Vatican tours

[DreneeH]

We will be in rome as a stop on our cruise on the Symphony on May 31st.

 

We hope to see/tour the colosseum, historical sites and the Vatican.

 

My question is this: We would like to see the Vatican but not spend too much time in the Vatican museums and move on to St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel.

 

Please forgive my ignorance of these sites, but is it required to purchase tickets to the Vatican museum to see the other 2? and if so, is it best to buy skip-the-line tickets online and see this on our own?

 

thanks in advance for your advice.

[hbrote]

I would look into a tour, as they will show you all of Rome's big sites and provide tickets for the Vatican . Try visiting the "roll Call" section and find your cruise as I am sure there will be others sharing an excursion. We have used "Rome in Limo" many times and have always been happy with their excellent service.

[cruisemom42]

There are three main "sites" at the Vatican that many people want to see.

 

First is St. Peter's Basilica -- there is no entry ticket to get in, but there can be a long line to get through security.

 

Vatican Museum -- it's actually several museums and contains a vast amount of art and treasures from ancient Egypt, Greek and Rome to antique maps to paintings of the Renaissance and Baroque great artists. Individual tickets are sold in advance online through the Vatican museum, but you have to select a time. They also have a number of tours available (website here: http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/visitatori-singoli.html)

 

Sistine Chapel -- The only way to see the Sistine Chapel is through the Vatican Museum. So once you have your ticket or tour (see above), you will eventually get to the Sistine chapel, which is about a 30 minute walk, give or take, from where you enter the museum.

 

As an unsolicited opinion, I think you are being a bit ambitious to try to cover the Colosseum and the Vatican, assuming you mean to visit all of them and not just view the exterior. Plus what other 'historical sites' did you have in mind?

[Ashland]

I completely agree with using "Rome In Limo". We did a private tour with them just the two of us with a driver. We added the option of a private tour of the Vatican. A separate guide met us for this particular portion of the tour and then returned us to our original guide after the Vatican tour. Rome In Limo gave us one of the most in depth private tours we've ever been on...Just amazing !!