09jersey

Saw it during the spring and friends had explained the tour in advance. That being said, going in to it we were able to enjoy the tour with the realization that the chapel would be the climax of the tour.

If one wishes to merely check off the Sistene Chapel as seen it done it and move on, then you are missing the opportunity to explore all the other master works that are offered on the tour.

I wouldn't want to see it any other way.

rkkwan

thit_cho - I don't think the system has changed. I also went in December 2005 and had basically the same experience as yours. The problem that the OP and others are experiencing seem to be simply the amount of people inside. The walk that took you and I 20 minutes in 12/2005 is now 2 hours in the summer because all those rooms - like the Map Room, Raphel Rooms (which one must pass through) are just packed with people.

Southpoletraveller

I visited the Sistine Chapel on July 12th with Perillo Tours and on the 14th on my own and I didn't have those mentioned problems. With the tour we went early (before 9am)and we had time to enjoy everything, we also had time to climb to the cupola.

faredolce

I don't see a way around this problem in the foreseeable future. The Sistine Chapel is something that many people feel is a highlight of any trip to Italy, let alone Rome. There is such a high demand, I don't know that a reservation system will help - will we then see year-long waits to get into the Museum?

I think the Vatican needs to get their act together and figure out a sensible way to ease this crowding. This new rule in 2007 of only allowing large tour groups in the morning hasn't seemed to help much. I guess it is good that they at least tried to make things better.

Extending the hours that the Museum and Chapel are open is an obvious way to at least help with the crowds in the morning, no? I am usually a single visitor, and sometimes I like to visit museums and galleries in the late afternoon. Folks like me don't even have that option at the Vatican Museum.

I can't remember the exact figure, but MILLIONS of people visit The Vatican Museum each year. There's gotta be some money somewhere to support longer hours.

The treasures of the Vatican Museum and the wonder of the Sistine Chapel take my breath away each time I visit, and I've been there three times. Twice, I took traveling companions with me. We braved lines and made our way through the crowds, and in the end, both times, I was amazed at how only mildly impressed or excited they both were when we finally got to the Chapel.

Neither had an interest in art or art history (which I do have); they just thought it was something they "should" do...as someone else said, something to check off of a list. In fact, both friends were perfectly happy whizzing their way through the Museum.

I remember when one of my friends whispered to me while we were in the Chapel, "Can we go find some pizza after this?"

I vowed that I would not be responsible for ushering another person through that wave of humanity unless they really, really wanted to see it.

It is a catch-22. Most people think they want to see the Museum and Chapel, but the crowds don't facilitate or allow for a truly thoughtful visit, and it is a shame.

sandi_travelnut

The walk has always taken you through many galleries and the map room, which I distinctly remember and took pictures of on the way.

tomassocroccante

fare-dolce, a figure I found online was 4.2 million visitors annually to the Vatican Museums. If open 6 days a week, that averages abou 13,500 persons per day. Knowing that the load is heavier in summer, one can guesstimate maybe 20k per day May-Sept, though it's probably heavier Jun-Aug.

My suggestion to offer the "chapel only" admission is not meant to cast aspersions on those who aren't particularly interested in the rest of the museums, but to make the experience better and saner for everyone. If as many as 1/3 chose that route, it would relieve the pressure on the institution and on us, its guests!

It does become a dilemma for "art lovers" separate from that felt by "art tourists" - and we feel it in many museums around the world. At the Met in NYC, possibly the creators of the "blockbuster" art show with Tut way back when, special shows are so successfully promoted that while seeing them you can feel like shopping at the mall the day after Thanksgiving. Those are the shows I find it hardest to enjoy, no matter how beautiful, how rare the collected works, how complex the process of gathering the great Cezannes of the world under one roof. Anyway, the art lover will bemoan the intrusion of the busloads of art tourists, at the same time we are encouraged by the interest in art - if that's what the crowds represent.

As others have pointed out here, the lesson from OP is to learn what you're getting yourself into and be prepared. Until there is either a lull in tourism or a change in the system of opening the great collections, we all have to put up with some often-annoying and occasionally-maddening conditions.

In the meantime, I hope that people who visit the world's most famous museums while on vacation will also visit the less famous museums in their home town or state. We're lucky to have wonderful collections in some very surprising places - usually viewable without a crowd.

flygirl

I also took my Mom on the after hours tour with Helen Donegan - and it was well worth every penny of the 525 euros I spent (including the paypal charge) to avoid what the first poster described. (13,500 visitors per day? wow.)

cd

I've read this thread with surprise. I'm quessing we were in Rome 8-10 yrs ago in the month of May and our experience was wonderful. I don't remember long lines and we spent a great deal of time in the Chapel. I remember sitting along the side of the Chapel on a bench looking at the ceiling for a very long time, it was awesome. I just now realize how lucky we were and am sorry everyone can't experience that.

DejaVu

In my experience, there are plenty of areas in the VM that are not crazy packed all the time. My strategy has always been to alternate busy sections with sections less busy (Egyptian collection, Etruscan collection, some of the Roman rooms) when I need to catch my breath. Contrary to the signs you can double back and circle around all you want.

All major museums get busy. You just have to prepare yourself for that, allow the time, and relax as much as possible. Think about what you're seeing!

I was in the Louvre at the beg of June on a crazy busy day, and I must have had the most sourpuss face coming out of the crazy busy Grand Galerie because a guard asked me if I was having a bad day. Then I realized--I'm in the freakin Louvre--said to myself, Lighten up, Miss DejaVu, and go with the flow!

carla1183

I only read the original post, not all the responses, so I'm sorry if this is a repost.

I highly recommend the tour we took for the Vatican Museums, through angeltoursrome.com. They were fabulous! They read us through the main part of the museum, and we definitely were not herded through without seeing anything! We got explanations and stories about most of the things we saw, and a long explanation and description of the sistine chapel before we went in. The chapel itself was full of people, but we waited a few moments for a seat along the wall to open, sat down, and were able to enjoy all the ceiling and wall panels without being bothered.

Don't give up on the sistine chapel! It's beautiful!

eri

I have no idea what dejavu is talking about. In our visit to the VM we had no choice but to follow the crowds. We were pushed like herds and couldn't back up or decide on any direction other then the follow the endless stream of people. It was absolutely disgusting. I was really annoyed with the Vatican management for allowing such a disaster. I really feel that it is dangerous. It seems that the Vatican people couldn't care less. Why give up such a nice daily income? So what if the visitors suffer and don't even get a chance to see the Sistine chapel in reasonable conditions?

missypie

I am amazed that they do not yet have a timed entry procedure in place. We went on an Icon tour, and I knew what to expect, but the chapel experience was fairly stressful...it certainly didn't feel like a chapel!

CarolA

The OP's post points out my problems with the Vatican Museum. (And I was there in early May a few years ago so it's not just the "heat of summer&quot

The "money grabbing" that is occuring here is UNREAL for a "church" No crowd control, just get every buck we can......So who cares if we ruin the experience we MADE MONEY!!!

So your options are to spend a LOT of money to tour this with your "private" guide or endure this abuse? Can someone justify this? I can't. What about college art students? Would they not benefit from seeing this great art? How many of them have 250 extra Euros?

I have decided that based on this and a few other experiences with "attractions" owned by the Catholic Church that it really is a cash grab. They don't care what the experience is like etc just "how many tourists can we cram in here for MORE CASH"

I won't ever bother with the Vatican, Mont St. Michel or others again and think LONG and hard about wasting my time visiting any place run by the church.

There are things they can do. Longer hours come to mind. Restricted entry like the Ufizzi comes to mind. Yes, some people would be "locked out" However, is the experience described above anything other then a check mark on the "list of things to see" Do you think the OP would be worse off for having missed this? (Having done it my response is NO!)

sandi_travelnut

Yes, if you are on a tour then you are pushed through as a group, just like at any monument or museum. Why pay so much when you can just pay the ientry fee, a small amount for an audio tour and go at your own pace without having to be herded like cattle?

DejaVu

Well, eri, if you took the 'fast track' route to the chapel, then yes, that was probably your experience. My point is, spend longer, see more, and take time to catch your breath in the rooms that aren't ON the 'fast track.' I've had the Etruscan galleries, the modern art section, and many other areas practically all to myself on many occasions. In May, a busy time.

Jean

Yes, there are problems, and the Vatican could certainly use the services of a crowd control consultant. However, there is a problem with calling for "longer hours" at the Sistine Chapel. It is not a room in a museum (much as we tend to think it is), it is a chapel used every day for religious observances and the room in which popes are selected. Like it or not, we are allowed entry by permission of the Pope, and there is no issue of the public's right to see "great art." Frankly, I think it amazing the public is allowed into the Sistine Chapel at all, considering its "value" (if that can be measured) and the room's importance in the church's rituals.

kleeblatt

During our March Rome trip three years ago, our tour guide took us through the Vatican museum. I wish I could have taken all of you with us because we had an exceptionally positive experience. Some crowds, but our tour guide did not push us through. We enjoyed the decorative rooms before the Sistine Chapel just as much as the Chapel itself. By the time we got to the chapel, it was only 1/4 full of people and we could take all the time we wanted to view the masterpieces. We then went right to the church itself and found it much more crowded there.

Even after seeing the Sistine Chapel in a quiet, unrushed atmosphere, I still think it looks like a big gymnasium with a bright blue painting above the alter and lots of naked men beautifully painted on the ceiling.

carla1183

With the scavi tour being one of the cheapest tours available in Rome I can't see how you can accuse the Vatican of being out to scrape every dollar from tourists they can.

I think it has more to do with trying to accomodate the huge numbers of tourists who want to get in there every day, and still close in time to conduct their business. If all they wanted was money I think they would be charging far more than 13 euros for entry, since we all know we would pay it regardless!

sandi_travelnut

Absolutely Carla, my point exactly. Don't pay hundreds of euros for a tour, pay the inexpensive entry fee and go at your own pace or at a different time to try to beat the crowds.

Tulips

CarolA; in three visits to the Vatican I never felt pushed, rushed or crowded. You make it sound like the church 'run' their churches for tourists. There are lots of very beautiful churches in Rome and other places in Europe. I hope you won't waste your time with those places anymore.