*👉🏻 Best Tours & Experiences in Rome:* ✝ Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Skip-The-Line Tickets - gyg.me/D27lBu9k ✝Pristine Sistine™ Early Entrance Small Group Vatican Tour -tinyurl.com/SistineWalksOfItaly ✝Vatican Key Master Tour - tinyurl.com/vatican-key-master ✝Private Vatican VIP After-Hours: Exclusive Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel - tinyurl.com/mtc7s6mf ✝Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica Guided Tour - gyg.me/99ZzuHRT 🏛 Colosseum Underground, Arena & Forum Tour - gyg.me/alHzOZqz 🛌 FIND ACCOMMODATIONS NEAR THE VATICAN booking.stay22.com/romewise/5hwip--erh 📕 Grab your eBook, 'Brief History of the Vatican' and discover the fascinating history of the holiest place in the Catholic world! - tinyurl.com/ycszycxd
Elyssa, I love how you said, "...just ignore the guards..." Too funny! When I was in the Sistine Chapel, I didn't want to leave either. I REALLY wanted to lay flat on the ground and just take my time viewing each panel. Thanks for the update.
Ha - well I didn't mean to be irreverent! But I've done this so many times and I know that they start trying to herd people out and they go fairly slowly at first, so if you let the first wave of people leave, and stay until they REALLY MEAN IT, then you can indeed enjoy seeing the chapel almost "alone." You just have to mentally block them out and stand your ground. Of course, when they say you really have to go, then yes, you have to go. But I say, be the last one!
Thank you Elyssa for all your tips and videos. I watched plenty of them before going to Rome in April and they were very helpful. We went to Rome in the week just after Easter. We arrived by car in the afternoon and decided to walk to the Vatican city and try to enter St Peter's Basilica. We started to queue at 17:45 - a quarter before the start of the last Service. The queue seemed to be long but was moving very fast through the security check and we managed to get inside within 10 minutes. The tourists were still allowed while the Service was going on in a separated part of the church. When we left, no more visitors were allowed to queue anymore. So maybe it is also a good idea to just got to see the church just before the closing? Or we were just lucky ;)
Thank you for your kind comments. I'm glad you found them helpful with your trip this past April! Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Sounds like you had a wonderful time!
Finding your channel has opened up so many new ideas for me! I’m planning a trip for when I get my associate’s degree and the guides you’ve provided are gonna be my literal outline. Thank you for sharing all of this!!
Thanks again for good info. The line for the free Sunday was unbelievable. A"priest" was giving a tour inside St Peter and as I answered a few of his questions, he invited us to join. Outside, his"seminary student" met us and for $35 pp, they could take us in the back door w/o a line. The"priest" left to do communion and the seminarian began walking fast and faster w 25 people cash. I kept up with him and threatened to call cops. He threw cash at me and took off. Those older people lost their $. My wife saw the priest at a magazine stand when we got back and said,"I thot you were at Communion" Cops were laughing.
Oh my goodness what a horrible scam to play on unsuspecting tourists! Good for you that you were onto him. Thanks for sharing this story so hopefully others can be aware!
Elyssa: thanks for all the valuable info you share. I am traveling to Rome next April and would like to know about daylight hours. Thank you in advance!
Thanks for your kind comments. I am not sure what you mean when you say you'd like to know about daylight hours. Do you mean Daylight Saving Time? We move our clocks ahead on March 31 (Easter Sunday) this year. But if you meant something else, please let me know and I'll try to clarify.
Elyssa: thank you so much for your quick response. Let me explain better: I mean if there is daylight after 6pm for example. My last trip to London I had daylight past 8 pm and I could take more advantage of tours or museum visits. Thanks in advance. Have a great day
Ah I understand. Well anecdotally I'd say there is sunlight after 6pm in April but I'd suggest you consult an almanac to see the exact times of the sunsets for the dates you will be here. The longest days are of course in June, but in April they are getting longer! @@anamariagaitan
Sei Bravissima, complimenti. I lead some storytelling walking tours in Rome that revolve around Renaissance Courtesans or the lives of the Roman Emperors. I would love to have you as a guest on one of my tours 😊
Hi Elyssa, Great videos! We'll be in Rome for the first time in mid-February, 2024, for 4 nights, right after Carnival/Valentine's Day. We're scheduled to get into Tiburtina around 1100 on a Wednesday. Been looking at Vatican museum tickets online, and seems like they have decent early/mid-afternoon availability. Thinking we could get over for a 1330 or 1400 start time? Is it realistic to do the museum/Sistine Chapel in 2-3 hours and then also do St. Peter's around Sunset? Not trying to "rush things" but thinking it would be nice to do a "half-day" at the Vatican and cross it off the list to free us up for 3 full days of other stuff. I know you said Wednesday can get busy at Vatican. We're just as interested, in not more so, in the more off-the-beaten path sites, but since it's our first time, feel obligated to see the "must dos.". - Cheers!
Thanks for watching and for letting me know you enjoy my videos. I have a lot of content on this channel but especially on my website. You might find my free !Quickstart Guide! useful. You can get it here: mailchi.mp/romewise/sign-up Also check my 3-day itinerary for first timers here: www.romewise.com/rome-in-3-days.html You can do what you're suggesting but it might be tiring. The Vatican takes more time and energy thank you might think. I suggest visiting the museums and then if you don't have time and energy for the basilica, save it for another day (morning). Enjoy!
Thanks for watching! First of all, make sure the Pope will be in town that Wednesday. If he is not giving the Papal Audience, then you can visit the museums and basilica normally. If there is a Papal Audience, you may want to attend it. It's free and a fun and unique thing to do. You'll need to get there early but as soon as the audience is over, you can go right into the basilica. Then book your Museums visit for later in the day. If there is a papal audience and you don't want to attend, then book your museums visit for early morning for hopefully the smallest crowds. Take a lunch break and then head to the basilica in the afternoon. You will encounter lines but they move fast enough and you'll be able to go inside. I hope you have a great trip!
Thanks for watching my video! Unfortunately, although I had it on very good authority from 2 sources inside the Vatican Museums that they would be continuing that tour, in the end, they did not. So I cannot share any link with you as it does not exist. However, you can recreate something similar by following this video: ruclips.net/video/zALra-6G5JY/видео.html Hope that helps!
Hello, by the way I just love all your videos. Thank you for sharing so much information. I have a question for you and hopefully you can help with the confusion. We are 3 couples that will spend 4 days in Rome this coming October after taking a cruise from Civitavecchia. Can you possibly tell us the best websites to book tickets for both the Colosseum and the Vatican (all buildings), that give us skip the lines and tour on our own that isn't so confusing. there are so many options of websites, when searching tickets. We are all over 60 years of age, none of us have ever been there and feel we may be to slow for a group tour. It seems like the deeper we love into a website it just confuses us even more. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I don't guess we could hire you to show us around and help out with some tours? My sister actually said to ask you that question. Thanks again, 3 couples from Louisiana coming in October!
Thanks a lot for watching my videos. I am glad you find them helpful. Here are the official sites for booking Colosseum and Vatican tickets, respectively: ticketing.colosseo.it/ www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html Colosseum tickets are available up to 30 days in advance. Vatican tickets are available up to 60 days in advance. For tours, we recommend Get Your Guide, Walks of Italy or Liv Tours: gyg.me/JR1iXcwb www.walksofitaly.com?tap_a=364-72eab1&tap_s=680053-3b677b livtours.com/destinations/rome-tours?af_code=7QLR30Q Yes, we are also available to help with trip planning as a paid service. If this interests you, please write us at alessandro@romewise.com.
As of july 2024 Most of the tickets are already sold out on the official website thru december 2024. I was waiting for them to open up but had received old information 😢
The Vatican eliminating the tours before opening is a huge disappointment. That’s how we toured the museum and the Sistine Chapel in peace last year. It was otherworldly. We hoped to do this again when we visit this summer.
Yes, I know it was quite a huge change, and I know many people were disappointed by it. Things seem to keep changing so you never know. Meanwhile I would simply plan to visit early anyway, at the first opening time.
Elyssa, I just discovered your videos and they are amazing! Lots of great info for my upcoming trip to Rome. I have a question about exiting the Sistine chapel. I have a late afternoon guided tour of the museums & chapel that I booked directly through the Vatican. I would like to visit St Peter's square after the tour ends at the Sistine chapel. I don't plan to visit the Basilica after the tour (as I'll be visiting the Basilica on a different day). Is it possible to go directly to the square after Sistine chapel tour as a shortcut, or must I go back to the museum entrance (the left exit you noted on your video) and make my way back to the square outside of the Vatican walls?
Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoy my videos and find them helpful. The ONLY way to use the shortcut on the right hand exit of the Sistine Chapel is by taking a tour with a third-party tour company (there are no tours run by the Vatican Museums that include this shortcut). Whether what you want is to visit Saint Peter's Square or Saint Peter's Basilica, or both, that shortcut access is limited specifically to tours in which it is stated that the shortcut is included in the tour. Bottom line, if you are not on one of these tours, your only option is to exit the Sistine Chapel to the left, walk back to the beginning of the museums (which is also the exit), then walk all the way around to Saint Peter's Square. But it's not a bad walk and probably only takes about 15 minutes once you exit the museums. And since you are not worried about visiting the basilica, you won't have any queues to contend with.
Thank you! Are the Vatican Extra Time Tours certain days of the week or just random? I cannot find them on the Vatican website. I tried for Key master but it was sold out :(. We are coming from US so I think I need to get up around midnight to purchase tickets as they are released Rome time. Your information is wonderful, we are so excited to visit!
Thanks so much for your kind comments. The Vatican Extra Time tours are not out yet. They are supposed to come back sometime this spring. They also don't have them on weekend or every day. For the Key Master, try writing to Walks of Italy and asking if they will be offering more dates for this tour.
Thank you for your amazing and informative videos. I’ll be visiting Rome in the summer, and I’m wondering how far in advance are tickets being released? I read somewhere that 60 days before the day of your planned visit, Rome time zone. Is that correct?
I watched a lot of your RUclips videos and I think you are awesome. I am confused now though. In one of your videos, there was a long line of people who were waiting to buy tickets and my understanding is that if you buy tickets online, there is a shorter line. If that still correct?
Thank you so much! Yes you are right - I show those long lines of people waiting to buy tickets as a way to encourage you to buy tickets in advance online, so you DON'T have to wait in that line. Those with advance-purchase tickets only have to go through the main entrance (almost no line) and then a very short wait to get through security.
So is there no risk to booking tickets to the Vatican museums/ Sistine chapel/ Basilica through a third party site like Get Your Guide greater than 30 days in advance like there is with the Colesseum (meaning no risk that they oversell and we are left at the entrance with no ticket and lost money)??
I can't say there is NO risk in booking through a third party. When you book through a third party for a site with high demand and limited availability, in particular when you book further in advance than when tickets are released, you are buying a "future". You are betting that the third party WILL get that ticket on your behalf once the tickets are released. In the case of the Vatican Museums, there is less of a risk your ticket/tour will be cancelled, because it's fairly easy to get tickets for a given day. In fact, while the Vatican Museums online tickets can sell out, they don't put a limit on how many people can buy tickets in person for a given day, so in theory, you can show up and wait in line and buy tickets. so again, since there is not a NUMERIC limit to the number of daily visitors, the tour companies and resellers can almost always get your tickets for you. When you book extremely sought-after tickets like to the Colosseum Underground which puts a cap on the (VERY limited) number of visitors per day, there is a higher chance your visit could be cancelled because it's more like a lottery and some people and some resellers will luck out and some won't. The bottom line is I have never had a Vatican tour cancelled on me, and I almost never hear of people complaining about Vatican museums tours being cancelled the way I do about Colosseum underground or night tours being cancelled. And booking through a third party for the Vatican Museums is sometimes the ONLY way to get the kind of tour you want, for example, if you want to take the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's basilica.
Thank you for all your helpful info! I have a question about the security lines at the Vatican Museum vs. St. Peter's Basilica. If both are unavoidable and everyone has to go through them, why is the VM security line described as a short wait while the security line at SPB may reach as long as 3+ hrs? Do (exponentially) more ppl visit SPB? Or does VM have more security personnel? Or do advance ticket holders at VM go through a special shorter security line that same-day purchasers cannot use?
This is a really good question and you are right, it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. The security machines and procedures are exactly the same at both locations. At both locations, the number of security lines open seems to vary depending on the time of day (crowds). My guess is that the big difference is that at the VM, the tickets are timed so other than people queueing for hours to purchase a ticket there, everyone going in has a timed ticket and so it's just not as crowded outside as SPB, where people simply come all day long. It's a conundrum and I wish I had a better answer, and I wish they could find a way to make those lines at SPB go faster, but for now, that's just the way it is!
thank you so much for the information! I am so sad the Key Master is sold out for when we will be there, Is the extra time tour on the Vatican Museum website directly?
Thanks for watching. You don't say when you are visiting Rome. First of all, for the key master tour, I'd keep checking back, or you can write to Walks of Italy and ask if they will be adding more of this tour to their schedule. Second of all, the Extra Time tours have not yet started back up but should do so sometime this spring. Please note the Extra Time tour would not go on Fridays or Saturdays as the museums are open later those days. Enjoy!
Hi, I have been watching your videos for a few months now and find them very informative. I will be in Rome in early March and I am wanting to go to terrace at St Peter's, I don't think I could do the whole dome climb but I know I will have to pay for that anyway. Two questions. 1: Can you do the dome tour on a Sunday? 2: Can I pre book a "self-guided" dome tour? Any help gratefully accepted.
Thanks so much! I'm glad you find my videos helpful. The basilica is open daily and so is the dome. I am not familiar with any self-guided dome tour. There is not much to say about climbing the dome except to do it. Most tours that discuss the architecture and history of the dome do so while in the basilica or in saint peters' square. You can get an audio-guide of Saint Peter's basilica. You can rent this once you are inside the basilica. I hope that helps!
Great videos always very helpful. I do have a question on the Vatican museum site there never seems to be tickets ever available for the Necropolis via Triumphalis. I have been looking for weeks to see when its available. Any information on this and availability.
Thanks so much. I sense that the Vatican Museums are overhauling their website. There are currently a lot of things not up yet, such as this visit to the Via Triumphalis. I believe they will add it sometime soon. I suggest you keep checking back. I have a video ready specifically about this visit but I am waiting for them to add it as a bookable visit in 2024. Ss soon as you see my video is up, that means you can book it on the Vatican Museums site.
If you buy a ticket online direct from the Vatican official site, when we go at the time allocated do we have to wait in a long line or can you go straight in, cause I saw you have to do some things before hand and then get the ticket put on your phone. So wondered if for the time we have booked do we need to turn up a lot earlier. Hope that makes sense.
I understand it can be confusing. Here's how it works. You purchase a ticket in advance. You get a pdf you can show on your phone or print out. When you arrive, you will bypass the huge line of people that wraps around the walls. They are all waiting to buy same-day tickets. You go to the front and show the guards your ticket. They will then let you inside. You have to go through security. This takes a few minutes (5-10 max.) Once past security, you go to one of the ticket counters and exchange your voucher for a physical paper ticket. Once you get this ticket, you go upstairs, go through the turnstiles, and then you are in. Let's say you purchase a ticket for a 1PM entry time. You have about 15 minutes' leeway either side of this. And given the time it takes to do the above (10 minutes or so), you could arrive at the outer entrance anywhere from about 12:30 - 1:10 and you'll be fine.
The only Santa Maria Maggiore tour I see on the Vatican Museum web site has no description. Is that the tour you were talking about with the underground access?
I sense that the VM are updating their ticketing site. They still have to put the newly reopened Via Triumphalis there. So I just keep checking back. However, the Santa Maria Maggiore underground is available to book. The easiest way to see it is to just start looking for tickets. The calendar opens. Then, click various dates you want, and scroll through what is available. You will see it then. Enjoy!
I've been informed by some of the tour companies I work with that to book the extra time tour, you need to email the Vatican museums. Apparently they have it but it's just not bookable (at the moment) on their website. You could also try email Walks of Italy as I believe they are running this tour upon request. I hope the Vatican Museums will add it to their booking system soon!
Thank you so much for the helpful video! I was looking at the breakfast add on for the 8 am entry (they offer 8:30 or 9:30) if we get in at 8 and go straight to the Sistine chapel would we be able to go back to the courtyard for 9:30 breakfast? Thank you :)
Glad you found it helpful. You can book breakfast at 9:30 Am and make it there after you leave the Sistine Chapel. You could also just walk up to the Pinecone courtyard and purchase breakfast on site. They 9:30 am pre-booking is to ensure you have a table but you should also be able to just walk up and buy it when you're ready. You may also want to be aware that there is a bar on the inside of the Museums, and there, you could have a less intense and less expensive breakfast. But if you want breakfast in the Pinecone Courtyard, it will be no problem to pay for it on the fly, or, if you book for 9:30, to make it there on time. Enjoy!
With the new changes to Vatican and third parties no longer offering the early option, is the only benefit to booking through a third party operator to skip line for St. Peter’s Basilica?
You've hit the nail on the head! That is a huge benefit to taking a tour with a third party operator. Another benefit is that with a tour, you really learn a lot without getting overwhelmed.
Never been to the Vatican, but I'll be going there next May. The official Vatican website no longer allows booking for that month. I'm afraid tickets were sold out. I heard you mentioning Walks of Italy. Is it safe to book a visit through them? What about Viator? They offer a similar visit half the price.
Thanks for watching. The Vatican Museums releases tickets 60 days in advance so right now, it's too early to book on their site. But yes, you can book on a third-party site. It means they are selling you a future ticket that they plan to get when tickets are released.
I’m planning on visiting in may. I want to see the Vatican area the day I land. I will be free after approximately 3PM. Do you think it is possible to see all these via Tour now that it stays open until 7pm?
It depends on a few things. First of all, will you visit on a Friday or Saturday? On those days, the museums are open until 8pm. During the week, they are open until 7pm. But that means you will be shooed out of the Sistine Chapel by 6:30pm. It also depends on whether you try to visit Saint Peter's Basilica and how long of a queue there is. If you can get to St. Peter's by 3pm, and get inside by 4pm, you could visit it very briefly before making your way to the museums for a 5:30 entrance. In short, logistics in Vatican City are usually more time-consuming than many people realize, and it can be stressful trying to fit in too much with limited time. But you do have a few hours so you can definitely see at least one of the sites without rushing!
Yes, they are offering the underground at Santa Maria Maggiore, but it's too early to book for April. The Vatican Museums website typically shows availability up to 60 days in advance. I suggest you check back closer to your dates.
Thanks so much for such priceless advice. But one question: I'll be going to Rome in July and intend to buy Vatican Musei tickets online, but what should I do first? Get as early as possible to Vatican Musei and then, once inside, try to go to Saint Peter's Basilica or the other way round? That's such a cruel doubt that I have.
Thank you. The only way to visit Saint Peter's Basilica with the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel is to take a tour with a third-party tour company that specifically offers this tour. I have a lot of information about this on this channel as well as on my website. You may want to start here: ruclips.net/video/IxunaHiKf1M/видео.html ruclips.net/video/WFU3SGEQ0cA/видео.html ruclips.net/video/JfBlqsU91Pc/видео.html www.romewise.com/visiting-the-vatican.html
So so helpful, ty! I’ve had the Pristine Sistine tour booked which I will probably keep. Interested in finding info about the extra time tour. Where do I find it, not seeing it in the Vatican link? Thanks!
You are so welcome! I believe the Vatican museums are making some changes to their ticketing pages and will be adding things back to it. Perhaps the Extra Time tour is not yet there as they won't offer it in January or February. During those months, the Sistine Chapel is closed every evening for its annual deep clean. So I suggest you keep checking back on the Vatican Museums website. I hope they'll start offering it again in early spring.
My source who works inside the Vatican Museums assured me they will be bringing back the Extra time tour, however they don't do it in January and February because during those two months, they close the Sistine Chapel ever night so they can conduct a thorough deep clean. He said they will bring it back in spring and at that time, will offer it one hour later than they offered it previously, since the museums are now closing later. It likely will NOT be offered on weekends. Two other sources at tour agencies have also confirmed they will have the Extra Time tour. It's possible that whoever wrote you meant that it is not available any longer meaning, it's not currently available. It's also possible all my sources are wrong - but I hope not!@@AndyAdventuring
@@Romewise I can only speak to my conversation with Vatican Museums. I sent them an email reading: "I do not see the Extra Time tour of the Sistine Chapel available for reservation. I will be visiting in late April/early May. Will this tour be available then?" And the reply I received: "the “Extra Time Tour” is not available anymore for the 2024."
I understand. I hope that's not the case, as it's such a great tour. I know they are updating their ticketing site, as they do not yet have the Necropolis on the Via Triumphalis there. Let's see what happens in spring. Fingers crossed!@@AndyAdventuring
Well you can still have Happy Hour, but not as part of a late-night visit as before. And with the museums consistently opening a bit later during the week, and until 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, it should still be a bit quieter by closing time. Fingers crossed!
Thanks for watching. First of all, the Extra Time tour does not go in January or February. But as you are coming in April, you should be able to do it then. Second, I get the sense that the Vatican Museums website is in a state of flux as they update it for 2024. For example, they still have not added bookable visits to the Necropolis at the Via Triumphalis even though this is a new visit they want to promote. I suggest continuing to check on the Vatican Museums website.
Hi, I have looked online for the extra time tour for a May visit to Rome and other sites are saying that they are no longer going to be offered...Do you have an actual link for where we can book this? @@Romewise
My sources informed me that the Vatican would be bringing this back, but not before spring. In January and February, they do a deep cleaning of the Sistine Chapel at night, so it can't stay open past closing. I hope we will start seeing it being offered sometime this spring on the Vatican Museums website. It's always possible that they will change their mind, and not offer it, but I had confirmation from more than one source that it would be coming back. Fingers crossed and keep checking back! @@LindaHeitzer
The Extra Time tour should be coming back soon. It will be offered a little later than it was in the past, due to the new hours at the Vatican Museums. Please just keep checking. @@LindaHeitzer
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*👉🏻 Best Tours & Experiences in Rome:*
✝ Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Skip-The-Line Tickets - gyg.me/D27lBu9k
✝Pristine Sistine™ Early Entrance Small Group Vatican Tour -tinyurl.com/SistineWalksOfItaly
✝Vatican Key Master Tour - tinyurl.com/vatican-key-master
✝Private Vatican VIP After-Hours: Exclusive Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel - tinyurl.com/mtc7s6mf
✝Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica Guided Tour - gyg.me/99ZzuHRT
🏛 Colosseum Underground, Arena & Forum Tour - gyg.me/alHzOZqz
🛌 FIND ACCOMMODATIONS NEAR THE VATICAN
booking.stay22.com/romewise/5hwip--erh
📕 Grab your eBook, 'Brief History of the Vatican' and discover the fascinating history of the holiest place in the Catholic world! - tinyurl.com/ycszycxd
Elyssa, I love how you said, "...just ignore the guards..." Too funny! When I was in the Sistine Chapel, I didn't want to leave either. I REALLY wanted to lay flat on the ground and just take my time viewing each panel. Thanks for the update.
Ha - well I didn't mean to be irreverent! But I've done this so many times and I know that they start trying to herd people out and they go fairly slowly at first, so if you let the first wave of people leave, and stay until they REALLY MEAN IT, then you can indeed enjoy seeing the chapel almost "alone." You just have to mentally block them out and stand your ground. Of course, when they say you really have to go, then yes, you have to go. But I say, be the last one!
Thank you Elyssa for all your tips and videos. I watched plenty of them before going to Rome in April and they were very helpful. We went to Rome in the week just after Easter. We arrived by car in the afternoon and decided to walk to the Vatican city and try to enter St Peter's Basilica. We started to queue at 17:45 - a quarter before the start of the last Service. The queue seemed to be long but was moving very fast through the security check and we managed to get inside within 10 minutes. The tourists were still allowed while the Service was going on in a separated part of the church. When we left, no more visitors were allowed to queue anymore. So maybe it is also a good idea to just got to see the church just before the closing? Or we were just lucky ;)
Thank you for your kind comments. I'm glad you found them helpful with your trip this past April! Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Sounds like you had a wonderful time!
Finding your channel has opened up so many new ideas for me! I’m planning a trip for when I get my associate’s degree and the guides you’ve provided are gonna be my literal outline. Thank you for sharing all of this!!
Oh my gosh what a lovely thing to say. Thank you so much and best of luck with your degree!
Thanks again for good info.
The line for the free Sunday was unbelievable. A"priest" was giving a tour inside St Peter and as I answered a few of his questions, he invited us to join. Outside, his"seminary student" met us and for $35 pp, they could take us in the back door w/o a line. The"priest" left to do communion and the seminarian began walking fast and faster w 25 people cash. I kept up with him and threatened to call cops. He threw cash at me and took off. Those older people lost their $. My wife saw the priest at a magazine stand when we got back and said,"I thot you were at Communion" Cops were laughing.
Oh my goodness what a horrible scam to play on unsuspecting tourists! Good for you that you were onto him. Thanks for sharing this story so hopefully others can be aware!
Thanks for the advice.
I’ve found these videos and your website very helpful with planning my holiday. Thanks 😊
Thank you so much!
thank you!! this is so helpful for my upcoming rome trip
Glad it was helpful!
Elyssa: thanks for all the valuable info you share. I am traveling to Rome next April and would like to know about daylight hours. Thank you in advance!
Thanks for your kind comments. I am not sure what you mean when you say you'd like to know about daylight hours. Do you mean Daylight Saving Time? We move our clocks ahead on March 31 (Easter Sunday) this year. But if you meant something else, please let me know and I'll try to clarify.
Elyssa: thank you so much for your quick response. Let me explain better: I mean if there is daylight after 6pm for example. My last trip to London I had daylight past 8 pm and I could take more advantage of tours or museum visits. Thanks in advance. Have a great day
Ah I understand. Well anecdotally I'd say there is sunlight after 6pm in April but I'd suggest you consult an almanac to see the exact times of the sunsets for the dates you will be here. The longest days are of course in June, but in April they are getting longer! @@anamariagaitan
Thank you! I’m adding the Vatican Necropolis tour to my visit list, and I am looking forward to your upcoming video about it.
Thanks so much for watching! Sometime soon, I'll be publishing a new video specifically about this new underground site. Stay tuned!
Thank you, your content is very helpful for me. Subscribed!
Thanks for the sub! I really appreciate it!
Thank you so much for these update videos. It is so helpful 🙂
Sei Bravissima, complimenti. I lead some storytelling walking tours in Rome that revolve around Renaissance Courtesans or the lives of the Roman Emperors. I would love to have you as a guest on one of my tours 😊
Grazie mille! Se vuoi, mi puoi scrivermi ad elyssa@romewise.com.
Now opening at 7am
As far as I know, they still open at 8AM, not 7AM. The basilica opens at 6:50AM, is that what you are referring to?
Thank you for this valuable information 🌸
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Elyssa,
Great videos! We'll be in Rome for the first time in mid-February, 2024, for 4 nights, right after Carnival/Valentine's Day. We're scheduled to get into Tiburtina around 1100 on a Wednesday. Been looking at Vatican museum tickets online, and seems like they have decent early/mid-afternoon availability. Thinking we could get over for a 1330 or 1400 start time? Is it realistic to do the museum/Sistine Chapel in 2-3 hours and then also do St. Peter's around Sunset? Not trying to "rush things" but thinking it would be nice to do a "half-day" at the Vatican and cross it off the list to free us up for 3 full days of other stuff. I know you said Wednesday can get busy at Vatican. We're just as interested, in not more so, in the more off-the-beaten path sites, but since it's our first time, feel obligated to see the "must dos.". - Cheers!
Thanks for watching and for letting me know you enjoy my videos. I have a lot of content on this channel but especially on my website. You might find my free !Quickstart Guide! useful. You can get it here:
mailchi.mp/romewise/sign-up
Also check my 3-day itinerary for first timers here:
www.romewise.com/rome-in-3-days.html
You can do what you're suggesting but it might be tiring. The Vatican takes more time and energy thank you might think. I suggest visiting the museums and then if you don't have time and energy for the basilica, save it for another day (morning). Enjoy!
What about going on Wednesdays? We will be there on a Wednesday for a full day. Any tips? Thanks in advance. Great videos!
Thanks for watching! First of all, make sure the Pope will be in town that Wednesday. If he is not giving the Papal Audience, then you can visit the museums and basilica normally.
If there is a Papal Audience, you may want to attend it. It's free and a fun and unique thing to do. You'll need to get there early but as soon as the audience is over, you can go right into the basilica. Then book your Museums visit for later in the day.
If there is a papal audience and you don't want to attend, then book your museums visit for early morning for hopefully the smallest crowds. Take a lunch break and then head to the basilica in the afternoon. You will encounter lines but they move fast enough and you'll be able to go inside. I hope you have a great trip!
Thank you! I don’t see a link for the “extra time”’tour. May I please have that?
Thanks for watching my video! Unfortunately, although I had it on very good authority from 2 sources inside the Vatican Museums that they would be continuing that tour, in the end, they did not. So I cannot share any link with you as it does not exist.
However, you can recreate something similar by following this video:
ruclips.net/video/zALra-6G5JY/видео.html
Hope that helps!
Great.
Hello, by the way I just love all your videos. Thank you for sharing so much information. I have a question for you and hopefully you can help with the confusion. We are 3 couples that will spend 4 days in Rome this coming October after taking a cruise from Civitavecchia. Can you possibly tell us the best websites to book tickets for both the Colosseum and the Vatican (all buildings), that give us skip the lines and tour on our own that isn't so confusing. there are so many options of websites, when searching tickets. We are all over 60 years of age, none of us have ever been there and feel we may be to slow for a group tour. It seems like the deeper we love into a website it just confuses us even more. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I don't guess we could hire you to show us around and help out with some tours? My sister actually said to ask you that question. Thanks again,
3 couples from Louisiana coming in October!
Thanks a lot for watching my videos. I am glad you find them helpful. Here are the official sites for booking Colosseum and Vatican tickets, respectively:
ticketing.colosseo.it/
www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html
Colosseum tickets are available up to 30 days in advance.
Vatican tickets are available up to 60 days in advance.
For tours, we recommend Get Your Guide, Walks of Italy or Liv Tours:
gyg.me/JR1iXcwb
www.walksofitaly.com?tap_a=364-72eab1&tap_s=680053-3b677b
livtours.com/destinations/rome-tours?af_code=7QLR30Q
Yes, we are also available to help with trip planning as a paid service. If this interests you, please write us at alessandro@romewise.com.
As of july 2024 Most of the tickets are already sold out on the official website thru december 2024. I was waiting for them to open up but had received old information 😢
Tickets to the Vatican Museums are available only 60 days in advance, so there would not be anything available yet more than 60 days from now.
The Vatican eliminating the tours before opening is a huge disappointment. That’s how we toured the museum and the Sistine Chapel in peace last year. It was otherworldly. We hoped to do this again when we visit this summer.
Yes, I know it was quite a huge change, and I know many people were disappointed by it. Things seem to keep changing so you never know. Meanwhile I would simply plan to visit early anyway, at the first opening time.
@@Romewise I appreciate your advice. Your videos are truly helpful and well done.
@@joshuar1770 Thanks so much!
Elyssa, I just discovered your videos and they are amazing! Lots of great info for my upcoming trip to Rome. I have a question about exiting the Sistine chapel. I have a late afternoon guided tour of the museums & chapel that I booked directly through the Vatican. I would like to visit St Peter's square after the tour ends at the Sistine chapel. I don't plan to visit the Basilica after the tour (as I'll be visiting the Basilica on a different day). Is it possible to go directly to the square after Sistine chapel tour as a shortcut, or must I go back to the museum entrance (the left exit you noted on your video) and make my way back to the square outside of the Vatican walls?
Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoy my videos and find them helpful.
The ONLY way to use the shortcut on the right hand exit of the Sistine Chapel is by taking a tour with a third-party tour company (there are no tours run by the Vatican Museums that include this shortcut). Whether what you want is to visit Saint Peter's Square or Saint Peter's Basilica, or both, that shortcut access is limited specifically to tours in which it is stated that the shortcut is included in the tour.
Bottom line, if you are not on one of these tours, your only option is to exit the Sistine Chapel to the left, walk back to the beginning of the museums (which is also the exit), then walk all the way around to Saint Peter's Square. But it's not a bad walk and probably only takes about 15 minutes once you exit the museums. And since you are not worried about visiting the basilica, you won't have any queues to contend with.
Thank you! Are the Vatican Extra Time Tours certain days of the week or just random? I cannot find them on the Vatican website. I tried for Key master but it was sold out :(. We are coming from US so I think I need to get up around midnight to purchase tickets as they are released Rome time. Your information is wonderful, we are so excited to visit!
Thanks so much for your kind comments.
The Vatican Extra Time tours are not out yet. They are supposed to come back sometime this spring. They also don't have them on weekend or every day. For the Key Master, try writing to Walks of Italy and asking if they will be offering more dates for this tour.
Thank you for your amazing and informative videos. I’ll be visiting Rome in the summer, and I’m wondering how far in advance are tickets being released? I read somewhere that 60 days before the day of your planned visit, Rome time zone. Is that correct?
Yes i believe that's correct
Thanks for watching. Yes, tickets for the Vatican Museums are released 60 days in advance.
I watched a lot of your RUclips videos and I think you are awesome. I am confused now though. In one of your videos, there was a long line of people who were waiting to buy tickets and my understanding is that if you buy tickets online, there is a shorter line. If that still correct?
Thank you so much! Yes you are right - I show those long lines of people waiting to buy tickets as a way to encourage you to buy tickets in advance online, so you DON'T have to wait in that line. Those with advance-purchase tickets only have to go through the main entrance (almost no line) and then a very short wait to get through security.
So is there no risk to booking tickets to the Vatican museums/ Sistine chapel/ Basilica through a third party site like Get Your Guide greater than 30 days in advance like there is with the Colesseum (meaning no risk that they oversell and we are left at the entrance with no ticket and lost money)??
I can't say there is NO risk in booking through a third party. When you book through a third party for a site with high demand and limited availability, in particular when you book further in advance than when tickets are released, you are buying a "future". You are betting that the third party WILL get that ticket on your behalf once the tickets are released.
In the case of the Vatican Museums, there is less of a risk your ticket/tour will be cancelled, because it's fairly easy to get tickets for a given day. In fact, while the Vatican Museums online tickets can sell out, they don't put a limit on how many people can buy tickets in person for a given day, so in theory, you can show up and wait in line and buy tickets. so again, since there is not a NUMERIC limit to the number of daily visitors, the tour companies and resellers can almost always get your tickets for you.
When you book extremely sought-after tickets like to the Colosseum Underground which puts a cap on the (VERY limited) number of visitors per day, there is a higher chance your visit could be cancelled because it's more like a lottery and some people and some resellers will luck out and some won't.
The bottom line is I have never had a Vatican tour cancelled on me, and I almost never hear of people complaining about Vatican museums tours being cancelled the way I do about Colosseum underground or night tours being cancelled.
And booking through a third party for the Vatican Museums is sometimes the ONLY way to get the kind of tour you want, for example, if you want to take the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's basilica.
Thank you for all your helpful info! I have a question about the security lines at the Vatican Museum vs. St. Peter's Basilica. If both are unavoidable and everyone has to go through them, why is the VM security line described as a short wait while the security line at SPB may reach as long as 3+ hrs? Do (exponentially) more ppl visit SPB? Or does VM have more security personnel? Or do advance ticket holders at VM go through a special shorter security line that same-day purchasers cannot use?
This is a really good question and you are right, it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. The security machines and procedures are exactly the same at both locations. At both locations, the number of security lines open seems to vary depending on the time of day (crowds).
My guess is that the big difference is that at the VM, the tickets are timed so other than people queueing for hours to purchase a ticket there, everyone going in has a timed ticket and so it's just not as crowded outside as SPB, where people simply come all day long.
It's a conundrum and I wish I had a better answer, and I wish they could find a way to make those lines at SPB go faster, but for now, that's just the way it is!
thank you so much for the information! I am so sad the Key Master is sold out for when we will be there, Is the extra time tour on the Vatican Museum website directly?
Thanks for watching. You don't say when you are visiting Rome. First of all, for the key master tour, I'd keep checking back, or you can write to Walks of Italy and ask if they will be adding more of this tour to their schedule.
Second of all, the Extra Time tours have not yet started back up but should do so sometime this spring. Please note the Extra Time tour would not go on Fridays or Saturdays as the museums are open later those days.
Enjoy!
Hi, I have been watching your videos for a few months now and find them very informative. I will be in Rome in early March and I am wanting to go to terrace at St Peter's, I don't think I could do the whole dome climb but I know I will have to pay for that anyway. Two questions. 1: Can you do the dome tour on a Sunday? 2: Can I pre book a "self-guided" dome tour? Any help gratefully accepted.
Thanks so much! I'm glad you find my videos helpful.
The basilica is open daily and so is the dome. I am not familiar with any self-guided dome tour. There is not much to say about climbing the dome except to do it. Most tours that discuss the architecture and history of the dome do so while in the basilica or in saint peters' square. You can get an audio-guide of Saint Peter's basilica. You can rent this once you are inside the basilica.
I hope that helps!
Great videos always very helpful. I do have a question on the Vatican museum site there never seems to be tickets ever available for the Necropolis via Triumphalis. I have been looking for weeks to see when its available. Any information on this and availability.
Thanks so much. I sense that the Vatican Museums are overhauling their website. There are currently a lot of things not up yet, such as this visit to the Via Triumphalis. I believe they will add it sometime soon. I suggest you keep checking back. I have a video ready specifically about this visit but I am waiting for them to add it as a bookable visit in 2024. Ss soon as you see my video is up, that means you can book it on the Vatican Museums site.
This is why my wife and I love your channel. You have so much information and share it in an easy to follow way. Keep up the good work.@@Romewise
Thanks again so much! @@markanderson8188
If you buy a ticket online direct from the Vatican official site, when we go at the time allocated do we have to wait in a long line or can you go straight in, cause I saw you have to do some things before hand and then get the ticket put on your phone. So wondered if for the time we have booked do we need to turn up a lot earlier. Hope that makes sense.
I understand it can be confusing. Here's how it works.
You purchase a ticket in advance. You get a pdf you can show on your phone or print out.
When you arrive, you will bypass the huge line of people that wraps around the walls. They are all waiting to buy same-day tickets. You go to the front and show the guards your ticket. They will then let you inside. You have to go through security. This takes a few minutes (5-10 max.) Once past security, you go to one of the ticket counters and exchange your voucher for a physical paper ticket. Once you get this ticket, you go upstairs, go through the turnstiles, and then you are in.
Let's say you purchase a ticket for a 1PM entry time. You have about 15 minutes' leeway either side of this. And given the time it takes to do the above (10 minutes or so), you could arrive at the outer entrance anywhere from about 12:30 - 1:10 and you'll be fine.
Thank you for your help, that makes sense
The only Santa Maria Maggiore tour I see on the Vatican Museum web site has no description. Is that the tour you were talking about with the underground access?
I sense that the VM are updating their ticketing site. They still have to put the newly reopened Via Triumphalis there. So I just keep checking back.
However, the Santa Maria Maggiore underground is available to book. The easiest way to see it is to just start looking for tickets. The calendar opens. Then, click various dates you want, and scroll through what is available. You will see it then. Enjoy!
I'll be going to the Vatican in mid April, any idea if the extra time tour will be available by then?
I've been informed by some of the tour companies I work with that to book the extra time tour, you need to email the Vatican museums. Apparently they have it but it's just not bookable (at the moment) on their website. You could also try email Walks of Italy as I believe they are running this tour upon request. I hope the Vatican Museums will add it to their booking system soon!
Thank you so much for the helpful video! I was looking at the breakfast add on for the 8 am entry (they offer 8:30 or 9:30) if we get in at 8 and go straight to the Sistine chapel would we be able to go back to the courtyard for 9:30 breakfast? Thank you :)
Glad you found it helpful. You can book breakfast at 9:30 Am and make it there after you leave the Sistine Chapel. You could also just walk up to the Pinecone courtyard and purchase breakfast on site. They 9:30 am pre-booking is to ensure you have a table but you should also be able to just walk up and buy it when you're ready.
You may also want to be aware that there is a bar on the inside of the Museums, and there, you could have a less intense and less expensive breakfast. But if you want breakfast in the Pinecone Courtyard, it will be no problem to pay for it on the fly, or, if you book for 9:30, to make it there on time. Enjoy!
@@Romewise So helpful thank you!
My pleasure! @@aubreesullivan7464
With the new changes to Vatican and third parties no longer offering the early option, is the only benefit to booking through a third party operator to skip line for St. Peter’s Basilica?
You've hit the nail on the head! That is a huge benefit to taking a tour with a third party operator. Another benefit is that with a tour, you really learn a lot without getting overwhelmed.
Never been to the Vatican, but I'll be going there next May. The official Vatican website no longer allows booking for that month. I'm afraid tickets were sold out. I heard you mentioning Walks of Italy. Is it safe to book a visit through them? What about Viator? They offer a similar visit half the price.
Thanks for watching. The Vatican Museums releases tickets 60 days in advance so right now, it's too early to book on their site. But yes, you can book on a third-party site. It means they are selling you a future ticket that they plan to get when tickets are released.
I’m planning on visiting in may. I want to see the Vatican area the day I land. I will be free after approximately 3PM.
Do you think it is possible to see all these via Tour now that it stays open until 7pm?
It depends on a few things. First of all, will you visit on a Friday or Saturday? On those days, the museums are open until 8pm. During the week, they are open until 7pm. But that means you will be shooed out of the Sistine Chapel by 6:30pm. It also depends on whether you try to visit Saint Peter's Basilica and how long of a queue there is.
If you can get to St. Peter's by 3pm, and get inside by 4pm, you could visit it very briefly before making your way to the museums for a 5:30 entrance.
In short, logistics in Vatican City are usually more time-consuming than many people realize, and it can be stressful trying to fit in too much with limited time. But you do have a few hours so you can definitely see at least one of the sites without rushing!
Cn't find guided tour of Sta Maruia Maggiore except with audioguide and no underground tour. Are they just not available for April 29 yet?
Yes, they are offering the underground at Santa Maria Maggiore, but it's too early to book for April. The Vatican Museums website typically shows availability up to 60 days in advance. I suggest you check back closer to your dates.
Do you have a link for the extra time tour?
It will be on the Vatican Museums website when they start offering it again sometime in spring.
Thank you!!!
Thanks so much for such priceless advice. But one question: I'll be going to Rome in July and intend to buy Vatican Musei tickets online, but what should I do first? Get as early as possible to Vatican Musei and then, once inside, try to go to Saint Peter's Basilica or the other way round? That's such a cruel doubt that I have.
Thank you. The only way to visit Saint Peter's Basilica with the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel is to take a tour with a third-party tour company that specifically offers this tour. I have a lot of information about this on this channel as well as on my website. You may want to start here:
ruclips.net/video/IxunaHiKf1M/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/WFU3SGEQ0cA/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/JfBlqsU91Pc/видео.html
www.romewise.com/visiting-the-vatican.html
So so helpful, ty! I’ve had the Pristine Sistine tour booked which I will probably keep. Interested in finding info about the extra time tour. Where do I find it, not seeing it in the Vatican link? Thanks!
You are so welcome! I believe the Vatican museums are making some changes to their ticketing pages and will be adding things back to it. Perhaps the Extra Time tour is not yet there as they won't offer it in January or February. During those months, the Sistine Chapel is closed every evening for its annual deep clean. So I suggest you keep checking back on the Vatican Museums website. I hope they'll start offering it again in early spring.
@@Romewise @donnachilling7690 I just received an email response from the Vatican Museums stating the Extra Time tour is no longer available.
My source who works inside the Vatican Museums assured me they will be bringing back the Extra time tour, however they don't do it in January and February because during those two months, they close the Sistine Chapel ever night so they can conduct a thorough deep clean. He said they will bring it back in spring and at that time, will offer it one hour later than they offered it previously, since the museums are now closing later. It likely will NOT be offered on weekends. Two other sources at tour agencies have also confirmed they will have the Extra Time tour. It's possible that whoever wrote you meant that it is not available any longer meaning, it's not currently available. It's also possible all my sources are wrong - but I hope not!@@AndyAdventuring
@@Romewise I can only speak to my conversation with Vatican Museums. I sent them an email reading:
"I do not see the Extra Time tour of the Sistine Chapel available for reservation. I will be visiting in late April/early May. Will this tour be available then?"
And the reply I received:
"the “Extra Time Tour” is not available anymore for the 2024."
I understand. I hope that's not the case, as it's such a great tour. I know they are updating their ticketing site, as they do not yet have the Necropolis on the Via Triumphalis there. Let's see what happens in spring. Fingers crossed!@@AndyAdventuring
Sad they will no longer be offering the happy hour! My husband and I were very much looking forward to visiting at night without the crowds
Well you can still have Happy Hour, but not as part of a late-night visit as before. And with the museums consistently opening a bit later during the week, and until 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, it should still be a bit quieter by closing time. Fingers crossed!
Hi Elyssa, Just wondering, where can I book the extra time tour of the Vatican. We will be in Rome on April 10 for 6 days. Thanks.
Thanks for watching. First of all, the Extra Time tour does not go in January or February. But as you are coming in April, you should be able to do it then.
Second, I get the sense that the Vatican Museums website is in a state of flux as they update it for 2024. For example, they still have not added bookable visits to the Necropolis at the Via Triumphalis even though this is a new visit they want to promote. I suggest continuing to check on the Vatican Museums website.
Thanks. I will ch3ck it every now and then. @@Romewise
Hi, I have looked online for the extra time tour for a May visit to Rome and other sites are saying that they are no longer going to be offered...Do you have an actual link for where we can book this?
@@Romewise
My sources informed me that the Vatican would be bringing this back, but not before spring. In January and February, they do a deep cleaning of the Sistine Chapel at night, so it can't stay open past closing. I hope we will start seeing it being offered sometime this spring on the Vatican Museums website. It's always possible that they will change their mind, and not offer it, but I had confirmation from more than one source that it would be coming back. Fingers crossed and keep checking back! @@LindaHeitzer
The Extra Time tour should be coming back soon. It will be offered a little later than it was in the past, due to the new hours at the Vatican Museums. Please just keep checking. @@LindaHeitzer