Anyone do the Vatican Museum guided tours for individuals?

[Sandy R]

We're thinking of doing the Vatican Museum "guided tours for individuals" - the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel 2 hour tour.

 

Bookings for individuals are accepted only 30 days before the requested date so would like to know if anyone has done this tour and about how long it took to receive a fax that your requested date was accepted.

 

Thanks in advance for any info...

[travellgirl]

I haven't done it yet, but we did reserve it last week. We will be in Rome on May 18. It took about a day and a half to get a reply that our reservation was accepted.

[Sunnyside]

Where do you make reservations?

 

I will be in Rome on May 18th also, are you on the Millie?

[Sandy R]

Here's the website with the info. You must fax them with your reservation request and they send back a reply. I've heard you don't pay the 21.50 euro until you arrive 15 minutes prior to you tour time.

 

I would also like to know from someone who has done it this way, if you are able to bypass the queue with a reservation.

 

 

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Servizi_Visite.html

[Sunnyside]

Thanks Sandy R

[TWOFERTWO]

I would also like to know from someone who has done it this way, if you are able to bypass the queue with a reservation.

 

 

"Meeting point and departure is from the Guided Tours desk inside the Museums. To avoid any queue, all visitors, individuals or groups booked with this Office, are entitled to enter through the exit gate of the Vatican Museums on Viale vaticano. We suggest to arrive at least 15 minutes before schedule." :D

 

This from the Vatican web site above.

[Sandy R]

Many thanks twofertwo. I think it makes sense to book the tour since summer queues will probably be long.

[travellgirl]

Sunnyside,

 

Yes, we will also be on the Millennium.

I got the informaiton for the reservations from the Vatican website. You need to fax them your information and they confirm it.

See you in a couple of weeks.

[denmanja]

Is it worth the extra 9 euros? I confirmed reservations for 4, but now 2 want to back out over the extra money. :eek: We are planning to go in the afternoon, as I've read it is less crowded. Anyone with experience? Anyone?

 

For those that are interested, it took them 4 days to get back to me - although they did not mark a time on the sheet, so I have to get back in touch with them before we leave in 3 days! It also states on the confirmation that you are allowed to avoid the queue and enter through the exit.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

Jennifer

[vistapat]

I searched the Vatican site for half an hour and couldn't find a form to FAX to them to make reservations for the guided tour. Did you just write them, or did I miss a form? I think we definitely want to do this, since we only have two days in Rome before sailing on Westerdam.

[denmanja]

vistapat, there aren't any forms to complete on the website. i just sent a one-page request for the number of people, date, and time that we would like, to the fax number listed on the website. i received a return confirmation 3 or 4 days later. this is a form they fill in with your information. hope that helps!

 

jennifer

[L Jane]

I would suggest that if you are interested in opting for this, to make sure you fax on your 30th day prior. We sent ours in on the 28th day prior and the tours for the day we will be there are already full! We were willing to spend the extra euros for the benefit of (1) by-passing the queue and (2) making sure we got in.

 

We are now crossing our fingers and making plans to take turns standing in line to purchase tickets!

 

(btw, if anyone can shed some light on that for me I'd really appreciate it! Is taking turns to stand in line to purchase tickets permitted? Also, are walkie talkies permitted to be used at the Vatican?)

 

thanks,

L Jane

[denmanja]

Just returned from the 5/15 Brilliance sailing and wanted to share my Vatican experience. Some people may not approve... but it may help some of you out, so here goes.

 

I had reservations for the 2pm tour. We targeted the afternoon because it is supposedly less crowded, which I read both on various sites and heard from workers at my hotel in Rome. Cannot confirm if this is true though as I did not go in the morning.

 

So we took the Metro to San Pietro and followed the signs to the Vatican - very easy. We came to the wall surrounding Vatican City and I could not believe the line! At this point we decided it would be worth the extra money to skip the line. So we walked around the corner, and realized that people were waiting for another two blocks! It was astounding. We found the exit (just past the entrance) and walked right in, no problems. The guy at the reservations desk told us to come back about 15 minutes before the tour started (at this time it was approx 30 minutes prior, which was the suggestion on the form I was holding).

 

To kill some time, my boyfriend and I walked past the baggage check behind us and down a flight of stairs. Thought we would discover a bookshop, etc. Turns out that we were in the main entrance lobby. We walked up a flight of stairs, purchased our tickets, and walked right in. No wait, no extra money, it was that simple. After another set of stairs, we purchased an audio guide for another couple euros, which, in my opinion, was really only useful for the Sistine Chapel.

 

We were able to see the entire museum at our own pace, get out before it was too late, and still have enough time to see the Basilica... although I could have spent the entire day staring at the Sistine Chapel, it is amazing!

 

Hope this is helpful!!

 

Jennifer

[Crescoia]

This looks like exactly what we want to do. Avoiding the lines is certainly an attraction. My question is, if you sign up for the two hour tour, are you free to linger longer and explore more on your own.

 

Second question is, are the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum a seperate tour (and admission) from the gardens, or when finished with one, can you just work into the next one?

[mamagina]

Has anyone done the tour legitimately and avoided the line? We are going to try to do it in the morning of the day we sail on the Liberty, August 25th. Do you need longer than the 2 hours? How do you fax to Italy? How do you count the 30 days--Can we fax too early? Do I fax on July 26 or July 27? Do you count August 25th as day 30 or is August 24th day 30? Yikes!

[OhJinkies]

Has anyone here booked the Scavi tour? Does it also have the 30-day booking window? We're visiting in October.

If you take the tour in the morning, are you able to stay and visit the rest of the museums, etc. without waiting in that long line?

 

Thanks!

[CamelliaCity]

Ok, y'all, I felt as if I were reading a good book...got to the end and someone had torn the pages OUT:confused:

 

I know some of you that went in May have to be back home by now. Where are you;) Come back, please, so I can finish my reading:eek:

 

1. what happened when y'all got to the Vatican with the faxed reservations?

[Penny S.]

We just returned from our cruise on the Westerdam. We stayed a few extra days in Rome. A few weeks before we left we faxed the Vatican office requesting a tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. We gave them a couple of different days and times. Within two days they faxed back a form confirming our time and date, telling us to go to the exit and avoid the queue. On the day of our tour we went to the guard at the exit, he told us to come back at ll:45 a.m. for a 12:00 noon tour. As we were there very early, we decided to walk over to St. Peters. As we walked to St. Peters we passed the verrrrrrry long line to get into the Museum tour. Quite honestly, if we had to wait in that line in the heat, we might have skipped it. When we returned to the exit at 11:40, the guard found our name on a list and let us in. We went through security and purchased our tickets. The whole thing took about two minutes. The tour took about two hours. You can remain longer if you wish. I highly recommend using this option. Hope this answers your questions.

Penny

[cruisingmimi]

Hi Penny S.

 

Having done the guided tour of the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel, do you feel it was worth doing the guided tour vs On YOur Own? In your opinion, is it possible to view the Vatican Museums without a guided tour?

 

We already have booked our private guided Vatican tour & it will include the Sistine Chapel and Gardens (which will be guided) and admission to Vatican Museums (but not guided). We are going as a group on the day we return from our cruise in Oct. and another cruise member has coordinated the tour for us.

 

I am wondering if we will be missing a lot of information on the art works by not having a guided tour. Or can we do it on our own without too much difficulty?

 

Your advice would be greatly appreciated. I have read a lot of comments from people that have done the Vatican tours and wondered if you had the same feelings they did - you feel like you are a part of a herd of cattle.

 

Mary

[Queenk2]

Has anyone here booked the Scavi tour? Does it also have the 30-day booking window? We're visiting in October.

If you take the tour in the morning, are you able to stay and visit the rest of the museums, etc. without waiting in that long line?

 

Thanks!

I just received a confirmation of my reservations for the Scavi tour on the MORning og July 25th @ 9:45. We are leaving for our ship at 1pm. We have been to the other museums before, but if we have tme...might look again! I beleive the tour is an hour long.

[annod1023]

I've seen several references to this tour. Can someone tell me what this is....and is the tour worthwhile?

 

A friend and I are looking to share expenses for a private tour guide of Rome on Wednesday, 8/24. If anyone is interested, please email me at annod1023@aol.com and put "Rome" in the subject line. Thanks!

Donna

[TravelCouple]

To fax from USA or Canada to Vatican Museum (to make reservation):

Dial directly,

011 39 06 6988 5100

[3girls]

With the info you faxed the Vatican...did you use the country area code or just your 10 digit telephone # (xxx-xxx-xxxx) to have them fax back to you? Also can you book the Scavi Tour through this web site also?

[Debbierpof]

annod1023 - I was wondering the same thing about the Scavi Tour so I googled and this is what I found:

THE SCAVI (Tomb of Saint Peter):

 

One of the most interesting tours in Rome is a visit to the excavations in the Necropolis (City of the Dead) underneath Saint Peter's Basilica. It was there that Saint Peter was buried, after having been crucified in the Circus of Nero that sat nearby (where the Vatican Gardens are located). This 60 minute tour takes you in a specific language group through several excavated streets of the Necropolis and ends at the grave of Saint Peter. Tickets normally are reserved in advance as space is limited.

 

You can apply for the Scavi Tour in person by visiting the Office of the Scavi (go through the Vatican gate to the left of the Entrance to St. Peter's) or you can fax at 011.3906.698.85518. DO NOT TELEPHONE THIS OFFICE FROM THE UNITED STATES! If you fax, be sure to include the full names of all people, the language in which you request the tour to be conducted, and the name and phone number of your hotel in Rome. Failure to include any of this material, may cause your application to be turned down! You can then visit in person or have your hotel call after you arrive to see if your reservation was accepted. The Scavi also has a new email address at scavi@fsp.va which seems to be working.

[Debbierpof]

annod1023 - I was wondering the same thing about the Scavi tour. I googled and found the following on a church web site.

THE SCAVI (Tomb of Saint Peter):

One of the most interesting tours in Rome is a visit to the excavations in the Necropolis (City of the Dead) underneath Saint Peter's Basilica. It was there that Saint Peter was buried, after having been crucified in the Circus of Nero that sat nearby (where the Vatican Gardens are located). This 60 minute tour takes you in a specific language group through several excavated streets of the Necropolis and ends at the grave of Saint Peter. Tickets normally are reserved in advance as space is limited.

 

You can apply for the Scavi Tour in person by visiting the Office of the Scavi (go through the Vatican gate to the left of the Entrance to St. Peter's) or you can fax at 011.3906.698.85518. DO NOT TELEPHONE THIS OFFICE FROM THE UNITED STATES! If you fax, be sure to include the full names of all people, the language in which you request the tour to be conducted, and the name and phone number of your hotel in Rome. Failure to include any of this material, may cause your application to be turned down! You can then visit in person or have your hotel call after you arrive to see if your reservation was accepted. The Scavi also has a new email address at scavi@fsp.va which seems to be working