Just a plug for the audio guide in the Sistine Chapel. It was excellent and it drowns out chatty people around you.

It is very interesting and would highly recommend the audio tour.

We walked straight in at 12.30 pm after an early lunch. Avoid opening time as many tour groups are dropped off at this time and you couls queue for over an hour

111op: The route isn't one way anymore. Whether you can go to the Sistine Chapel first and then backtrack, I'm not sure since I didn't try that, but I did wander around the rest of it in my own way. I did Sistine Chapel last since in terms of layout it just worked out thusly.

I didn't like that old system where you had to pick a route and then follow it one way. I'm glad it's gone.

Thanks DejaVu.