For the full article on this topic, see this page on Wanted in Rome.
In trying to deal with constant lines & overcrowding, the Vatican Museum has announced a new admission policy and price increases. Here's a summary of the new policies and prices, effective from the beginning of January 2007:
Access to the museum at 8am and 9am will be limited to groups booked by or through tour agencies registered at Italian chambers of commerce. Such agencies will have deposited a large sum of money with Vatican Museum authorities (6000 euro) and will have made reservations for entrance at least 30 days in advance.
Most foreign tour agencies and even Rome's authorized guides will be excluded form this scheme
Those wishing to enter the Vatican Museums independently (without a tour agency) will have access only from 10am onwards.
The price of tickets will rise from 12 euor to 13 euro & those booked through tour agencies will pay another 2 euro reservation fee atop the 13 euro entrance.
The cost of private, after-hours visits will also rise. For groups of up to 30 people, the cost will be €2,500 for a two hour visit, plus a €15 ticket for each member of the party (as against the present €1,800 plus €12)
Very large groups (several hundred) making a private visit will pay 20,000 euro (rather than the present 7000 euro) plus the individual ticket price.
I'm sure there will be more news about this as the policy is implemented. As mentioned in the Wanted in Rome article, it's hard to understand how this policy can possibly improve things for the independent visitor, who will be able to enter in winter hours only from 10am to 12:20pm.
Perhaps the idea is that large crowds will have already passed through the museum, but unless it is required that they do so (and no indication of that in this article) I doubt that every large group will be handled at 8am or 9am.
Of course, it wouldn't make sense to address the problem of "overcrowding" by having extended opening hours or pre-booked tickets with timed entry. Or even a limited number of tickets, which must be purchased in advance, like at the Alhambra.
Although I do like the idea that large groups (not necessarily only those with special registered tour guides) are let through before everyone else. As a solo traveller, I find it hard to compete against a 30-strong group when they're all crowded around something I want to see!
Well considering our debacle at having to wait hours with an 'authorised' guide, I actually think the idea has merit.
I don't think it matters what the Vatican does, there will always be tourists willing to pay no matter what the cost. Either way, the Vatican won't lose any money.
Elly
Posts: 1196 | Location: Western Australia | Registered: 27 March 2005
I don't think it's possible that all the large groups will go through the museum that early in the morning and therefore leave it free for independent travelers.
The largest groups passing through the museum now are coming off of cruise ships. The ships dock north of Rome at Civitavecchia, and even when groups of passengers disembark as early as 7am or 8am, they're hardly in Rome by 10am. So certainly they'll still be in the museum in the later hours.
That is absolutely scandalous!!!... especially for an independant researcher like myself. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Yeah thanks for telling us. I agree this is bad. As if the line wasn't bad enough. So in the winter when I go, people without tour guides will only be allowed to enter from 10 am to 1pm? Better they should stay open more (even in thwe winter) and go to a reservation system like Borghese Gallery, if they really wanted to do do something about overcrowding. Can we purchase tickets for tour agencies now without all that FAXing the reservations the day before to our US FAX machine? I'll pay the extra 2 euros if I can make a real reservation without having to wait 2 days before going to get my confirmation.
Posts: 4324 | Location: St Paul, MN | Registered: 10 February 2006
I don't see this as resolving the pressure at all. If anything it makes it worse. Unless I am reading it wrong the vatican will still allow tour groups only now they will have to wait in que with the rest of us peons. The only ones allowed in between 8 and 10 are those who have registered and paid the 6000 euro. To me this means all the other groups will be forced to wait for the regular hours.
So now instead of getting a couple thousand through before 10 am the Vatican will only get a couple 100.
What part of "set up a booking system" don't they understand? If they charged only 1 euro for a reservation and the vatican averages 14,000 visitors PER DAY they would generate additional revenue and resolve the que problems. 14,000 x 310 days = $4,340,000. YOWZER!!
That's insane!! I thought the new pope was a money man. The vatican is walking away from nearly $4.5 million because they don't want to set up a reservation system?
Will most tour companies i.e Angel Tours, 3 Millenia , Context etc not pay a "standing" 6000 euro to be allowed in with their groups, is this not what it is saying?. If so then ostendsibly ALL tour companies will be allowed in early and they will pre book each day as an ongoing thing to get around the 30 day rule. So only non tour people will wait in line. If it were 6ooo per group for each group very few tour companies would do that as in any 1 day they could have tons of groups going through.
Posts: 1225 | Location: UK | Registered: 12 June 2005
To Rome Addict, We had to wait in line almost 3 hours with a supposed tour guide, so I would rather book with a registered tour company and be assured of not having to wait.
I think the new system will 'weed' out individual tour operators who purport to be able to get you in without waiting, but really can't.
But then, maybe I'm also reading it wrong.
Elly
Posts: 1196 | Location: Western Australia | Registered: 27 March 2005
A bit more clarification published today about the new entrance policy at the Vatican Museums. It looks to be ugly.
The biggest change to the current system is that while at present visitors without guides can enter the museums from 08.45, from January onwards they will only be able to get in at 10.00.
The 08.00-10.00 slot will be given over exclusively to groups booked 30 days in advance through tourist agencies that are registered with the Italian chamber of commerce. It is planned that these agencies will have to pay an advance booking fee of €6,000 upfront with the museums, for which they will receive entrance vouchers in return. Each time the lump sum has been exhausted, the agency will have to pay a new advance.
In future all foreign tour agencies and individual tour guides licensed by the city will have to operate through the official Italian agencies, unless they register with the chamber of commerce themselves. Otherwise they will have to join the main queue for 10.00 entry along with everyone else.
And, just in case one might optimistically think that the museums will be open longer in order to accomodate the individual visitors not allowed to enter before 10:00am, that's not the case. There are presently no plans to keep the museums open, either in winter or in summer.
Rumor around Rome has it that only those agencies selected (or favored) by the Vatican Museums will be allowed to pay the 6000 euro deposit and that they will become clearing houses for large numbers of large tourist groups.
Originally posted by urbanicon: It is planned that these agencies will have to pay an advance booking fee of €6,000 upfront with the museums, for which they will receive entrance vouchers in return.
Since I am going to be there in January, I am curious to know exactly which tour groups will be allowed in. Anyone have that information yet? BTW it is almost 30 days in advance now for me. Also last time I did the Scavi tour and avoided the issue altogether. I don't particularly want to do this again but.... I don't want to wait in line either. Color me impatient.
No, no announcement of what companies are involved yet....there's sure to be some chaos in Janaury!
BTW, the Vatican is expecting to have had a record 4 million people visit the Museums this year. Some are spectulating that this move is actually an effort to bring the number of visitors down - not, perhaps a very good effort, however.
Just back from a Carnival cruise in Europe. We were fortunate to meet Monia from limoinitaly.com .She is one of the few tour companies In Italy that has priviledged access to prebooking tickets for the Vatican Museum.She told me that this cost her about 6000 euro so once in Rome instead of having to wait in the huge lines ,we were able to walk right in,and walk through the museum with ease.This only cost us 22.00 euro per person. Later on At the Coliseum, her driver showed us where to buy tickets “offsite”. Then we walked right past the Carnival tour and through the gate. Unfortunately, the bridge way that they have built over the middle of the Coliseum for better viewing was closed for repairs.I highly suggest to get prepaid tickets for these sites in Rome , allowing you more time for touring and shopping.
Photos are permitted in most of the rooms at the museum. Some they ask you not use flash, some they ask you don't take pictures at all (the Tapestry Room comes to mind here). But we took tons of pics, some with flash, some without. Depends on what rooms you are in.
Posts: 122 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 28 September 2006
When I was in the Sistine Chapel in Dec 2006, you were not supposed to take photos with flash. The chapel was filled up, and flashes were going off every 30 seconds. At first I thought about complying, but then I decided why should I be the only one with dark pictures when everyone else was flashing away? There was no effort on the part of security to stop people from using their flash.
Posts: 4324 | Location: St Paul, MN | Registered: 10 February 2006
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