The big talk among tourists and tour guides these days in Rome is the frustration with long lines at the Vatican Museum, and the museum’s seeming lack of sensitivity to the chaos that surrounds its front door every day. Unfortunately, in what seems like a callous (and, some could say, even un-Christian) gesture, the Vatican Museum limits entry times to about half the hours that other great galleries are open.
Why? They claim, “Not enough staff.” Guides think they shut it down for private showings and rental by big shots. This leaves pathetic crowds of tourists needlessly baking for hours in the sun. While in the cool of November, January, and February, off-season visitors simply walk right in, during the hot tourist season, lines can stretch over half a mile. Countless cultural pilgrims travel all the way to Rome to stand in line for hours…only to reach the door minutes after it closes and be turned away.
In its defense, the museum is working on a new entrance. And the building itself was simply not designed to accommodate the masses of modern tourism. In the Sistine Chapel, the situation seems almost tragic: the humid and smelly crush of the crowd, with guards shushing, scolding those setting off their flashes, and demanding “silencio.” Some even see deterioration setting in again on the newly restored frescoes.
The Vatican can treat its horde of art as its own private treasure, or as a cultural treasure we all share. During most of the year, there is simply no way to get in without enduring this grueling (and, most believe, entirely unnecessary) line. Even well-connected local guides can’t get around these lines. By merely extending opening hours, the Vatican Museum could better share its art with the masses (and make more money, to boot).
If you don’t want to bake in the long (un-shaded) line at the Vatican Museum this summer, remember that Rome has fine alternatives: The Capitoline Museums and the National Museum at the Palazzo Massimo have equally great ancient art with no lines. Renaissance masterpieces can be enjoyed at the Church of St. Peter-in-Chains (Michelangelo’s Moses) and in the Villa Farnesina (where you’re all alone with wonderful Raphael frescoes). And the most sumptuous collection of Baroque statues in all of Europe is in the Villa Borghese.
For now, I’ll pray for longer hours at the Vatican Museum (but there’s someone right here on earth who could solve the problem subito).
I imagine that today in particular the Vatican is quite crazy. :-)
We waited (not baking, thankfully) for well over an hour early one morning to get in. Our next trip to Rome will almost certainly be in the late fall/early winter.
Hope you’re having a great time researching your books. I simply *must* find a way to travel for several months on end myself :-) …
When I was there November 2005, I waited 45 minutes to get in. I thought that was a long time! I know better now that 45 minutes is nothing! Too bad you cant book in advance to get in like some museums in Florence.
Happy Easter Everyone!!
Happy Easter from Rhode Island! I want to visit Rome at Christmas time.
When we visited last fall, we arrived early but the lines were still blocks long. Someone was offering direct entrance for a fee. Across the side street down the stairs was a travel agency that took groups in. We joined a group and entered by the side entrance immediately. There was an additional fee, but not much and it saved us hours of waiting.
The Sistine Chapel crush is tourism at its worst, disrespectful people chatting loudly and ignoring the rules. We left quickly and disappointed we could not enjoy Michaelangelo’s genius here the way you can in Florence. Longer hours would allow the Vatican to restrict the crowd to more manageable levels and improve our experience.
An interesting topic, Rick.
We visited the Vatican Museum at Christmas time a couple of years ago. We booked our tickets on line (for a small fee) before we left home and walked in at our appointed time with no wait (marvelling at the long line which extended all the way back to the square in front of St. Peter’s).
Our reservations didn’t eliminate the crowds inside the museum, but they did save us a long wait to get in.
I had the joy of seeing the Sistine Chapel 35 years ago with NO crowds at all. It was quite sad to repeat the experience under the conditions described in the comments above.
We visited the Vatican Museum last summer during the high tourist season. As recommended in your Rome tour book, we arrived later in the afternoon, to find a much shorter line at the entrance. However inside the museum it was quite crowded and hot. We were still happy to have the experience and thrilled to be in Italy…longer hours, or evening hours would really be a plus for handicapped and elderly tourists, who just can’t take the heat and the crowds.
I am in Rome and will hopefully bump into Rick and his gang! About the Vatican, I am going to sign up for the tour guide (wait list is 4 weeks, so I hear to skip the lines).
Cheers!
Hi Rick! We just saw you in Siena with our family. We also went to the Vatican and was ver fortunate to be picked up by a fantastic guide named Kathy from Boston. It was WELL WORTH the extra money, saved us about an hour of waiting while making the art work more exciting to us as she told us personal details behind the artists and the meaning of their work.
Cheers from the Montminy family in Germany.
Rick! Hello! What you describe is just as it happened to my students last Spring as we waited to get into the Vatican Museum. Exactly. We waited 3 hours, and were among the last to get in. The Sistine Chapel was like cramming into an already crowded subway car, and the guards, I thought terribly rude. Decidedly unChristian…though, why we think they would be makes no sense. We were there in May, and were flabbergasted at the huge numbers of tourists! I’m with you! The Vatican needs to become much more accomodating to tourists by lengthening the hours.
As a Study Abroad Advisor, for Italy, I look to your reports anxiously! And pass on your tips. Of course, the students think there is a generation gap, but they like your advice! Thanks! Claudia
I was there this february and the line was 10 people deep for at least a half mile. And I thought we were there in the off season! My fiance and I just walked right passed it and went to the colliseum instead.
I was just in Rome two weeks ago and had an experience similar to Helen’s above. We were talking to some tourists from the U.K. and they let us know about a little fax/internet place off the side street from the Vatican Museum where they offered tours that let you skip the line.
We didn’t skip the line entirely, but we were very close to the entrance and avoided a line that snaked around the outer wall for what seemed like a mile.
You pay a bit more for a tour, but you get to skip the line, spend more of your travel time traveling rather than standing, and get some insight into the artwork that you might otherwise have missed out on.
The same thing holds true for a look inside the Coliseum, grab a tour outside and skip the line.
If you can, the off-season is the time to visit Italy and avoid delays of almost any kind. I just got back from 3 weeks in Umbria and was able to walk into all of the sites I wanted to visit, see the art treasures with only a handful of other tourists in the room and not think for a second that I was going to bump into someone when backing up to get another vantage point. The only drawback was the noise of visiting high school groups, but I simply went elsewhere for an hour and returned. Two years ago the vatican line-ups in February were still legion, but not bad after only a 45-minute wait. As for line-ups, forget Assisi during Easter; it is the 3rd most-visited Easter site in the world.
On Tues., 3-27-07 we avoided the AM huge, mile-long line, came back in the afternoon to a much shorter line, and waited for an hour or 2! By the time we got into the chaotic lobby, we looked at the expensive entrance price, and decided it wasn’t worth it, as the vatican museum was going to close in 45 minutes! So we just left, very disappointed. I enjoyed the Sistine Chapel in 1977 with no lines. In 2004 we waited in a shorter line for nothing, and it suddenly closed 2 hours early, we don’t know why. Maybe next time we’re in Rome we will try joining a tour group for a couple of hours! Warning: we found the “Target” restaurant (near Rick’s favorite Rome hotel)to be very overpriced, with lousy service and below average food. This is our 4th trip to Europe using Rick’s guidebooks, and usually his restaurant suggestions are great!
Regardless of the wait. The Vatican Museum rewards the patient traveler with priceless treasures.
Sorry to hear about the experience at the “Target” restaurant, Jan. We had our first Roman meal at Target in June 2005 and it was delicious. Yes, it was pricey, but it was very convenient to the hotel and it was a good way to acclimate to Rome.
Yes, the Vatican museums are crowded, but let’s face it, the world in general is becoming more crowded. European travel is busy, and more and more people are going oversees. What used to be a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip to Europe is now multiple trips taken by families, students, etc. Oh well!
I waited in a line almost from St. Peter’s Sq., but if you are chatting with someone the wait doesn’t seem so bad. Try to spark a conversation with others around you or most certainly with a co-traveler. You could read Rick’s guidebook or listen to an ipod. The most disturbing part of the wait is the passing out of menu’s and other paraphilania, which ultimately ends up on the ground. What a mess. They should ban this practice and as it certainly doesn’t present such a good impression to the first time traveler to Rome. Debris. One can also crowd watch or get entertained by the traffic of vespa’s and small cars jockeying for position closer to the entrance. Another inner chuckle is watching those who come up from the Cipro subway steps who gasp when they eventually realize that it’s a long way to the end of the line! The Vatican Museum is worth the wait, but I suggest renting the headphones once inside. It’s money well spent and you can saunter at your own leisure. Bella Roma.
I took a month long art history coarse through Iowa State University in Rome a few years ago. This was my 4th trip to Italy. Two things I always carry a hand mirror for viewing ceilings and small binoculars for any other art too high or too far away. Binoculars are great for reading London bus numbers too. Another rule of mine any open church I pass I visit. Some of my class missed Caravaggios in the San Luigi dei Francesi because church restoration began. Take coins in order to view ‘The Conversion on the Way to Damascus’ and ‘The Crucifixion of Saint Peter’ at Santa Maria del Popolo.
You all may think it’s rough on YOU to stand in the sun for 3 hours to get in to the museum, but think how rough it is on the ART to endure the ceaseless visitation of hot, sweaty, germy humans (most of whom can’t possibly appreciate what they are looking at).
I’d love to hear why MORE heat, humidity, germs, chemicals and so on — through the increase of opening hours — are a good idea for this “priceless” art.
Why? because what is the point of art if not to be seen…even priceless art. I am all for preservation and taking the right steps to safeguard these pieces. But lets not hide it only for those with the right connections. Spread it far and wide whenever possible. Seeing what I saw…it changed me in a good way. It made me feel very very small in a big world that I knew so little about. It would be a shame to cut someone out of that experience.
Ah, Amy, what price your life-changing experience? And who pays it?
For you or me to shuffle through the Vatican Museum, breathing carbon dioxide over all that fabulous marble and paint and canvas and giving off enough heat and humidity to rival the hottest day of a Roman summer, the price is merely the cost of the ticket, a few hours of our vacation time, and maybe an aching back and a touch of dehydration.
For future generations, the price will be more dire. Treasures lost or so badly in need of protection that your nightmare scenario — the art hidden “only for those with the right connections” — might very well come to pass.
I’d like to see Rick take a more activist stance in favor of art for the future. DON’T be a co-conspirator in this profligate “spending” of priceless art resources. DON’T lobby for more open hours in a museum that has proven it can’t conserve effectively. It won’t sell more guidebooks, true, but it is the responsible thing to do.
So Mary…Who should be allowed to see these great works of art? Since most humans “can’t possibly appreciate what they are looking at” should we only allow those with art history degrees to visit the great museums of the world? All people (no matter how rich/poor, educated/uneducated) have the capacity to appreciate art.
Dear Rick,
I fully agree with you about extending the Vatican museum hours. Here are my reasons besides controlling the long lines.
There are people that travel all over the world to see great art. Not everyone will understand what they are seeing, but they will still find beauty in the art.
Some go to the Vatican museum do understand art, and some will want to see it because they are Catholic and would appreciate it.
All walks of life need to see this priceless art.
Rick, having a solid background in music,I’m sure will agree with me. For leaving people out for not understanding visual art would be like if only classically trained musicians could go to symphony concerts. This would be tragic. I went to Julliard, and I know for a fact that most of our audiences are not classically trained musicians. They go for the beauty of the music just like people would go to the Vatican museum to see beauty.
Yes Rick, the Vatican should have longer hours.
oxox, Lisa P.
On July 25, 1973, my wife and I followed the advise of a new travel guide writer and arrived at the Vatican Museum very early. After a brief wait, the museum opened, we bought our tickets and rushed through the bottom floor of the museum to get to the Sistine Chapel before anyone else. We had a glorious 20 minutes in the chapel by ourselves, before other tourists began to arrive. We then took a leisurely stroll through the second floor of the museum. We vowed to go back to the museum on another visit and see the bottom floor. Ken M.
Patty,
Do you have the contact info for Kathy from Boston. We are going to Rome in a month along with a trip to Munich.
Thanks,
Peter
An acquaintance told me that he’d recently read (in the European Herald Tribune perhaps) that the Vatican museum is going to start offering advance reservations (like the museums in Florence). Has anyone else come across that info? I haven’t found it anyplace official.
Thanks.
Laurie
Went to Rome in late June 2006, arrived at 8am and left since the line was 1/4 mile long (real Dumb). Went instead up to the top of St Peters, no crowds, Great Views. Returned the next day with a tour, had to wait in line 3 hours, line started back at the Private Entrance Guarded near the front of St Peters. Museum was very crowded and everyone was pushed along. many times was told “no pictures” even without flash. The Sistine Chapel had no Lights on and was hard to see some of the paintings, yet again the “no pictures” and “silencioâ€. Very Crowded, no place to sit, no sitting on the floor, and our guide left us there and to meet him outside in 15 min.
Hate the Italy Tourist Fee at cafes, bars and restruants. Happens all over Italy now.
Spain doesn’t have this extra fee and fewer lines too.
Boy!…somebody slipped through with a bunch of junk email in my opinion….although..I looked at each one waiting to get to the end and to more comments…..Actually everyone’s comments help first time travelers like me…as I learn from everyone’s opinions!!
Just returned 2 days ago from two weeks in Italy! A wonderful time. Our experience at the Vatican was great. We went in the afternoon, and walked right in!! We didn’t have a lot of time to spend, but we had a few hours, and managed to do quite well. I was amazed at the noise level in the Sistine Chapel, and the cameras flashing, and videos taping. The guards did nothing – but maybe they were glad the day was ending soon. We took the exit Steve recommends and found ourselves perfectly situated in St. Peter’s.
I’m a little confused. I thought the pre-booked tours allowed you to skip the line. Chuck said he waited in line 3 hours with a tour. What’s the scoop?
Joan,
What day of the week did you visit the Vatican? We were there in June of 2000, got in line early in the morning, and had a very short wait before entering. Perfect!
I’m going back with my sister who has never been to the Vatican, and want her experience to be as wonderful as mine.
I was there in Feb. 2007 and off season “walk-right-in” is not the case. The line and crowds were all the way around the city walls.
The last few times I was there, shoulder season 2004 and 2006, I tried a couple approaches that both worked. Twice I arrived about an hour early (and in these instances I was leading groups of students). The line was already fairly long, but it moves quick when the museum is still empty. I’ve also arrived at around 11 a.m. and got in fairly quickly. I’d personally like to see the Sistine Chapel have a separate entrance than the Museums (and it could work on a reservation-only system like the Arena Chapel in Padua). The crowds in the Sistine make it a highly unpleasant place to visit these days (long with the multiple-language announcements that shake the place–reminding us to be silent). The Pinacoteca has always been comparatively empty, leaving me to enjoy Raphael and Caravaggio all by myself. And, except or the Belvedere, I usually only notice crowds when they’re en route to the Sistine. And while you’re in the chapel, take time to enjoys the late-15th century wall paintings too.
Hi Rick, We are taking our family to Italy for our 50th Anniversary this summer. Per your 2007 Italy book we were able to hire Rahul with the Roman Odyssey tour company as our guide to Vatican City and the Forum. Francesca was already taken for the time we had in Rome. When were last in Italy, scads of people had your book in their hands as they walked through the various sites you had recommended.
We returned home from 2 1/2 weeks in Italy on April 10, ’07. A few days later, to our amazement, nearby Notre Dame University hosted a lecture by the Director of Vatican Museums. We went, of course. A formal, quite academic lecture (with wonderful images projected, in case one got bored with his text)was followed by question time. The final question: “As Director of Vatican Museums, what is your greatest challenge.” After a considerable pause, the speaker broke into the first big smile of the evening. But his answer was serious: figuring our what to do about the long lines waiting to see the art. He mentioned small spaces and limited entrance ways as factors. And by the way, we had indeed waited in a long line for entrance.
I am a roman. Everytime I go by the Vatican and see the huge lines of tourists I get enraged. Sometimes the lines go as far as St. Peter’s Church. Those poor tourists waiting in line for hours don’t know they will never make the entrance in time to get in. Many times I have seen ambulances for people who got sick standing so long in the summer sun.
Outragious!
Why don’t they keep the Vatican Museums open until 10 p.m.? They make a lot of money with entrance fees, they can pay for extra staff.
We just got back from a fabulous 9 day stay in Rome – and opted to NOT go to the Vatican Museum. We did make the trek up the the Vatican – thinking about trying to only go into St. Peter’s Basilica – but my husband got really turned off by all hordes of people and the 3 schiesters who approached us within a 4 minutes time span (an Aussie, a Frenchman, and an American), offering us “deals” to go thru the Museum. When we come back to Rome (in the off season), we will look forward to seeing one of the greatest museums in the world; we opted to skip it this time also because I was concerned that even if we got in, we would not be able to see the highlights. I wish the Director luck in getting the high-season lines sorted out. I think the reduced hours don’t help? I also read on NYTimes something about an online booking system (perhaps similar to Borghese Museum and for Nero’s Palace)?
KG
I’m with everyone on this. Longer hours. Period. I went in August of 2003 with my brother and the lines were too long in the morning. We waited until the afternoon and pretty much just walked on in. The awkward, slanted line to the top of the Basilica was more uncomfortable and long than our minor wait for the museum. I’m guessing we just got lucky though. ;)
The Vatican needs to come into the 21st Centuary. Here they have a product that is in huge demand and instead of taking advantage of that fact they stick to their stubborn, bureaucratic ways. Here is a novel idea….expand vistation to 12 hour days during the high season, control crowds more effectively and use the extra revenue to improve air flow and control humidity hence making the museums more comfortable and help preserve the artwork. Notice I did not say give the extra money to the poor…that would freak out the church.
The approach to Piazza San Pietro, in the Vatican, is awesome. Our eyes are busy as we walk the Via Conciliazione toward St. Peter’s, trying to take in the most striking features of the Piazza San Pietro — St. Peter’s Basilica with Michelangelo’s dome, and Giovanni Bernini’s colonnade of 284 travertine marble columns that partially encircle the Piazza San Pietro. Like a pair of parentheses the colonnade encloses a fountain on each side of the Piazza San Pietro, and the obelisk in the center. The Piazza is always filled with foot and vehicle traffic — taxis, city buses, tourist buses, two Americans in their RV, and people walking by the thousands — including the two Americans after they found a parking place. It was especially crowded on Wednesdays, when Pope John Paul II held his afternoon audience with the people. (1980)
Hi Rick, Any advice for me? I’m going to Rome for 2 1/2 days next month with my 13-year-old daughter. We are continuing on to other destinations, but I’m concerned about safety (thanks for all your tips – I hope “Via Vida” works) and wondering if we’ll really get to see much. I haven’t been to Rome in 30 years and feel like a green tourist like me is too much of a target. Also, I want to get her into the Vatican even for an hour or so. What is the best way to get in without having to stand in line for 3 hours? I’m all ears!!! Thanks for your many years of good advice! Jayne Thanks for your many years of good advice! Jayne
Just got back from 3 weeks & 7 countries in Europe, ‘saw your book everywhere… Lucca, Rome, Pisa, Venice, etc. No lines in Venice. No lines in Rome: the Vatican, climb up to Duomo, nor Vat Museum; we did the first two first thing in the morning and the latter at 2:00.The only reservation we made and were thrilled to have was in Florence for “David.” The line was horrible and it was unseasonably hot for June. We did not do the Uffizi this trip. No problems anywhere with safety but never got on a bus or train except in Prague. Never saw one gypsy.
Rick, While I agree the Vatican Museum should extend hours (and if possible, a shorter route to the entrance–it took almost as long for us to walk around to the museum as to wait in line!) the problem is the amount of people let into the Sistine Chapel. It does not take much common sense to realize that by limiting the number of people into the chapel at a time decreases the noise and carbon dioxide pollution. It was amazing to be able to see the art, but the enjoyment factor was greatly affected by the crowds. We could barely turn around. The ‘silencio’ and ‘quiet’ and ‘no pictures’ (even without flash) are a waste of time. When you have over 100 people, you’re going to get noise, even with whispers. Limit 50 people into the chapel at a time for each 15-minute period and you’ll fix a lot of the problem.
I just returned from Rome, Italy where I stayed at Hotel Serena for the first three days. The hotel was recommended in Rick Steve’s guide book. It was the worst hotel I have ever stayed at- rude management- I paid $210 U.S. and was told no to a request for an extra pillow and blanket. The beds are hard as a rock and rooms the size of a closet. Rick Steve’s should remove this Hotel from his book or inform them that the hotel is located directly next to a sex shop. I almost left Rome after the first 3 days because of this hotel and it’s grimy, disgusting location. I felt betrayed by Rick Steve and his recommendation. The street that this hotel is located on Via Principe Amedeo is filled with disgusting, overpriced dumps like this one.
My husband and I spent December 24-29 in Rome. We were staying at Hotel Prati near the Vatican, and had hoped to visit the Vatican Museum. Forget that stuff about off-season! Aside from the fact that V.M. was closed BOTH the 25th and 26th, the lines were blocks long at 8:30 am, and it didn’t even open until 10. From what others have written here, I think we made the right decision to skip V>M. this time. The National Museum is included on your Roma Pass (V.M. is not) and had fantastic art. The problem is, WE DON’T LIKE TOURS — so line-skipping with a guided tour is trading one nuisance for another. Why can’t these folks have buy-ahead timed-entry tickets, like the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC? Any advice for getting in Without a tour?
Just get of at Cipro Metro station and walk towards the Vatican Museum if you see the line get the tours which is always available and don’t worry you will be asked by just walking there (they are more trustworthy than most “online” tours and also cheaper)and they enter every half an hour from 09:00am to 12:00am (but make sure they skip the line totaly: it’s 45 erous all included). You can also leave the group after you enterd and got your tickets; if you dont like being in a tour….
I suggest buying tickets ahead of time online. Then you bypass line and have direct entry
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