Is there a way to avoid the extremely long lines to get into the
Vatican Museums ie, pre-sale tickets or by using a tour guide with
special access, etc.?

On 4 Feb 2007 10:28:31 -0800, "TheTripmeister"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Is there a way to avoid the extremely long lines to get into the
>Vatican Museums ie, pre-sale tickets or by using a tour guide with
>special access, etc.?

You can book a guided tour:

See this page for information, especially the sections at the bottom,
"How to reserve" and "Useful information".

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Servizi_Visite.html
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

There certainly is. You go to Google Groups and type in rec.travel.europe
and Vatican Museum and then you spend an hour or two working your way
through the answers to the extremely long list of people who have asked that
same question on this news group in the recent past.


"TheTripmeister" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> Is there a way to avoid the extremely long lines to get into the
> Vatican Museums ie, pre-sale tickets or by using a tour guide with
> special access, etc.?
>

Gee Fred,

Barbara managed to give the OP a useful answer using exactly half the words
it took you to give no information at all. How do you do that?

A lot of people purposely avoid google, because everything you say and ask
there is part of your permanent record. Free comes at the price of your
privacy.

"k" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] t...
> Gee Fred,
>
> Barbara managed to give the OP a useful answer using exactly half the
> words it took you to give no information at all. How do you do that?
>
> A lot of people purposely avoid google, because everything you say and ask
> there is part of your permanent record. Free comes at the price of your
> privacy.

Here is one I posted myself about a week ago. It is one of many

"2007 January" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected].. .
<< We are visiting Rome second week of May. This is our first visit.
Can you tell me which day of the week is best to tour the Vatican?

Which day is the least crowded? Which day the Vatican museum is free?>>

Go on a Wednesday morning when all the others are round at the front, in St
Peters
Square, being blessed by the Pope.

Check that he is in residence though.

On 4 Feb 2007 10:28:31 -0800, "TheTripmeister"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Is there a way to avoid the extremely long lines to get into the
>Vatican Museums ie, pre-sale tickets or by using a tour guide with
>special access, etc.?

http://www.pnac.org/general/visiting_vatican.htm

TheTripmeister wrote:

>Is there a way to avoid the extremely long
>lines to get into the Vatican Museums ie,
>pre-sale tickets or by using a tour guide
>with special access, etc.?

I snipped this from a post of mine from 2 weeks ago. Regards, Walter

>>>Well IMO the 2 things you want to avoid is the long ticket queue and
the
Hellish mob scene in the Sistine Chapel.

Before the new hours which started this month (Jan '07), I used to
tell people to
get there 1hr before the 0845 opening and beeline straight to the
Sistine Chapel and then backtrack to the Museums.

Because the tour groups were let in at I believe 0745 and they would
still be hitting some museum highlights before they *all* headed into
the Sistine Chapel.

But now the tour groups have a 0800-1000 entrance and the general
public isn't allowed in until 1000.

And my *guess* is because these new later general public hours
weren't
announced until only a few months ago, a large majority of people will
show up planning on a 0845 opening.

Because that is what their guidebooks and out-of-date websites and
past
posts tell them.
I have a feeling that at 0900 the queue will be very long and by 1000
huge.
It does move fast though but once in Feb I got there ~0915 and waited
1hr.

Going later to avoid the queue was and probably still is a good
option.
Noonish was often mentioned by posters on different forums as good
with the 0845 opening but now I would probably shoot for 1300.
[I have only done this myself but in March a couple of times and walked
right-in. ContextRome mentions there is a possibly of a queue on their
1300hr tours]

The museums close at 1645 but I have heard they close the Sistine
Chapel alittle earlier.
The Chapel is least crowded at the end of the day and I would make it
the last stop.
I *think* (so don't take my word on this) getting to the Chapel
before 1600 would be fine?

With this new 0800-1000 tour group timeslot they are required to put
up
front a rather large security deposit. This I believe forced the smaller
group and possibly private tour companies to have to pass on this early
entrance option.
So you could go with one of these large herd group tours to bypass
the queue (But these large group tours aren't my 'cup of tea'.

Another option is a Vatican sponsored tour to avoid the queues
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Servizi_Visite.html

My favorite tour company is www.contextrome.com The group is limited
to 6 or less and usually lead by an Art Historian.
There are pricey at ?65 (but worth it imo) but they don't bypass by
the queue if there is one at 1300.

On you own the audioguide is very good and you can see exactly what
you want to see at your own pace.
Plus all of the tourgroups because of time limitations only hit the
highlights.

If you don't get an audioguide and your last stop is the Sistine
Chapel, you can exit thru the 'Tour Group' exit (nobody cares it's in
the far right corner) and go right over to St. Peter's Basilica
bypassing their security queue plus avoiding the long hike from the
regular Museum exit to the Piazza.

You also might want to consider this very limited St. Peter's Basilica
underground necropolis tour of an ancient Roman cemetary and IMO St.
Peter's actual tomb (I'm an Atheist and I believe it.
If so, book it now it's very popular and as I said very limited.
www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid4888402



..And Paradise Was Lost...like teardrops in the rain...