Anyone do the Vatican Museum guided tours for individuals?

[Debbierpof]

annod1023 - I had the same question about the Scavi tour so I googled and found this church web site with a good description. Here it is:

 

http://www.santasusanna.org/popeVatican/museums.html

 

Debbie

[Penny S.]

Hi Mary--I do feel the guided tour was worthwhile. Frankly there is so much to see, you are on sensory overload. We had a lovely older women that put everything in perspective. She pointed out things we certainly wouldn't have noticed on our own. Everyone gets earphones, so there is no problem hearing. You just have to be in the nearby vicinity. As to feeling like being part of a crowd....there were only about 25 people on our tour. It is crowded, but that's because there are so many people in the museums at the same time. I highly recommend doing the private tour so you can avoid the very long line to get in the museum. My time in Rome was too valuable to be waiting in line for a few hours. Hope this answers your questions. Have a great time. Penny:)

[cruisingmimi]

Hi Penny,

 

Thanks so much! I appreciate your feedback.

 

 

Mary

[Longsx3]

We will be travelling with our 9yr old DD and would like to do the Vatican Guided tour to avoid the lines. For those of you who have done the guided tour, once inside if we don't like the pace of the tour guide can we simply drop off the tour and continue on our own?

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Kelly

[VickiVSN]

We were on an overall Rome tour and our tour operator (driverinrome) asked early in the day if we wanted a guide and the group of 12 voted yes so he called ahead on his cell to an approved guide he knows who met us. Since of the day we only had 2 hours allotted for the Vatican, this turned out to be an excellent option. Without a private guide there is no way we could have seen and understood as much as we did.

[OhJinkies]

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

Dial directly,

011 39 06 6988 5100

 

When I visited their website, it listed a different fax number:

(011) +39 06 698 73017 - 6988.5518

 

And that's rather confusing! So did you actually use the number you posted? Yours looks much more understandable!

[mmmmm]

We just got back from Rome and did the Vatican 2-hour tour. I got the reservations in order to skip the line (which was unbelievable even at lunchtime), and I thought we might ditch the guide if it was boring. Our guide, however, was fantastic -- funny, knowledgeable and friendly. The 2 hours flew by, even for our boys, ages 13 and 17, and for other kids on the tour. They give each person headphones, so you can hear the guide without trying to stay close. When my son got separated from the group, she could say "Alex, come up the escalator; we are waiting for you." I would allow 2 1/2 hours because they collect the headphones and leave you at the entrance to the Sistine Chapel, and you definitely want to spend some time there. This allows you to take the short-cut exit to St. Peters instead of going back through the museum to return audio phones. Our guide's name was Gabriella Fiorucci <gabriellafiorucci@hotmail.com> 06-3972-2474. I think she would be wonderful for a private tour of the forum and coloseum as well, but I don't know what she would charge. We thought the light in St. Peter's was best in the late afternoon (we did the 2 p.m. Vatican tour and ended up there around 5 p.m. when there was also a lovely service.) Then we climbed the dome - fabulous.

[Sandy R]

Our experience at the Vatican Museum:

We just returned from Rome and had reserved the Vatican Museum guided tour for individuals before we left for Europe. We reserved 2 pm on a Tuesday because we had read that the crowds would be less inside. We arrived at 1 pm by taxi, thinking we would explore the area around the Vatican prior to the tour. We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw that there was no line to get into the Museum. We decided we would forego the guided tour since we had visited the museum before and the difference between the guided tour and doing it by ourselves was substantial. We rented the English audio guided tour and although there were a few bottle-necks (when visitors had to go through doors into another room), the flow was smooth. There are arrows you must follow, which end in the Sistine Chapel. In the Chapel, people were milling about and sitting in benches along the sides of the room, but nothing like the shoulder to shoulder crowds we read about. We waited patiently and after about 5 minutes, were able to sit down and view the ceiling. We might have just been lucky but I had read that after 1 pm, there was a better chance the crowds would be lighter. Thankfully, in our case, that worked out to be true.

[mountainhouse]

Seems like a guide is a must, unless you were really familar with the artwork.

 

I can decide between the museum's tour (€20 2hrs.) or using Context Rome/Through Enternity (€50-60 5+hrs.). Of course they include St. Peters, but I'm guessing they spend me time in the museum than the museum's tour. Any opinions?

[nparmelee]

Has anybody doen both the Scavi and private Vatican tours both on the same day? If so, what itmes did you arrange for each?

 

Thanks!

[mmmmm]

It's odd that the line for the Vatican was so huge between 12:30 and 1:30 on the day we went (Monday, June 20) and nonexistant at 1:00 when someone else went. We had lunch right near the line, so I know it was enormous the entire time, and it was so hot out that we never would have waited in it. Perhaps it is because the museum in more crowded on Mondays. It would probably be safest to make a reservation and then not use it if there is no line and you don't mind not having a guide. With audio phones, though, don't you have to return to the entrance to drop them off?

[Sandy R]

As far as the audio phones... you rent them at the entrance and give your license as collateral. There is an audio return desk at the end of the tour, where your license is returned to you. Obviously, an employee transports the licenses to the exit desk sometime during your tour. I thought it was quite efficient that it wasn't necessary to return to the entrance desk.

[OhJinkies]

As far as the audio phones... you rent them at the entrance and give your license as collateral. There is an audio return desk at the end of the tour, where your license is returned to you. Obviously, an employee transports the licenses to the exit desk sometime during your tour. I thought it was quite efficient that it wasn't necessary to return to the entrance desk.

 

Sandy,

 

I just wanted to clarify--is this service for anyone who rents the audio guides, or only for those on official tours? We're trying to decide between booking a tour and going it on our own using the audio guides. I really don't want to have to turn around and walk all the way back to the entrance to return them.

 

Thanks!!

[TWOFERTWO]

Sandy,

 

I just wanted to clarify--is this service for anyone who rents the audio guides, or only for those on official tours? We're trying to decide between booking a tour and going it on our own using the audio guides. I really don't want to have to turn around and walk all the way back to the entrance to return them.

 

Thanks!!

Try here for the answer:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Servizi_audio01.html

[OhJinkies]

Try here for the answer:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Servizi_audio01.html

 

Thanks for the link... I checked it and it gives info on costs but none on whether it needs to be returned to the same desk where I rent it. Were you on a tour when you used this, or on your own? (I got confused somewhere here.)

[Sandy R]

Anyone can rent the audio tape player. I wouldn't imagine you need to rent audio tapes if you're on the Vatican Museum tour for individuals since you have a guide. We were on our own when we rented the audio tape player. And, you definitely don't "turn around and walk back to the entrance" to turn you audio tape player.

[jones721]

Sandy,

Are you the same Sandy R we met up with on the Alaska board last summer - Diamond Princess? We all met after lifeboat drill? I was just browsing this board looking for Oslo and Copenhagen posts and saw your name. We are on Golden Princess at the end of the month. Wouldn't it be funny if we had turned out to be on the same cruise again!

Tracey

(and family - two girls)

jones721

[Sandy R]

Hi Tracey... yep, that's me. Have fun on your upcoming cruise.

 

Sandy

[jones721]

Sandy,

Thought it was! Loved the Alaska Diamond Princess and have somelovely memories of the trip.

Northern European capitals was not my ideal trip (I have been to them all already apart from Olso) but it is the 10 nights on Golden which has attracted me! Plus, the child price on this holiday was VERU cheap. Simon is not coming this time, my mum and I are taking the two girls and my sister and her husband are coming with their two children. Simon doesn't have enough holidays so has missed out - we are off to Europe for 2 weeks when we get back.

Dreadful news here today - stunned everyone although we have all been waiting for something to happen for so long.

Tracey

[kare8ear]

So sorry jones721; I cannot believe that y'all have been waiting for something like that happen.

 

Question re: Guided tours for "Groups" and "individuals" that is on the Vatican Museum website.

What is the difference?

[Sandy R]

Tracey... our hearts and prayers are with you in England at this time. What a horrible thing to have happened!

 

Sandy

[OhJinkies]

Does anyone know if it's possible to see the Sistine Chapel without first going through the Vatican museums? I really do want to see the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters, but I'd also like to visit the Borghese Gallery... and my traveling companion wants to limit our museum time so we can enjoy more of the city.

 

 

Thanks!

[Frequent Floater]

Need booking sites for the SCAVI tours. One I tried wwwvatican.va, the email comes back undeliverable and the other http://www.selectitaly is no longer doing that tour. Any help is most appreciated.

[Cruzluvin]

For those of you that actually faxed in a reservation for the indiv guided tour, how long did it take to get your response?

[Sandy R]

From the time we faxed them, until we received a response, it took about a week. Surprisingly, the response came on a Saturday. Didn't think they worked on Saturday. Also, it came in the middle of the night... we're on the west coast. So, we had to leave our computer on (our fax is our computer) 24/7, until we received the fax.