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Book your vacation through Family Travel Concierge info@familytc.com or 860-830-4009
These wonderful tips are shared with us by our partners, Context Travel.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of the Vatican Museums and subsequent crowding issues, it’s worth taking a minute to think about your interests and needs before choosing a Vatican tour. For example, keep in mind that these spaces were never designed to be a museum, and yet the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel one of the most-highly trafficked museums in the world!
The Vatican has implemented several improvements in the past few years to ease the crowding and the wear on the museum. They have extended their hours every day of the week, instituted a reservation system, and offered evening openings on Fridays from March to October. We’ve seen a significant improvement in the lines and the crowds. Despite all this great news, there are a number of things to keep in mind when planning your visit.
At Context we have a variety of ways to experience the Vatican through in-depth tours. Below you will find advice on which walking seminar is best for your group and our scheduling suggestions.
If at all possible we recommend an afternoon start time for your visit or an early morning entry at 8 am.
Our 8 am entry time allows us to enter the museums during a special reserved time slot before the Vatican opens to the general public. As part of the first selection of people to enter the collection, our docents will help you get ahead of the crowds and enjoy the museums before the larger wave of visitors enter at 9 am. Please note that advance reservation for this timeslot books up quickly, so advance booking is recommended.
Our 12:30pm and 1 pm start times begin with a reserved entrance at the time of day when the Vatican crowds start to wane. Most tour groups are finishing up at this point and we’ve found the crowds to be much reduced through the entire visit. We start in the Gallery of maps and then proceed on tot he other rooms, the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. Ending in the Basilica just as the sites are closing.
While our 9 am time slot is less preferential than the choices listed above, rest assured that should your walk begin at 9 am our expert docents will use their knowledge and know how in the museums to provide your group with the intimate experience that Context is known for.
We’ve asked some of our docents to put together a few recommendations and resources to help prepare you for the art, the history, and the crowds.
Pushing your walk to as late in the afternoon as possible means that fewer people are actually inside the Vatican when you enter, making the entire experience more pleasurable. Our Vatican Collections walk, which covers just the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, is scheduled as late as possible in the day – 2 pm – so that you see the Sistine Chapel right before it closes. Though the lines are often minimal, this walk still includes advance entry reservations so there is no worry about getting caught up in a wait.
While there are no advance reservation to be made when visiting St. Peter’s Basilica, an early morning start time, right when the doors open, allows you to enter comfortably without excessive waiting. Keep in mind that the Basilica will be closed to visits both on Wednesday morning during the Papal Audience and everyday from about 4:30 pm until after mass celebrations.
Vatican Frequently Asked Questions
St. Peter’s Basilica.org – A wonderful site with floor plans and more, including information about accessibility.
Prefecture of the Papal Household – Information on Papal celebrations and masses
Visiting the Vatican with Children
Docent Hilary Bockham writes about Tapestries at the Vatican Museums
Docent Gregory DiPippo writes about Christmas and Easter celebrations in Rome
cartoon – a preparatory drawing made to the scale of the final work.
chiaroscuro – the use of bold contrasts in light and dark to enhance volume.
fresco – a method of painting on plaster. In true (buon) fresco, pigment is painted directly on damp plaster. As the plaster dries the pigment becomes a part of the wall. In dry (secco) fresco, pigment is applied after the plaster has dried. This method is not as durable as true fresco.
www.familytc.com
Book your vacation through Family Travel Concierge info@familytc.com or 860-830-4009
These wonderful tips are shared with us by our partners, Context Travel.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of the Vatican Museums and subsequent crowding issues, it’s worth taking a minute to think about your interests and needs before choosing a Vatican tour. For example, keep in mind that these spaces were never designed to be a museum, and yet the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel one of the most-highly trafficked museums in the world!
The Vatican has implemented several improvements in the past few years to ease the crowding and the wear on the museum. They have extended their hours every day of the week, instituted a reservation system, and offered evening openings on Fridays from March to October. We’ve seen a significant improvement in the lines and the crowds. Despite all this great news, there are a number of things to keep in mind when planning your visit.
PLANNING YOUR VISIT
At Context we have a variety of ways to experience the Vatican through in-depth tours. Below you will find advice on which walking seminar is best for your group and our scheduling suggestions.
SKIP THE LINE:
Arte Vaticana: A Vatican Tour, including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s BasilicaIf at all possible we recommend an afternoon start time for your visit or an early morning entry at 8 am.
Our 8 am entry time allows us to enter the museums during a special reserved time slot before the Vatican opens to the general public. As part of the first selection of people to enter the collection, our docents will help you get ahead of the crowds and enjoy the museums before the larger wave of visitors enter at 9 am. Please note that advance reservation for this timeslot books up quickly, so advance booking is recommended.
Our 12:30pm and 1 pm start times begin with a reserved entrance at the time of day when the Vatican crowds start to wane. Most tour groups are finishing up at this point and we’ve found the crowds to be much reduced through the entire visit. We start in the Gallery of maps and then proceed on tot he other rooms, the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. Ending in the Basilica just as the sites are closing.
While our 9 am time slot is less preferential than the choices listed above, rest assured that should your walk begin at 9 am our expert docents will use their knowledge and know how in the museums to provide your group with the intimate experience that Context is known for.
We’ve asked some of our docents to put together a few recommendations and resources to help prepare you for the art, the history, and the crowds.
LATE AFTERNOON FOR LESSER CROWDS:
Vatican CollectionsPushing your walk to as late in the afternoon as possible means that fewer people are actually inside the Vatican when you enter, making the entire experience more pleasurable. Our Vatican Collections walk, which covers just the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, is scheduled as late as possible in the day – 2 pm – so that you see the Sistine Chapel right before it closes. Though the lines are often minimal, this walk still includes advance entry reservations so there is no worry about getting caught up in a wait.
EARLY MORNING AT ST. PETER’S:
St. Peter’s Symposium
While there are no advance reservation to be made when visiting St. Peter’s Basilica, an early morning start time, right when the doors open, allows you to enter comfortably without excessive waiting. Keep in mind that the Basilica will be closed to visits both on Wednesday morning during the Papal Audience and everyday from about 4:30 pm until after mass celebrations.
VATICAN RESOURCES
The Vatican’s WebsiteVatican Frequently Asked Questions
St. Peter’s Basilica.org – A wonderful site with floor plans and more, including information about accessibility.
Prefecture of the Papal Household – Information on Papal celebrations and masses
Visiting the Vatican with Children
Docent Hilary Bockham writes about Tapestries at the Vatican Museums
Docent Gregory DiPippo writes about Christmas and Easter celebrations in Rome
GLOSSARY
baldacchino – an ornamental canopy on columns that rests over a tomb, altar, or throne.cartoon – a preparatory drawing made to the scale of the final work.
chiaroscuro – the use of bold contrasts in light and dark to enhance volume.
fresco – a method of painting on plaster. In true (buon) fresco, pigment is painted directly on damp plaster. As the plaster dries the pigment becomes a part of the wall. In dry (secco) fresco, pigment is applied after the plaster has dried. This method is not as durable as true fresco.
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