Aug 09, 2016, 4:26 PM
Having recently returned from Rome, I wanted to share some advice on how we beat the queues to Vatican City.
To ensure you’re not stuck in the heat for hours, book your tickets online in advance from their official site: https:/…
You’ll have to select your time – you’re given a one hour buffer either side of your selected time. These tickets will allow you to skip the queues. At the time of booking, you can also select whether you want an audio guide or no; the children’s audio guide is more of a treasure hunt – you can opt to purchase these on the day if you prefer. You’ll be paying an additional €4 per ticket you reserve online. Your ticket will be emailed to you, ensure you PRINT IT OUT and take it with you.
Actually, you are not given 1 hour on either side of the reservation. They may let you in early, usually not more than a half hour but if you are more than 15 minutes late they can deny you the right to bypass the ticket lines and make you wait in the regular line. I've seen this happen many times and those people were not happy. The tickets are timed in order to help with crowd control so they are pretty strict about late comers.
You can either print your ticket or have it on your phone. Either will be fine. For I.D, if not from the EU you will need your passport. You're legally required to carry it with you at all times. Use a money belt or a secure bag during the day.
Looking at the map, entry to the museum is at the top right of the Vatican. There are separate queues for skip the line, which are relatively quite – if you’re in a very long line, you’re in the wrong queue. Skip the line queue will be the right side queue – you’ll know exactly what I mean when you get there (the queue on the left hand side against the wall is for those who have not pre-booked). There are many tour guides around who you can ask directions from – once they see your printed ticket, they readily offer you advice of where to go. You will need to pass through security as is expected.
Once you’re in, present your print out to one of the kiosks on the left and pick up your tickets (ensure you have ID with you, which is a legal requirement when travelling around Italy anyway). You collect your audio guide from the second floor.
Entry to St Peter’s Basilica is free of charge – you cannot pre-book this and there is a separate queue for this; you decide whether you want to see this before or after (having two children with me, I opted not to visit as I had taken them around the Vatican for 3 hours without a break). Entry to St Peter’s square is also free of charge.
We ate in the museums pizzeria to save time and fuss. There's also a perfectly attractive cafeteria. I can't imagine hiking out to a real restaurant and coming back (after a two-hour lunch) to get in again.
The Sistine Chapel was worth a look, is it worth the hype? Without wishing to offend I think if it wasn't painted by Michelangelo I'd say it was garish. Its worth pointing out that no photos, video camera footage or talking are permitted inside the Sistine Chapel, with a number of gentlemen constantly reminding you of this.
Upon leaving the museums at 12:30 the lines had reduced to a tenth of the size I had been queueing in. So my biggest recommendation for those thinking of coming here is DO NOT QUEUE BETWEEN 9:30 - MIDDAY AT ANY TIME. Save yourself the pain and go in the afternoon.
Upon leaving the museums at 12:30 the lines had reduced to a tenth of the size I had been queueing in. So my biggest recommendation for those thinking of coming here is DO NOT QUEUE BETWEEN 9:30 - MIDDAY AT ANY TIME. Save yourself the pain and go in the afternoon.
go at the same time of day- 12:30pm. The tours and crowds just empty out of the Vatican at that time, headed for lunch, and leave the Museum and Basilica ALOT less crowded.
daveesl on May 7, 10 at 5:13am
You can also do this...
Book the reserved, early entry to the Vatican Museums, for 8 am. You do this at the museums website. It only costs a few euros more, but there is no line.
Go straight to the Sistine Chapel. You will find yourself almost totally alone. Exit the Sistine through the door on the LEFT and go back through the museum, now the crowds are building and you can see whatever you want. Plan on being back at the Sistine by 10am. It will be wall-to-wall people by now.
This time, exit the Sistine using the RIGHT side door (it will say Group Tours, but you can ignore that). This puts you into St. Peters, past the security lines. Walk straight across the front of the Basilica to the opposite side and turn right. You'll have to show your Scavi reservation to the guard. This will take you to the Scavi office.
Once you are done with the tour, you can then visit the Basilica. You've only had to go through security once.
Another trick, bring a sandwich in your backpack. Take the elevator to the roof, assuming you are planning on climbing the dome, and have lunch on the roof of St. Peters. This is perfectly fine, as there is actually a small coffee shop up there where you can buy some expensive drinks. After your picnic, climb the dome.
Book the reserved, early entry to the Vatican Museums, for 8 am. You do this at the museums website. It only costs a few euros more, but there is no line.
Go straight to the Sistine Chapel. You will find yourself almost totally alone. Exit the Sistine through the door on the LEFT and go back through the museum, now the crowds are building and you can see whatever you want. Plan on being back at the Sistine by 10am. It will be wall-to-wall people by now.
This time, exit the Sistine using the RIGHT side door (it will say Group Tours, but you can ignore that). This puts you into St. Peters, past the security lines. Walk straight across the front of the Basilica to the opposite side and turn right. You'll have to show your Scavi reservation to the guard. This will take you to the Scavi office.
Once you are done with the tour, you can then visit the Basilica. You've only had to go through security once.
Another trick, bring a sandwich in your backpack. Take the elevator to the roof, assuming you are planning on climbing the dome, and have lunch on the roof of St. Peters. This is perfectly fine, as there is actually a small coffee shop up there where you can buy some expensive drinks. After your picnic, climb the dome.
It is POSSIBLE to re-enter the Vatican Museums, through the Sistine Chapel from St. Peters. This is totally dependent on the guard and their mood at the time.
Keep a copy of your original reservation form and your ticket. After touring the Basilica, go back to where you exited into St. Peters. When you see the guard, show him/her your original reservation form and ticket. They may or may not allow you to go back into the museums through the Sistine Chapel.
Don't get upset if they do not allow you to do this, as they are not supposed to, but we have done it a few times with about 50% success.
Keep a copy of your original reservation form and your ticket. After touring the Basilica, go back to where you exited into St. Peters. When you see the guard, show him/her your original reservation form and ticket. They may or may not allow you to go back into the museums through the Sistine Chapel.
Don't get upset if they do not allow you to do this, as they are not supposed to, but we have done it a few times with about 50% success.
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Another idea: Do the church early in am before the mobs or after 5pm and the mass lets out. Both are slower times less crowds, do the scavi and then museum but keep in mind its a good 15-20 minute walk from the end of the scavi tour thru vatican square, down the porta angelica and up the via vaticano where the entrance to the museum is located.
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come back another day to see the Vatican museum if it's a "must" - personally for statues etc i would rather go to the capitoline museums which are far less crowded, and for pictures to the doria-pamphilli - which has no crowds at all.
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I was exhausted by the route-march that we undertook round the museum, and perhaps consequently underwhelmed by the sistine chapel with its gawkers and snappers. the best bit was definitely resting my bare feet on the marble floor of st. Peter's and the beers we drank afterwards!
