If you’ve ever been to Vatican City, no matter what time of day or season, you know the lines to get inside the sacred walls are always crazy. When we visited Rome back in 2014, we got up one morning and headed straight to Vatican City.
Our thought was if we arrived slightly before open we would be ahead of the game. Wrong. The line was already snaked around the corner – estimated wait time? An hour or more.
If you’re anything like me, you hate waiting in line, patience is unfortunately not a virtue I possess. One of the first things I look for when travelling is how to skip the lines for the more popular attractions. Let’s be serious, I’m often travelling within very short timeframes (often trying to see a country in 10 days or less) which means I don’t have time to wait around.
Of course, booking tickets in advance is always the smartest and best option. Especially for places like the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel or St. Peter’s Basilica as tickets book up really fast. It’s almost like the minute you know you’re going somewhere, you need to purchase the tickets.
That was me on my most recent trip to the Vatican. Booking tickets in advance was stupidly not something we thought of and I never believed the lines would be as bad as they were. Let me tell you, even at eight in the morning, that line is wrapped around the city walls so far it’s a workout trying to walk to see where the front of the line is.
| How to skip the line |
As soon as you get in line you’re swarmed with ‘tour guides’ that promise you the chance to get into the museum right away. Be wary of these people, not all of them are legitimate.
After a few conversations with a number of tour groups working their way up and down the line, we ended up meeting a fantastic tour group, When In Rome Tours who got us in within the hour. After asking for some form of documentation, we followed the man to his office where there were other tourists lined up outside.
The office was just around the corner from the museum located at the base of the steps of Via Sebastiano Vaniero. It’s a bit tricky to find the office but they have some signage on the outside to help you out.
As a nervous traveller, I can tell you I definitely had my doubts standing there waiting to get taken inside. Sure enough within the hour a lovely Dutch woman who spoke perfect English and brought us through. We toured the Vatican museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica on an enriching four-hour tour.
| Things to remember |
Negotiate: Anyone who has ever been to the Vatican really knows how many different tours and tour groups there are in the area so even though you may be paying a premium there still may be wiggle room.
Be Safe: Never follow someone if you feel unsafe, trust your instincts. Always have a friend with you if you are going to be following someone to their office building, never go alone.
Do Your Research: If you have the luxury of time, even with Vatican tickets being sold out on the official website, look for other groups online to see what sort of deals you can get and find.
Visit During Off Hours: You don’t necessarily have to get up super early to wait in line but going earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon will help your success in getting better prices, not to mention the fewer crowds you’ll be confronted with when getting in.
Most of the time, you’ll be paying more for a tour guide to take you through. You’ll pay for the convenience of not having to wait in line but let me tell you it was worth every penny. The extra money saved us hours and hours of waiting in line in the Roman heat!
