Has anyone taken the tour offered on the Vatican Sistine Chapel Website? I have tried to fax them at the number they give 06-6988-5100, and the fax does not go through. It sounds alomost too good to be true, at 21.50 Euros including entrance, and I'm wondering if it is ligitimate? Suggestions welcome! Snakey
My guess is that the tours offered by the Vatican Museums are legitimate. They also allow you to enter the Vatican Museums without waiting in line.
It should be said, though, that not everyone has had a high opinion of the Vatican Museum's own guides, either because they were difficult to understand due to language problems or because they were not very inspiring.
Now, that I have seen the site (Thanks, Eloise!), one problem I would have is that the individual 2-hours tours have a far too ambitious reach. This looks more like a race than an visit. Also, there is no mention of the maximum number of individuals accepted in a tour; you may find yourself in a crowd within a crowd...
But the price, which includes the head sets (which makes me think: if they give headsets, how will you hear the guide, or why would you need the guide? Maybe the guide guards the visitor not to get lost?...), well, the price is right. And you skip the waiting lines.
Just for comparison and consideration, I suggest you also take a look at the similar tour offered by Three Millennia. We went with them last May to the Vatican Museum and were more than happy. Also, Three Millennia restricts the participants in a tour to very manageable numbers, and have been reviewed very positively by members of this board who used their services.
Having seen the line on our October trip which was at least 4 hours long,and having not got in by someone telling us the wrong hours on our first trip. I would gladly pay the 20,heck I would have paid 50 euro to avoid that line even with no tour.Are you sure ABSOLUTELY sure no waiting?
Maybe at some point we will go to Rome again,as many know it is not been a fun place on out two visits. RR
We are using this service in a few weeks when we're there. I emailed my hotel in Rome and asked them to fo the fax for me, and it was no problem. We're mainly doing it to skip the line.
The headsets referred to on the website are probably not the pre-recorded audioguides.
Most likely, they are the "Whispers" system by which the (live) guide wears a small microphone and their commentary is broadcast into the earphones of those on the tour. The guide doesn't have to yell and you can venture a bit away from the group without losing track of them and/or not being able to hear what the guide is saying.
We actually had 'whispers' for our tour through Vatican (private guide.) They were great! It allows you more freedom to explore without getting bored on one subject.
Elly
Posts: 1066 | Location: Western Australia | Registered: 27 March 2005
I would like to know more about this as well. I'm planning a family trip to Rome in June, and I know the Vatican will be extremely crowded. This offer does seem almost too good to be true.
Snakey - when are you going. I'd love to know what you find out about this.
I'm doing this later this month. I'll post when I return. It's in my Rick Steves Rome 2006 book, as well as on the Vatican site. You go in at the exit and tell them your'e there for the tour.
I am going March 30-April 11th. I did e-mail my hotel to ask them to try and fax for me, and haven't heard back from them. But I will try and post upon my return. thanks to all!
I know they are going later,but if these tours avoided lines,people that have already been could report.This might convice me to go to Rome again,Maybe. RR
More info: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel: (2 hours) Є 19.50 Є15,50 *reduced rate If you reserve by fax or e-mail please write your address in Rome. The reservation is confirmed only by phoning us between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. the very same day of the visit. Tours leave every day in the morning at 10:30 a.m. from Monday through Friday, on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
We were in Rome last summer, and took the Vatican's guided tour. It was great, and I highly recommend it. We called a day or two before to reserve the tour and they gave us a "code" to give to the security guard which allowed us to enter through the exit, bypassing the line. Once inside, you go to the designated window for the tour to pay for it and they assign you your group (I think they had two go at the time we went). We got the headsets (yes, they are the "whisper" sets to hear the guide) and our guide took us over to an area where there were benches. We sat there while she gave us instructions and also gave us the history of the Sistine Chapel (since there is not supposed to be talking in there) and what to look for while in there.
It was definitely a fast tour, but I thought we hit all the highlights and learned a lot. A slower tour would definitely be great, but this tour fit our schedule and our wallet! Our guide was fantastic and we had no difficulty at all understanding her. This was the only guided tour we did during our 10 days in Italy, and even my husband (who is totally anti-tours) really enjoyed it. And as a side note, even if the tour had not been great, the price was worth it to skip the line!
Now I know,In my two trips to Rome we missed the sistine both times.I would have paid more than the guided tour fee,just to skip the line,heck that rainy day I would have paid 100 dollars to get in.Can you explore on your own after the tour or do they kick you out? RR
Campdavid, would have the telephone number that you have to call to confirm? I can't seem to find it on the website anywhere. Thanks so much, and hopefully all will be arranged. Snakey
Originally posted by Robert Rainey: Now I know,In my two trips to Rome we missed the sistine both times.I would have paid more than the guided tour fee,just to skip the line,heck that rainy day I would have paid 100 dollars to get in.Can you explore on your own after the tour or do they kick you out? RR
You can explore on your own. The guide actually ends the tour and drops you off just before the Sistine Chapel, so you could even backtrack before going in if you wanted to. We were pretty wiped out by that point (had already climbed St Peter's dome and done a quick trip through the basilica before the tour)so we finished up in the chapel then headed out to get some lunch.
Snakey: Following is the email I rec'd back from them: Dear Sir, with reference to your email, we inform you that your request will be processed when we will start to deal with OCTOBER 2006 and it will be our pleasure to inform you about your reservation approximately one week before the requested date. For further details we suggest you to browse our website at http://mv.vatican.va or you may conctact Guided Tours Office staff directly by phone (0039) 06 69884676 to receive customer support.
They suggest you make phone contact the morning before your tour.
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