*👉🏻 Best Tours & Experiences in Rome:* ✝ Vatican Museums and Saint Peter's Basilica guided tour - gyg.me/mgzbFfqc ✝ VIP Key Master's Tour: Open The Sistine Chapel - tinyurl.com/4dk737nw ✝ Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Skip-The-Line Tickets - gyg.me/DhDeZF2h ✝ Pristine Sistine Early Morning Tour - tinyurl.com/pristine-sistine 🏛 Colosseum Underground, Arena & Forum Tour -gyg.me/qjsPXPRk 🛌 FIND ACCOMMODATIONS NEAR THE VATICAN stay22.com/embed/65d2118642f38b82b47edb51
Your content is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! Quick question, is the Sistine Chapel opened at 8:30 am to the general public everyday or is that just the day you visited? Is there somewhere we can get this information?
Thank you! Yes, the Sistine Chapel opens daily at 8;30 to the general public. It does open earlier for early tours such as the Key Master tour and the tour I did on the video I posted recently. But for regular visitors, the museums open at 8am and the Sistine Chapel opens at 8:30am. @@mtee5093
Thank you for the wonderful tip. I made it to the chapel by 820. The door was open already. 5 minutes alone. My life is changed forever. Last time I was here it was awful.
My wife and I just followed this video and was at the door of the Sistine chapel in less then 20 minutes (and that included time to take pictures in the map and tapestry rooms) We were in the Sistine Chapel with maybe 8-10 other people and we were able to spend a lot of time without crowds. Then we simply went back and did the museum afterwards. We can’t recommend this process described in this video more. If you want to see the Sistine THIS is the way to go.
Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed the video and followed my tips! I agree, this is my favorite way to visit the Vatican Museums and enjoy the art in peace and quiet. I'm glad you got to try it out!
Oh my goodness, Elyssa! You are worth so much more than your weight in gold!!! I'm beyond thrilled to have discovered your channel several months in advance of my upcoming Rome visit, because there's so much fantastic information to sift through! It will be my second time in Rome and I can already tell it's going to be way too short (like the last time), so I know I'll have to come back yet again. My husband and I are going to be on a cruise with his sister, who is very interested in art, having been a curator for a corporate art collection for many years. I don't think even she has any idea just how many masterpieces there are in Rome. I so appreciate the vast amount of information you have assembled, as well as your personal style in delivering the information. My husband and I thought we'd seen quite a bit on our last visit, but with your tips and suggestions, this visit in September is going to be mind-blowing! I'm voraciously binging your videos, reading on your website, taking notes and getting super excited to be back in beautiful Rome, so much better prepared for this visit. Thank you so very much for all the work you've put into creating these resources!!!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really glad you enjoy my videos and website content, and that it's helping you with your upcoming trip! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you appreciate the work I put into it and for telling me you enjoy how I present my tips. It really makes a difference and I am very grateful! It's thanks to people like you that I enjoy what I do so much! I hope you have a wonderful visit this September!
Thank you so much!!! We went to see the Vatican Museum the way you recommended in this video and it was amazing! We spent 5 hours, believe it or not. That's the best thing about doing it yourself, no rush, you take your time, go ahead and past the crowds, and you have the option of seeing the Sistine Chapel twice if you feel like it, just admiring the frescoes. You made our visit very special and memorable. So again, thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I'm so glad you got to enjoy these amazing museums. They deserve time and attention just as you were able to give them. I'm really grateful you took the time to let me know what a great time you had!
We were so excited to meet you that day! We love your videos, thanks for sharing such great information and travel tips! (We were the crazy couple that asked you for a selfie)
Several people have told me that and I'll take it as a compliment so thank you! I don't see the resemblance but we are both cat lovers so there's that :)
I just followed your advice Elyssa!!!!! thank you so much! this was the best way to see the vatican without all those people! Ciao! i got to be one of the 1st people in !
So glad I visited in July 2000. Things were so much simpler then. I have the wonderful photos of all the museum and the Sistine chapel to look over that I was allowed to take.
Thank you so much for all of your informative and fun videos! My best friend and I went to Italy (Sorrento and Rome) in February and of course went to the Vatican. I just missed you by a few days! We went on a guided tour that started at 815am. We didn't wait too long and then I took your advice to go up to the dome and get their at the beginning of the house to hear the bells ring. We got up there just before noon to hear the bells and a cannon go off! Such a cool experience. It was one of my favorite moments on the Rome trip...which I will have to come back to soon! I fell in love with Rome!! Thanks again =)
That's great that you had such a wonderful time at the Vatican. The dome climb is so worth it. It's extra special when you get to hear the bells ring and the cannon go off to boot! Thanks for your kind comments - I'm glad you find my videos helpful!
It will be my first time to Rome this upcoming April. There is so much to see so much info to digest and plan for. The video is very valuable and helpful. Thank you
I’ve been to Rome 9 times in my life, and I still haven’t seen everything. On my next visit I hope to finally see Hadrian’s Villa. I have never seen it.
So glad i read this i was going to book the early entrance tour . Thank you for saving me money. Also did not know you could go straight to sistine chapel and the go back to do the muesums
I hope you'll try out the route I shared! Please let us know here in the comments after you've done it. Here are a couple of videos you might find useful: ua-cam.com/video/lhQLb_iIRUs/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/WqTQJjQj1dQ/v-deo.html
Thank you so much for your detailed information across numerous videos. I'll be traveling to Rome for the first time in March and quickly discovered that a successful trip relies on securing tickets and making more plans ahead of time than to other areas of Europe. Thanks to coming across your channel, I have used much of your advice, including securing a scavi tour to St. Peter's tomb under St. Peter's Basilica, Colosseum tour that includes the SUPER sites in the Forum and Palatine Hill, and obtaining an 8AM ticket for the Vatican Museums. I secured the Vatican Museum ticket even before you posted this video - and now I'm excited to follow your recommendations. I did also reserve an audio guide, so I'll need to pick that up before following your route. THANK YOU again - I'm sure that my first trip to Rome will be maximized because of your knowledge and expertise. I'm a German afficionado, so don't hesitate to ask if you're heading to the northern side of the Alps and the German-speaking world and need some advice and hints.
Thank you so much for your kind comments. You will love Rome, especially in March as it's not quite spring so the weather is cool, but there are hints of flowers ready to bloom! You are so right, a little planning goes a long way, especially in Rome. I'm so glad to hear you've found my videos helpful with your trip planning. In case you have not seen them, you might find these videos useful: ua-cam.com/video/EL7bhjgncqk/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/B2fQI7oUyqc/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/WqTQJjQj1dQ/v-deo.html By the way, you may find this video about the Dolomites interesting: ua-cam.com/video/3MtjkOTOPkg/v-deo.html
I'm so excited to see that you have this UA-cam channel!! I've been following your site since it was just a blog! I couldn't have done my first trip to Rome without you and now I am considering my third! So great to hear your voice and get this excellent advice, though I am certainly not surprised. You just always seem to know what I need to hear! Love you through the years! Hope to be back in your city in maybe February 2025!
Hello Margie! Thanks so much for following me all this time! I'm really glad you enjoy my websites and UA-cam channel. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for your kind words. It means a lot to me!!
Thank you so much! I make videos mostly about Rome and Florence, and sometimes Naples. I also have a few places outside Rome in this playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLEAd_Z-Tx6V0rsA-cW9Zgw_UdBbg1j1FJ.html
Thank you so much for your tips. My family and I had a wonderful visit to the Sistine Chapel because of this video. I did it exactly the way you said and we were able to see it calmly. 😍
Thank goodness I visited all the famous sites in Rome, Venice, Florence etc before mass tourism that has completely destroyed the experience. This is very good advice for those people who aren’t going just to get an Instagram opportunity.
Yeah, I've lived here since 2001 and things have changed so much, especially in the last 2-3 years post-Covid. I do not think the crowds will dissipate any time soon. Pandora is out of the box! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Hi, stumbled across your video. I did a study abroad in Rome twenty five years ago, before 9/11 and maybe a more innocent time. Don't remember the bag check, the security. Remembered one morning deciding to visit the Vatican museum and wandered around leisurely to the Sistine chapel, maybe visited a couple of times during the semester, there was a discount for students so don't remember being too expensive to visit. Always walked past street vendors selling bootleg CD's of Britney Spears and Gimelli Diversi. I hope to visit with my daughter someday and have your video pinned as an absolute must see. Thank you for your research! I'm also going to search your channel for the Villa Borghese tips because I'm sure it will be just as impossible to get a ticket today.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I met Alessandro, my husband, in 1997, so I remember Rome from that time, too. I think if you have not visited since then, you will be shocked to see how crowded it is now! I don't yet have a video about the Galleria Borghese, but I do have a detailed webpage that should answer all your questions: www.romewise.com/galleria-borghese.html
Elyssa, I am devouring your videos, blog, website....everything!!! You are a gem and I'm so thankful I found you. In reading your information and watching your videos, I am wondering if your suggestion is to be at St. Peter's at 7:00 am to wait for the dome to open at 7:30 for the climb and then go meet a tour guide to get in the Vatican museum and at the end wind up back in the Basilica to see it. Now that the Vatican is opening up at 8, I don't know if it's better to do the tour first and climb after (time and crowd even though it will still be early). Thanks for blessing us with your knowledge!
Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoy my videos. People often ask me about doing this - going to St. peter's at 7am, climbing the dome and then racing over to the museums for a tour. I strongly urge you to reconsider - the logistics make this nearly impossible. I would suggest you consider either visiting each site on its own day (morning), or taking the Pristine Sistine tour that starts in the Vatican Museums and then takes you on the shortcut to St. Peter's basilica. From there you can climb the dome.
Elyssa, this is one of your best videos, thus far! This one seems to stand out. Should I be shocked by how crowded it is in February??? I want to go back to Rome, so badly!
Thanks so so much! I'm really grateful for your comments! Yes, I was actually shocked by the crowds, especially as I went through the second time. And the guards were all telling me it's still quiet and will get more crowded! This shouldn't surprise me, after all, I live here and I've seen what's been happening in recent years, even before the pandemic - we don't have much of a low season any more! But it's still surprising to see so many people on a Monday in February!
Nice videos I am watching with interest. Please would you teach us some tips for example what transport should we take from Rome to be as earlier as possible
Brilliant video and advice once again Elyssa. A great way to skip through to the Sistine Chapel ahead of the crowds to enjoy in relative peace then back through to enjoy the rest of this spectacular place. It may be different in high season but this is a great way. We have always followed your advice in seeing here and the Basilica on our own and would advise and recommend everyone to follow your great advice.
Hi Peter! So glad you like the video! I know you are familiar with some of the best ways to visit Rome but I am so grateful you always say you follow my advice. I'm really happy it's always worked for you! Yes, we will have to see how this pans out in high season, but I still think that the early morning beeline to the Sistine Chapel will be a great way to see the museums without the crowds. All the tour groups going in at that hour still follow the regular route. if you try this out, please let me know! And thanks as always for recommending me!
This is exactly what we did last week when visiting the museum and your tip literally saved our visit! We were at the chapel at 8:30 and all and all 30-40 people in there, looking around, sitting at the benches and enjoying the beautiful art. Then we went to the front and toured the whole thing again and later it was a nightmare of people and picture taking. At the chapel they just let you in and guide you to the exit, it is that full! So my advice is - get a ticket as early as possible, book a month in advance because tickets go quick, pick a 8-8:30 slot. And maybe take 30 minutes going to the chapel as you take a look at the Raphael rooms and the other beautiful halls as you pass. Everything will be crowded afterwords. BUT still - even with the crowds - absolutely worth the visit - it is an amazing experience!
How wonderful! I'm so glad you found my tips helpful and that you had such a fabulous visit to the Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Yes, there is almost no low season in Rome any more. April will be crowded, but I am convinced this trick will work even in high season, because most people don't tour the museums this way.
Estuvimos en la semana de Pascua 2024. Entramos a las 8 de la mañana (en la fila desde las 8 menos 20) y seguimos tu itinerario. A las 08h15 estábamos solos en las Estancias de Rafael. Las fotos son espectaculares. a las 08h45 en la Capilla Sixtina dónde pudimos disfrutar sentados de las pinturas. Hasta las 09.30 no empiezan a llegar grupos y nos estás más de 20 o 30 personas. Increíble! Luego a desayunar y resto de museos. El tiempo vuela, salimos a las 14h30. Nos fuimos a comer a Tonnarello San Pietro. Buenísimo. Por la tarde al castillo Sant Angelo. San Pedro hay que dejarlo para otra mañana si se puede.
¡Qué gran día pasaste visitando el Vaticano! Me alegra mucho saber que pudiste disfrutar de los museos sin multitudes siguiendo mi consejo. ¡Gracias por compartir su experiencia! Espero que hayas disfrutado el resto de tu estancia en Roma.
@@Romewise Por si interesa via della stazione di San Pietro ,cerca de VATICANO; hay un pequeño restaurante con pizza al taglio y all you can eat al mediodía. BUENÍSIMO y barato
Elyssa, this is wonderful and very helpful information. I’ve been multiple times to the Vatican (it never gets old) but rules seem to change each time and I’ve often grabbed a small tour just to get ahead of the crowds. I love that I can buy solo entry 8a.m. And skip ahead to the Map corridor and Rafaello rooms. Friends are always asking for tips, I’ll be sharing your excellent video. Grazie !
Thank you very much for making this video. We just followed this with a visit in July and it was unreal to be alone in the different galleries and rooms leading to the Sistine Chapel and then with only about 10 other people once we were in the Sistine Chapel. It was truly a remarkable experience. Thanks again for the great tips!
Thank you so much for this tip! My husband and I are going to Rome in mid-October and I was just barely was able to book a ticket for an 8:30AM time slot for a Tuesday morning (8AM already sold out) _ and other days during the week of my visit were sold out!... My husband and I will definitely try this strategy of going to the Sistine Chapel first & then visit the other parts of the museum at our leisure.
Fabulous, fabulous video! Everyone who wants to visit the Vatican Museums should be required to watch this first! It answers every question I could think of, including whether or not the ticket needed to be printed
Good Afternoon! Enjoyed your videos but what you recommend if I have a couple of hours in Rome. My wish to go thru the door St Peter’s Basilica and visit Sistine Chapel. Mark from Singapore
Thanks a lot! It's not very easy to see a lot in Rome in just a couple of hours. If you want to visit the Sistine Chapel, you need to book a visit to the Vatican Museums. To go through the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica is a completely different visit. You'll need to register on the Jubilee website and book your entry time. You may have to decide on one of these visits, not both.
I hope I made it clear enough in my video what route to follow. It's hard to get lost if you just follow that route. Once you get to the Gallery of the Candelabras, you really can't go anywhere else but to the Sistine Chapel. The key to have these galleries to yourself is to skip all the other stuff as I mentioned.
We are going in October and this video is a game changer. We have 8:30 tickets so my plan was to go directly to the chapel and then your at our leisure afterwards. I was told on another site that wasn't possible you had to leave. Very happy to hear we can go back and start again. Is there a map of the Vatican museums that we can view to plan the things we want to see specifically? (I loved the mosaic!)
Thanks so much for letting me know you found the video helpful. I hope you have a wonderful visit! Here is a link to the Vatican Museums site where they have a map of the museums: www.museivaticani.va/content/dam/museivaticani/pdf/visita_musei/servizi_visitatori/mappa_musei_vaticani.pdf
We’re coming to Rome this weekend and your excellent videos and advice has given us so much valuable foresight. You are wonderful ❤️ thank you for all you do 🙏
We are planning our trip for this upcoming fall and have found your channel to be the best resource for all things Rome! We only have 2 1/2 days ahead of a cruise so we have to pack in a lot of things in a short period of time. This sounds like a great alternative to a tour. Do the tours see the courtyards, etc. that you said are missed if you take the shortcut? I'm concerned that St. Peters will be very crowded during Jubilee with insane wait times mid morning, and think we need our second early morning for the Colosseum and Roman Forum. So much to do and so little time! :) Oh, if you take the shortcut can you walk through the Holy Door? Thanks!
Thanks so much for your kind comments. With 2.5 days in Rome, you can still see a lot. Don't miss my videos about 2-days in Rome and 3-days in Rome, respectively: ua-cam.com/video/diFsRu34K3A/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/dYhJ_7wWCHk/v-deo.html Yes this is a good alternative to a tour unless you want to be able to take the shortcut to Saint Peter's basilica, which you cannot do on your own. If you do as I suggest in this video, you miss most of the museums in an effort to get to the Sistine Chapel right when it opens, but as I showed, you can also go back to the beginning and then visit them again at a slower pace. I just took the Pristine Sistine tour last week, and once we took the shortcut, we did indeed go through the Holy Doors. Wait times to enter the Holy Doors may depend on the time of year. Here's the link to the tour I took, which I HIGHLY recommend (I'll have a video up about it soon): www.walksofitaly.com/vatican-tours/pristine-sistine-chapel-tour?tap_a=8956-bc8e33&tap_s=680053-3b677b Have a great trip!
Thank you so much for this wonderful video. I’ve been to the Vatican but didn’t actually enjoy too much although it certainly is impressive. I was on a guided tour and it was very crowded and I didn’t have time to really check out what really interested me. I was too concerned with not losing my group, so if I return to Rome, I would definitely take your suggestions. It is really beautiful place that everyone should visit. 😊
Thanks so much for your comments. Yes, I know that sometimes, visiting the Vatican can seem like a slog - it's just too crowded and too intense. Sorry you did not enjoy your visit, but I hope you will come back and give it another try!
We watched one of your videos last year before a trip to Rome for a cruise. We did the Vatican at night with appertiva and it was amazing. We are planning a new trip and this time we are going to try colosseum at night. Thank you for the tips.
Thanks so much for letting me know you find my videos helpful! I'm glad to hear you got to try to Vatican evening visit with aperitivo. I hope you'll get to visit the Colosseum at night. It's one of my favorite visits!
I’ve been watching all your videos. Top notch content, very practical and cuts to the chase. Any advice for someone with 4:30PM Vatican tickets to efficiently see most of the museum and Sistine? Using Rick Steve free audio guide. Going with wife + 2 teenagers in April. How would you strategize doing St Peter’s the same day? Thanks much.
Thanks for your kind words. I really appreciate you! I'm glad you enjoy my videos and find them helpful with your trip planning. Stay tuned for my new video coming out in less than an hour! It will answer your questions about visiting the Vatican in the late afternoon. Have a great time!
Thank you, Elyssa! Wonderful detailed information. I loved that beautiful mosaic you showed us, the one with the detailed shadows. I've visited the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican museums before and loved them. I'll be visiting Saint Peter's Basilica with my husband in April, but he's not an art lover, so we'll skip the Vatican/Sistine tour. Any suggestions for other worthwhile sites we could visit near the Basilica? Is the Castel Sant'Angelo worth an hour or two? The Tomb of Augustus? We'll be starting at Saint Peter's at 8 am so I'd like to plan a whole day in that part of Rome, happy to hear any suggestions.
Thanks so much for watching and for your kind comments. Don't you just adore that mosaic? It's one of my favorite things in the museums and hardly anyone knows to go into that wing to visit it. Castel Sant'Angelo is definitely worth visiting! I have two web pages about it, one with practical visiting tips and the other with the history and architecture: www.romewise.com/castel-sant-angelo-rome.html www.romewise.com/castel-sant-angelo-worth-visiting.html Not too far from the Vatican, you can also visit a huge covered market, the Trionfale market: www.romewise.com/rome-food-markets.html The tomb (mausoleum) of Augustus is excellent but still closed while they renovate it. I am not sure when it will open but I don't think it will be open by April. But if it is, sure, it's excellent. You could also visit the Ara Pacis if you love ancient Roman history. And from the Vatican, you could make your way to Trastevere, Piazza Navona, and Campo dei Fiori neighborhoods. I hope that helps!
Your videos are wonderful! I am learning so much for my first ever trip to Rome. I first international trip in general. I'm planning to do the museums of the Vatican and St Peter's in two separate days at least as of now. I'm trying to do St Peter's guided tour with a seminarian which is at 2:30 on a Thursday. If I did your plan and was there for opening and spent three to four hours in the Vatican museums would I be safe getting back around and into the basilica? I am coming the first week of March. I want to see everything in the museums and the basilica! I'm also going to be trying to get a scavi tour
Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, if you follow my suggestion in this video, and spend a few hours in the museums in the morning, you will have plenty of time to make it over to Saint Peter's basilica for your 2:30 tour. If you want to visit the scavi, you should start requesting this now as space is limited. Have a great visit!
I took your advise booked a skip the line pass for 0800 which unfortunately got moved to 830 but I went straight to the chapel and there was one a handful of people I was able to just sit and take it all in then on the way back to the entrance I had everything practically to myself
Thank you so much for the tour and tips! I loved the background that you provided for the artwork that you highlighted. I’m looking at your links for the Sistine Chapel and Basilica tour, but even those tours say that they end at the Sistine Chapel. Do you prefer to go in the mornings or at night? What time or day has fewer crowds? Are there elevators?
Thanks for watching. I'm glad you enjoy my videos. This tour gives you access to Saint Peter's Basilica from the Sistine Chapel: Pristine Sistine Early Morning Tour - tinyurl.com/pristine-sistine I love going either first thing in the morning or at the end of the day. Yes, there are elevators. It's hard to say when the Vatican Museums are less crowded. Lately, they are crowded all the time. That being said, you might find smaller crowds towards the end of the day.
Fantastic video, loved it from start to finish. Seems a great idea Entering at 8a to see a less crowded Sistine Chapel at 8:30. Would late in the evening, say on a Friday of May when it closes later, be reasonable good time too?
@@Romewise I just watched it and I loved it!! Since my plan is to go on a Friday evening and I couldn't find much info about it, this video is the most valuable video I've seen in a long time. Thank you!!
Thank you! Yes, I wanted to make both videos to show the difference between these types of Vatican visits. I'm so glad you found them both helpful with your trip planning! Have a great visit! @@leropomelero
You did exactly what I was thinking of doing. Thanks for this video. We are coming end of April so crowds will be worse. If we have choice between Friday or Saturday which do you recommend? Right now we aren’t scheduled to be there Friday am, but might consider if it will make a difference. Plus that gives 2.5 days in Rome instead of 1.5. Your videos have me so excited that I want more Rome time!!!!! Thanks so much!
Yes, you will find crowds in April. Honestly at this point there is not much difference between visiting Friday or Saturday. I would stick with what you have. You might find these videos helpful: ua-cam.com/video/lhQLb_iIRUs/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/WqTQJjQj1dQ/v-deo.html Have a great visit!
Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it. The underlying map was once on the Vatican Museums website. I added the overlay with Canva so the map is just something I made, but it does show the correct route!
I am thankful that I have found your channel! It has been so helpful to me in planning our family trip! You are amzing and your knowledge is impeccable! Rome sure has changed since I was there 20 years ago. I love your hack about going straight to the sistine chapel first. In this video you eat then go back through the museum. I was wondering if you think it would be good to go back through the museums immediately to beat the crowds? Also should I try to visit St. Peter's Basillica another morning, early to be the crowds or do you think immediately after the Sistine chapel and museums? I appreciate your time!
Thanks a lot for watching and for your kind comments. Yes, I could have waited to eat or brought a bar with me. But I was hungry and I don't like visiting museums with low blood sugar. The only ways to really beat the lines to St. Peter's is by showing up when it opens at 6:50AM, by taking the Pristine Sistine tour that takes the shortcut to the basilica, or by taking the scavi (St. peter's tomb) tour that ends inside the basilica. Vistiing the basilica on your own immediately after a museums visit means 9:30/10am at the earliest, and by then the lines will be over an hour long. So yes, you could visit the Basilica another day at 6:50am to beat the lines. They are two very separate visits anyway, and each takes a lot of time and energy so splitting them up into two days is a good idea anyway, Hope that helps!
@Romewise Thank you so much for your response! I've never really asked a question on here or any social media before, so I wasn't sure if you would respond. I know you are busy, and I am truly thankful you took time out of your day to help me. Please do not feel I was begrudging you for eating. I am hypoglycemic, so I completely understand. 💕 We have rented an apartment with a kitchen, and I am hoping to make us an easy breakfast before we leave in the morning. I am a caterer, and although I do not want to cook on my vacation, I can't see me NOT cooking a little with all the amazing produce and ingredients in Rome!💕 After years of taking our kids to Disney, my husband doesn't have a tolerance for hour long lines anymore. 😉 I want him to enjoy his first European trip and first time in Rome! We definitely do not want to feel rushed through the Vatican Museum. My son is looking forward to the Egyptian collection. I told him about the mummy I saw with red hair! (20 years ago) That is the only reason I asked what you thought about the crowds going back through after the Sistine Chapel. Thank you for helping me! We will definitely just go on 2 seperate mornings, for the best experience for both the Basillica and the Museum. If you ever get the chance, I would love to see you in Southern Italy as well. I enjoy your content and knowledge. Grazie Mille!
No problem at all. I didn't think you were begrudging me eating. It's clear that the time I took to go sit and eat, even if it was maybe just half an hour, made a big difference in the crowds I encountered afterwards. But I just needed a break and a snack! And a coffee :) I've made a few videos about Naples but not yet other areas south of Rome. I know a lot of people rent apartments in Rome precisely because they think they want to make food in and not eat out every meal. I hope you'll get to do that when you are here! Have a great trip! @@lilflower5
@@Romewise I have every intention on eating my heart out while in Italy! I've been dreaming of the amazing fresh tomato sauce for 20 years!🤤 I will look for your Naples video. 💕 I truly enjoy your chanel!
Another great video thank you ... could you book a guided tour that gives you access to the Basilica but ditch the tour and do your own thing as you've shown, then use the group tour ticket to enter the Basilica on your own, or must you enter the Basilica from the Vatican Museum with your tour group ?
Thanks for your compliments. I hear what you're saying. I know this is something many people would like to do, but no, it's not possible. It's not the ticket that gets you access to the shortcut, it's the guide. So you have to stay with them. So it's really one or the other.
This may be helpful: ua-cam.com/video/jBUlLY5FYTE/v-deo.html You can take photos and video (no flash, no tripods, no selfie sticks) everywhere except the Sistine Chapel.
Thanks! Well, the Vatican Museums only sells tickets up to 60 days in advance. So if you are just looking for entry tickets, you should keep checking back. You can also consider purchasing them through a third part if you can't find what you're looking for on the official site.
I'm enjoying your videos as I prepare to return to Italy. Can you tell me if it's possible to make it to the Braccio Nuovo room to see Augustus of Prima Porta with a regular ticket like you purchased for this video? I toured the Vatican museums last time and saw much of what you shared in this video but I don't think we went to see Augustus of Prima Porta.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Yes, absolutely you can visit the Braccio Nuovo and see the Augustus of Prima Porta. And I highly recommend you do so! If you don't spend too long there, you can still get back to the shortcut I took and enjoy the maps, tapestries and Sistine Chapel without the crowds. Enjoy!
We are going to Vatican tomorrow. Tickets were bought 30 days in advance on Vartican website. By then the morning time slots were so quickly sold out. Hope waiting jnthe row will be bearable.
What time are you going? If you are going anytime before 10am, and you beeline for the Sistine Chapel, you should still have a relatively uncrowded experience!
@@Romewise i couldn't book anything before 12:30. With online prepaid ticket of 20 euro which were purchased on Vatican Museum website, could we skip the queue and go straight to the entree? I searched and still don't get clear answers.
Yes, every ticket you buy in advance is a "skip the line" ticket. It means you skip the line to PURCHASE tickets. So you will just have a small line of other people like you who have tickets for 12:30. You could try showing up at 12:10, and they should let you in. It will not be uncrowded as this is the middle of the day, so just pace yourself and try not to worry too much about the crowds as there is not much you can do. You could visit the Pinacoteca and the Gregory Profane wing, as there will be fewer people there. @@nawang5063
@@Romewise than you much for your quick answer. That is great. We are going soon the door out heading to Vatican. Great information and videos you share!
Hi Elyssa, thank you for this amazing video! I’m planning on following this exact same route in late July. Would you recommend arriving slightly before 7:30 am?
Thanks for watching! You will love it. If you have an 8AM entry ticket, you cannot get in before that. There will be lines when you arrive, with all the people who also have 8AM tickets, but once they open the doors, this line moves fast. I think you are fine to get there at 7:30 or even 7:45. Have a great visit!
Thank you. I am going to Rome for the third time and I was wondering if I might book a guided tour or visit on my own. I have booked a lot of guided tours and then numbers the coosts are getting higher every day. So Vatican on my own. What do you have to say about Pompeia? How I get there on my own? I have beem there 20 years ago and I was smugggled in a trains in Napolis with all my money passaporte ( and my sons too he was 5) and it was a headache. That time we did not have everything digital like today.
You can easily visit Pompeii on your own, although, like any archeological site, I do suggest a guided tour so you know what you're looking at. But you could use public transportation to get there from Rome, and then book a local tour- When you do ride the trains and buses, please be vigilant and aware of your surroundings. And if you are on a daytrip from Rome, you can just take with you what is absolutely necessary for your trip that day and leave the rest in your apartment or hotel room. Here is our web page all about visiting Pompeii: www.romewise.com/pompeii-from-rome.html
Well, there is no way to predict when lines may be shorter. In general, the lines are long because, while the basilica is free, everyone has to go through security. But in winter, other than around the Christmas holidays, you MAY encounter shorter lines. Going right when it opens at 7 AM gives you a higher likelihood that the line to get in will be short, but even if you go at 3 PM, the line does of course move, and you'll probably only have to wait a half hour to an hour.
Thank you! As for your question, please check out my video here and you'll see how I visit them - it's the opposite of the morning visit: ua-cam.com/video/zALra-6G5JY/v-deo.html
Thank you so much! Basically I recommend going EITHER first thing in the morning OR at the end of the day. I'll soon be doing a video showing what to do when you visit at the end of the day. Please stay tuned!
Hoping I can receive your advice. Thanks, for all you offer, whether or not you can! I will have one day in October 2024 on a Saturday to do the Vatican Museums and St Peter's. I thought I'd get to St Peter's 1/2 hour before opening and see it in the morning. Then book the museums that afternoon around 4:30pm and remain to closing at 8pm. Do you agree?...or would you do the reverse?
If you only have one day and it's a Saturday, you could: 1) Take the Pristine Sistine tour that starts at 7:30AM and visits the museums and then takes the shortcut into the basilica so you will be done by noon. You cannot take the shortcut on your own, only with a guided tour with an outside tour company (not a tour you book through the Vatican Museums). 2) Go on your own and do as you suggest which means you spend the entire day in Vatican City.
In the description of this video, I link to the Key Master tour. You can book it there. You won't find it on the Vatican Museums site as they don't sell individual tickets directly.
@@Romewise Thank you. We are looking forward to our visit to Rome 10/19/24. We have enjoyed your videos and gathered so much helpful information for our trip.
Most Wednesdays (except in July, although that might change in 2025 due to the Jubilee), the pope gives the Papal Audience. It's usually in Saint Peter's Square. On those days, the basilica is closed until the audience is over. If the basilica is closed, you won't be able to visit it until after around 1pm. So if you are trying to book a tour that takes you on the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel to Saint Peter's Basilica, then Wednesday mornings are best avoided. If you simply want to visit the square and/or basilica and the pope is holding the Papal Audience, then Wednesday morning is not good. You can check the Pope's schedule here: www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html If he is not giving the Papal Audience in St. Peter's Square on a given Wednesday, then it's not an issue.
Thank you so much! While I could not film it for you, I can tell you that I was able to site on a bench along the wall. Most of the benches were full but almost nobody was standing except one or two people who wanted to be in the middle of the room to look up from there. So maybe 100 people? Extremely relaxed and stress-free!!!
Elyssa, one question: After visiting the Sistine Chapel, is it possible to do the Museum backwards (from the Raphael Rooms to the Pinacoteca)? Or do we have to go back to the start and from there to the Sistine Chapel again, as you suggest? thanks so much for all your valuable tips in your videos, will surely be important for our trip to Rome this early December 2024!
No it's not possible. I talk about this in an upcoming video where I give a complete guide to visiting the Vatican. Many people ask this question and it's not possible. I show in this video exactly how to start your museum visit over.
@@Romewise perfectly understood. No problem, we will go back to the start and from there follow your route. By the way, your videos on the Rome center walks are so valuable. We are staying across the Sta maria Maggiore, and on arrival, before starting our itineraries, the Termini to Spanish Steps is so perfect to get a taste of Rome at arrival! Thanks for everything.
As I mentioned in the video, once they opened the museums, it was only a few minutes until I went through security and that also only took a few minutes. I showed some time stamps in the video to show how long it took me.
I have links in the description where to buy tickets, both on the Vatican Museums website and on a third party site in case you can't find tickets on the official site.
Thank you so much! I’m literally planning my trip based on your advice. Yesterday I booked some tours and bought train tickets from Rome to Florence through Trainline as per your suggestion. Can’t tell you how valuable your videos are. Will plan out two days stay in Florence today based on your suggestions. Btw I did subscribe to your amazing channel as well.
Loved this video - thank you! Do you know how early you can book the Vatican tickets direct? Is it 60 days and goes live at "8am" or something? Thanks!
Thank you so much! Yes, it's 60 days in advance. I am not sure it's like the Colosseum, where they release things exactly on the hour. But I would check 60 days out and then just keep checking regularly around your dates. Also note that if you book a TOUR through the Vatican, those are available much further in advance.
Thank you for the video! I am planning our trip and would love to follow your tip. Quick question, anyone know if there are audiotours (those headphones you can borrow)? Or if there is an option to have some historical facts while exploring on your own, maybe an app?
Glad you found it helpful! Yes, you can pick up the audioguide. I recommend doing it after you complete the circuit the first time, as you won't want to stop and look at things if you are beelining to the Sistine Chapel to beat the crowds. On your second time going through the museums, use the audio guide then.
I think the Pristine Sistine tour (especially the one that takes you on the shortcut to the basilica) is one of the best tours of the Vatican Museums you can take.
thanks to upload video! This video helped me a lot! And i have a qusetion, Can i go around together with my friends in Vatican museum? i have Vatican museum ticket written passageway 3 (because i bought that ticket from travel agency) and my friends have ticket written passageway 1 from official site. i'm so worried about that😂
Yes the "Passageway 3" and "Passageway 1" are simply the lines you need to stand in to enter the museums. So you will just go through different lines, that's all. Once you are inside, you can stay together.
@@Romewise Thank you very much for your answer! This has relieved my anxiety. I have one more question. May I ask you? We are planning to go to the Vatican Museums without a professional guide around July, and there are a total of 20 of us. Are there any restrictions when more than 20 people travel together?
Isnt it prefereer to get a skip the line ticket Just in case. Also do the cafés have any gluten free pastries?thankyou for the interesting and informative informatie
Well this video is exactly about buying a skip the line ticket. I show this at the beginning of the video. I'm not sure about the café but they are likely to have something for you. In my video, I also show the café menu, so you could pause it there and take a look at what it says. Thanks for watching!
Yes, at the time I made that video, I had received confirmation from various sources that it would be back. I am monitoring the Vatican Museums website, as I can see that from January 1, it's been in a state of flux. Initially they only had regular tickets and tours, and slowly they've added things back, such as the Vatican Necropolis on the Via Triumphalis (which is the topic of my next video!) I did know that the Extra Time tour would not begin to be offered until spring, but I don't have a start date yet. Please just keep checking back!
@@Romewise Thanks. By the way, excellent information and tips in this video. It makes much more easier to make a decision. We will be in Rome in June for the first time with my family. Also we are planning to make a train trip from Rome to Venice and back. Thank you very much Elyssa!!!
Thanks so much! I'm glad you found this video helpful. You might also find these useful: ua-cam.com/video/LCLU1MFDr4Y/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/qtXxkclB4bA/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/Di7JiiLDDPA/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/cDHaXVGdH6c/v-deo.html I hope you and your family will have a wonderful visit! @@jimenedg
Very good information. Is the "skip-the -line" claimed by some of the tour agencies for real? How could they get in? Going in through other side entrances? We will visit there in a month. Just don't want to wait in the line for hours to get in with our tickets.
Every single ticket you purchase in advance is a "skip the line" ticket. You SKIP the line to PURCHASE tickets. That's it. Whether you purchase your tickets on the Colosseum website or through a reseller or with a tour, you all skip the exact same line which is the ticket line. EVERYONE has to go through security and there is no skipping that line. Also, when you arrive at the Colosseum, you may have to wait in a short line of others who have the same time slot as you, and you can't skip that line but it moves fast. Tour companies have a separate entrance from the entrance for individual ticket holders, but they also may have to wait for other tours to go in. So there is no such thing as "skip the line" that skips ALL lines.
The Key Master tour is indeed very special. However, as I mention in this video, the shortcut does not open until 9:30am. By then you will have long left the Sistine Chapel. So no, it's not possible to take the shortcut with the Key Master tour, and you'll need to visit Saint Peter's basilica separately.
If you have also booked the Vatican audio guide, can you collect it on entering and take it back round with you? Or and you pick it up second time round still? Or either option valid and OK? Thanks
Once you collect your audio guide, you can keep it with you until you leave the museums. So yes, you can collect it at the beginning or at a later time, then just turn it in when you are done with it. There are several places where you can drop off the audio guide when you're ready.
This is very helpful. I am going to the Vatican this week. Can you please clarify whether there is an “actual skip the line ticket”? Or is it just a reserved ticket purchased prior to the tour? Are companies using the title “skip the line”for marketing purposes”?
Thanks for watching! Skip the line means you skip the line to purchase tickets. That line can get very long. You DO have to get in a small line to go in along with others like you who have bought tickets. I talk about this at the beginning of this video, and you can see the line I had to wait in. Those are other ticket holders. I also showed the line of people waiting to buy tickets which is much longer.
*👉🏻 Best Tours & Experiences in Rome:*
✝ Vatican Museums and Saint Peter's Basilica guided tour - gyg.me/mgzbFfqc
✝ VIP Key Master's Tour: Open The Sistine Chapel - tinyurl.com/4dk737nw
✝ Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Skip-The-Line Tickets - gyg.me/DhDeZF2h
✝ Pristine Sistine Early Morning Tour - tinyurl.com/pristine-sistine
🏛 Colosseum Underground, Arena & Forum Tour -gyg.me/qjsPXPRk
🛌 FIND ACCOMMODATIONS NEAR THE VATICAN
stay22.com/embed/65d2118642f38b82b47edb51
Your content is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! Quick question, is the Sistine Chapel opened at 8:30 am to the general public everyday or is that just the day you visited? Is there somewhere we can get this information?
Thank you! Yes, the Sistine Chapel opens daily at 8;30 to the general public. It does open earlier for early tours such as the Key Master tour and the tour I did on the video I posted recently. But for regular visitors, the museums open at 8am and the Sistine Chapel opens at 8:30am. @@mtee5093
@@Romewise thank you so very much!
Thank you for the wonderful tip. I made it to the chapel by 820. The door was open already. 5 minutes alone. My life is changed forever. Last time I was here it was awful.
Thanks for your comment! I'm so happy to know you were able to enjoy the Sistine Chapel that way. Glad my video was helpful!
My wife and I just followed this video and was at the door of the Sistine chapel in less then 20 minutes (and that included time to take pictures in the map and tapestry rooms) We were in the Sistine Chapel with maybe 8-10 other people and we were able to spend a lot of time without crowds. Then we simply went back and did the museum afterwards. We can’t recommend this process described in this video more. If you want to see the Sistine THIS is the way to go.
Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed the video and followed my tips! I agree, this is my favorite way to visit the Vatican Museums and enjoy the art in peace and quiet. I'm glad you got to try it out!
Oh my goodness, Elyssa! You are worth so much more than your weight in gold!!! I'm beyond thrilled to have discovered your channel several months in advance of my upcoming Rome visit, because there's so much fantastic information to sift through! It will be my second time in Rome and I can already tell it's going to be way too short (like the last time), so I know I'll have to come back yet again. My husband and I are going to be on a cruise with his sister, who is very interested in art, having been a curator for a corporate art collection for many years. I don't think even she has any idea just how many masterpieces there are in Rome. I so appreciate the vast amount of information you have assembled, as well as your personal style in delivering the information. My husband and I thought we'd seen quite a bit on our last visit, but with your tips and suggestions, this visit in September is going to be mind-blowing! I'm voraciously binging your videos, reading on your website, taking notes and getting super excited to be back in beautiful Rome, so much better prepared for this visit. Thank you so very much for all the work you've put into creating these resources!!!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really glad you enjoy my videos and website content, and that it's helping you with your upcoming trip! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you appreciate the work I put into it and for telling me you enjoy how I present my tips. It really makes a difference and I am very grateful! It's thanks to people like you that I enjoy what I do so much! I hope you have a wonderful visit this September!
I've been trying to navigate how best to visit the Vatican Museums since the 2024 changes and this video answered a lot of my questions. Thank you!
Thank you! Please feel free to ask here in the comments if you have any other questions I didn't answer.
You're the best!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!!! We went to see the Vatican Museum the way you recommended in this video and it was amazing! We spent 5 hours, believe it or not. That's the best thing about doing it yourself, no rush, you take your time, go ahead and past the crowds, and you have the option of seeing the Sistine Chapel twice if you feel like it, just admiring the frescoes. You made our visit very special and memorable. So again, thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I'm so glad you got to enjoy these amazing museums. They deserve time and attention just as you were able to give them. I'm really grateful you took the time to let me know what a great time you had!
Beautiful..wish to visit there by myself. In the future
Amazing ❤️🇮🇹
We were so excited to meet you that day! We love your videos, thanks for sharing such great information and travel tips! (We were the crazy couple that asked you for a selfie)
That's so nice of you! It was lovely to run into you and I am flattered you wanted a selfie with me! Thanks for subscribing and following!
I learned a lot on this video, thank you so so much
Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Your videos and so helpful and informative. Thank you!
Glad you like them! Thanks for your kind comments!
In first few seconds of this video, I legit thought you were Angela from The Office ! Great video :)
Several people have told me that and I'll take it as a compliment so thank you! I don't see the resemblance but we are both cat lovers so there's that :)
Thanks a lot for this video! My wife and I followed your guide and enjoyed Sistine Capella ❤
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for letting me know!
I just followed your advice Elyssa!!!!! thank you so much! this was the best way to see the vatican without all those people! Ciao! i got to be one of the 1st people in !
That's so awesome!! I'm really glad you got to enjoy the museums this way. It's just the best! Thanks for sharing!
So glad I visited in July 2000. Things were so much simpler then. I have the wonderful photos of all the museum and the Sistine chapel to look over that I was allowed to take.
Yes, things have changed a lot, especially in recent years with a huge growth in tourism (and this was coming long before the pandemic.)
Great info, I like the clever idea of getting to the Sistine Chapel early. The last time I was there, in 2007, it was crazy back then.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for all of your informative and fun videos! My best friend and I went to Italy (Sorrento and Rome) in February and of course went to the Vatican. I just missed you by a few days! We went on a guided tour that started at 815am. We didn't wait too long and then I took your advice to go up to the dome and get their at the beginning of the house to hear the bells ring. We got up there just before noon to hear the bells and a cannon go off! Such a cool experience. It was one of my favorite moments on the Rome trip...which I will have to come back to soon! I fell in love with Rome!! Thanks again =)
That's great that you had such a wonderful time at the Vatican. The dome climb is so worth it. It's extra special when you get to hear the bells ring and the cannon go off to boot! Thanks for your kind comments - I'm glad you find my videos helpful!
It will be my first time to Rome this upcoming April. There is so much to see so much info to digest and plan for. The video is very valuable and helpful. Thank you
Elyssa/RomeWise has a myriad of excellent advice. We did a guided bike tour that we loved.
I’ve been to Rome 9 times in my life, and I still haven’t seen everything.
On my next visit I hope to finally see Hadrian’s Villa. I have never seen it.
@@Godlvr008which bike tour did you do ?
@@HGills Do not remember name but it is RIGHT next to Colesseum on left side, guide looked like Ben Affleck and wives loved it. Enjoy!
So glad i read this i was going to book the early entrance tour . Thank you for saving me money. Also did not know you could go straight to sistine chapel and the go back to do the muesums
Glad you found it helpful. Have a great visit!
Super interesting video! Thanks for sharing these helpful tips❤
Thank you! Glad you found it helpful and interesting!
hi! im going solo too-and would like to take this tour.. going in April !
I hope you'll try out the route I shared! Please let us know here in the comments after you've done it.
Here are a couple of videos you might find useful:
ua-cam.com/video/lhQLb_iIRUs/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/WqTQJjQj1dQ/v-deo.html
Thank you so much for your detailed information across numerous videos. I'll be traveling to Rome for the first time in March and quickly discovered that a successful trip relies on securing tickets and making more plans ahead of time than to other areas of Europe.
Thanks to coming across your channel, I have used much of your advice, including securing a scavi tour to St. Peter's tomb under St. Peter's Basilica, Colosseum tour that includes the SUPER sites in the Forum and Palatine Hill, and obtaining an 8AM ticket for the Vatican Museums.
I secured the Vatican Museum ticket even before you posted this video - and now I'm excited to follow your recommendations. I did also reserve an audio guide, so I'll need to pick that up before following your route.
THANK YOU again - I'm sure that my first trip to Rome will be maximized because of your knowledge and expertise.
I'm a German afficionado, so don't hesitate to ask if you're heading to the northern side of the Alps and the German-speaking world and need some advice and hints.
Thank you so much for your kind comments. You will love Rome, especially in March as it's not quite spring so the weather is cool, but there are hints of flowers ready to bloom! You are so right, a little planning goes a long way, especially in Rome.
I'm so glad to hear you've found my videos helpful with your trip planning.
In case you have not seen them, you might find these videos useful:
ua-cam.com/video/EL7bhjgncqk/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/B2fQI7oUyqc/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/WqTQJjQj1dQ/v-deo.html
By the way, you may find this video about the Dolomites interesting:
ua-cam.com/video/3MtjkOTOPkg/v-deo.html
I'm so excited to see that you have this UA-cam channel!! I've been following your site since it was just a blog! I couldn't have done my first trip to Rome without you and now I am considering my third! So great to hear your voice and get this excellent advice, though I am certainly not surprised. You just always seem to know what I need to hear! Love you through the years! Hope to be back in your city in maybe February 2025!
Hello Margie! Thanks so much for following me all this time! I'm really glad you enjoy my websites and UA-cam channel. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for your kind words. It means a lot to me!!
Terrific video! Do you have similar video on other parts of Italy?
Thank you so much! I make videos mostly about Rome and Florence, and sometimes Naples. I also have a few places outside Rome in this playlist:
ua-cam.com/play/PLEAd_Z-Tx6V0rsA-cW9Zgw_UdBbg1j1FJ.html
Thank you so much for your tips. My family and I had a wonderful visit to the Sistine Chapel because of this video. I did it exactly the way you said and we were able to see it calmly. 😍
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for letting me know!
Thank goodness I visited all the famous sites in Rome, Venice, Florence etc before mass tourism that has completely destroyed the experience. This is very good advice for those people who aren’t going just to get an Instagram opportunity.
Yeah, I've lived here since 2001 and things have changed so much, especially in the last 2-3 years post-Covid. I do not think the crowds will dissipate any time soon. Pandora is out of the box! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Thanks Elyssa for a great tip! We were able to make it by 9am to the Sistine Chapel and enjoy it without the crowds!
Fantastic! So glad you got to enjoy the Sistine Chapel in peace and quiet!
Hi, stumbled across your video. I did a study abroad in Rome twenty five years ago, before 9/11 and maybe a more innocent time. Don't remember the bag check, the security. Remembered one morning deciding to visit the Vatican museum and wandered around leisurely to the Sistine chapel, maybe visited a couple of times during the semester, there was a discount for students so don't remember being too expensive to visit. Always walked past street vendors selling bootleg CD's of Britney Spears and Gimelli Diversi. I hope to visit with my daughter someday and have your video pinned as an absolute must see. Thank you for your research! I'm also going to search your channel for the Villa Borghese tips because I'm sure it will be just as impossible to get a ticket today.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I met Alessandro, my husband, in 1997, so I remember Rome from that time, too. I think if you have not visited since then, you will be shocked to see how crowded it is now!
I don't yet have a video about the Galleria Borghese, but I do have a detailed webpage that should answer all your questions:
www.romewise.com/galleria-borghese.html
Elyssa, I am devouring your videos, blog, website....everything!!! You are a gem and I'm so thankful I found you. In reading your information and watching your videos, I am wondering if your suggestion is to be at St. Peter's at 7:00 am to wait for the dome to open at 7:30 for the climb and then go meet a tour guide to get in the Vatican museum and at the end wind up back in the Basilica to see it. Now that the Vatican is opening up at 8, I don't know if it's better to do the tour first and climb after (time and crowd even though it will still be early). Thanks for blessing us with your knowledge!
Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoy my videos. People often ask me about doing this - going to St. peter's at 7am, climbing the dome and then racing over to the museums for a tour. I strongly urge you to reconsider - the logistics make this nearly impossible.
I would suggest you consider either visiting each site on its own day (morning), or taking the Pristine Sistine tour that starts in the Vatican Museums and then takes you on the shortcut to St. Peter's basilica. From there you can climb the dome.
You are amazing,my primary goal after my college and getting a job is to visit Italy and especially Vatican city.its so majestic.
Thanks so much! I hope you'll get to visit Italy and the Vatican!
October 2024. We had a fairly empty Sistine for half an hour. Anf EMPTY hall of tapestries and maps. Thank you so much. It was a wonderful experience.
That's fantastic! So glad you got to experience it this way.
Elyssa, this is one of your best videos, thus far! This one seems to stand out. Should I be shocked by how crowded it is in February??? I want to go back to Rome, so badly!
Thanks so so much! I'm really grateful for your comments! Yes, I was actually shocked by the crowds, especially as I went through the second time. And the guards were all telling me it's still quiet and will get more crowded!
This shouldn't surprise me, after all, I live here and I've seen what's been happening in recent years, even before the pandemic - we don't have much of a low season any more! But it's still surprising to see so many people on a Monday in February!
I really enjoy traveling with you,thanks.
So nice of you!
Nice videos I am watching with interest. Please would you teach us some tips for example what transport should we take from Rome to be as earlier as possible
Thank you! You may find this page on my website helpful:
www.romewise.com/rome-transportation.html
Your video was so very helpful. By following your instructions I was able to book an 8 am entry for one of the days of interest. Thank you so much.
Glad it was helpful! Have a wonderful visit!
Brilliant video and advice once again Elyssa. A great way to skip through to the Sistine Chapel ahead of the crowds to enjoy in relative peace then back through to enjoy the rest of this spectacular place. It may be different in high season but this is a great way. We have always followed your advice in seeing here and the Basilica on our own and would advise and recommend everyone to follow your great advice.
Hi Peter! So glad you like the video! I know you are familiar with some of the best ways to visit Rome but I am so grateful you always say you follow my advice. I'm really happy it's always worked for you! Yes, we will have to see how this pans out in high season, but I still think that the early morning beeline to the Sistine Chapel will be a great way to see the museums without the crowds. All the tour groups going in at that hour still follow the regular route. if you try this out, please let me know! And thanks as always for recommending me!
This is exactly what we did last week when visiting the museum and your tip literally saved our visit! We were at the chapel at 8:30 and all and all 30-40 people in there, looking around, sitting at the benches and enjoying the beautiful art. Then we went to the front and toured the whole thing again and later it was a nightmare of people and picture taking. At the chapel they just let you in and guide you to the exit, it is that full!
So my advice is - get a ticket as early as possible, book a month in advance because tickets go quick, pick a 8-8:30 slot. And maybe take 30 minutes going to the chapel as you take a look at the Raphael rooms and the other beautiful halls as you pass. Everything will be crowded afterwords. BUT still - even with the crowds - absolutely worth the visit - it is an amazing experience!
How wonderful! I'm so glad you found my tips helpful and that you had such a fabulous visit to the Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Such a brilliant idea. I'm not sure if we'll do it when we go back in April but good to know. It was really busy when we were there in November
Yes, there is almost no low season in Rome any more. April will be crowded, but I am convinced this trick will work even in high season, because most people don't tour the museums this way.
In these last few years they make some nice improvements in Rome museum system.
Yes, they are always working to improve!
Estuvimos en la semana de Pascua 2024. Entramos a las 8 de la mañana (en la fila desde las 8 menos 20) y seguimos tu itinerario. A las 08h15 estábamos solos en las Estancias de Rafael. Las fotos son espectaculares. a las 08h45 en la Capilla Sixtina dónde pudimos disfrutar sentados de las pinturas. Hasta las 09.30 no empiezan a llegar grupos y nos estás más de 20 o 30 personas. Increíble! Luego a desayunar y resto de museos. El tiempo vuela, salimos a las 14h30. Nos fuimos a comer a Tonnarello San Pietro. Buenísimo. Por la tarde al castillo Sant Angelo. San Pedro hay que dejarlo para otra mañana si se puede.
¡Qué gran día pasaste visitando el Vaticano! Me alegra mucho saber que pudiste disfrutar de los museos sin multitudes siguiendo mi consejo. ¡Gracias por compartir su experiencia! Espero que hayas disfrutado el resto de tu estancia en Roma.
@@Romewise Por si interesa via della stazione di San Pietro ,cerca de VATICANO; hay un pequeño restaurante con pizza al taglio y all you can eat al mediodía. BUENÍSIMO y barato
SE llama ALBERTO'S
@@luismiguelaguilar7914 Muchisimas gracias por el consejo!! ¡Lo buscaré!
Elyssa, this is wonderful and very helpful information. I’ve been multiple times to the Vatican (it never gets old) but rules seem to change each time and I’ve often grabbed a small tour just to get ahead of the crowds. I love that I can buy solo entry 8a.m. And skip ahead to the Map corridor and Rafaello rooms. Friends are always asking for tips, I’ll be sharing your excellent video. Grazie !
Thank you so much! Yes, I think this is one great way to visit the museums. I'm grateful to you for spreading the word!
Thank you very much for making this video. We just followed this with a visit in July and it was unreal to be alone in the different galleries and rooms leading to the Sistine Chapel and then with only about 10 other people once we were in the Sistine Chapel. It was truly a remarkable experience. Thanks again for the great tips!
So glad you got to enjoy it this way! It makes it so much more special, in my opinion. Thanks for letting me know you found my video helpful!
You are awesome
Aww thank you so much!
Thank you so much for this tip! My husband and I are going to Rome in mid-October and I was just barely was able to book a ticket for an 8:30AM time slot for a Tuesday morning (8AM already sold out) _ and other days during the week of my visit were sold out!... My husband and I will definitely try this strategy of going to the Sistine Chapel first & then visit the other parts of the museum at our leisure.
Glad it was helpful! I hope you enjoy your Vatican visit and all of Rome!
Thanks!
Thank you so much!!! I'm very grateful!
@@Romewise I enjoyed your video so much! Great Jobs!
Fabulous, fabulous video! Everyone who wants to visit the Vatican Museums should be required to watch this first! It answers every question I could think of, including whether or not the ticket needed to be printed
Thanks so much! I'm glad you found it helpful. I try to answer all the questions I know people have. Glad it did so for you!
shh, no, don't tell anyone until after I visit. :)
😂🤣@@yohahn2000
You're absolutely perfect!!!
Wow, thank you! So nice of you!
Good Afternoon! Enjoyed your videos but what you recommend if I have a couple of hours in Rome. My wish to go thru the door St Peter’s Basilica and visit Sistine Chapel. Mark from Singapore
Thanks a lot! It's not very easy to see a lot in Rome in just a couple of hours. If you want to visit the Sistine Chapel, you need to book a visit to the Vatican Museums. To go through the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica is a completely different visit. You'll need to register on the Jubilee website and book your entry time. You may have to decide on one of these visits, not both.
Fantastic! Grazie. I guess there is no such thing as a slow season any more.
Thank you! Yes, low season has shrunk considerably to just those few weeks after January 6. By February, things start to pick up again quite a lot!
Only hope that I won't get lost Thank you so much for the advice!!!!
I hope I made it clear enough in my video what route to follow. It's hard to get lost if you just follow that route. Once you get to the Gallery of the Candelabras, you really can't go anywhere else but to the Sistine Chapel. The key to have these galleries to yourself is to skip all the other stuff as I mentioned.
Excellent video. Very informative
Thanks so much as always!
We are going in October and this video is a game changer. We have 8:30 tickets so my plan was to go directly to the chapel and then your at our leisure afterwards. I was told on another site that wasn't possible you had to leave. Very happy to hear we can go back and start again. Is there a map of the Vatican museums that we can view to plan the things we want to see specifically? (I loved the mosaic!)
Thanks so much for letting me know you found the video helpful. I hope you have a wonderful visit!
Here is a link to the Vatican Museums site where they have a map of the museums:
www.museivaticani.va/content/dam/museivaticani/pdf/visita_musei/servizi_visitatori/mappa_musei_vaticani.pdf
We’re coming to Rome this weekend and your excellent videos and advice has given us so much valuable foresight. You are wonderful ❤️ thank you for all you do 🙏
Thanks so much for your kind comments. I'm so glad you find my content helpful. I hope you have a wonderful visit to Rome!
We are planning our trip for this upcoming fall and have found your channel to be the best resource for all things Rome! We only have 2 1/2 days ahead of a cruise so we have to pack in a lot of things in a short period of time. This sounds like a great alternative to a tour. Do the tours see the courtyards, etc. that you said are missed if you take the shortcut? I'm concerned that St. Peters will be very crowded during Jubilee with insane wait times mid morning, and think we need our second early morning for the Colosseum and Roman Forum. So much to do and so little time! :) Oh, if you take the shortcut can you walk through the Holy Door? Thanks!
Thanks so much for your kind comments. With 2.5 days in Rome, you can still see a lot. Don't miss my videos about 2-days in Rome and 3-days in Rome, respectively:
ua-cam.com/video/diFsRu34K3A/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/dYhJ_7wWCHk/v-deo.html
Yes this is a good alternative to a tour unless you want to be able to take the shortcut to Saint Peter's basilica, which you cannot do on your own. If you do as I suggest in this video, you miss most of the museums in an effort to get to the Sistine Chapel right when it opens, but as I showed, you can also go back to the beginning and then visit them again at a slower pace.
I just took the Pristine Sistine tour last week, and once we took the shortcut, we did indeed go through the Holy Doors. Wait times to enter the Holy Doors may depend on the time of year. Here's the link to the tour I took, which I HIGHLY recommend (I'll have a video up about it soon):
www.walksofitaly.com/vatican-tours/pristine-sistine-chapel-tour?tap_a=8956-bc8e33&tap_s=680053-3b677b
Have a great trip!
@@Romewise Thank you!
Thank you so much for this wonderful video. I’ve been to the Vatican but didn’t actually enjoy too much although it certainly is impressive. I was on a guided tour and it was very crowded and I didn’t have time to really check out what really interested me. I was too concerned with not losing my group, so if I return to Rome, I would definitely take your suggestions. It is really beautiful place that everyone should visit. 😊
Thanks so much for your comments. Yes, I know that sometimes, visiting the Vatican can seem like a slog - it's just too crowded and too intense. Sorry you did not enjoy your visit, but I hope you will come back and give it another try!
We watched one of your videos last year before a trip to Rome for a cruise. We did the Vatican at night with appertiva and it was amazing. We are planning a new trip and this time we are going to try colosseum at night. Thank you for the tips.
Thanks so much for letting me know you find my videos helpful! I'm glad to hear you got to try to Vatican evening visit with aperitivo. I hope you'll get to visit the Colosseum at night. It's one of my favorite visits!
I’ve been watching all your videos. Top notch content, very practical and cuts to the chase. Any advice for someone with 4:30PM Vatican tickets to efficiently see most of the museum and Sistine? Using Rick Steve free audio guide. Going with wife + 2 teenagers in April. How would you strategize doing St Peter’s the same day? Thanks much.
Thanks for your kind words. I really appreciate you!
I'm glad you enjoy my videos and find them helpful with your trip planning.
Stay tuned for my new video coming out in less than an hour! It will answer your questions about visiting the Vatican in the late afternoon. Have a great time!
Thank you, Elyssa! Wonderful detailed information. I loved that beautiful mosaic you showed us, the one with the detailed shadows. I've visited the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican museums before and loved them. I'll be visiting Saint Peter's Basilica with my husband in April, but he's not an art lover, so we'll skip the Vatican/Sistine tour. Any suggestions for other worthwhile sites we could visit near the Basilica? Is the Castel Sant'Angelo worth an hour or two? The Tomb of Augustus? We'll be starting at Saint Peter's at 8 am so I'd like to plan a whole day in that part of Rome, happy to hear any suggestions.
Thanks so much for watching and for your kind comments. Don't you just adore that mosaic? It's one of my favorite things in the museums and hardly anyone knows to go into that wing to visit it.
Castel Sant'Angelo is definitely worth visiting! I have two web pages about it, one with practical visiting tips and the other with the history and architecture:
www.romewise.com/castel-sant-angelo-rome.html
www.romewise.com/castel-sant-angelo-worth-visiting.html
Not too far from the Vatican, you can also visit a huge covered market, the Trionfale market:
www.romewise.com/rome-food-markets.html
The tomb (mausoleum) of Augustus is excellent but still closed while they renovate it. I am not sure when it will open but I don't think it will be open by April. But if it is, sure, it's excellent.
You could also visit the Ara Pacis if you love ancient Roman history. And from the Vatican, you could make your way to Trastevere, Piazza Navona, and Campo dei Fiori neighborhoods.
I hope that helps!
LOVE your videos! So excited to be visiting Rome soon. Did already book the Keymaster tour thanks to you!
Thank you so much! You will love the key Master! Enjoy!
Your videos are wonderful! I am learning so much for my first ever trip to Rome. I first international trip in general. I'm planning to do the museums of the Vatican and St Peter's in two separate days at least as of now. I'm trying to do St Peter's guided tour with a seminarian which is at 2:30 on a Thursday. If I did your plan and was there for opening and spent three to four hours in the Vatican museums would I be safe getting back around and into the basilica? I am coming the first week of March. I want to see everything in the museums and the basilica! I'm also going to be trying to get a scavi tour
Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, if you follow my suggestion in this video, and spend a few hours in the museums in the morning, you will have plenty of time to make it over to Saint Peter's basilica for your 2:30 tour. If you want to visit the scavi, you should start requesting this now as space is limited. Have a great visit!
I took your advise booked a skip the line pass for 0800 which unfortunately got moved to 830 but I went straight to the chapel and there was one a handful of people I was able to just sit and take it all in then on the way back to the entrance I had everything practically to myself
That's fantastic! So glad you had such a wonderful experience.
Great Videos, I am going with my wife first time to Rome November 2025 (3rd week). When should I buy tickets to Vatican museum and other sites?
Thank you! Here's my page on my website all about what to book in advance and when to book it:
www.romewise.com/book-in-advance-in-rome.html
Thank you so much for the tour and tips! I loved the background that you provided for the artwork that you highlighted. I’m looking at your links for the Sistine Chapel and Basilica tour, but even those tours say that they end at the Sistine Chapel. Do you prefer to go in the mornings or at night? What time or day has fewer crowds? Are there elevators?
Thanks for watching. I'm glad you enjoy my videos.
This tour gives you access to Saint Peter's Basilica from the Sistine Chapel:
Pristine Sistine Early Morning Tour - tinyurl.com/pristine-sistine
I love going either first thing in the morning or at the end of the day. Yes, there are elevators. It's hard to say when the Vatican Museums are less crowded. Lately, they are crowded all the time.
That being said, you might find smaller crowds towards the end of the day.
This is so useful to know, thanks as always for sharing what you do.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for your kind comments!
Fantastic video, loved it from start to finish. Seems a great idea Entering at 8a to see a less crowded Sistine Chapel at 8:30. Would late in the evening, say on a Friday of May when it closes later, be reasonable good time too?
Glad you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for my video coming out today, Sunday March 10. I will show what it's like to go at night instead!
@@Romewise I just watched it and I loved it!! Since my plan is to go on a Friday evening and I couldn't find much info about it, this video is the most valuable video I've seen in a long time. Thank you!!
Thank you! Yes, I wanted to make both videos to show the difference between these types of Vatican visits. I'm so glad you found them both helpful with your trip planning! Have a great visit! @@leropomelero
You did exactly what I was thinking of doing. Thanks for this video. We are coming end of April so crowds will be worse. If we have choice between Friday or Saturday which do you recommend? Right now we aren’t scheduled to be there Friday am, but might consider if it will make a difference. Plus that gives 2.5 days in Rome instead of 1.5. Your videos have me so excited that I want more Rome time!!!!! Thanks so much!
Yes, you will find crowds in April. Honestly at this point there is not much difference between visiting Friday or Saturday. I would stick with what you have.
You might find these videos helpful:
ua-cam.com/video/lhQLb_iIRUs/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/WqTQJjQj1dQ/v-deo.html
Have a great visit!
Perfect video😎
Glad you think so!
Great video Elyssa thank you so much! Just wondering where the map showing short route to Sistine at 2.22 is from?
Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it.
The underlying map was once on the Vatican Museums website. I added the overlay with Canva so the map is just something I made, but it does show the correct route!
I am thankful that I have found your channel! It has been so helpful to me in planning our family trip! You are amzing and your knowledge is impeccable! Rome sure has changed since I was there 20 years ago. I love your hack about going straight to the sistine chapel first. In this video you eat then go back through the museum. I was wondering if you think it would be good to go back through the museums immediately to beat the crowds? Also should I try to visit St. Peter's Basillica another morning, early to be the crowds or do you think immediately after the Sistine chapel and museums? I appreciate your time!
Thanks a lot for watching and for your kind comments.
Yes, I could have waited to eat or brought a bar with me. But I was hungry and I don't like visiting museums with low blood sugar. The only ways to really beat the lines to St. Peter's is by showing up when it opens at 6:50AM, by taking the Pristine Sistine tour that takes the shortcut to the basilica, or by taking the scavi (St. peter's tomb) tour that ends inside the basilica. Vistiing the basilica on your own immediately after a museums visit means 9:30/10am at the earliest, and by then the lines will be over an hour long.
So yes, you could visit the Basilica another day at 6:50am to beat the lines. They are two very separate visits anyway, and each takes a lot of time and energy so splitting them up into two days is a good idea anyway,
Hope that helps!
@Romewise Thank you so much for your response! I've never really asked a question on here or any social media before, so I wasn't sure if you would respond. I know you are busy, and I am truly thankful you took time out of your day to help me. Please do not feel I was begrudging you for eating. I am hypoglycemic, so I completely understand. 💕 We have rented an apartment with a kitchen, and I am hoping to make us an easy breakfast before we leave in the morning. I am a caterer, and although I do not want to cook on my vacation, I can't see me NOT cooking a little with all the amazing produce and ingredients in Rome!💕 After years of taking our kids to Disney, my husband doesn't have a tolerance for hour long lines anymore. 😉 I want him to enjoy his first European trip and first time in Rome! We definitely do not want to feel rushed through the Vatican Museum. My son is looking forward to the Egyptian collection. I told him about the mummy I saw with red hair! (20 years ago) That is the only reason I asked what you thought about the crowds going back through after the Sistine Chapel. Thank you for helping me! We will definitely just go on 2 seperate mornings, for the best experience for both the Basillica and the Museum. If you ever get the chance, I would love to see you in Southern Italy as well. I enjoy your content and knowledge. Grazie Mille!
No problem at all. I didn't think you were begrudging me eating. It's clear that the time I took to go sit and eat, even if it was maybe just half an hour, made a big difference in the crowds I encountered afterwards. But I just needed a break and a snack! And a coffee :)
I've made a few videos about Naples but not yet other areas south of Rome.
I know a lot of people rent apartments in Rome precisely because they think they want to make food in and not eat out every meal. I hope you'll get to do that when you are here! Have a great trip! @@lilflower5
@@Romewise I have every intention on eating my heart out while in Italy! I've been dreaming of the amazing fresh tomato sauce for 20 years!🤤 I will look for your Naples video. 💕 I truly enjoy your chanel!
Thank you so much!
Another great video thank you ... could you book a guided tour that gives you access to the Basilica but ditch the tour and do your own thing as you've shown, then use the group tour ticket to enter the Basilica on your own, or must you enter the Basilica from the Vatican Museum with your tour group ?
Thanks for your compliments. I hear what you're saying. I know this is something many people would like to do, but no, it's not possible. It's not the ticket that gets you access to the shortcut, it's the guide. So you have to stay with them. So it's really one or the other.
It will my first time there. We allowed to do pictures? Or just no film 😢thank you
This may be helpful:
ua-cam.com/video/jBUlLY5FYTE/v-deo.html
You can take photos and video (no flash, no tripods, no selfie sticks) everywhere except the Sistine Chapel.
Amazing video! Unfortunately there are no tickets available for entire year on the official Vatican site!😮
Thanks! Well, the Vatican Museums only sells tickets up to 60 days in advance. So if you are just looking for entry tickets, you should keep checking back. You can also consider purchasing them through a third part if you can't find what you're looking for on the official site.
I'm enjoying your videos as I prepare to return to Italy.
Can you tell me if it's possible to make it to the Braccio Nuovo room to see Augustus of Prima Porta with a regular ticket like you purchased for this video?
I toured the Vatican museums last time and saw much of what you shared in this video but I don't think we went to see Augustus of Prima Porta.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Yes, absolutely you can visit the Braccio Nuovo and see the Augustus of Prima Porta. And I highly recommend you do so!
If you don't spend too long there, you can still get back to the shortcut I took and enjoy the maps, tapestries and Sistine Chapel without the crowds.
Enjoy!
Great.
Thank you for the video! Luckily I checked tickets for my dates in March and thankfully the only available ticket was 8am on my last day in Rome 😂
That's awesome! I hope you have a wonderful time!
We are going to Vatican tomorrow. Tickets were bought 30 days in advance on Vartican website. By then the morning time slots were so quickly sold out. Hope waiting jnthe row will be bearable.
What time are you going? If you are going anytime before 10am, and you beeline for the Sistine Chapel, you should still have a relatively uncrowded experience!
@@Romewise i couldn't book anything before 12:30. With online prepaid ticket of 20 euro which were purchased on Vatican Museum website, could we skip the queue and go straight to the entree? I searched and still don't get clear answers.
Yes, every ticket you buy in advance is a "skip the line" ticket. It means you skip the line to PURCHASE tickets. So you will just have a small line of other people like you who have tickets for 12:30. You could try showing up at 12:10, and they should let you in. It will not be uncrowded as this is the middle of the day, so just pace yourself and try not to worry too much about the crowds as there is not much you can do. You could visit the Pinacoteca and the Gregory Profane wing, as there will be fewer people there. @@nawang5063
@@Romewise than you much for your quick answer. That is great. We are going soon the door out heading to Vatican. Great information and videos you share!
My pleasure! Have fun!!! @@nawang5063
Hi Elyssa, thank you for this amazing video! I’m planning on following this exact same route in late July. Would you recommend arriving slightly before 7:30 am?
Thanks for watching! You will love it. If you have an 8AM entry ticket, you cannot get in before that. There will be lines when you arrive, with all the people who also have 8AM tickets, but once they open the doors, this line moves fast. I think you are fine to get there at 7:30 or even 7:45. Have a great visit!
Thank you. I am going to Rome for the third time and I was wondering if I might book a guided tour or visit on my own. I have booked a lot of guided tours and then numbers the coosts are getting higher every day. So Vatican on my own. What do you have to say about Pompeia? How I get there on my own? I have beem there 20 years ago and I was smugggled in a trains in Napolis with all my money passaporte ( and my sons too he was 5) and it was a headache. That time we did not have everything digital like today.
You can easily visit Pompeii on your own, although, like any archeological site, I do suggest a guided tour so you know what you're looking at. But you could use public transportation to get there from Rome, and then book a local tour- When you do ride the trains and buses, please be vigilant and aware of your surroundings. And if you are on a daytrip from Rome, you can just take with you what is absolutely necessary for your trip that day and leave the rest in your apartment or hotel room.
Here is our web page all about visiting Pompeii:
www.romewise.com/pompeii-from-rome.html
Is the afternnon, say around 3:00pm a good time to visit St. Peter's or should we just plan on at opening?
Well, there is no way to predict when lines may be shorter. In general, the lines are long because, while the basilica is free, everyone has to go through security. But in winter, other than around the Christmas holidays, you MAY encounter shorter lines.
Going right when it opens at 7 AM gives you a higher likelihood that the line to get in will be short, but even if you go at 3 PM, the line does of course move, and you'll probably only have to wait a half hour to an hour.
Hello - love the advise ! question, if I buy a ticket at 4pm - do we have time to visit the whole thing?
Thank you! As for your question, please check out my video here and you'll see how I visit them - it's the opposite of the morning visit:
ua-cam.com/video/zALra-6G5JY/v-deo.html
Excellent, as always! Do you recommend going at opening time or going at late afternoon to beat the crowds?
Thank you so much! Basically I recommend going EITHER first thing in the morning OR at the end of the day. I'll soon be doing a video showing what to do when you visit at the end of the day. Please stay tuned!
Grazie!
Hoping I can receive your advice. Thanks, for all you offer, whether or not you can!
I will have one day in October 2024 on a Saturday to do the Vatican Museums and St Peter's.
I thought I'd get to St Peter's 1/2 hour before opening and see it in the morning. Then book the museums that afternoon around 4:30pm and remain to closing at 8pm.
Do you agree?...or would you do the reverse?
If you only have one day and it's a Saturday, you could:
1) Take the Pristine Sistine tour that starts at 7:30AM and visits the museums and then takes the shortcut into the basilica so you will be done by noon. You cannot take the shortcut on your own, only with a guided tour with an outside tour company (not a tour you book through the Vatican Museums).
2) Go on your own and do as you suggest which means you spend the entire day in Vatican City.
I had trouble finding the key masters tour online.
In the description of this video, I link to the Key Master tour. You can book it there. You won't find it on the Vatican Museums site as they don't sell individual tickets directly.
@@Romewise Thank you. We are looking forward to our visit to Rome 10/19/24. We have enjoyed your videos and gathered so much helpful information for our trip.
@@Wellblessyourheart Have a wonderful trip!
So Wednesday is a day to best avoid not going to the Vatican? To not risk losing access to St. Peters square
Most Wednesdays (except in July, although that might change in 2025 due to the Jubilee), the pope gives the Papal Audience. It's usually in Saint Peter's Square. On those days, the basilica is closed until the audience is over. If the basilica is closed, you won't be able to visit it until after around 1pm. So if you are trying to book a tour that takes you on the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel to Saint Peter's Basilica, then Wednesday mornings are best avoided.
If you simply want to visit the square and/or basilica and the pope is holding the Papal Audience, then Wednesday morning is not good.
You can check the Pope's schedule here:
www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html
If he is not giving the Papal Audience in St. Peter's Square on a given Wednesday, then it's not an issue.
Love your videos! Question…how many people roughly were in the Sistine Chapel when you went there first thing?
Thank you so much! While I could not film it for you, I can tell you that I was able to site on a bench along the wall. Most of the benches were full but almost nobody was standing except one or two people who wanted to be in the middle of the room to look up from there. So maybe 100 people? Extremely relaxed and stress-free!!!
Elyssa, one question: After visiting the Sistine Chapel, is it possible to do the Museum backwards (from the Raphael Rooms to the Pinacoteca)? Or do we have to go back to the start and from there to the Sistine Chapel again, as you suggest? thanks so much for all your valuable tips in your videos, will surely be important for our trip to Rome this early December 2024!
No it's not possible. I talk about this in an upcoming video where I give a complete guide to visiting the Vatican. Many people ask this question and it's not possible. I show in this video exactly how to start your museum visit over.
@@Romewise perfectly understood. No problem, we will go back to the start and from there follow your route. By the way, your videos on the Rome center walks are so valuable. We are staying across the Sta maria Maggiore, and on arrival, before starting our itineraries, the Termini to Spanish Steps is so perfect to get a taste of Rome at arrival! Thanks for everything.
@@rodrigoestrada8347 I'm so glad you enjoy my walking videos! Thanks for your kind comments.
How long did you wait in the line? I have my online tickets . Thanks fir the video!
As I mentioned in the video, once they opened the museums, it was only a few minutes until I went through security and that also only took a few minutes. I showed some time stamps in the video to show how long it took me.
Thanks for your very helpful tips. Where can I buy entrance tickets to the Vatican Museums? I don’t want to do a guided tour. Thanks for your help!
I have links in the description where to buy tickets, both on the Vatican Museums website and on a third party site in case you can't find tickets on the official site.
Thank you so much! I’m literally planning my trip based on your advice. Yesterday I booked some tours and bought train tickets from Rome to Florence through Trainline as per your suggestion. Can’t tell you how valuable your videos are. Will plan out two days stay in Florence today based on your suggestions. Btw I did subscribe to your amazing channel as well.
Thank you so much!
Loved this video - thank you! Do you know how early you can book the Vatican tickets direct? Is it 60 days and goes live at "8am" or something? Thanks!
Thank you so much! Yes, it's 60 days in advance. I am not sure it's like the Colosseum, where they release things exactly on the hour. But I would check 60 days out and then just keep checking regularly around your dates.
Also note that if you book a TOUR through the Vatican, those are available much further in advance.
Is there a limited time frame that one can actually be in the Sistine chapel admiring it?
Technically, you could stay in there until closing.
Thank you for the video! I am planning our trip and would love to follow your tip. Quick question, anyone know if there are audiotours (those headphones you can borrow)? Or if there is an option to have some historical facts while exploring on your own, maybe an app?
Glad you found it helpful! Yes, you can pick up the audioguide. I recommend doing it after you complete the circuit the first time, as you won't want to stop and look at things if you are beelining to the Sistine Chapel to beat the crowds. On your second time going through the museums, use the audio guide then.
@@Romewise thank you!
Do you think the Pristine Sistine Tour still worth it? Or is it better to go on a late tour?
I think the Pristine Sistine tour (especially the one that takes you on the shortcut to the basilica) is one of the best tours of the Vatican Museums you can take.
thanks to upload video! This video helped me a lot!
And i have a qusetion, Can i go around together with my friends in Vatican museum? i have Vatican museum ticket written passageway 3 (because i bought that ticket from travel agency) and my friends have ticket written passageway 1 from official site. i'm so worried about that😂
Yes the "Passageway 3" and "Passageway 1" are simply the lines you need to stand in to enter the museums. So you will just go through different lines, that's all. Once you are inside, you can stay together.
@@Romewise Thank you very much for your answer! This has relieved my anxiety. I have one more question. May I ask you?
We are planning to go to the Vatican Museums without a professional guide around July, and there are a total of 20 of us. Are there any restrictions when more than 20 people travel together?
@@김하연-m6j I really don't know of any specific restrictions per se.
Isnt it prefereer to get a skip the line ticket Just in case. Also do the cafés have any gluten free pastries?thankyou for the interesting and informative informatie
Well this video is exactly about buying a skip the line ticket. I show this at the beginning of the video. I'm not sure about the café but they are likely to have something for you. In my video, I also show the café menu, so you could pause it there and take a look at what it says. Thanks for watching!
Hi Elyssa, in one of your previous videos you mentioned the Extra time tour. Do you have any updated information about that tour?
Yes, at the time I made that video, I had received confirmation from various sources that it would be back. I am monitoring the Vatican Museums website, as I can see that from January 1, it's been in a state of flux. Initially they only had regular tickets and tours, and slowly they've added things back, such as the Vatican Necropolis on the Via Triumphalis (which is the topic of my next video!)
I did know that the Extra Time tour would not begin to be offered until spring, but I don't have a start date yet. Please just keep checking back!
@@Romewise Thanks. By the way, excellent information and tips in this video. It makes much more easier to make a decision. We will be in Rome in June for the first time with my family. Also we are planning to make a train trip from Rome to Venice and back. Thank you very much Elyssa!!!
Thanks so much! I'm glad you found this video helpful. You might also find these useful:
ua-cam.com/video/LCLU1MFDr4Y/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/qtXxkclB4bA/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/Di7JiiLDDPA/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/cDHaXVGdH6c/v-deo.html
I hope you and your family will have a wonderful visit!
@@jimenedg
Very good information. Is the "skip-the -line" claimed by some of the tour agencies for real? How could they get in? Going in through other side entrances? We will visit there in a month. Just don't want to wait in the line for hours to get in with our tickets.
Every single ticket you purchase in advance is a "skip the line" ticket. You SKIP the line to PURCHASE tickets. That's it. Whether you purchase your tickets on the Colosseum website or through a reseller or with a tour, you all skip the exact same line which is the ticket line.
EVERYONE has to go through security and there is no skipping that line. Also, when you arrive at the Colosseum, you may have to wait in a short line of others who have the same time slot as you, and you can't skip that line but it moves fast.
Tour companies have a separate entrance from the entrance for individual ticket holders, but they also may have to wait for other tours to go in. So there is no such thing as "skip the line" that skips ALL lines.
When on the Key Master's Tour, you end in the Sistine Chapel. Can we take the short cut to St. Peter's Basilica when finishing the Key Master's tour?
The Key Master tour is indeed very special. However, as I mention in this video, the shortcut does not open until 9:30am. By then you will have long left the Sistine Chapel. So no, it's not possible to take the shortcut with the Key Master tour, and you'll need to visit Saint Peter's basilica separately.
If you have also booked the Vatican audio guide, can you collect it on entering and take it back round with you? Or and you pick it up second time round still? Or either option valid and OK? Thanks
Once you collect your audio guide, you can keep it with you until you leave the museums. So yes, you can collect it at the beginning or at a later time, then just turn it in when you are done with it. There are several places where you can drop off the audio guide when you're ready.
This is very helpful. I am going to the Vatican this week. Can you please clarify whether there is an “actual skip the line ticket”? Or is it just a reserved ticket purchased prior to the tour? Are companies using the title “skip the line”for marketing purposes”?
Thanks for watching! Skip the line means you skip the line to purchase tickets. That line can get very long. You DO have to get in a small line to go in along with others like you who have bought tickets. I talk about this at the beginning of this video, and you can see the line I had to wait in. Those are other ticket holders. I also showed the line of people waiting to buy tickets which is much longer.