How To Locate A Reputable Tour Guide At The Vatican?

My wife and I just followed this article and was at the door of the Sistine chapel in less then 20 minutes (and that included time to take pictures in the map and tapestry rooms) We were in the Sistine Chapel with maybe 8-10 other people and we were able to spend a lot of time without crowds. Then we simply went back and did the museum afterwards. We can’t recommend this process described in this article more. If you want to see the Sistine THIS is the way to go.

Oh my goodness, Elyssa! You are worth so much more than your weight in gold!!! I’m beyond thrilled to have discovered your website several months in advance of my upcoming Rome visit, because there’s so much fantastic information to sift through! It will be my second time in Rome and I can already tell it’s going to be way too short (like the last time), so I know I’ll have to come back yet again. My husband and I are going to be on a cruise with his sister, who is very interested in art, having been a curator for a corporate art collection for many years. I don’t think even she has any idea just how many masterpieces there are in Rome. I so appreciate the vast amount of information you have assembled, as well as your personal style in delivering the information. My husband and I thought we’d seen quite a bit on our last visit, but with your tips and suggestions, this visit in September is going to be mind-blowing! I’m voraciously binging your articles, reading on your website, taking notes and getting super excited to be back in beautiful Rome, so much better prepared for this visit. Thank you so very much for all the work you’ve put into creating these resources!!!

This is exactly what we did last week when visiting the museum and your tip literally saved our visit! We were at the chapel at 8:30 and all and all 30-40 people in there, looking around, sitting at the benches and enjoying the beautiful art. Then we went to the front and toured the whole thing again and later it was a nightmare of people and picture taking. At the chapel they just let you in and guide you to the exit, it is that full! So my advice is – get a ticket as early as possible, book a month in advance because tickets go quick, pick a 8-8:30 slot. And maybe take 30 minutes going to the chapel as you take a look at the Raphael rooms and the other beautiful halls as you pass. Everything will be crowded afterwords. BUT still – even with the crowds – absolutely worth the visit – it is an amazing experience!

Thank you so much for your detailed information across numerous articles. I’ll be traveling to Rome for the first time in March and quickly discovered that a successful trip relies on securing tickets and making more plans ahead of time than to other areas of Europe. Thanks to coming across your website, I have used much of your advice, including securing a scavi tour to St. Peter’s tomb under St. Peter’s Basilica, Colosseum tour that includes the SUPER sites in the Forum and Palatine Hill, and obtaining an 8AM ticket for the Vatican Museums. I secured the Vatican Museum ticket even before you posted this article – and now I’m excited to follow your recommendations. I did also reserve an audio guide, so I’ll need to pick that up before following your route. THANK YOU again – I’m sure that my first trip to Rome will be maximized because of your knowledge and expertise. I’m a German afficionado, so don’t hesitate to ask if you’re heading to the northern side of the Alps and the German-speaking world and need some advice and hints.

Hi, stumbled across your article. I did a study abroad in Rome twenty five years ago, before 9/11 and maybe a more innocent time. Don’t remember the bag check, the security. Remembered one morning deciding to visit the Vatican museum and wandered around leisurely to the Sistine chapel, maybe visited a couple of times during the semester, there was a discount for students so don’t remember being too expensive to visit. Always walked past street vendors selling bootleg CD’s of Britney Spears and Gimelli Diversi. I hope to visit with my daughter someday and have your article pinned as an absolute must see. Thank you for your research! I’m also going to search your website for the Villa Borghese tips because I’m sure it will be just as impossible to get a ticket today.

Elyssa, this is wonderful and very helpful information. I’ve been multiple times to the Vatican (it never gets old) but rules seem to change each time and I’ve often grabbed a small tour just to get ahead of the crowds. I love that I can buy solo entry 8a.m. And skip ahead to the Map corridor and Rafaello rooms. Friends are always asking for tips, I’ll be sharing your excellent article. Grazie !

Brilliant article and advice once again Elyssa. A great way to skip through to the Sistine Chapel ahead of the crowds to enjoy in relative peace then back through to enjoy the rest of this spectacular place. It may be different in high season but this is a great way. We have always followed your advice in seeing here and the Basilica on our own and would advise and recommend everyone to follow your great advice.

We are going in October and this article is a game changer. We have 8:30 tickets so my plan was to go directly to the chapel and then your at our leisure afterwards. I was told on another site that wasn’t possible you had to leave. Very happy to hear we can go back and start again. Is there a map of the Vatican museums that we can view to plan the things we want to see specifically? (I loved the mosaic!)

Thank you so much for this wonderful article. I’ve been to the Vatican but didn’t actually enjoy too much although it certainly is impressive. I was on a guided tour and it was very crowded and I didn’t have time to really check out what really interested me. I was too concerned with not losing my group, so if I return to Rome, I would definitely take your suggestions. It is really beautiful place that everyone should visit. 😊

You did exactly what I was thinking of doing. Thanks for this article. We are coming end of April so crowds will be worse. If we have choice between Friday or Saturday which do you recommend? Right now we aren’t scheduled to be there Friday am, but might consider if it will make a difference. Plus that gives 2.5 days in Rome instead of 1.5. Your articles have me so excited that I want more Rome time!!!!! Thanks so much!

Hoping I can receive your advice. Thanks, for all you offer, whether or not you can! I will have one day in October 2024 on a Saturday to do the Vatican Museums and St Peter’s. I thought I’d get to St Peter’s 1/2 hour before opening and see it in the morning. Then book the museums that afternoon around 4:30pm and remain to closing at 8pm. Do you agree?…or would you do the reverse?

I am thankful that I have found your website! It has been so helpful to me in planning our family trip! You are amzing and your knowledge is impeccable! Rome sure has changed since I was there 20 years ago. I love your hack about going straight to the sistine chapel first. In this article you eat then go back through the museum. I was wondering if you think it would be good to go back through the museums immediately to beat the crowds? Also should I try to visit St. Peter’s Basillica another morning, early to be the crowds or do you think immediately after the Sistine chapel and museums? I appreciate your time!

I’m enjoying your articles as I prepare to return to Italy. Can you tell me if it’s possible to make it to the Braccio Nuovo room to see Augustus of Prima Porta with a regular ticket like you purchased for this article? I toured the Vatican museums last time and saw much of what you shared in this article but I don’t think we went to see Augustus of Prima Porta.

Thank you very much for all those tips clearly laid out! If I were to visit Vatican solo *in the same day*, with pre bought tickets, and get there early, there’s still no way to avoid the crowds getting into the St. Peter’s Basilica ? Assuming one should always visit the museum first and then the Basilica, as by the time one finished with the museum, it’d be late morning as depicted in your article … unless one can break up the visit into 2 days, one day for the museum and the other day for the Basilica ? Is this correct?

Elyssa, one question: After visiting the Sistine Chapel, is it possible to do the Museum backwards (from the Raphael Rooms to the Pinacoteca)? Or do we have to go back to the start and from there to the Sistine Chapel again, as you suggest? thanks so much for all your valuable tips in your articles, will surely be important for our trip to Rome this early December 2024!

Hi Elyssa, once more I’m in need of your guidance. I have two questions. I’m traveling with someone in a wheelchair and the tickets for the Vatican Museums are sold out, only the guided ones which are double the price are available but it’s not accessible for wheelchair users. I would prefer that ticket over the external agencies and just not use the guide and do the visit by my own, but my question is if you know if they will allowed it or we would be denied the visit? In this case, do you think is safer/better to use an agency? My other question is regarding the Colosseum, can I leave my wheelchair companion somewhere inside the colosseum while I visit the underground? you think is possible? we will both have the underground tickets. if not, then the arena tickets would be the best option, right? You said those levels and the arena are wheelchair accessible, am I correct?