Tickets to the vaticam museum?

Does anyone know of a way to get group tickets to the vaticam museum without
lenghy queing??

"Neil W" wrote in message
...

Does anyone know of a way to get group tickets to the vaticam museum
without lenghy queing??

Presumably you'll be able to check out the length of the queues on the
"Vati-cam"! ;-)

According to
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...zi_Visite.html it
would seem the best way is to book a guided tour:

"HOW TO RESERVE (FOR GROUPS)

It is necessary to book in advance by fax.

For the reservation this office requires the names of all the participants
to the tour. If we do not receive the list you may not join your requested
booked tour. The list must be sent at least 3 days before the booked
visit.

Bookings are valid only if you receive our confirmation fax. The fax must
be shown at the "Guided Tours" desk on the day of the visit. In case of no
written reply from this office, the booking is considered not valid.

An advanced booking is needed from two months to two weeks prior to the
date of the visit. The cancellation is accepted without charges up to 48
hours.

While asking for the reservation, we appreciate, if possible, the name of
the hotel and itx fax number in Rome (or Italy)."

HTH

Ian

"Ian F." wrote in message
...
"Neil W" wrote in message
...

Does anyone know of a way to get group tickets to the vaticam museum
without lenghy queing??

Presumably you'll be able to check out the length of the queues on the
"Vati-cam"! ;-)

According to
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...zi_Visite.html it
would seem the best way is to book a guided tour:

"HOW TO RESERVE (FOR GROUPS)

It is necessary to book in advance by fax.

For the reservation this office requires the names of all the participants
to the tour. If we do not receive the list you may not join your requested
booked tour. The list must be sent at least 3 days before the booked
visit.

Bookings are valid only if you receive our confirmation fax. The fax must
be shown at the "Guided Tours" desk on the day of the visit. In case of no
written reply from this office, the booking is considered not valid.

An advanced booking is needed from two months to two weeks prior to the
date of the visit. The cancellation is accepted without charges up to 48
hours.

While asking for the reservation, we appreciate, if possible, the name of
the hotel and itx fax number in Rome (or Italy)."

Or ... just start queuing around 12.30/1 p.m. The majority of tourists and
coach groups etc. have then gone off for lunch, and the queue can be 10% of
its normal length (same applies to St. Peter's)..

Surreyman

a.spencer3 wrote:

Or ... just start queuing around 12.30/1
p.m.

I also used to give that same advice but it is no longer valid from
Nov-Feb except over Christmas/New Years holiday weeks.
Last May I noticed the 'Opening hours & days' sidewalk sign outside the
entrance had changed.

Now in the off-season (nov-feb) the ticket office closes at 1220 and
the museum closes at 1345.
In the past IIRC the ticket office used to close at 1345 or ~1320 and
the museum ~1500 or alittle later.

Also there are small groups of days (~30 total) between March and
October where the ticket office closes at 1320 vs 1520.
So getting there ~1300 with a peak-season queue might possibly not get
you to the ticket booths on time?

IMO if you want to decently visit the museums and see the Sistine
Chapel without the 'Mob scene from Hell' you should think of the visit
like a daytrip.
Meaning getting-up early and being in the ticket queue at least 1hr
before opening if not earlier esp in peak-season.
Also a taxi would be a time-saver.

Get the audioguide tour and then beeline straight to the Sistine Chapel
(signposted something like 'Chapella Sistina' thru-out the museum).
Then go back and visit the museums.

Vatican Museum opening days and hours.
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...fo_Orario.html
Regards, Walter
p.s. Neil just checking, did you get my 2nd email in response to your
"more info" email?



...And Paradise Was Lost...like teardrops in the rain...

"Poetic Justice" wrote in message
...
a.spencer3 wrote:

Or ... just start queuing around 12.30/1
p.m.

I also used to give that same advice but it is no longer valid from
Nov-Feb except over Christmas/New Years holiday weeks.
Last May I noticed the 'Opening hours & days' sidewalk sign outside the
entrance had changed.

Now in the off-season (nov-feb) the ticket office closes at 1220 and
the museum closes at 1345.
In the past IIRC the ticket office used to close at 1345 or ~1320 and
the museum ~1500 or alittle later.

Also there are small groups of days (~30 total) between March and
October where the ticket office closes at 1320 vs 1520.
So getting there ~1300 with a peak-season queue might possibly not get
you to the ticket booths on time?

IMO if you want to decently visit the museums and see the Sistine
Chapel without the 'Mob scene from Hell' you should think of the visit
like a daytrip.
Meaning getting-up early and being in the ticket queue at least 1hr
before opening if not earlier esp in peak-season.
Also a taxi would be a time-saver.

Get the audioguide tour and then beeline straight to the Sistine Chapel
(signposted something like 'Chapella Sistina' thru-out the museum).
Then go back and visit the museums.

Vatican Museum opening days and hours.
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...fo_Orario.html

Ah - useful info!
I was there in May and didn't notice that.

Surreyman

Does anyone know of a way to get group tickets to the vaticam museum
without
lenghy queing??

Try a Wednesday forenoon. All the hordes are around at the front listening
to the Pope doing his blessing in St Peter's Piazza.

Neil W wrote:
Does anyone know of a way to get group tickets to the vaticam museum without
lenghy queing??

Yes. A couple of years ago we booked advance "group" tickets through
http://www.selectitaly.com. There was some kind of minimal fee, as I
recall, but we skipped the long line and went to a side door for
groups. It was awesome, and probably saved us from having to stand in
line for an hour or two. We were there in March, and the crowd was
big.

Michael

I kinda like the concept of a "vaticam". Nude chats with Ratzinger?

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/ for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975
stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557

On Mon, 09 Oct 2006 12:59:05 +0100, Jack Campin - bogus address
wrote:

I kinda like the concept of a "vaticam". Nude chats with Ratzinger?

There's no accounting for taste.

--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

"a.spencer3" wrote in message
...

"Ian F." wrote in message
...
"Neil W" wrote in message
...

Does anyone know of a way to get group tickets to the vaticam museum
without lenghy queing??

Presumably you'll be able to check out the length of the queues on the
"Vati-cam"! ;-)

According to
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...zi_Visite.html it
would seem the best way is to book a guided tour:

"HOW TO RESERVE (FOR GROUPS)

It is necessary to book in advance by fax.

For the reservation this office requires the names of all the
participants
to the tour. If we do not receive the list you may not join your
requested
booked tour. The list must be sent at least 3 days before the booked
visit.

Bookings are valid only if you receive our confirmation fax. The fax must
be shown at the "Guided Tours" desk on the day of the visit. In case of
no
written reply from this office, the booking is considered not valid.

An advanced booking is needed from two months to two weeks prior to the
date of the visit. The cancellation is accepted without charges up to 48
hours.

While asking for the reservation, we appreciate, if possible, the name of
the hotel and itx fax number in Rome (or Italy)."

Or ... just start queuing around 12.30/1 p.m. The majority of tourists and
coach groups etc. have then gone off for lunch, and the queue can be 10%
of
its normal length (same applies to St. Peter's)..

Surreyman





I was in the Vatican Museum last Tuesday Oct 10th. We were not a group as
such, just 3 family members. I had read advice before about queueing in
early afternoon rather than early morning. We went to Castel Sant'Angelo
about 9.30 am passing the end of an extremely long queue for the museum,
which must have been at least 1.5/2 hrs long if not more.

We returned to see the Vatican Museum at 1.20 pm joining the end of a queue
which was now only about a tenth of what it was earlier in the day and were
in 10 min max. Worked a treat. Admittedly the crowds were quite big still in
the Sistine Chapel though, although not claustrophobically so.