Rome - Sistine Chapel to St Peter's Basilica

[cruisin56]

It has been said that there is a so called "secret door" and the end of the Sistine chapel to get into the Basilica to avoid waiting on another line to get in.  This door is supposedly at the end of the Sistine Chapel to the right and is generally to be used only for tours and tour guides.   Has anyone recently (2020) used this method, when not part of a group tour, to get into the Basilica?

[euro cruiser]

There is nothing secret about this, certainly not since Rick Steves published it in a book more than a decade ago.

 

The passage is only open to those on a guided tour of both the museums and the basilica.  Sometimes people have been able to sneak past the guards when not with a tour but the word lately is that they are being more vigilant about limiting access to only those on a tour.

[dogs4fun]

12 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

Sometimes people have been able to sneak past the guards when not with a tour but the word lately is that they are being more vigilant about limiting access to only those on a tour.

👆 Exactly - personally, I would not risk attempting to sneak out the door as I noted that people were checked for their tour stickers when last I visited. Many people have read the Rick Steves travel guide or watched his PBS episode on the Vatican and have been aware of this not so "secret" door for many years.

[PelicanLvr]

That's why you take a quality tour....no waiting for St. Peter's long security line.  Either take the tour or wait on the line.  

 

Was able to use that door with a Walks of Italy tour in March 2019.  Saved so much time as the non-tour line to St. Peters was across the square.  

 

Do the tour!

[dogs4fun]

9 hours ago, PelicanLvr said:

Was able to use that door with a Walks of Italy tour in March 2019.  Saved so much time as the non-tour line to St. Peters was across the square.  

Huge benefit is that there is no security queue for St. Peter's Basilica when exiting the door from the Sistine. But, like I said, it was guarded and people were checked for their tour stickers when exiting the door. Definitely worth taking the tour if one wishes to avoid the long security queues at the basilica. 

[DoulaAnn]

From bitter experience: be sure your tour guide has checked the schedule for St. Peter's.  Our tour guide was unaware of the fact that St. Peter's would be closing for a private service at 12:15 the day we were there.  We had had a leisurely tour through the museum and were in the Sistine Chapel when they locked the door in discussion, so our group was unable to get in that day.  Had she reversed the tour and done St. Peter's first, we would have been able to do it all in one day. As it was, it was with her for the museum and chapel, and a totally different guide after our cruise for St. Peter's and the roof.  Once burned, twice shy.

 

Ann