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All of your videos are so wonderful and informative but I think this one is the best. Thank you for all tips and information and I think you have answered any question that someone could have about the Vatican.
You are absolutely right about the level of energy needed to visit these sites. Waking up early, taking a tour through the museums, sistine chapel, st. peters cathedral, and going up to the dome was both exhilarating and exhausting. Comfy shoes are a must. We finished at about 1400 with everything, but immediately took a nap when we got back to our hotel. It is a quest for sure! Thank you for your videos and knowledge.
Yes! I try to convey how much time people need here. It's a whole separate state from Italy and needs quite a lot of energy to visit it. In fact, I think it's best to take more than one day to see it, as I said in the video. Glad you got to enjoy it. Thanks for your kind comments!
@@jeffchastain2977 Yes it's easy to spend a full day in the museums! They are huge and there is so much to see. I'm glad you gave yourselves plenty of time to enjoy the Vatican fully!
Wanted to thank you specifically. Your videos helped me feel confident the Sistine Chapel opening tour was not a scam (it was phenomenal), helped us to see the Vatican Necropolis, and allowed us to optimize our stay in Rome. I truly appreciate your depth of knowledge and your clarity, as well as experience with tours that are more niche or obscure. We had a wonderful time.
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and found it helpful. Also great to hear you got to visit the Necropolis. Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Yes, that's why I try to set expectations in this video. It's much larger and requires more energy than a lot of people are expecting. I hope you had a good visit regardless!
@@Romewise I had to rush it cause it was so big. my wife was very hot and was worried she was going to get heat exhaustion. so we kept seeing signs that said "sistine chapel this way" and so I kept thinking it was close. but it kept going. then FINALLY we got to the sistine chapel. I thought it would be nicer believe it or not. besides, I don't really go to museums for the exhibits. I go for the architecture of the museum itself. lol. so I was mainly interested in the spiral staircase at the end. boy is it beautiful.
@@velocci6666 Yes I think this happens to a lot of people. And I have heard from some that by the time they got to the Sistine Chapel, with so many expectations, that it was disappointing. I think the crowds also have something to do with it. I'm glad you did enjoy some of the museums!
@@Romewise oh and by the way, the "no exposed knees and shoulders" dress code for St. Peter's church or any other place in Rome is not really enforced. when I was in the tour at St. Peter's church, there were two women in front of me wearing tank tops. I think this dress code is an old code that is not enforced anymore cause they know its ridiculous or they just don't want people showing up half naked. also, i've heard stories about people approaching tourists trying to distract them and scamming them, people leaving their phone on a table in a restaurant and getting it stolen. None of that happened to me or my family. I think this is rare.
@@velocci6666 Well they do enforce it so you may have seen some people defying the rule and just not getting called out yet. All Rome churches have this rule but may not have people to enforce it. As for scams, I'm glad nothing happened to you and your family. Yes, you are seeing videos about this because people are nervous about it, and it's a topic that invites a lot of clicks. But I agree with you, most people never encounter these problems.
Thanks to one of your Vatican Museum videos from a while back, I have scheduled the Key Master Tour on my next trip in November. I'm so excited I can't hardly stand myself! Thank you for all you do!
Best thing about the end of summer: beautiful light (especially in Italy), cooler weather, delicious fall produce, and (once again) more weekly RomeWise videos! Awesome video and tips! Thanks for all your hard work!
You always have great tips (take pics when the sun is behind the basilica, the Pope passes by if you sit on the side)! I wish you could create these informative videos for every country! Thanks so much Elyssa!
Thank you so very much for all the information !! You have some great information in this video. I had to do a lot of research just to learn a few of things you talked about.
Great advice once again Elyssa on getting the very best from your time when vising two of the most popular sites. We have followed your advice on three occasions now when visiting St Peter's and the Vatican and each time we had a brilliant time without "wasting" valuable time queuing.
So glad you enjoyed the video, Peter! I made this one because the topic is the most popular page on my website, and I know people have many questions about how to visit this site. It can be "a lot", so my goal was to make it easier. Thanks for your kind words as always!
I just came back from St. Peter’s Basilica, what an amazing experience! The stairs were steep and everyone was breathing heavy but we all made it eventually; haha! Currently, to climb the dome using stairs is €10 and for the elevator (lift) it is €15.
Wow! This is an excellent video and thank you so much for all the advice-especially about expectations for time and energy. I also appreciate the recommendations for guides. You're the best!🥰
@Romewise nope, didn't skip anything - the whole thing was interesting and well done. BTW, I like the indoor setup you've been using for your recent videos. I like the outdoor setups too, but I bet it's nice for you to avoid battling the wind blowing into your mic, random people walking by, and road noise.
@@deanhatescoffee awww that’s awesome that you watched it all and that you found it interesting! That’s the goal! Thanks a lot for your compliments about my background setup. I studied it from Ali Abdaal. I wanted to create a pleasing background. And you hit the nail on the head! It’s very difficult to film in Rome sometimes due to the reasons you listed and others. Another factor is the heat! Last year I filmed a lot of videos outside in summer and it was challenging to say the least! 🤣
@@lilpenny1982 Great! I was a little concerned about it being so long! But there's a lot to cover and I wanted to answer all the questions I know people have :) I hope you'll enjoy the video!
When we were in Rome, our Vatican Museum experience was very disappointing. Since many people online tell you to either book for early morning or (late) afternoon to avoid big crowds inside, and mornings were already sold out, we went for 16:30. We weren't aware that the tour didn't include one of the most famous works, "The School of Athens". Because of its popularity (the museum shop is full of souvenirs with it) we were very surprised that it wasn't a part of the tour but the tour ended inside of the museum so we wanted to look for it on our own. When we asked where we can find it, they told us, that this section has already been closed (18:10). We were and still are very disappointed because we were looking forward to finally seeing it. I watched a couple of Vatican preparation video guides and no one mentioned that things like this could happen.
It's unfortunate that you had such a disappointing experience at the Vatican museums. I am surprised that your tour did not include the School of Athens. Perhaps it was a special tour that specifically did a kind of "turbo" visit where you skipped certain rooms? Even if you enter the museums at 4:30pm, there is still plenty of time to see the Raphael Rooms. Either way, the tour description should have outlined what was included and what was not included. It's also strange that any Vatican tour would end inside the museums - every tour I know of ends inside the Sistine Chapel. I hope you were at least able to visit the Sistine Chapel.
@Romewise Thank you for your answer! It was very interesting. Yes, apparently we skipped a few rooms. This is the first time I hear about Raphael Rooms 😧 We didn't actually enter the museums at 4:30. That's when we met at Via Vespasiano, then we had to wait a bit until everyone was there and then walk to the entrance. It was probably 5 when we entered. The tour was booked via Get your Guide and it was by "Italy Wonders". The tour description didn't say that certain rooms are excluded. It just said 'Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, excluding St Peters Basilica'. St Peters was excluded because it was too late but we knew that. That's why it was a lot cheaper than the others (but still 69€ pP the most expensive tour we ever had). However, when we started the tour, she asked us if we want to see St Peters, in which case she could hurry so we are finished before 6 and I just though "it's 5 now, how on earth could she finish a 2 hour tour in 1 hour?" but no one wanted her to hurry so she went with her normal speed, I guess. But it still felt rushed as if she just wanted to go to Sistine Chapel as quickly as possible. In the Sistine Chapel we had a couple of minutes, then she led us outside of the Chapel and as soon as we arrived outside of the Chapel she told us the tour was over now and we could see the rest on our own. It was 6:15 afair. The tour on GyG also had a good average rating. 🫤
@@Mettsemmel Wow sorry this happened to you. It sounds somewhat poorly organized and it also sounds like the guide did not do the best job of setting expectations and making sure all those on the tour could see what they wanted to see. I hope you can come back and visit another time!
Thank you so much! It's one of my favorite necklaces and it goes with so much. Thanks for noticing. Yes, the square is amazing exepcially the story of how the obelisk was moved to its current location. The Pietà is my favorite thing to see in Saint Peter's Basilica. I can never get enough of it!
Wow is all I can say. My brother and I visited the Necropolis when we came to Rome a couple of weeks back and it was so intriguing to see the human remains in situ. They didn't even know whether they are of male of females as they haven't been disturbed, just left as they were found. We did the English tour with a tour guide who works for the Vatican (lovely lady she was) and were let into, escorted around and let out of the site by Vatican Police Officers. What I will say as because it is an ancient site there is black mould building up within the site and within 5 minutes of us being there my brother and I started coughing as we have issues with our chests. I hope they can sort that problem out but in the meantime I feel there should be a warning for those who suffer with chest issues to be aware. Otherwise, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We were and still are in awe.
Wow, so complicated! We didn't visit the Vatican last time, which was fine with me. I prefer Ancient Rome stuff, but my husband would like to see the Vatican, even if just the outside. Thanks for the particulars and the differences between the different areas of the Vatican.... like I said, so complicated!
Thank you, Elyssa! You have the best guides for Rome and the Vatican. This time, you really outdid yourself. However, I noticed that your guides don’t mention (or maybe I missed) details or differences between the official guided tours offered by the Vatican Museum and the Colosseum, and the regular tours like those from GetYourGuide. For someone like me with a limited budget, this kind of information would be very useful. I didn’t even know these options existed until I saw your videos, but I'm still not clear on the details. For instance, I believe the Vatican Museums tour is shorter and starts and ends at the museum, but it's not clear if they make you leave right after. As for the Colosseum, I understand it only includes the Colosseum itself and not the Forum or Palatine Hill, unlike tours from other companies, though I could be mistaken.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm glad you find this video helpful! In this video, I do spend some time talking about the tours given by the Vatican museums vs. outside tour companies. GetYourGuide and Viator are tour umbrellas and they allow you to compare tours among various tour companies. As I mentioned in this video, the Vatican Museums tours cannot take you into Saint Peter's Basilica so that is one huge difference right there. You should also know that Vatican Museums tours are offered by licensed guides who are employed by the Vatican Museums, which means that the quality of a given guide can vary a lot. I've had excellent Vatican guides and terrible guides. It just depends on who you get. Whereas guides who work for private companies will not keep their job long if they get terrible customer reviews. So you usually have a better chance of getting consistently better guides when booked through an outside tour company. So yes, this also means a price difference. And yes, you are correct that at the Colosseum, the official tours include just the specific part of the monument booked, but not the Roman Forum / Palatine Hill. So it depends on your time available, budget, and what you want out of a tour.
Great information! I have already booked tickets for an 8:30AM entrance to the Vatican museum for mid-October. I also paid in advance for the audio tour guide. My husband and I usually enjoy these audio guides when we travel. Have you tried this at the Vatican? How was the quality?
Thanks, I'm glad you found it helpful! The audio guide is fine, nothing amazing. But it's better than having no guide. You will also find plenty of written information, in particular in front of pieces of art the Vatican considers to be in their top 100. Have a great time!
Hello, im visiting Rome in March next year and i would love to get your opinion on some of the best companies to purchase a tour of the Vatican and Colloseum, binge watching your videos at the minute 😂 thanks.
Hello and thanks for watching! Yes, I link to my suggested tours in the description of the video. You can also find them in the first comment pinned at the top of each video's comments section.
There are plenty of places to eat inside the Vatican Museums. You could bring a protein bar with you, but I suggest eating before or after your visit, or eating at one of their restaurants. You can go to the sit down restaurant in the Pinecone courtyard or to one of their cafés or the "food court" next to the café.
Hi RomeWise, One more question, if I’m traveling with my mom and she is handicapped and will be getting free tickets, should we purchase our own tickets online separately? Please advise.
If you want to see the parts of the Vatican Museums which are not covered by tour companies, is there anyway of: 1) Coming back to them once your tour is concluded in Sistine Chapel; Or 2) detaching yourself from the tour to cover these other areas first and then go to the Sistine Chapel on your own.
Absolutely! Once you are inside the Vatican Museums, you can stay as long as you like until closing, as long as you don't leave (there is no re-entry on the same ticket.) So if you have a tour that finishes in the Sistine Chapel, you can go back to the beginning of the museums and start again and see what you want. And sure you could detach yourself from your tour but in this case, I suggest you inform the guide so they don't look for you.
Trying to book our Vatican tickets now for 17th October 2025 on the official site and it appears they are sold out. Such a shame as you inspired us to go. I guess because of the Jubilee. We will have to settle for a view from the square I am sure that will also be breathtaking. Thanks for your wonderful insights.
While the Vatican Museums are allowing tickets to be sold further in advance than just 60 days, as they have done in the recent past, I think it's way too early to try to book these tickets for October 2025. Also, they have extended their hours for 2025, so the museums will be open Monday - Saturday until 8pm, not only on Friday and Saturday as they have done this year. One of their practices has been to continue to add ticket availability on a regular basis, so I think you should simply keep checking back.
Thanks for all of your helpful information, can you link me to your video where you show the route to go directly to the sistine chapel? I have booked 8 am entry tickets for early next month and plan to go directly to the chapel and then return through the museum after exiting the chapel. Can you tell me what time the chapel opens? I've been looking to hire private tour guides and have been given varied answers, some saying it's not possible, others saying it is, some saying the chapel doesn't open until 9, etc etc. any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Here's the video: th-cam.com/video/5ac7cvBH0iY/w-d-xo.html The Vatican museums open at 8 AM. The Sistine Chapel opens at 8:30 AM. You can hire a private guide if you can find one who is available. It depends on the guide.
Hi! I have watched the explanation video for the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and Basilica with Dome. Thank you! This is the most information I have been able to get anywhere! Now I have 2 specific questions: 1. We bought 5 tickets to the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel through the official website. It says on each ticket: “Type of Visit: Admission tickets - Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel”. It doesn’t say anywhere about a tour. The tickets are for 4:00pm. Is there anyway to secure a tour through the Vatican ticket office while already holding entrance tickets? Or would we need to find a 3rd party tour company that wouldn’t charge us entrance tickets again on top of a tour? I’m confused here. I want a Vatican tour but not to double book entrance tickets. 2. We bought 5 Basilica tickets from 3rd party Headout for the same day at 8:15am. They are audio tour tickets. We are to meet a guide to get us to the Basilica and set up our apps so we can start the tour alone. They insist this includes entrance tickets (they say it’s free). And that we’d just pay an additional fee to climb the dome if we choose to. Would this also be a good option? Or do we need entrance tickets too? My goals are to tour the museums with a guide and to see the Sistine chapel. As well as see the basilica and climb the dome. The tickets are 8 hours apart. Have we made a big mistake? Thank you so much for your helpful tips and guidance! This really helped me formulate my questions. Amy
Thanks for watching my video. I'm glad you found it helpful. In answer to your questions: 1 - Most tour companies get your tickets for you, so if you want a tour, you'll need to either find a private tour guide or contact a tour company and ask if you can book a tour but without the tickets. 2 - There are no tickets to Saint Peter's basilica - it's free to enter but EVERYONE must go through security. What you bought was a ticket that will give you some guidance on entering the basilica and getting you where you want to go. If it were me, I'd do these visits on separate days. But if you can't break them up, then yes, visiting the basilica and dome in the morning, taking a break for lunch, and then visiting the museums, is fine, but you will have a very long and intense day ahead of you. You won't have 8 hours between visits. If you visit the basilica at 8am and wait in line to go in, visit the dome and the basilica, you will come out around 11am. Then you should find someplace to sit and rest and have lunch before heading back to the museums for 3:45pm.
My first trip to Rome is soon. The Key Master's tour is booked on the days I'll be in Rome. I will plan the Key Master's tour on my next visit. In the meantime, what would your personal choice be for a guided tour for this visit? There are so many options.
Sorry to hear you won't be able to take the Key Master tour. If this tour is going while you are here, I highly recommend it: th-cam.com/video/PY5zypSaIo0/w-d-xo.html Otherwise, I suggest the Pristine Sistine tour with the shortcut to the basilica. There is a link for that in the description of this video. Have a great visit!
This is the best practical video series on Italy. I am just going to follow you. I have been planning to go to go to Italy between 15 to 30th March 2025. I just heard that 2025 is jubilee year. Is it advisable to go here during the above period. I thought march would be a slightly leaner season. Your advice please
Thank you so much! As for the Jubilee, you might find this helpful: th-cam.com/video/ocmA7rKxBZY/w-d-xo.html March will probably be busier than you think. In recent years, our low season has shrunk: th-cam.com/video/-QZfk3MSZyg/w-d-xo.html Here's my video about visiting Rome in March: th-cam.com/video/EL7bhjgncqk/w-d-xo.html
Can you let me know about the booking the dome ticket to the St. Peter's Basilica through the website. Because as I see now, it costs 22 euros for elevator and it's not available until 13th January. I would highly appreciate if you tell me if you're aware of it. Thank you.
Can you please let me know what website you are looking at? It is not possible to book tickets to the dome in advance. You may be seeing something on a 3rd party website such as Get Your Guide or Tiqets. To climb the dome, you just show up and buy the ticket on site: th-cam.com/video/B82ubnugwHI/w-d-xo.html
That's great, you will love it! But it's way too early to book for 2025, let alone 2026. You can start looking closer to the end of 2025 or beginning of 2026 to book this tour.
So, the only way to get non-glaring morning light on the dome is to brave the afternoon lines (or get an afternoon tour + short cut from the Vatican museums . . . I'm not really a guided tour kind of person), is that right? Thanks for your great vids. Using Florence and Rome ones (so far!)
Yes exactly. I know many people want to visit the basilica at 7am when it opens to try to avoid long lines, but there is that caveat, that the view from the dome is pretty washed out. So you have to make a choice :) Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoy my videos!
Hi Elyssa! Thank you so much for your videos - so informative and so useful. Absolutely great advice. I’ve watched quite a few so far. Just a small question, you mention there is a way to avoid a queue to St. Peter’s Basilica by booking a tour to visit StPeter’s tomb, and proceeding to that special entrance, but I have checked your link and can only find tours that go to St Peter’s Basilica first, so I assume that would be joining the general queue, not using the “special “ entrance straight to the tomb. Can you please advise which exactly tour would take us straight to the tomb through that little door?
Thanks for your kind comments. To book a visit to Saint Peter's tomb, you need to write to the Vatican. I have a page on my website with full instructions: www.romewise.com/st-peters-tomb.html
@@Romewise Thank you so much for the reply. They are closed until 3rd of November for maintenance, unfortunately, as we’ll be gone by then. But there is a lot of availability starting from the 4th November, btw. For anyone, who is lucky enough to be in Rome after that date.
@@ingamorris7926 Ah yes, that's true - they are currently undergoing renovations. Sorry you will miss this visit but I hope you'll have a great time in Rome!
If you mean the spiral staircase used as an exit, designed in 1932 by Giuseppe Momo, you can only use that staircase when you exit the Vatican museums at the same point where you entered them. This would mean NOT taking the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel into the basilica. If you ARE on a tour that takes you directly into Saint Peter's basilica from the Sistine Chapel, I suggest asking the tour guide at the beginning of the tour to allow you a quick stop at the top of this staircase so you can see it and take pix if you like. If you are asking about going up or down the original staircase designed by Donato Bramante in 1505, that is only available when you book a special tour that includes it. I have a web page all about this here: www.romewise.com/vatican-secret-rooms.html
If you exit on the left side of the Sistine Chapel, it takes you all the way back to the beginning of the museums. Only from there can you then make your way back to the Pinecone Courtyard. You won't see it at any time during the exit route.
@Romewise When I was there in the Sistine Chapel, I accidentally took the 'right' exit and saw St Peter's Basillica for the 2nd time. But because of this, I missed out on seeing the Pine Courtyard 😫 BTW, loved seeing Raphael's School of Athens 🎨 I liked the Sistine Chapel too but I thought the roof and the walls were too busy to see.
@@lilpenny1982 I see - well at this time, it's impossible to take the right-hand exit unless you are on a guided tour, as I explain in the video in detail. So visitors not on these tours will HAVE to take the left-side exit. Usually, I visit the Pinecone courtyard at the beginning of my visit to the Vatican Museums but you can do it later, too. I agree, Raphael's works are amazing!
Hi, I’m wondering if you can get back to me privately ? I wanted to ask you if you can help me? Where to stay in Rome city centre close to or in between things Safe to walk in the evening? Etc ??
All my best tips are on my website: www.romewise.com/where-to-stay-in-rome.html www.romewise.com/rome-neighborhoods.html If you're interested, we also provide personalized trip planning as a paid service. Please either write us at alessandro@romewise.com or fill out the below form to get started, with no obligation: www.romewise.com/italy-trip-planning-services.html
Thank you so much for this helpful video!! I'm planning to be there early March in 2025. Do you think I should be worried about a long line to enter the vatican museum for 9 am? To be time efficient, I am thinking of doing the St. Peter’s basilica at 7am before the museum. Thanks again!!
I'm glad you find the video helpful. I talk specifically about this in my video - I do not think it's a good idea to visit Saint Peter's Basilica at 7am and try to get to the Vatican Museums for a 9am tour or entrance. You can do it but you will be rushed. It's bigger and takes more time and energy than you might think. If you want to visit the basilica at 7am, then book the museums for 10am or later.
I noticed when booking your Vatican museum ticket you can include purchasing a meal. Is this worth it? Or is there a Cafe to sit and buy a coffee or snack to rest during visit? Many thanks for your wonderful videos. Heading to Rome soon, so I your advice Elyssa has been wonderful!!
You CAN pre-book some meals in the Pinecone courtyard, and perhaps in high season if you want to make sure you get a spot, pre-booking makes sense. But you can also just go to the Pinecone Courtyard and get these meals (breakfast, lunch, or aperitivo.) You can also go to the Pinecone Courtyard and order things a la carte. But there is also a huge cafeteria-style eating area one level below the museum. Here you can get simple food like sandwiches, pizza etc. None of the food inside either of these eateries is amazing but it's great to have the option for fueling up when you need it! I showed the cafe in this video: th-cam.com/video/5ac7cvBH0iY/w-d-xo.html I'm glad you enjoy my content! Hope you have a wonderful visit!
No, they don't. No, tickets are just first come, first-served. Then, you can stay up there as long as you want until closing. Here is my video with details: th-cam.com/video/B82ubnugwHI/w-d-xo.html
Hello, What if we do not want a tour of the museums (will just take the B line straight to Sistine chapel) can we still find a tour with the quick access to the Basilica or is that only possible with a Tour for both the museums and Basilica? Thank you for any help!
That's exactly the issue - you can do one or the other. The ONLY way to take the shortcut into Saint Peter's Basilica from the Sistine Chapel is to take a tour of the Vatican Museums with a third party. So you could do my trick of going early and beelining to the Sistine Chapel, in which case, you cannot take the shortcut, or you can take a tour. They are both good options, it just depends on what is more important to you.
@@Romewise I see. Thank you very much for your response. I’m traveling with my mom who has trouble walking for long periods of time. I’m trying to figure out the quickest option that will also allow her to take frequent stops if needed. We’re most interested in the Sistine chapel and St. Peter’s tomb.Thank you again. Your videos are so helpful!
@@melissah8433 Well on the one hand, going straight to the Sistine Chapel means she doesn't have to stand around during a tour, but on the other hand, a tour that includes the basilica shortcut will save you SO MUCH more time and walking later. Thanks for watching and I hope you have a wonderful visit!
Thanks for another great video! We got a question about visiting St Peter's Basilica on Dec 24 this year. Since there's the Christmas Eve papal mass, does that mean (unless you got tickets to the mass) St Peter's Basilica will be closed to visitors that day? If so, will it be open to visitors on Dec 23? Thanks so much!
I guess more specifically, we're wondering on Dec 24, if St Peter's Basilica will be closed the entire day? Or just during the papal mass at 7:30 pm? Thanks again!
When there is a papal mass, the basilica is closed for some time beforehand so they can clear it out and prepare the space. They also need to allow time for visitors with tickets to enter, find their seats, etc. So for a 7:30pm papal mass, they are sure to close the basilica several hours earlier, but I don't know exactly at what time they will close it on December 24. I don't believe it will be closed the entire day. It will certainly be open December 23 as the basilica is meant to be open 365 days a year except during (and before) the papal masses and audiences (and any other such important event.)
@@Romewise Ah! That's great information, thanks so much! In this case, we'll change our plans to visit on Dec 23, since we really want to see St Peter's Basilica.
Decided a guided tour of the museums with the short cut to St Peter's would suit us best for next year. Went to the link in Get Your Guide and it says prices from A$98 each but when you enter dates it goes up to A$247 each - does this amount sound correct? I changed the dates and same cost. I understand it says from A$98 but its a bit misleading to then be nearly 3 times as expensive.
Thanks for watching my video. I think you are right, that is an ideal tour to take. However, I think you may be trying to book too early. I do believe in booking in advance but still, I think it's too early. In fact, I tried finding some tours on GetYourGuide for next year, and many of them show not yet available. I'd continue looking closer to your date (even a few months prior.) There are so many tour companies offering this type of tour and competition means that prices should be similar across agencies, depending on group size. And by the time you get closer to your date, the prices should be closer in line to what you see for tours being offered right now.
I was always told you need your passport to go to Vatican City because it is considered its own country. So, we don’t need our original passports when we go there?
The issue of walking around Rome with your passport is highly fraught. There are some people who believe you must carry it with you at all times, but this is not true. My husband's dad was in the Carabinieri for life, and my husband himself was in the Carabinieri for several years. So please believe I know what I'm saying. First of all, no passport is needed to enter Vatican City. You just go in. Second of all, you do need some government issued photo ID to visit the Vatican Museums, because tickets are nominative and you'll have to show that you are the person whose name is on the ticket. But this ID can be a photocopy or a scanned image on your mobile device. (The same is true at the Colosseum and the Pantheon.) You DO need a passport to enter Italy if you are coming from a country outside the EU. And then, your accommodation host (hotel, apartment etc) must by law register you with the police (it's a felony if they don't.) Once you are registered, you do NOT need to walk around with a passport. If for any reason, a government official asks to see ID (very unlikely), you can let them know it's back at your hotel/apartment, and they will give you time to get it to them. Please keep your passport safe back at your accommodation, and for ID purposes for matching who you are to ticketing , just use a photocopy or scanned image of your ID. Enjoy your trip!
Looks like Vatican Museums and St Peters Basilica are not talking to each other. Why can't they cooperate and allow tourists to take the shortcut ? They can charge a fee.
Yes I talk about this in the video. They are unrelated entities, both inside Vatican City, and they have nothing to do with each other except their proximity to one another. I know it would be nice to be able to take that shortcut more easily but for now, the only way is through an outside tour company.
A África é uma terra de pobres e pobreza extrema. Tudo isso devido a grande e enorme corrupção política para que toda a África seja pobre. Isso tem muita muita piedade católica não é atoa que essa viagem do Jorge a África é para mostrar ao mundo o grande e enorme amor católico da igreja de Roma por tudo isso
*👉🏻 Best Tours & Experiences in Rome:*
✝ Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Basilica and Papal Tombs Tour - gyg.me/GRDHz4dF
✝ Guided Tour of St. Peter's Basilica with Dome Climb - gyg.me/Q9b4QHfY
✝ Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Skip-The-Line Tickets - gyg.me/92ByWyI4
✝ St. Peter's Basilica and Papal Tombs Guided Tour - gyg.me/jgRj4mEc
✝ Vatican dome climb and Vatican grottoes - tinyurl.com/yatn9wb3
✝ Pristine Sistine Early Morning Tour - tinyurl.com/pristine-sistine
✝ Vatican Gardens with Bus Tour & Vatican Museums - gyg.me/BwCzqLMt
🛌 FIND ACCOMMODATIONS NEAR VATICAN
booking.stay22.com/romewise/qK5vh7CYoy
All of your videos are so wonderful and informative but I think this one is the best. Thank you for all tips and information and I think you have answered any question that someone could have about the Vatican.
Wow, thank you! So glad you found it helpful! That was my goal!
You are absolutely right about the level of energy needed to visit these sites. Waking up early, taking a tour through the museums, sistine chapel, st. peters cathedral, and going up to the dome was both exhilarating and exhausting. Comfy shoes are a must. We finished at about 1400 with everything, but immediately took a nap when we got back to our hotel. It is a quest for sure! Thank you for your videos and knowledge.
Yes! I try to convey how much time people need here. It's a whole separate state from Italy and needs quite a lot of energy to visit it. In fact, I think it's best to take more than one day to see it, as I said in the video. Glad you got to enjoy it. Thanks for your kind comments!
@@Romewise We spent almost a full day on the Vatican Museum. We gave ourselves 2 days to see the Vatican.
@@jeffchastain2977 Yes it's easy to spend a full day in the museums! They are huge and there is so much to see. I'm glad you gave yourselves plenty of time to enjoy the Vatican fully!
Wanted to thank you specifically. Your videos helped me feel confident the Sistine Chapel opening tour was not a scam (it was phenomenal), helped us to see the Vatican Necropolis, and allowed us to optimize our stay in Rome. I truly appreciate your depth of knowledge and your clarity, as well as experience with tours that are more niche or obscure. We had a wonderful time.
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and found it helpful. Also great to hear you got to visit the Necropolis. Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
I thoughy Necropolis is close grom August 17- Novemver. I asked for ticket and my reply is they are close.
@@lyraaguila835 I went in July. Be aware it's very hot.
I just got back from Rome last week. The Vatican Museum is massive. It took forever to get through it to the Sistine chapel and then spiral staircase.
Yes, that's why I try to set expectations in this video. It's much larger and requires more energy than a lot of people are expecting. I hope you had a good visit regardless!
@@Romewise I had to rush it cause it was so big. my wife was very hot and was worried she was going to get heat exhaustion. so we kept seeing signs that said "sistine chapel this way" and so I kept thinking it was close. but it kept going. then FINALLY we got to the sistine chapel. I thought it would be nicer believe it or not. besides, I don't really go to museums for the exhibits. I go for the architecture of the museum itself. lol. so I was mainly interested in the spiral staircase at the end. boy is it beautiful.
@@velocci6666 Yes I think this happens to a lot of people. And I have heard from some that by the time they got to the Sistine Chapel, with so many expectations, that it was disappointing. I think the crowds also have something to do with it. I'm glad you did enjoy some of the museums!
@@Romewise oh and by the way, the "no exposed knees and shoulders" dress code for St. Peter's church or any other place in Rome is not really enforced. when I was in the tour at St. Peter's church, there were two women in front of me wearing tank tops. I think this dress code is an old code that is not enforced anymore cause they know its ridiculous or they just don't want people showing up half naked. also, i've heard stories about people approaching tourists trying to distract them and scamming them, people leaving their phone on a table in a restaurant and getting it stolen. None of that happened to me or my family. I think this is rare.
@@velocci6666 Well they do enforce it so you may have seen some people defying the rule and just not getting called out yet. All Rome churches have this rule but may not have people to enforce it. As for scams, I'm glad nothing happened to you and your family. Yes, you are seeing videos about this because people are nervous about it, and it's a topic that invites a lot of clicks. But I agree with you, most people never encounter these problems.
Thanks to one of your Vatican Museum videos from a while back, I have scheduled the Key Master Tour on my next trip in November. I'm so excited I can't hardly stand myself! Thank you for all you do!
I took the Key Master Tour a couple days ago, also thanks to Rome Wise, and it was the best decision!
Wow you will just love this tour! Thanks for letting me know you find my content helpful. Have a great trip!
I'm so glad you got to take the Key Master tour - it's amazing!
I went to this because of her videos and it's out of this world.
@@beetyrant9430 So glad to have inspired you and it's great to hear you loved the tour!
Best thing about the end of summer: beautiful light (especially in Italy), cooler weather, delicious fall produce, and (once again) more weekly RomeWise videos! Awesome video and tips! Thanks for all your hard work!
Awww thanks, Ralph!!
You always have great tips (take pics when the sun is behind the basilica, the Pope passes by if you sit on the side)! I wish you could create these informative videos for every country! Thanks so much Elyssa!
Thanks so much! So nice of you!
Thank you so very much for all the information !! You have some great information in this video. I had to do a lot of research just to learn a few of things you talked about.
Thank you for watching! I'm glad you found it helpful!
Great advice once again Elyssa on getting the very best from your time when vising two of the most popular sites. We have followed your advice on three occasions now when visiting St Peter's and the Vatican and each time we had a brilliant time without "wasting" valuable time queuing.
So glad you enjoyed the video, Peter! I made this one because the topic is the most popular page on my website, and I know people have many questions about how to visit this site. It can be "a lot", so my goal was to make it easier. Thanks for your kind words as always!
I just came back from St. Peter’s Basilica, what an amazing experience! The stairs were steep and everyone was breathing heavy but we all made it eventually; haha! Currently, to climb the dome using stairs is €10 and for the elevator (lift) it is €15.
Thanks for sharing your experience. And thanks for the update on the climb price. They must have raised it not long after I made this video.
Wow! This is an excellent video and thank you so much for all the advice-especially about expectations for time and energy. I also appreciate the recommendations for guides. You're the best!🥰
Thank you so much for watching! I'm glad you found it helpful!
Excellent!
Fabulous. Just booked on your recommendation, all I needed to know. Next video is colloseum.
Awesome, thank you!
Very helpful. Thank you so much!
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you find it helpful.
Dang, Elyssa, 40 minutes? Hang on, gotta get the popcorn. 🍿 Thanks as always for your amazing videos!
😆! I know! But I had a lot of questions to answer....Hopefully you were either not bored or were able to skip to the parts that interested you! :D
@Romewise nope, didn't skip anything - the whole thing was interesting and well done. BTW, I like the indoor setup you've been using for your recent videos. I like the outdoor setups too, but I bet it's nice for you to avoid battling the wind blowing into your mic, random people walking by, and road noise.
@@deanhatescoffee awww that’s awesome that you watched it all and that you found it interesting! That’s the goal!
Thanks a lot for your compliments about my background setup. I studied it from Ali Abdaal. I wanted to create a pleasing background. And you hit the nail on the head! It’s very difficult to film in Rome sometimes due to the reasons you listed and others. Another factor is the heat! Last year I filmed a lot of videos outside in summer and it was challenging to say the least! 🤣
Your vids and snaps shots of rome are awesome
Thanks a lot!
Finally, a video greater than 20 minutes 👏👏👏👏
Glad you liked it!
@@Romewise I'll watch it again tonight when I wind down from work so that I can fully see and understand exactly what you're saying 📺🛋
@Romewise You should do more longer videos. But do it live though 📹
@@lilpenny1982 Great! I was a little concerned about it being so long! But there's a lot to cover and I wanted to answer all the questions I know people have :) I hope you'll enjoy the video!
@@Romewise I think 30 minutes is really good ⏰️ 10 minutes is too short and 40-50 minutes is too long
When we were in Rome, our Vatican Museum experience was very disappointing. Since many people online tell you to either book for early morning or (late) afternoon to avoid big crowds inside, and mornings were already sold out, we went for 16:30. We weren't aware that the tour didn't include one of the most famous works, "The School of Athens". Because of its popularity (the museum shop is full of souvenirs with it) we were very surprised that it wasn't a part of the tour but the tour ended inside of the museum so we wanted to look for it on our own. When we asked where we can find it, they told us, that this section has already been closed (18:10). We were and still are very disappointed because we were looking forward to finally seeing it.
I watched a couple of Vatican preparation video guides and no one mentioned that things like this could happen.
It's unfortunate that you had such a disappointing experience at the Vatican museums. I am surprised that your tour did not include the School of Athens. Perhaps it was a special tour that specifically did a kind of "turbo" visit where you skipped certain rooms? Even if you enter the museums at 4:30pm, there is still plenty of time to see the Raphael Rooms. Either way, the tour description should have outlined what was included and what was not included.
It's also strange that any Vatican tour would end inside the museums - every tour I know of ends inside the Sistine Chapel.
I hope you were at least able to visit the Sistine Chapel.
@Romewise Thank you for your answer! It was very interesting. Yes, apparently we skipped a few rooms. This is the first time I hear about Raphael Rooms 😧 We didn't actually enter the museums at 4:30. That's when we met at Via Vespasiano, then we had to wait a bit until everyone was there and then walk to the entrance. It was probably 5 when we entered. The tour was booked via Get your Guide and it was by "Italy Wonders". The tour description didn't say that certain rooms are excluded. It just said 'Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, excluding St Peters Basilica'.
St Peters was excluded because it was too late but we knew that. That's why it was a lot cheaper than the others (but still 69€ pP the most expensive tour we ever had). However, when we started the tour, she asked us if we want to see St Peters, in which case she could hurry so we are finished before 6 and I just though "it's 5 now, how on earth could she finish a 2 hour tour in 1 hour?" but no one wanted her to hurry so she went with her normal speed, I guess. But it still felt rushed as if she just wanted to go to Sistine Chapel as quickly as possible. In the Sistine Chapel we had a couple of minutes, then she led us outside of the Chapel and as soon as we arrived outside of the Chapel she told us the tour was over now and we could see the rest on our own. It was 6:15 afair. The tour on GyG also had a good average rating. 🫤
@@Mettsemmel Wow sorry this happened to you. It sounds somewhat poorly organized and it also sounds like the guide did not do the best job of setting expectations and making sure all those on the tour could see what they wanted to see. I hope you can come back and visit another time!
Dear Elyssa as usual thank you for your insightful video.
Glad it was helpful!
Good information and love the necklace 🙂The Square is interesting and look for the statues. You must go in the church and see the Pieta.
Thank you so much! It's one of my favorite necklaces and it goes with so much. Thanks for noticing. Yes, the square is amazing exepcially the story of how the obelisk was moved to its current location. The Pietà is my favorite thing to see in Saint Peter's Basilica. I can never get enough of it!
Wow is all I can say. My brother and I visited the Necropolis when we came to Rome a couple of weeks back and it was so intriguing to see the human remains in situ. They didn't even know whether they are of male of females as they haven't been disturbed, just left as they were found. We did the English tour with a tour guide who works for the Vatican (lovely lady she was) and were let into, escorted around and let out of the site by Vatican Police Officers. What I will say as because it is an ancient site there is black mould building up within the site and within 5 minutes of us being there my brother and I started coughing as we have issues with our chests. I hope they can sort that problem out but in the meantime I feel there should be a warning for those who suffer with chest issues to be aware. Otherwise, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We were and still are in awe.
Bought my entry ticket today ( Dec. 13, 2024 ) for May 8, 2025. 8:00 AM was sold out but I was able to get 8:30
Yes, they are not releasing tickets much farther in advance. Glad you were able to get early morning tickets. Have a wonderful visit!
Perfect timing! I will be there in Nov. Thanks!
@@Walkwalk88 glad you found it helpful!
Great.
Wow, so complicated! We didn't visit the Vatican last time, which was fine with me. I prefer Ancient Rome stuff, but my husband would like to see the Vatican, even if just the outside. Thanks for the particulars and the differences between the different areas of the Vatican.... like I said, so complicated!
Well I was hoping to de-mystify things. Maybe it's a little complicated but I feel if you know what to expect, it should make it less complicated!
Thanks Elyssa!
Thank you, Elyssa! You have the best guides for Rome and the Vatican. This time, you really outdid yourself. However, I noticed that your guides don’t mention (or maybe I missed) details or differences between the official guided tours offered by the Vatican Museum and the Colosseum, and the regular tours like those from GetYourGuide. For someone like me with a limited budget, this kind of information would be very useful. I didn’t even know these options existed until I saw your videos, but I'm still not clear on the details. For instance, I believe the Vatican Museums tour is shorter and starts and ends at the museum, but it's not clear if they make you leave right after. As for the Colosseum, I understand it only includes the Colosseum itself and not the Forum or Palatine Hill, unlike tours from other companies, though I could be mistaken.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm glad you find this video helpful!
In this video, I do spend some time talking about the tours given by the Vatican museums vs. outside tour companies.
GetYourGuide and Viator are tour umbrellas and they allow you to compare tours among various tour companies.
As I mentioned in this video, the Vatican Museums tours cannot take you into Saint Peter's Basilica so that is one huge difference right there.
You should also know that Vatican Museums tours are offered by licensed guides who are employed by the Vatican Museums, which means that the quality of a given guide can vary a lot. I've had excellent Vatican guides and terrible guides. It just depends on who you get. Whereas guides who work for private companies will not keep their job long if they get terrible customer reviews. So you usually have a better chance of getting consistently better guides when booked through an outside tour company.
So yes, this also means a price difference.
And yes, you are correct that at the Colosseum, the official tours include just the specific part of the monument booked, but not the Roman Forum / Palatine Hill.
So it depends on your time available, budget, and what you want out of a tour.
Great information! I have already booked tickets for an 8:30AM entrance to the Vatican museum for mid-October. I also paid in advance for the audio tour guide. My husband and I usually enjoy these audio guides when we travel. Have you tried this at the Vatican? How was the quality?
Thanks, I'm glad you found it helpful!
The audio guide is fine, nothing amazing. But it's better than having no guide. You will also find plenty of written information, in particular in front of pieces of art the Vatican considers to be in their top 100.
Have a great time!
Hello, im visiting Rome in March next year and i would love to get your opinion on some of the best companies to purchase a tour of the Vatican and Colloseum, binge watching your videos at the minute 😂 thanks.
Hello and thanks for watching! Yes, I link to my suggested tours in the description of the video. You can also find them in the first comment pinned at the top of each video's comments section.
Are we allowed to take food inside the museums? Is there food available for purchase inside the museums? Thank you.
There are plenty of places to eat inside the Vatican Museums. You could bring a protein bar with you, but I suggest eating before or after your visit, or eating at one of their restaurants. You can go to the sit down restaurant in the Pinecone courtyard or to one of their cafés or the "food court" next to the café.
@@Romewise You have been incredibly helpful. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question.
Hi RomeWise,
One more question, if I’m traveling with my mom and she is handicapped and will be getting free tickets, should we purchase our own tickets online separately? Please advise.
If you want to see the parts of the Vatican Museums which are not covered by tour companies, is there anyway of:
1) Coming back to them once your tour is concluded in Sistine Chapel; Or
2) detaching yourself from the tour to cover these other areas first and then go to the Sistine Chapel on your own.
Absolutely! Once you are inside the Vatican Museums, you can stay as long as you like until closing, as long as you don't leave (there is no re-entry on the same ticket.) So if you have a tour that finishes in the Sistine Chapel, you can go back to the beginning of the museums and start again and see what you want. And sure you could detach yourself from your tour but in this case, I suggest you inform the guide so they don't look for you.
Trying to book our Vatican tickets now for 17th October 2025 on the official site and it appears they are sold out. Such a shame as you inspired us to go. I guess because of the Jubilee. We will have to settle for a view from the square I am sure that will also be breathtaking. Thanks for your wonderful insights.
While the Vatican Museums are allowing tickets to be sold further in advance than just 60 days, as they have done in the recent past, I think it's way too early to try to book these tickets for October 2025. Also, they have extended their hours for 2025, so the museums will be open Monday - Saturday until 8pm, not only on Friday and Saturday as they have done this year.
One of their practices has been to continue to add ticket availability on a regular basis, so I think you should simply keep checking back.
Thanks for all of your helpful information, can you link me to your video where you show the route to go directly to the sistine chapel? I have booked 8 am entry tickets for early next month and plan to go directly to the chapel and then return through the museum after exiting the chapel. Can you tell me what time the chapel opens? I've been looking to hire private tour guides and have been given varied answers, some saying it's not possible, others saying it is, some saying the chapel doesn't open until 9, etc etc. any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Here's the video:
th-cam.com/video/5ac7cvBH0iY/w-d-xo.html
The Vatican museums open at 8 AM. The Sistine Chapel opens at 8:30 AM.
You can hire a private guide if you can find one who is available. It depends on the guide.
@ you’re the best thanks. Looking forward to using your videos and tips to enjoy Rome!
@@TarHeelBlue1 Thank you so much!
Hi! I have watched the explanation video for the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and Basilica with Dome. Thank you! This is the most information I have been able to get anywhere!
Now I have 2 specific questions:
1. We bought 5 tickets to the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel through the official website. It says on each ticket: “Type of Visit: Admission tickets - Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel”. It doesn’t say anywhere about a tour. The tickets are for 4:00pm. Is there anyway to secure a tour through the Vatican ticket office while already holding entrance tickets? Or would we need to find a 3rd party tour company that wouldn’t charge us entrance tickets again on top of a tour? I’m confused here. I want a Vatican tour but not to double book entrance tickets.
2. We bought 5 Basilica tickets from 3rd party Headout for the same day at 8:15am. They are audio tour tickets. We are to meet a guide to get us to the Basilica and set up our apps so we can start the tour alone. They insist this includes entrance tickets (they say it’s free). And that we’d just pay an additional fee to climb the dome if we choose to. Would this also be a good option? Or do we need entrance tickets too?
My goals are to tour the museums with a guide and to see the Sistine chapel. As well as see the basilica and climb the dome. The tickets are 8 hours apart. Have we made a big mistake?
Thank you so much for your helpful tips and guidance! This really helped me formulate my questions.
Amy
Thanks for watching my video. I'm glad you found it helpful.
In answer to your questions:
1 - Most tour companies get your tickets for you, so if you want a tour, you'll need to either find a private tour guide or contact a tour company and ask if you can book a tour but without the tickets.
2 - There are no tickets to Saint Peter's basilica - it's free to enter but EVERYONE must go through security. What you bought was a ticket that will give you some guidance on entering the basilica and getting you where you want to go.
If it were me, I'd do these visits on separate days. But if you can't break them up, then yes, visiting the basilica and dome in the morning, taking a break for lunch, and then visiting the museums, is fine, but you will have a very long and intense day ahead of you. You won't have 8 hours between visits. If you visit the basilica at 8am and wait in line to go in, visit the dome and the basilica, you will come out around 11am. Then you should find someplace to sit and rest and have lunch before heading back to the museums for 3:45pm.
My first trip to Rome is soon. The Key Master's tour is booked on the days I'll be in Rome. I will plan the Key Master's tour on my next visit. In the meantime, what would your personal choice be for a guided tour for this visit? There are so many options.
Sorry to hear you won't be able to take the Key Master tour. If this tour is going while you are here, I highly recommend it:
th-cam.com/video/PY5zypSaIo0/w-d-xo.html
Otherwise, I suggest the Pristine Sistine tour with the shortcut to the basilica. There is a link for that in the description of this video. Have a great visit!
Hi Elyssa, I just rewatching your video. Do you know where I can buy a blessed Rosary by the Pope in Vatican? Thanks in advance!
Yes, you can easily buy them at Saint Peter's Basilica in the gift shop.
@ Thank you!
This is the best practical video series on Italy. I am just going to follow you. I have been planning to go to go to Italy between 15 to 30th March 2025. I just heard that 2025 is jubilee year. Is it advisable to go here during the above period. I thought march would be a slightly leaner season. Your advice please
Thank you so much!
As for the Jubilee, you might find this helpful:
th-cam.com/video/ocmA7rKxBZY/w-d-xo.html
March will probably be busier than you think. In recent years, our low season has shrunk:
th-cam.com/video/-QZfk3MSZyg/w-d-xo.html
Here's my video about visiting Rome in March:
th-cam.com/video/EL7bhjgncqk/w-d-xo.html
How do you enter the tombs and then basilica on your own? Is there a ticket to buy? Separate line?
I cover this at length in the video. If there is a specific question you have that I did not answer in this video, please let me know.
Can you let me know about the booking the dome ticket to the St. Peter's Basilica through the website. Because as I see now, it costs 22 euros for elevator and it's not available until 13th January. I would highly appreciate if you tell me if you're aware of it. Thank you.
Can you please let me know what website you are looking at? It is not possible to book tickets to the dome in advance. You may be seeing something on a 3rd party website such as Get Your Guide or Tiqets.
To climb the dome, you just show up and buy the ticket on site:
th-cam.com/video/B82ubnugwHI/w-d-xo.html
A great video… thank you!
We are looking at Pristine Sistine tour April 2026, do you know how far in advance I should be booking for this re seller? 😊
That's great, you will love it! But it's way too early to book for 2025, let alone 2026. You can start looking closer to the end of 2025 or beginning of 2026 to book this tour.
So, the only way to get non-glaring morning light on the dome is to brave the afternoon lines (or get an afternoon tour + short cut from the Vatican museums . . . I'm not really a guided tour kind of person), is that right? Thanks for your great vids. Using Florence and Rome ones (so far!)
Yes exactly. I know many people want to visit the basilica at 7am when it opens to try to avoid long lines, but there is that caveat, that the view from the dome is pretty washed out. So you have to make a choice :)
Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoy my videos!
Hi Elyssa! Thank you so much for your videos - so informative and so useful. Absolutely great advice. I’ve watched quite a few so far.
Just a small question, you mention there is a way to avoid a queue to St. Peter’s Basilica by booking a tour to visit StPeter’s tomb, and proceeding to that special entrance, but I have checked your link and can only find tours that go to St Peter’s Basilica first, so I assume that would be joining the general queue, not using the “special “ entrance straight to the tomb. Can you please advise which exactly tour would take us straight to the tomb through that little door?
Thanks for your kind comments. To book a visit to Saint Peter's tomb, you need to write to the Vatican. I have a page on my website with full instructions:
www.romewise.com/st-peters-tomb.html
@@Romewise Thank you so much for the reply. They are closed until 3rd of November for maintenance, unfortunately, as we’ll be gone by then. But there is a lot of availability starting from the 4th November, btw. For anyone, who is lucky enough to be in Rome after that date.
@@ingamorris7926 Ah yes, that's true - they are currently undergoing renovations. Sorry you will miss this visit but I hope you'll have a great time in Rome!
How do you make sure you can go up or down the Bramante staircase?
If you mean the spiral staircase used as an exit, designed in 1932 by Giuseppe Momo, you can only use that staircase when you exit the Vatican museums at the same point where you entered them. This would mean NOT taking the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel into the basilica.
If you ARE on a tour that takes you directly into Saint Peter's basilica from the Sistine Chapel, I suggest asking the tour guide at the beginning of the tour to allow you a quick stop at the top of this staircase so you can see it and take pix if you like.
If you are asking about going up or down the original staircase designed by Donato Bramante in 1505, that is only available when you book a special tour that includes it. I have a web page all about this here:
www.romewise.com/vatican-secret-rooms.html
If you exit to the left of the Sistine Chapel, will this lead you to the Pinecourt yard where you can see the bronze globe 🌎
If you exit on the left side of the Sistine Chapel, it takes you all the way back to the beginning of the museums. Only from there can you then make your way back to the Pinecone Courtyard. You won't see it at any time during the exit route.
@Romewise When I was there in the Sistine Chapel, I accidentally took the 'right' exit and saw St Peter's Basillica for the 2nd time. But because of this, I missed out on seeing the Pine Courtyard 😫 BTW, loved seeing Raphael's School of Athens 🎨 I liked the Sistine Chapel too but I thought the roof and the walls were too busy to see.
@@lilpenny1982 I see - well at this time, it's impossible to take the right-hand exit unless you are on a guided tour, as I explain in the video in detail. So visitors not on these tours will HAVE to take the left-side exit. Usually, I visit the Pinecone courtyard at the beginning of my visit to the Vatican Museums but you can do it later, too. I agree, Raphael's works are amazing!
@@Romewise I'm actually weighing up whether to go to Italy (northern Italy) next year or build a carport on my house. #dilemma
Hi, I’m wondering if you can get back to me privately ? I wanted to ask you if you can help me? Where to stay in Rome city centre close to or in between things
Safe to walk in the evening? Etc ??
All my best tips are on my website:
www.romewise.com/where-to-stay-in-rome.html
www.romewise.com/rome-neighborhoods.html
If you're interested, we also provide personalized trip planning as a paid service. Please either write us at alessandro@romewise.com or fill out the below form to get started, with no obligation:
www.romewise.com/italy-trip-planning-services.html
Thank you so much for this helpful video!!
I'm planning to be there early March in 2025. Do you think I should be worried about a long line to enter the vatican museum for 9 am? To be time efficient, I am thinking of doing the St. Peter’s basilica at 7am before the museum.
Thanks again!!
I'm glad you find the video helpful. I talk specifically about this in my video - I do not think it's a good idea to visit Saint Peter's Basilica at 7am and try to get to the Vatican Museums for a 9am tour or entrance. You can do it but you will be rushed. It's bigger and takes more time and energy than you might think.
If you want to visit the basilica at 7am, then book the museums for 10am or later.
I noticed when booking your Vatican museum ticket you can include purchasing a meal. Is this worth it? Or is there a Cafe to sit and buy a coffee or snack to rest during visit? Many thanks for your wonderful videos. Heading to Rome soon, so I your advice Elyssa has been wonderful!!
You CAN pre-book some meals in the Pinecone courtyard, and perhaps in high season if you want to make sure you get a spot, pre-booking makes sense. But you can also just go to the Pinecone Courtyard and get these meals (breakfast, lunch, or aperitivo.)
You can also go to the Pinecone Courtyard and order things a la carte.
But there is also a huge cafeteria-style eating area one level below the museum. Here you can get simple food like sandwiches, pizza etc.
None of the food inside either of these eateries is amazing but it's great to have the option for fueling up when you need it!
I showed the cafe in this video:
th-cam.com/video/5ac7cvBH0iY/w-d-xo.html
I'm glad you enjoy my content! Hope you have a wonderful visit!
Do tickets to walk up dome sell out? Are tickets for specific entry times?
No, they don't. No, tickets are just first come, first-served. Then, you can stay up there as long as you want until closing. Here is my video with details:
th-cam.com/video/B82ubnugwHI/w-d-xo.html
To pay for the elevator, do they take credit card/Apple Pay or cash only?
They take cash, credit cards, Apple Pay.
Hello,
What if we do not want a tour of the museums (will just take the B line straight to Sistine chapel) can we still find a tour with the quick access to the Basilica or is that only possible with a Tour for both the museums and Basilica? Thank you for any help!
That's exactly the issue - you can do one or the other. The ONLY way to take the shortcut into Saint Peter's Basilica from the Sistine Chapel is to take a tour of the Vatican Museums with a third party. So you could do my trick of going early and beelining to the Sistine Chapel, in which case, you cannot take the shortcut, or you can take a tour. They are both good options, it just depends on what is more important to you.
@@Romewise I see. Thank you very much for your response. I’m traveling with my mom who has trouble walking for long periods of time. I’m trying to figure out the quickest option that will also allow her to take frequent stops if needed. We’re most interested in the Sistine chapel and St. Peter’s tomb.Thank you again. Your videos are so helpful!
@@melissah8433 Well on the one hand, going straight to the Sistine Chapel means she doesn't have to stand around during a tour, but on the other hand, a tour that includes the basilica shortcut will save you SO MUCH more time and walking later. Thanks for watching and I hope you have a wonderful visit!
Thanks for another great video!
We got a question about visiting St Peter's Basilica on Dec 24 this year. Since there's the Christmas Eve papal mass, does that mean (unless you got tickets to the mass) St Peter's Basilica will be closed to visitors that day?
If so, will it be open to visitors on Dec 23?
Thanks so much!
I guess more specifically, we're wondering on Dec 24, if St Peter's Basilica will be closed the entire day? Or just during the papal mass at 7:30 pm? Thanks again!
When there is a papal mass, the basilica is closed for some time beforehand so they can clear it out and prepare the space. They also need to allow time for visitors with tickets to enter, find their seats, etc. So for a 7:30pm papal mass, they are sure to close the basilica several hours earlier, but I don't know exactly at what time they will close it on December 24. I don't believe it will be closed the entire day.
It will certainly be open December 23 as the basilica is meant to be open 365 days a year except during (and before) the papal masses and audiences (and any other such important event.)
@@Romewise Ah! That's great information, thanks so much! In this case, we'll change our plans to visit on Dec 23, since we really want to see St Peter's Basilica.
@@aabbccca18 i think December 23 will be easier.
Decided a guided tour of the museums with the short cut to St Peter's would suit us best for next year. Went to the link in Get Your Guide and it says prices from A$98 each but when you enter dates it goes up to A$247 each - does this amount sound correct? I changed the dates and same cost. I understand it says from A$98 but its a bit misleading to then be nearly 3 times as expensive.
Thanks for watching my video. I think you are right, that is an ideal tour to take. However, I think you may be trying to book too early. I do believe in booking in advance but still, I think it's too early. In fact, I tried finding some tours on GetYourGuide for next year, and many of them show not yet available.
I'd continue looking closer to your date (even a few months prior.) There are so many tour companies offering this type of tour and competition means that prices should be similar across agencies, depending on group size. And by the time you get closer to your date, the prices should be closer in line to what you see for tours being offered right now.
I was always told you need your passport to go to Vatican City because it is considered its own country. So, we don’t need our original passports when we go there?
The issue of walking around Rome with your passport is highly fraught. There are some people who believe you must carry it with you at all times, but this is not true.
My husband's dad was in the Carabinieri for life, and my husband himself was in the Carabinieri for several years. So please believe I know what I'm saying.
First of all, no passport is needed to enter Vatican City. You just go in.
Second of all, you do need some government issued photo ID to visit the Vatican Museums, because tickets are nominative and you'll have to show that you are the person whose name is on the ticket. But this ID can be a photocopy or a scanned image on your mobile device. (The same is true at the Colosseum and the Pantheon.)
You DO need a passport to enter Italy if you are coming from a country outside the EU. And then, your accommodation host (hotel, apartment etc) must by law register you with the police (it's a felony if they don't.)
Once you are registered, you do NOT need to walk around with a passport. If for any reason, a government official asks to see ID (very unlikely), you can let them know it's back at your hotel/apartment, and they will give you time to get it to them.
Please keep your passport safe back at your accommodation, and for ID purposes for matching who you are to ticketing , just use a photocopy or scanned image of your ID.
Enjoy your trip!
@@Romewise thank you!
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Yes… even in any parts of the world people must dress up decently appropriate in the house of God. ❤
I always share this information because I find sometimes people are not aware.
Looks like Vatican Museums and St Peters Basilica are not talking to each other. Why can't they cooperate and allow tourists to take the shortcut ? They can charge a fee.
Yes I talk about this in the video. They are unrelated entities, both inside Vatican City, and they have nothing to do with each other except their proximity to one another.
I know it would be nice to be able to take that shortcut more easily but for now, the only way is through an outside tour company.
if you dress like a cardinal you can have access to the whole Vatican 😉
(until they realize you're fake)
😂
A África é uma terra de pobres e pobreza extrema. Tudo isso devido a grande e enorme corrupção política para que toda a África seja pobre. Isso tem muita muita piedade católica não é atoa que essa viagem do Jorge a África é para mostrar ao mundo o grande e enorme amor católico da igreja de Roma por tudo isso