Vatican help!

[cokies]

My husband and I are spending 3 days in Rome before our October cruise, and I are totally overwhelmed with planning. Can any of you seasoned travelers suggest a good, reliable tour company to use to book a Vatican-Sistine Chapel tour with? Everyone is always so very helpful on these boards, and please know how much I always appreciate any help or tips given😀

[3418ahl]

We had the best tour of the vatican in our lives from "Tim" at http://vaticantoursonline.com/tours_book.php

 

I don't know if he still with them, but they are very good.

[cokies]

My husband and I are spending 3 days in Rome before our October cruise, and I are totally overwhelmed with planning. Can any of you seasoned travelers suggest a good, reliable tour company to use to book a Vatican-Sistine Chapel tour with? Everyone is always so very helpful on these boards, and please know how much I always appreciate any help or tips given😀

[Essiesmom]

Have you looked on the Ports of Call board for Italy? I'm sure there are lots of suggestions there. EM

[Wj420]

I have an excellent referral for you! Eyesofrome.com . They are independent tour guides. We enjoyed our time with Katie Farrar. We had the tour last fall. We found her friendly, knowledgable, interesting and wished we had more time with her. Enjoy!

[bigbenboys]

I can't remember who we used. do a google search for pre book vatican tickets. It is a must to pre book.

[kurgan]

My husband and I are spending 3 days in Rome before our October cruise, and I are totally overwhelmed with planning. Can any of you seasoned travelers suggest a good, reliable tour company to use to book a Vatican-Sistine Chapel tour with? Everyone is always so very helpful on these boards, and please know how much I always appreciate any help or tips given

 

We did DIY tour, booked tickets to Sistine chapel online and visited Vatican.

[CathyCruises]

Very easy, just go to the official Vatican museums website here: http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html and book whatever tour appeals to you. You can get a guided tour or just admission to wander on your own. The guide will leave you in the Sistine Chapel which is at the very end of the museums. If you leave by the far RIGHT hand door, it will lead you right into the basilica where you can wander for as long as you like. It's for tour groups so maybe try to blend in with one! Do not take the left door or you'll end up blocks away from the basilica.

 

Definitely prebook to avoid lines. I highly recommend the Scavi tour of the underground catacombs if you have time, it's fascinating.

 

My latest find is the evening tour where you get a buffet, glass of wine, and admission into some otherwise closed off spaces in the museums, that's high on my list for next visit! €35.

[bjarrett7]

We lived in Italy 10 years. Most hotels offer an evening bus tour of the city. I recommend doing this the first night. Get a feel for what you want to see. I then recommend taking a subway/train or a taxi directly to those spots and do it on your own. Depending on the location of your hotel, you may even be able to walk. This is the way to see/experience Italy! Way more fun!!! Also buy a Frommers guide to Rome or Italy to prepare ahead of time. You will save a LOT of time and money... And see twice as much!

[ghstudio]

You don't need a tour guide....just book tickets in advance and take a taxi to/from your hotel.

[bjarrett7]

You don't need a tour guide....just book tickets in advance and take a taxi to/from your hotel.

 

 

Exactly! [emoji41]

[CathyCruises]

Rick Stebes also has a very good Med guidebook. I've gotten some good recs in Rome from him.

 

Agree that almost everything is very easy to DIY. We love to stay in the Centro Storico so we can walk everywhere. We've found that the subway in Rome is almost useless, but we do use city buses when necessary.

[celebritydave]

Our first time in Rome, we booked an all day tour with Romeinlimo so we could get a nice overview of the city and we also got a tour of the Vatican. That worked out very well.

 

Since then, we have used Rick Steve's Rome book and did all of our tours by ourselves. We use the buses and taxis. We returned to many of the sites we saw with Romeinlimo, but we were able to spend more time at each place.

 

Hopefully, you hotel is in a central location. That can save you time and money.

 

Enjoy Rome, it's a beautiful city with excellent food.

 

Dave

[DevinMills]

We did a tour via Viator. They have lots of tours through different reputable tour operators in Rome. The expensive private tour of Rome where they took us to rooms and back door hallways not general to the public and let us into the Sistine chapel for 30 min after it closed. Allowed us a very private and intimate experience of the Chapel and let us see the Vatican the way visiting dignataries see it. The cost was around 500 per person but worth every penny.

[CathyCruises]

We did a tour via Viator. They have lots of tours through different reputable tour operators in Rome. The expensive private tour of Rome where they took us to rooms and back door hallways not general to the public and let us into the Sistine chapel for 30 min after it closed. Allowed us a very private and intimate experience of the Chapel and let us see the Vatican the way visiting dignataries see it. The cost was around 500 per person but worth every penny.

 

Keep in mind that Viator is a reseller, thus costs more than booking directly. Basically just a middleman.

 

And sorry, that should be Rick SteVes above!!

[Love the beach]

We did DIY tour, booked tickets to Sistine chapel online and visited Vatican.

 

We did the same both times we were in Rome. Booked a guided tour directly thru their own site.

Enjoy!

[euro cruiser]

If the Vatican museums/Sistine chapel are important to you, you might consider one of the before or after hours tours. They are expensive but it's the only way you can see the chapel without throngs of people. For those with a deep interest in the site the tradeoff may be worth it.

[justcrusn]

On our first trip to rome, we pre-booked a month in advance.

The second time we had nothing pre-arranged. We were walking by the vatican late afternoon and my DW suggests we just walk in to a tour office and inquire about a tour THE NEXT DAY.

I expected them to laugh us out, and told her as much....

To my chagrin, they booked us for the next morning, picked us up at our hotel, and even DISCOUNTED the price...

I spent the rest of the vacation saying you were right dear...

[Clay Clayton]

Agree with all the DIY suggestions, however, rather than Rick Steve's guidebook, I HIGHLY recommend his app. It was great throughout Italy but in particular inside the Sistine Chapel. He walks you through the painting as well as giving you the history of the space.

 

Highly recommend you follow the advice of the PP who said to leave by the secret right hand (with your back to the altar) door. After you exit the chapel and then exit the building, you can either go directly into St. Pete OR you can go to the roof which is my all time favorite place in Vatican City. Not only are there restroom facilities (yes for us gentleman, you can pee while looking out over the roof of the basilica) but there is also a snack bar and a souvenir shop. I always buy tacky key rings with the pope on them to give to folks at home. If you are in good shape, the climb to the dome is also a great thing to do...but it is not for those with any mobility or claustrophobia issues.

 

Have a great time and be sure to visit the Pantheon while in Rome to....my favorite place in Italy.

[beanersts]

I am going to take one of those three days will be a day that you will arrive in Rome? Coming in you will have jetlag and the Vatican can be overwhelming, so save it for your last day in Rome. I would spend the money for a private tour of the Vatican - Vaticanprivatetourguide

 

This tour company was fabulous and we did the tour in 3 hours, and that was plenty.

 

Two other suggestions -

1. Find a hotel between the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon which will make your three days a lot easier.

2. Go to tripadvisor also and do some research on hotels.

 

 

 

Have a good time

Edited July 29, 2015 by beanersts

[Tamara]

We booked with http://www.whatalifetours.com

We found them on trip advisor.

[cle-guy]

I'd suggest posting in your roll call thread. Likely there will be others looking for the same, and maybe already have something lined up you can join in on.

 

Also find the Rome port of call board.

[bjarrett7]

I am going to take one of those three days will be a day that you will arrive in Rome? Coming in you will have jetlag and the Vatican can be overwhelming, so save it for your last day in Rome. I would spend the money for a private tour of the Vatican - Vaticanprivatetourguide

 

 

 

This tour company was fabulous and we did the tour in 3 hours, and that was plenty.

 

 

 

Two other suggestions -

 

1. Find a hotel between the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon which will make your three days a lot easier.

 

2. Go to tripadvisor also and do some research on hotels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a good time

 

 

We stayed several times near the Spanish Steps. Great location!

I agree with the jet lag thing... BUT! It's important that you try to stay up late. [emoji3] Great time to take the evening bus tour with the city lit up and get a feel for the layout of Rome. It may also help you narrow down your plans for the remaining days!

Edited July 29, 2015 by bjarrett7

[TMS9539]

When we were in Rome a few years ago we took a tour of the Vatican with Through Eternity tours. http://www.througheternity.com We did the 5 hour in-depth tour and it was the highlight of the trip for us. It was hands down the best tour I've ever taken anywhere. Our guide brought history to life for us. It was fantastic. Afterwards we climbed up to the dome of St. Peter's Basilica on our own for amazing views.

[Queen of DaNile]

You may want to check out:

http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/necropoli/scavi_english.html

It's an incredible tour that not many get to experience.