spent.

DebitNM

We used this company (former Dark Rome Tours)
Our tour guide, Tiffany was excellent!

http://www.citywonders.com/en/italy/.../vatican-tours

bvlenci

The Vatican offers all its discounts to anyone in the world who qualifies. They're not an EU member, anyway, although they have an agreement with the EU that allows them to use the euro as their currency.

I forgot to mention earlier that although admission is free to qualified disabled people, the tours are not free.

Also, it has nothing to do with this question, but most of the museums and archaeological sites in Rome now offer free admission to anyone under age 18, EU citizen or not.

bvlenci

Is this the same day that you arrive in Italy after a transatlantic flight? I thought from your original post that it was the next day, but reading it again, I see that I may be mistaken. I wouldn't go to any museum on the same day I arrived after a long flight, and that goes many times over for the Vatican Museums. Between the exhaustion, and the thousands of human beings sucking all the oxygen from the air, I would never even make it as far as the Sistine Chapel.

twoteachers

OK, I agree it is insane to try to fit this visit in after flying all night, but it is my only chance. My tour begins and ends in Rome but includes only one "panoramic" bus tour of Rome with no exits from the bus. I was to the Vatican once before in 2009 and it felt like a herd of cattle being rushed through by the momentum of the throngs of cows-er-people. Surrounded by beauty on the floors, walls and ceilings, every iota of space was special, I was trying to figure out a way to do better this time....

An audio tour is probably my best bet; takes the pressure off keeping up with a tour....

"Just announce that you're offering free skip-the-line tickets to someone who will push your wheelchair and you'll probably have 100 offers. " from bv lenci might be my best bet, if that would really happen.... Although I can imagine someone joining me and then disappearing....
My flight arrives in Rome 10:30 AM Rome time and the tour gathers that night. I hate to just go to the hotel and wait for the others to arrive while I try to stay awake