buttons

any ideas on how to reserve tickets for the vatican ahead of time to avoid the long lines.

jor

Didn't need reservations back in '79. Don't miss the vending machines on the roof of St Peter's. I'm not joking!

argus1500

I do not think you can reserve tickets. We came well before the opening time (check it on their website), at least 45 min before. The line can be quite long!
One of the fodorites gave us an excellent advise: go to Sistine chapel first. You will be sharing it only with another 40-50 people as opposed to "a can of sardines" condition. Then you can enjoy the rest of the museum.

CarolLA

I hate to say this, but the crowds at the Vatican made it one of my LEAST favorite Italy experiences. Yes, we were there early and went right to the Sistene Chapel. That was the only part I enjoyed. The rest of the museum is like being trampled by the mob. I can't believe they cannot come up with a better way like the museums in Florence! The fact that they allow tour groups to travel in their groups with the guides lecturing adds to the overall mess. The Raphel apartments (I know I spelled that wrong) were one of the worst experiences of my life! My advice, see the Sistine and LEAVE

eliztrav

When we were there in the summer, our Scalareale guide said it is better to go in the AFTERNOON because so many tried to go early in the morning to beat the crowds! So, we went between 1 & 1:30.

We did not wait long at all - I can't recall exactly how long we were in line, but I'm sure it was under 30 minutes. And, while there were lots of people everywhere we wen't, it efinitely was not a "sardine situation," even in the Sistina.

ladybug

hi Buttons~ I was able to "reserve" tickets for the Vatican museum along with a guided tour via a company called Select Italy-- It is only a reservation, therefore, you pay a fee to reserve your tickets, along with a guided tour, and when you arrive at the vatican, there is a designated window for which you may pick up and purchase your tickets via your pre-planned reservation--you are basically paying for the luxury of not waiting on line, as well as for the tour--please keep in mind, I only reserved these tickets, so I do not yet have first hand info on this experience as of yet--you can contact them via selectitaly.com--good luck~Ladybug

CarolLA

Are you sure you don't have to wait on line. When I went I could not find a seperate entrance for any tickets. There is also a back up for security. The big problem is that there is no control over the number of people allowed into the Vatican at any time.

CarolLA

I went to the Select Italy site and if I were you I would contact them and get EXACT instructions on where you go to avoid the lines. It sounds like the Vatican may have changed it's policy.

I have to say this is quite the money maker for Select Italy. $50 x 30 guests x 2 times a day equals $300 and it sounds like thier only cost is paying a licensed Vatican guide.

ladybug

Hi Regarding Select Italy tours--I know, quite expensive!! However, the 50$ is a flat rate, in other words, it includes the reservation and guided tour for everyone in your party, ie: 2 people or 5 people it doesnt matter--and as far as the "no waiting on line" I sure hope that they upfront with that info B/C thats what they told me--there is a "special entrance" anyway~I also have never used this tour before and I am hoping for the best!!!~Ladybug

CarolLA

I am sure they are upfront, but I would make sure that they tell you WHERE the special entrance is. If you try to bust in the regular entrance folks who have been queing for a while might attack you! Now that may be where you go and they have set up a special entrance there, but the place is HUGE and if the special entrance is on the other side of the building it could be a LONG walk!

Tobias

I second the idea of going in the afternoon. I think everyone tries to go before it opens. Go to the market on the Via Cola di Rienze, pick up a sandwich and eat it while you wait in line. I did that in March 2002, got in line around 1:30 and only waited for about half an hour. Also fewer people still in the museum by then because I think it closes at 4 or so. You'll have plenty of time. The Sistine Chapel was crowded though.

buttons

thank you all for your advice. we have decided to forego select italy for tickets. our hotel (hotel miami) has advised that they can get tickets for us at $40 which includes the admission price. more expensive than select italy since there are three of us. we will either go very early am or wait until the afternoon as some have advised. we will be there on may 30th so when i return i will post how it went.

jspowell

This is slightly off-topic, but I went to the Selectitaly.com site and noced that they offer reservations and advanced tickets to the Tower in Pisa for $10 per person. The "official" Tower of Pisa ticket office (www.opapisa.it) offers reservations for 17euro each )quite a bit more than $10). This makes me wonder about the validity of the selectitaly offer. Is selectitaly legitimate? Could the site (and offer) just be out of date? Hmmm...

USNR

30 persons x $50 x 2 = $3,000. How did you come up with $300?

GaiusJulius

For tickets to the Vatican, contact your Catholic Diocese, and they will write a letter and you can pick up your passes at the American University.
GaiusJulius

buttons

we just returned from our trip. we went to the vatican on a friday morning. the line looked very, very long but it moved really quickly. we only waited for about 1/2 hour. i am glad we didn't spend the money on the reservation from selectitaly. i agree with carola - i'm not sure how you would get in to get your reservation. the people in line would get really mad if you walked in ahead of everyone. i looked for a special spot for selectitaly and didn't notice anything. i'm glad we didn't waste the $50.