Rome attractions advance tickets - Help

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can but advance tickets for Rome's attractions like
Colosseum, Vatican city, Sistine chapel, Forum, etc. We want to buy the
tickets before we leave Canada and avoid the lines.

Thanks

Simon

In article
able.rogers.com,
"A/S" wrote:

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can but advance tickets for Rome's attractions like
Colosseum, Vatican city, Sistine chapel, Forum, etc. We want to buy the
tickets before we leave Canada and avoid the lines.

Vatican is free. Just the museum and hence Sistine Chapel (unless you
go in a tour) cost. Advice is to get there before opening time
especially in summer.

Forum is also free.

As for Colosseum, you can buy a pass (for a week or so but one admission
per site only) for that, the Palatine hill, Baths of Caracalla,
mausoleum of Cecilia Matala, and some museums. Buy that pass for the
Coloseum (if that only) at the Palatine hill (which, IIRC, includes
Coloseum/v-v for the SAME day) to avoid the lines at the Coloseum.

A/S wrote:
Does anyone know where I can but
advance tickets for Rome's attractions like
Colosseum...

There are 2 Palatine Hill ticket booths. If you are in the Roman Forum
you will see steps leading up to a Renaissance bldg on the Palatine.
This is between the Arch of Titus and the House of the Vestal Virgins.
The ticket booth is to the right of the steps, it's the main entrance
and I assume in the high-season there would be a line/queue.
The second is ~200m south of the Arch of Constantine on Via D. S.
Gregorio and never a line/queue at this one. Can't miss it, just walk
down the rightside of that street and you'll see a bldg set-back off the
from the sidewalk.
The ticket is valid for both sites on the same day unless the ticket is
bought after 1:30pm then it is also valid until 1:30pm the following
day.
With this ticket walk to the left of the people in the Colosseum ticket
line and enter. This will be marked 'Tour Groups", just put your ticket
in the metro-like turnstiles and you're in.
The Colosseum is oval, you enter at the West end that I'll call 6
o'clock. But what you are actually doing is entering between the 3rd &
4th outer ring and going clockwise around the Colosseum. At 9 o'clock if
you turn right you enter the arena. But instead if you go straight at 10
o'clock there are the w.c./ bathrooms and at 11 o'clock there is an
elevator to the 2nd floor.
On the 2nd floor between these same outer rings at 10 to 8 o'clock are
small museum displays (the graffiti displays were interesting). The exit
is on the 1st floor at 3 o'clock. And sadly the stage over the arena
floor is closed-off. Regards, Walter



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

"A/S" wrote:


Does anyone know where I can but advance tickets for Rome's attractions like
Colosseum, Vatican city, Sistine chapel, Forum, etc. We want to buy the
tickets before we leave Canada and avoid the lines.

http://www.selectitaly.com

Michael W.
Chicago, IL, USA

A/S wrote:

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can but advance tickets for Rome's attractions like
Colosseum, Vatican city, Sistine chapel, Forum, etc. We want to buy the
tickets before we leave Canada and avoid the lines.

Thanks

Simon




at the Vatican museum having tickets doesn't avoid the line -- the long
long long [I mean really long] line in the morning is made up mostly of
tour groups who already have tickets -- they skip the inside ticket
booth but not the line into the museum -- the Sistine Chapel is part of
the Vatican museum but it sometimes has a line within the museum to get
in -- no tickets, no line skipping. We have never experienced much of a
line for the Forum [and you can buy a ticket for both Colosseum and
forum which does allow you to skip the Colosseum ticket line which is a
bit longer]

We had better luck with the Vatican museum later in the day -- i.e. big
lines for the morning opening -- but not big lines for entry noonish YMMV

One place you need to get tickets ahead is if you want to go to the
archeological site under St. Peters -- which was built atop an old
Etruscan funeral area -- it looks like Estruscan houses -- very
interesting. tours of about 10 people with guide who speaks the
language of the particular tour group are conducted and you get tickets
on line through the Vatican well in advance --

Not the Karl Orff wrote:

In article
able.rogers.com,
"A/S" wrote:


Hi,

Does anyone know where I can but advance tickets for Rome's attractions like
Colosseum, Vatican city, Sistine chapel, Forum, etc. We want to buy the
tickets before we leave Canada and avoid the lines.


Vatican is free. Just the museum and hence Sistine Chapel (unless you
go in a tour) cost. Advice is to get there before opening time
especially in summer.

lines are longest early -- less likely to be long later [based on 4 visits]

Forum is also free.

not last two times we were there -- but a joint forum/colosseum ticket
was available

As for Colosseum, you can buy a pass (for a week or so but one admission
per site only) for that, the Palatine hill, Baths of Caracalla,
mausoleum of Cecilia Matala, and some museums. Buy that pass for the
Coloseum (if that only) at the Palatine hill (which, IIRC, includes
Coloseum/v-v for the SAME day) to avoid the lines at the Coloseum.

In article , jenn
wrote:

Not the Karl Orff wrote:

In article
able.rogers.com,
"A/S" wrote:


Hi,

Does anyone know where I can but advance tickets for Rome's attractions like
Colosseum, Vatican city, Sistine chapel, Forum, etc. We want to buy the
tickets before we leave Canada and avoid the lines.


Vatican is free. Just the museum and hence Sistine Chapel (unless you
go in a tour) cost. Advice is to get there before opening time
especially in summer.

lines are longest early -- less likely to be long later [based on 4 visits]

you do however get a less crowded view of the Sistine chapel

Forum is also free.

not last two times we were there -- but a joint forum/colosseum ticket
was available

Forum was free in early February 2004. Admission is however limited to
certain hours (i.e., you can't go there at night)

Not the Karl Orff wrote:

In article , jenn
wrote:


Not the Karl Orff wrote:


In article
t.cable.rogers.com,
"A/S" wrote:



Hi,

Does anyone know where I can but advance tickets for Rome's attractions like
Colosseum, Vatican city, Sistine chapel, Forum, etc. We want to buy the
tickets before we leave Canada and avoid the lines.


Vatican is free. Just the museum and hence Sistine Chapel (unless you
go in a tour) cost. Advice is to get there before opening time
especially in summer.

lines are longest early -- less likely to be long later [based on 4 visits]


you do however get a less crowded view of the Sistine chapel

every time I have been it has been filled with people and guards
shouting at everyone to be quiet -- but the benches turn over fairly
quickly so it is easy to get a seat where you can lean back and look if
you are patient



Forum is also free.

not last two times we were there -- but a joint forum/colosseum ticket
was available


Forum was free in early February 2004. Admission is however limited to
certain hours (i.e., you can't go there at night)

It is possible I misremembered this as I have been a number of times --
most recently in May of 2003. I know we had admission 10 years ago and
perhaps I confused the admission to the Pallatine with the Forum in our
recent visit.

On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 09:32:51 -0500, jenn wrote:

Not the Karl Orff wrote:

Forum is also free.

not last two times we were there -- but a joint forum/colosseum ticket
was available

The Roman forum has been free every time I've been there, including
last August, and it appeared to be free the last time I walked past,
in February. Maybe you're thinking of the Palatine Hill? Trajan's
Forum is also not free, but most people don't think of that when they
hear "Forum".




As for Colosseum, you can buy a pass (for a week or so but one admission
per site only) for that, the Palatine hill, Baths of Caracalla,
mausoleum of Cecilia Matala, and some museums. Buy that pass for the
Coloseum (if that only) at the Palatine hill (which, IIRC, includes
Coloseum/v-v for the SAME day) to avoid the lines at the Coloseum.

-----------
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

On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 09:31:08 -0500, jenn wrote:

... We have never experienced much of a
line for the Forum [and you can buy a ticket for both Colosseum and
forum which does allow you to skip the Colosseum ticket line which is a
bit longer]

Now I'm certain you're thinking of the Palatine. They have a joint
ticket with the Colooseum. The Roman Forum, however, is free and you
can enter from several places. Never a line at all.

One place you need to get tickets ahead is if you want to go to the
archeological site under St. Peters -- which was built atop an old
Etruscan funeral area -- it looks like Estruscan houses -- very
interesting. tours of about 10 people with guide who speaks the
language of the particular tour group are conducted and you get tickets
on line through the Vatican well in advance --

I also recommend this tour. There was a recent television program
about it here in Italy, and it looked as though they have more of the
site on view than the last time I saw it. Or maybe they gave the film
crew access to areas where the tour doesn't go.
-----------
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