Visiting the Vatican and St. Peter's - guided tour vs. admission ticket
May 20th, 2012, 05:53 AM
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Visiting the Vatican and St. Peter's - guided tour vs. admission ticket
My husband and I will be in Rome in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to plan our visit to the Vatican and St. Peter's, including climbing or taking the elevator to the dome. We're really aiming to avoid the inevitable long lines at each of these stops, and I know by taking tours or purchasing advanced tickets this is usually possible.
From the Vatican Museum's online ticket office, there are Admission Tickets and Guided Tours for Individuals available:
http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/...action=booking
The guided tour for individuals of just the Vatican and Sistine chapel is available for our desired date (the one continuing on a tour of St. Peter's is fully booked, but we don't feel a tour of the basilica is necessary as we'd prefer just to walk around on our own). I know that from the Sistine chapel there is a door that takes you directly into St. Peter's, and if you view the Vatican on your own you can often tag along with a tour to take that shortcut.
We're a bit inclined to take the group tour of the museum for some additional perspective (we're not especially well read on the art and history etc), but the tour offered from the above site of just the Vatican and Sistine Chapel requires us to pay for "Group Tour - Earphones" (I'm not sure why these are necessary when we'll also have a guide?). If we do this, when we get to the Sistine Chapel / the end of the tour, will we be ferreted back to return those earphones or could we be prevented from going right into St. Peter's? Does anyone know?
We could instead purchase the admission ticket without a guide, which the website claims will allow us to skip the line, and then try to go straight through that door from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's. But again, a guide or audio tour would be preferable.
It would be great to either take the guided tour or just get admission tickets and rent headphones, view the Vatican, go straight from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's, climb the dome, and if necessary return the headphones at some point by the end of the day.
Any insight would be much appreciated. A Walk of Italy Tour is also available that does exactly what we want. We'd like to avoid the extra cost, but would rather not spend hours in lines.
From the Vatican Museum's online ticket office, there are Admission Tickets and Guided Tours for Individuals available:
http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/...action=booking
The guided tour for individuals of just the Vatican and Sistine chapel is available for our desired date (the one continuing on a tour of St. Peter's is fully booked, but we don't feel a tour of the basilica is necessary as we'd prefer just to walk around on our own). I know that from the Sistine chapel there is a door that takes you directly into St. Peter's, and if you view the Vatican on your own you can often tag along with a tour to take that shortcut.
We're a bit inclined to take the group tour of the museum for some additional perspective (we're not especially well read on the art and history etc), but the tour offered from the above site of just the Vatican and Sistine Chapel requires us to pay for "Group Tour - Earphones" (I'm not sure why these are necessary when we'll also have a guide?). If we do this, when we get to the Sistine Chapel / the end of the tour, will we be ferreted back to return those earphones or could we be prevented from going right into St. Peter's? Does anyone know?
We could instead purchase the admission ticket without a guide, which the website claims will allow us to skip the line, and then try to go straight through that door from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's. But again, a guide or audio tour would be preferable.
It would be great to either take the guided tour or just get admission tickets and rent headphones, view the Vatican, go straight from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's, climb the dome, and if necessary return the headphones at some point by the end of the day.
Any insight would be much appreciated. A Walk of Italy Tour is also available that does exactly what we want. We'd like to avoid the extra cost, but would rather not spend hours in lines.
May 20th, 2012, 06:06 AM
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I can't say what is best because we've only done it once. However, we took the advice from Ron in Rome and decided not to pre-book.
http://www.roninrome.com/%20sites-an...re-book-or-not
http://www.roninrome.com/sites-and-a...atican-museums
What we did that worked very well for us was to get going early and head up to the top of St. Peter's early -- no crowds. After coming down, then tour inside St. Peter's.
We took a break at lunch (great pizza by the slice at nearby Pizza al taglio) and then on to the Vatican in the early afternoon -- no lines.
After coming out though (we snuck out the group exit to save the walk back) the St. Peter's line was huge.
We had a good guide book and felt like we got enough out of the Vatican on our own.
Worked for us -- I'm sure you'll get a range of opinions so you'll have to decide yourself.
Good luck.
My trip report and blog:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...log-photos.cfm
http://www.roninrome.com/%20sites-an...re-book-or-not
http://www.roninrome.com/sites-and-a...atican-museums
What we did that worked very well for us was to get going early and head up to the top of St. Peter's early -- no crowds. After coming down, then tour inside St. Peter's.
We took a break at lunch (great pizza by the slice at nearby Pizza al taglio) and then on to the Vatican in the early afternoon -- no lines.
After coming out though (we snuck out the group exit to save the walk back) the St. Peter's line was huge.
We had a good guide book and felt like we got enough out of the Vatican on our own.
Worked for us -- I'm sure you'll get a range of opinions so you'll have to decide yourself.
Good luck.
My trip report and blog:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...log-photos.cfm
May 20th, 2012, 06:20 AM
#3
All tour groups are required to use head phones in the museum, including Walk of Italy. If you rent audio guides on your own, they will hold an ID which you have to retrieve. Not sure how you plan to regain entrance to the museum once you've left to return audio guides. It would require passing through security, etc. and an entrance ticket.
At times, the exit from the Sistine Chapel is carefully monitored so if you are not part of a group, you probably won't be allowed out (many groups have name tags).
It's really not that big of deal to walk around the block. Maybe 10-15 minutes.
Your longest line will probably be for the dome.
>>>We could instead purchase the admission ticket without a guide, which the website claims will allow us to skip the line<<<
You don't believe the Vatican?
At times, the exit from the Sistine Chapel is carefully monitored so if you are not part of a group, you probably won't be allowed out (many groups have name tags).
It's really not that big of deal to walk around the block. Maybe 10-15 minutes.
Your longest line will probably be for the dome.
>>>We could instead purchase the admission ticket without a guide, which the website claims will allow us to skip the line<<<
You don't believe the Vatican?
May 20th, 2012, 06:52 AM
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Thanks for the Ron in Rome website links and tips, indy dad. Was your trip during the high season out of curiosity? I also just learned from this site that Wednesdays are when the Papal Audience occurs, which was the day we were planning to visit the Vatican actually. Perhaps we will have to change our plans. Has anyone toured the Vatican and Sistine Chapel in the afternoon on a Papal Audience Day, without attending the Audience itself?
Also thanks for your perspective and tips, kybourbon. Re: your last question, I just read this on the Ron in Rome website, which makes sense to me and explains my wondering about skip the line tickets. But I'm not considering this a big deal.
"The Vatican sells “skip the line tickets”
The Vatican sells their own ticket are you can go with a “Vatican-approved” vendor. These vendors sell them directly to you, or daily, these vendors will sell the “tickets” to “unapproved” vendors who do not have a contract with the Vatican. In 2008, the Vatican decided they could capture more income by selling these directly to the public. The result – MORE “skip the line” tickets are being sold than ever before. One downside, this does create lines for the “popular” entry times – which are 09:00 – 11:30."
http://www.roninrome.com/%20sites-an...re-book-or-not
Also thanks for your perspective and tips, kybourbon. Re: your last question, I just read this on the Ron in Rome website, which makes sense to me and explains my wondering about skip the line tickets. But I'm not considering this a big deal.
"The Vatican sells “skip the line tickets”
The Vatican sells their own ticket are you can go with a “Vatican-approved” vendor. These vendors sell them directly to you, or daily, these vendors will sell the “tickets” to “unapproved” vendors who do not have a contract with the Vatican. In 2008, the Vatican decided they could capture more income by selling these directly to the public. The result – MORE “skip the line” tickets are being sold than ever before. One downside, this does create lines for the “popular” entry times – which are 09:00 – 11:30."
http://www.roninrome.com/%20sites-an...re-book-or-not
May 20th, 2012, 10:46 AM
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We took the Vatican Museum tour this year. You do get headphones with the guide so you can hear all she is saying while walking. Sometimes you might be at the rear of the group and separated from the guide. She collects them so you do not have to return them from where you started.
The tour starts with a slide show of the various frescoes of the Chapel. This is good because the Chapel itself might be too crowded for you to be able to study each section.
Entrance to the Vatican Museum is on Via le Vaticano. You will go right in with reserve tickets, go to gift shop area (up small flight of stairs) and await your tour.
The Vatican has three eating areas. Pizza was fine. Enjoy lunch here because it is too much of a walk to go out into Rome. Continue with tour of St. Peter's. Do go to the Bible exhibit. Exit St. Peter's Bascilica. It is one your right. Plan to spen two hours there. You can spend the whole day in the Vatican. Did two other tours there too.
The tour starts with a slide show of the various frescoes of the Chapel. This is good because the Chapel itself might be too crowded for you to be able to study each section.
Entrance to the Vatican Museum is on Via le Vaticano. You will go right in with reserve tickets, go to gift shop area (up small flight of stairs) and await your tour.
The Vatican has three eating areas. Pizza was fine. Enjoy lunch here because it is too much of a walk to go out into Rome. Continue with tour of St. Peter's. Do go to the Bible exhibit. Exit St. Peter's Bascilica. It is one your right. Plan to spen two hours there. You can spend the whole day in the Vatican. Did two other tours there too.
