Rome - To Stay
Rome - To Do
Rome - To Eat
Rome - To Do
Rome - To Eat
Rome - To Do
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*The Guy said special price for us and charged us 41Euros a head at children's prices. Cant guarantee that it would be the same for your case but the markup is high so try to bargain I suppose. We didn't have the time to check against other tour agencies there.*
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Vatican City
Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, Saint Bascilica
Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, Saint Bascilica
Getting in
Updated 13April2017
*Scalpers tour VS queuing? In general the Skip the line tours go for €30 there abouts
and comes with a guide. Off course if the queue is really long and you're short on time, that'll probably be your only option. The queue tends to thin out after lunch period and you might want to plan your visit around that time.
The admission tickets go for €12. Don't be coned by the Scalpers who say that there's
another queue to enter the basilica after having visited the Vatican Museum. The entry
ticket grants access to the Vatican museum, Sistine Chappell and Basilica( Only the
Basilica is free to enter). When reaching the Sistine Chappell, one can either return to
the Museum section, or exit to the basilica. There's no returning to. The Vatican
museum once exiting the Sistine Chappell.*
Updated 13April2017
*Scalpers tour VS queuing? In general the Skip the line tours go for €30 there abouts
and comes with a guide. Off course if the queue is really long and you're short on time, that'll probably be your only option. The queue tends to thin out after lunch period and you might want to plan your visit around that time.
The admission tickets go for €12. Don't be coned by the Scalpers who say that there's
another queue to enter the basilica after having visited the Vatican Museum. The entry
ticket grants access to the Vatican museum, Sistine Chappell and Basilica( Only the
Basilica is free to enter). When reaching the Sistine Chappell, one can either return to
the Museum section, or exit to the basilica. There's no returning to. The Vatican
museum once exiting the Sistine Chappell.*
There are a number of options available to yourself to get onto the grounds. Vatican City consists of three main attractions. The Vatican Museum which houses a HUGE selection of artifacts, the sistine chapel which houses Michelangelo's famous masterpiece, and lastly Saint Basilica itself.
Regular queue 16Euros to get in.
Express time queue ticket booth on the right side of Saint Bascilica 25Euros.
Regular queue 16Euros to get in.
Express time queue ticket booth on the right side of Saint Bascilica 25Euros.
Touters offering skip the line tour? Unknown price ranges.
Queues can take up to 2hours or more to clear as seen when we walked passed whilst taking the tour option. (Full details further down)
Queues can take up to 2hours or more to clear as seen when we walked passed whilst taking the tour option. (Full details further down)
*Queue at 11am along Vatican wall to the Vatican museum*
The single charge grants you entry to the entire place, so don't be misinformed by 'tourist info aids' that after each attraction, you need to re-queue in order to see each of the three 'attractions'. They are not separate entities and from our judgement, once inside, pretty much Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum are connected.
NOTE! Once you leave Saint Bascilica, there's no returning to the museum section! So if you would like to see more of the museum pieces at your own pace, you need to exit via a different exit when in the Sistine Chapel
NOTE! Once you leave Saint Bascilica, there's no returning to the museum section! So if you would like to see more of the museum pieces at your own pace, you need to exit via a different exit when in the Sistine Chapel
Tour Option with Maya Tours
We went for the tour option with Maya Tours after being approached by one of the many touters. Arrival time 1100hrs when tickets were purchased.
In all honesty, we thought it maybe a scam of sorts, cause we've heard of cases, but we went with Maya Tours, located at the corner bottom right of the square looking at Vetican City) Click here for ABBA location. We tried going with them with some due consideration as they had an office base and more so queue lines are extremely long. This also depends on the time with which you arrive.
We joined the 10.30am tour group which departed only at 11.05am. By the time we got settled with one way communication head sets, and clearing security checked to get into the Vatican Musuem, it was 12am. So skip the line still does take sometime to clear some administrative matters before finally getting in.
Vatican Musuem
It goes without saying the collection is absolutely stunning and beautiful. The tour does touch on the prominent pieces and its historical significance which does bring to life the tour experience. However, as can be seen from the pictures, there are just SO MANY people, that its a constant flow.
We were there form 1200hrs-1330hrs and its just PEAK crowds. We elected to stay on for the museum and not exit the Sistine Chapel and the crowds thinned out significantly at about. 2-3pm, which allows for a more comfortable, slower paced viewing experience. Our tour guide did suggests that coming in the months of Jan or Feb would be best where there are lesser crowds! Imagine doing the tour in 39degree heat in the peak of summer. Just so many people.
We were there form 1200hrs-1330hrs and its just PEAK crowds. We elected to stay on for the museum and not exit the Sistine Chapel and the crowds thinned out significantly at about. 2-3pm, which allows for a more comfortable, slower paced viewing experience. Our tour guide did suggests that coming in the months of Jan or Feb would be best where there are lesser crowds! Imagine doing the tour in 39degree heat in the peak of summer. Just so many people.
Sistine Chappel
Saint Basilica
(This section if free to enter by the public but also reuiqres a queue to get in.)
(This section if free to enter by the public but also reuiqres a queue to get in.)
The overall consensus was, the premium is well worth skipping the long queues which barely moved. As to if it was the cheapest deal is yet to be known, but the premium all in all we felt was worth it.
The content of the tour itself was pretty good, but because of the large number of visitors, pieces couldn't be admired and enjoyed in its full glory. As mentioned, one has the option to stay within the museum compounds and revisit the pieces which maybe a better option. 41 Euros per pax for our case but may not be the same pricing for your or with other agencies.
If i'd were to have a next time, I'd still go for the tour to skip all the queues, get an audio guide from the ticketing counter at the museum and break off to enjoy the grounds slowly. There are eats within the compound so a full day visit is not a problem.
If i'd were to have a next time, I'd still go for the tour to skip all the queues, get an audio guide from the ticketing counter at the museum and break off to enjoy the grounds slowly. There are eats within the compound so a full day visit is not a problem.
Arrived at 1030hrs and departed only at 1500hrs.
We dined just outside the Vatican Walls for the supposedly best Panini's in town.
We dined just outside the Vatican Walls for the supposedly best Panini's in town.
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