Visiting the Vatican
Discussion
Apologises if this has been covered elsewhere, I used the first function but there is nothing recent.
I’m off to Rome next month for a few days. Obviously keen to see all the highlights, including the Vatican. Just wondering if anyone has any advice on the best way to look round? Guided tour, audio tour or what they call an open tour (i.e buy a ticket and look round ourselves). I can’t seem to find much independent information on this - from a website not trying to log tickets.
Feel free to send other Rome recommendations my way
I’m off to Rome next month for a few days. Obviously keen to see all the highlights, including the Vatican. Just wondering if anyone has any advice on the best way to look round? Guided tour, audio tour or what they call an open tour (i.e buy a ticket and look round ourselves). I can’t seem to find much independent information on this - from a website not trying to log tickets.
Feel free to send other Rome recommendations my way
We did Rome in November for the first time, did the guided tour and would recommend it. Even in the off season it was heaving and the guide was able to point out a number of things that we would have missed otherwise.
Booked while in Rome online via Viatour, think it was around £50 each.
Booked while in Rome online via Viatour, think it was around £50 each.
We did the open tour which involved a 2 mile que (possibly less but it seemed to take all my life) try and avoid that. Nighttime tour sounds cool. We saw it all much quicker than the guided tours I always prefer to do my own thing t my own pace.
One other tip as your wandering around the city pop your head into a few of the little churches they will blow your mind not something that you might do as from the outside they mostly look a bit s
t.
One other tip as your wandering around the city pop your head into a few of the little churches they will blow your mind not something that you might do as from the outside they mostly look a bit s
t. BoRED S2upid said:
One other tip as your wandering around the city pop your head into a few of the little churches they will blow your mind not something that you might do as from the outside they mostly look a bit st.
This. We had biblical rain for an hour and took refuge in a non-descript random church. Properly amazing inside.t. We visited Rome in October and did the guided tour of the Vatican including St Peter's Basilica and The Sistine Chapel, booked through the Vatican's own website. Tickets go on sale on specific dates for the following month and they do sell out fairly quickly. Well worth the cost, as well as skipping the queue for entry (and skipping further queues for St Peters and Sistine) the guide was excellent.
I didn't realise just how vast the Vatican is and how much there is to see, if I went on my own I'd probably have spent a couple of hours staring at things not realising that I'd only seen 90% of the place, then had to rush through it. The tour was 2 and a bit hours but it was just enough to be enjoyable and give us a basic knowledge of some important facts and events. Beware of flying elbows of crazy 70yr old Japanese women taking selfies everywhere.
If you want a place just off the beaten track for food, I highly recommend here http://www.ipizzicaroli.it/ - you basically pay a couple of friendly chaps some Euros and they'll make you up a huge sharing board of meats, cheeses, bread and recommend some wine to complement it. After facing the tourist crowds for 5 days it was a welcome relaxing afternoon.
I didn't realise just how vast the Vatican is and how much there is to see, if I went on my own I'd probably have spent a couple of hours staring at things not realising that I'd only seen 90% of the place, then had to rush through it. The tour was 2 and a bit hours but it was just enough to be enjoyable and give us a basic knowledge of some important facts and events. Beware of flying elbows of crazy 70yr old Japanese women taking selfies everywhere.
If you want a place just off the beaten track for food, I highly recommend here http://www.ipizzicaroli.it/ - you basically pay a couple of friendly chaps some Euros and they'll make you up a huge sharing board of meats, cheeses, bread and recommend some wine to complement it. After facing the tourist crowds for 5 days it was a welcome relaxing afternoon.
smifffymoto said:
The only way is via a tour otherwise you will que most of the day and see sod all.
You can book online and avoid all the queues, even if you are just buying entry tickets.The following is the official site, has all the options available like night tours etc.
http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/...
MikeGoodwin said:
We went to the Vatican on a Sunday and we heard the bloke talking but the queues were massive so fked off after that. Don't regret not seeing it since Rome has so freaking much to offer.
Never been to Rome but a trip around The Vatican certainly wouldn’t figure in my plans.ked off after that. Don't regret not seeing it since Rome has so freaking much to offer.How dull.
We did Rome last May and would recommend geting an Omnia pass...
https://www.romeandvaticanpass.com/what-you-get/
Skips all the lines, free bus and tube travel.
Great city, really enjoyed the trip.
https://www.romeandvaticanpass.com/what-you-get/
Skips all the lines, free bus and tube travel.
Great city, really enjoyed the trip.
Too Drunk to Funk said:
MikeGoodwin said:
We went to the Vatican on a Sunday and we heard the bloke talking but the queues were massive so fked off after that. Don't regret not seeing it since Rome has so freaking much to offer.
Never been to Rome but a trip around The Vatican certainly wouldn’t figure in my plans.ked off after that. Don't regret not seeing it since Rome has so freaking much to offer.How dull.
Turn7 said:
We did Rome last May and would recommend geting an Omnia pass...
https://www.romeandvaticanpass.com/what-you-get/
Skips all the lines, free bus and tube travel.
Great city, really enjoyed the trip.
This is exactly what we did in October and as we were going home on the third day we gave our Omnia passes to a mother and daughter who had arrived in our hotel.https://www.romeandvaticanpass.com/what-you-get/
Skips all the lines, free bus and tube travel.
Great city, really enjoyed the trip.
Rome was lovely and hopefully this year will do Florence
steve2 said:
This is exactly what we did in October and as we were going home on the third day we gave our Omnia passes to a mother and daughter who had arrived in our hotel.
Rome was lovely and hopefully this year will do Florence
Great idea on the passes..Rome was lovely and hopefully this year will do Florence
Off to Florence in Jun - "strangely", it coincides with Mugello Motogp, so would be rude to not go there on raceday...
If visiting Florence, pre booked timed entry tickets from the UK well ahead for everything. Try Viator website. Otherwise, as Florence is always swamped with tourists you will have a lot of very long waiting to do.
If driving beware the ZTL zones: if not, it's expensive fines.
By the way, the roofless city bus tours are excellent.
R.
If driving beware the ZTL zones: if not, it's expensive fines.
By the way, the roofless city bus tours are excellent.
R.
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