Rome-St Peters Basilica and dome lines

[F19810]

I know that the lines for the Vatican are long in the morning. If I go to the basilica and the dome, are those lines just as bad? I will be there on a Tuesday if that matters and my plan was to get to the Basilica at 8:00 and go up into the dome and then into the basilica. I was going to go back around 1:00 to go to the Vatican. By doing this, would I avoid the long lines at both the basilica and the Vatican?

Thanks,

Judy

[Mark_in_Colorado]

We had great luck last year by getting to the Basilica at 9am and heading up to the dome right away. There was no line at all, although it was still quite crowded up at the top. Perhaps it will be less so if you are there at 8am. I don't remember how crowded the Basilica was, as we just had a few minutes before heading over to the museums for our tour (it was Saturday, so the only option was a morning tour). If you find the Basilica to be crowded, you might want to wait until the end of your afternoon visit to the Vatican Museums. From the Sistine Chapel, you can exit directly out the back and head back into the Basilica without going through the security check again.

[Cruisingonceagain]

We were at St. Peter's by 9 a.m. in late June to climb the Dome, and there was no line, and we went on a Thursday. The views are worth the climb - of course, we chose to climb, rather than take the elevator, and take the remaining stairs to the Dome. We entered the Vatican Museum at 1:00 p.m., and there was no line at all. Hope this helps.