Not much I can say other then you must visit this place at least one time in your life. So much history. The architecture, artwork and statues are breathtaking. I was amazed that I was walking into a building that was here before christ. I will write the same review for St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. You must see them all. read more

You must see this place. Words and pictures cant express the beauty. Forget the camera try to take in the beauty of this place and enjoy the walk. When in Italy its a must. read more

The Vatican Museum is a must-visit for anyone who takes a trip to Rome. Make it your first stop and you're likely to fall in love quickly with Italy. I am probably the farthest thing from an art enthusiast yet I still loved my visit - the colors, the monuments, the sculptures, the elaborate gold and marble everywhere ... the experience is truly amazing. When a place has this much history within it, it is meant to be enjoyed. Regular admissions is 15 Euros, but only 8 Euros if you have a valid student ID and are under 25. read more

Beautiful museum filled with arts and artifacts that go on forever and forever! You won't be able to see everything. Below are tips for the Vatican Museum: 1. Do take the metro. The museum is practically "right there". 2. Do order your tickets online and print them. Otherwise, you are gonna wait FOREVER in line. (There will be people there trying to sell you a deal. I do not know if they are legit or not.) 3. Do wear comfortable shoes because you are gonna be walking. 4. Do dress appropriately. There are some places in the museum that are "holy" such as the Sistine Chapel. If you're not dress modestly, you'll be asked to leave or not granted access. 5. Take as much pictures as you can! The Sistine Chapel is photo-free. 6. Do visit Vatican City after the museum. It is right next to the museum. read more

Ah yes, the Vatican Museum that leads to the Sistine Chapel. Though most pay attention to the paintings, I pay more attention to the tapestry, and the sculptures all over the museum especially in the octagon and the Hall of Animals. I did a art history - centric tour as I never did an art history class and analyzing paintings are just something I do not know well whatsoever. It intrigues me to know how big of a collector the various popes were throughout history. Its a marvel that much of the flooring is still original in tact. The ceilings are well detailed and some ceilings have of style of painting where it seems like it's sticking out but it's a 3D style of painting. They even have an awesome bronze statue of Hercules and statues of Hera (irony I know) . And of course of the iconic statue of Lacoon and Sons. There's a Hall of Animals which is treat to learn about through our tour guide. The Tapestry on display are very detailed and amazing in size and you can literally see Christ's eyes follow you in some of the tapestry works. Oh there's a really gaudy looking huge oil painting in here too. All in all, take the time to explore and see how magnificent the details and marvel at the collections they obtained over the years. read more

If you're going to Rome for the first time, you're going to see Vatican City. It's just going to happen. So do it right - get a tour guide. You will learn 5 times more by walking with a guide, plus there are some shortcuts that only tours can provide you. Once you enter the museum, there's a security check with metal detectors, bathroom break, and the gift shop. Then, our tour guide, Roxanna, took us to a courtyard with a look out onto the Vatican Gardens, some pictures of the Basilica in the distance, and we all got to fill up our water bottles at one of Rome's many awesome fountains. Roxanna took us through the highlights of the museum. Sure, we skipped the Etruscan artifacts room, but I don't think anybody was crying over it. She had such insight into everything we passed; commenting on the average height of the Romans 2000 years ago (about 5' for men), where the croissant came from (interesting connection with Islam here), and the tidbit that many of the maps in the Hall of Maps are upside down. The Hall of Maps is probably my favorite part - it's amazing to see how accurate some of them were - and how totally wrong some others were. Also, the ceiling is crazy beautiful. I'll review the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica separately. :) read more

From end to end, the Vatican Museum is chock full of historical masterpiece artworks with some painted to look 3 dimensional, tapestries gilted with gold and silk, and marbled statues with their private parts damaged with fig leaves by misguided prudish clerics. My Green Line tour guide spoke English wonderfully and looked like the Italian mafia...his hair alone was awesome! He went through each and every room of the museum, explaining the historical details of most of the pieces. I really like the hall of painted maps. If you look hard enough, you can see how the Italian empire changed throughout history. Some of the artwork is gilded with gold and a section of the hall has been restored to vibrant glory. Make sure you book a tour ahead to avoid the massive lines, and hopefully on a day where there's no holidays or events happening. If Pope Francis wasn't having a talk that day, we would have had more time to explore. Ahhh..special talks on Saturdays...I wish I could have watched this, but alas, there's next time. read more

You cannot give this place more stars because the scene outside the entrance is rich with irony as in Christ at the alter. This is not a Vatican issue, nor does it take away from the one of a kind nature of the exhibits, but it is part of the experience you will go through. It is good that there is undercover police everywhere to keep the street ticket pusher somewhat clean. I saw them chase a couple of guys. Solution: buy tickets online and avoid the wait. Inside, in the summer, the smell of humanity is unbearable as 1000s are packed covering every single square foot of space. In many counties this would be illegal as they would be exceeding capacity rules by 3x, easily. This lasts about 1,5 hours. Then, it all clears up after the Sistine Chapel. That is when you will have a chance to stop an look at the collection. The experience with kids can be awful given heat, packed crowds, inability to maneuver in any direction for the first hour to reach bathrooms, etc. read more

Much like most of Italy, there is no sense of organization in here. There are no signs or instructions to tell people that the entrance to the museum is ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ST. PETER'S SQUARE. Don't waste your time standing in line at what you'd think is the entrance. It leads to the Basilica instead. Once/if you're able to finally make it to the museum entrance, which is quite a walk of you have time slots reserved and are trying to make it in, the is a long line that ALSO has no instructions. The only people there telling tourists anything are street vendors and third party tour guides trying to sell you tickets. Note to this "organization": THESE ARE NOT YOUR STAFF. HIRE REAL STAFF ON THIS CORNER! Bypass this line, which may or may not be wrapped around the corner, if you have tickets for certain time slots. I honestly don't know why there were two lines of people waiting to buy tickets. My wife and I didn't know better so we stayed in this line all the way to the entrance where we got in but none of these people did. Then the fun part started. You see, we reserved breakfast. And according to our tickets, we would only be given 30 minutes for breakfast. So, as the instructions on the tickets were not helpful (for example it told us to go right while the reservation booth was to the left) we ended up asking the workers. If you've ever played any scavenger hunt games, this is what it felt like. Each worker told us the next clue but nothing further: "go up", "to the left", "upstairs", etc. We had to keep asking people as we went up through the crowds and crowds of tourists. We made several wrong turns. There were no signs telling anyone where to go. You just had to know. We finally made it to the "Bar" (which had no name of course) for breakfast at 8:45 even though we were supposed to be there by 8am. By the way, we were in line by 7:30. Luckily, we were still admitted. The host didn't even care to look at the time slot. He just took the receipt and gave us a table, which we were thankful for. In hindsight, this should've been expected. This museum put in minimal effort getting people into the building so why would they do anything more than minimal in making sure people arrived for breakfast at their allotted time slots only? While we were eating and trying to breathe, another couple came in just as breathless and frustrated as we were at the process, or lack thereof. Tip: fix your sh*t. read more

Vatican Museums together with the Alhambra in Granada and the Uffizi in Florence are ones ot the greatest museums in the world! I had a wonderfull experience. The only suggestion to take in mind is to buy a ticket online to avoid / skip the very long queue. I've bought the tickets here: http://www.aboutroma.com/vatican-museums-rome.html and when in Rome, sorry Vatican, I skipped the line and had all the day to visit "slowly" the Vatican Museums. Have a nice visit! read more

Definitely have to see Michealangelo's famous works while in Rome! We were lucky that there was no wait when we went so there was no need to join a tour just to "skip the line." What line?! Also we are so glad we didn't do a tour because the tours went on for hours and are information overload. I'd much rather move at my own pace and not in a herd. The museum had many lovely works of art to see and are quite a value for the 16€ ticket price. read more

I came here for Easter weekend while visiting my sister and exploring more of Europe. And I must say that this place is amazing--and that's coming from someone who can be very "meh" about art! It's in a decent location near lots of shops and eateries. Note: purchase your tickets in advance, otherwise the wait can be SEVERAL hours during weekends and holidays! Luckily, my sister and I purchased ours online and was inside within 10 minutes. The only word I can use to describe the inside is breathtaking. It's chalk full of eclectic pieces. It's a MUST if you are in Roma! You should allot at the very least 3 solid hours for this place. read more

Musei Vaticani - The entrance - Museums Near Me - Rome, RM

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It baffles me that it would be possible to give less than a 5 star review. You see the work of both Raffaele and michael Angelo - wow. This was an incredible experience. You absolutely have to buy a skip the line ticket - if you don't you will spend half your day in a silly long line. read more

Musei Vaticani - Incredible - Museums Near Me - Rome, RM

What opulence! It's beautiful and wasn't busy when we went. Have early breakfast which was delicious and plentiful!

As a prelude to the "Sistine Chapel" and "St. Peter's Church" you'll begin your amazing journey through the Vatican. As with other landmarks a tour is highly recommended here as there's so much history and beauty in what lies ahead for you. A knowledgeable guide will make your experience so much more rewarding (you'll also skip the lines). The stunning paintings, statues - the architecture - thousands of years ago. Let your fantastic journey begin... read more

Amazing amazing museum! Went there mid-December, the weather was great and everything with it. The museum is like a maze if you don't have a map, you start at one point and end at another and sometimes even end up back where you started. But besides that everything is worth seeing, especially if you're a history fanatic. Loved the mummies! And there was no line at all, so no waiting. Walked around free as a bird! :) read more

Musei Vaticani - Museums Near Me - Rome, RM

Great place get the tour. We had a private guide and Luca D. was able to get us to the Sistine Chapel before most guided tours. It was worth the price of the tour to get into the Chapel and spend 20 minutes with less than 50 people in the room. We sat and took in what he had explained to us during breakfast. It really was amazing being able to look for things that we would have missed. The private tour guide was thorough, informative, and funny. The museums are a wonderful and expansive place. It would have easily taken 2 days to see and experience what we were able to see in 4 hours. Wonderful place to experience and absorb history. read more

This museum was not as impressive as i thought it would be. It is definitely not worth of 3-5 hour wait in line. Seriously, unless you are some die hard art and sculpture fanatic it is absolutely not worth such a torturous long wait. We bought tickets online . It would cost you 4 euros per person more than a regular ticket (16 euros) but it is really worth it. Do it! Don't go there in person because even if you come there early in a morning you will be faced with a long long looooong wait. Electronic ticket has a set time and you skip the line entirely. We did not wait at all. The other unpleasant part is a ton of ticket scalpers who are very aggressive in trying to sell you tours, tickets etc. They are waiting for you right next to the metro station. I can pass as a local so they did not bother us but the moment you open your mouth and they realize that you are not some local Italian person they will be all over you bothering you with their offers. May be you want their tours but for those who just want to visit the museum on their own i've described above the best way to get there. Most people go to this museum to see the Sistine chapel. It is a rather small and very crowded room. All the "good stuff" is on the top and it is kind of hard to take your time and look at it when you are constantly being pushed by the crowd. I felt claustrophobic in there. This is the final point of the museum. Now here is another trick. If you want to see St.Peters basilica line free, exit to the door on the RIGHT side of the room. The door on the left would take you back to the museum but this door on the right would take you to St. Peters basilica and you can enjoy it without waiting in line. read more

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A must see in Rome! You should order your tickets in advance to 'skip the line'. We already bought our tickets on the vatican website and we just walked in during peak hours. Unless you are particularly interested in pre-Christian history, I recommend not to spend too much time in the first parts of the museum, because there are tons and tons to see about the papal history as well. You can spend the whole day there. If you decide what to see in advance, you can spend more time in more interesting parts of the museum. read more

Best part if the vacation in Rome! Paid extra for the breakfast so we could get in early and avoid the crowds, which was genius of my wife. Not a religious person, but the magnificence of the museum and surrounding structures is breathtaking! read more

BREATHTAKING! This is THE church of all Christian churches--it was so gorgeous. Sistine chapel was beautiful. Lots of nice gardens and beautiful tapestries. Amazing place with so much history. Very crowded though--I recommend getting a tour first thing in the morning to avoid the lines. We got one of those skip the line tickets at 8am and boy was it worth it. The lines are ridiculous so it was so good to get in quickly and get some quiet time before all the tourists started coming in. read more

We bought tickets ahead of time so we didn't have to wait in line. When we finally made it inside to swap our voucher for tickets the representative was very disrespectful! We purchased reduced student tickets (because we are students) and he asked for our student IDs, we politely apologized and said that we are not carrying them with us at this time because we weren't aware that we needed them. He was very rude and made us purchase full price adult tickets, didn't even try and charge us the different in price. Moral of the story- bring your student ID? read more

One must see it just because. I give the Sistine Chapel 5 stars, but the experience of just walking through museum a big zero so I would rate it an average of 2.5 so I round up generously to a 3.. It was overwhelming and repetitive with all the marble sculptures and ceiling frescoes. The Sistine Chapel ceiling was amazing and clear without all the gold crap lining each scene as other myriads of ceilings throughout the museum! I am here in early April and it is ridiculously filled up to the hilt with tourists. It was so hot and humid in there because of the body heat even though it was in lower 60s Fahrenheit. I was wearing short sleeves and drenched with sweat. The Sistine Chapel is at the end so you have to walk an hour just to get to the Sistine Chapel. Plus you have to maneuver yourself through the sardine can of people, which is so annoying that I just wanted to escape. It was a tortuous, horrid experience. If you do come, then wear short sleeves and if you have to wear a jacket or rainwear, make sure either are light enough to wrap around your shoulders or waist. Sorry, I will never come here again. I thought I would, but never mind. Once is enough in everyone's lifetime. With all the walking, hordes of tourists, etc this was no luxurious vacation. Panthenon and Piazza Navona was just as crowded. I can't imagine summer, this entire city must be a prison with all the heat, people, and scarcity of public restrooms. read more

I agree with other reviewers who have said once is enough here. I booked online tickets for the museum, so that took some of the sting away from a not so great experience this morning. It was humid inside the museum, so, again, as someone else said make sure you're layering or just wearing light clothing in summer. (It rained today, so we had to have rain jackets, which we quickly removed once inside.) When you have an online ticket, your printout has to be exchanges for an actual ticket. I went up to an empty ticket window and gave the person my PDF to scan. He took the paper, scanned it, and threw my tickets at me without ever looking at me or stopping his conversation with a co-worker. I have been to Vatican City before and the people who work there are usually no-nonsense, but never rude like this person. My dad and I are on the last leg of a long trip, so we were pretty much only interested in seeing the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. We took the "short itinerary" route, which is a relative name for a still long tour through the narrow galleries. This was made even longer by the many (too many) tour groups blocking access to doors in every gallery. I don't really understand how this is allowed (it's not allowed at Versailles, for example, for guides to stop their groups and chat them up.) At the very least, guides should ask people to move to one side. We had to resort to following a man with a cart when he made these people move. This also freaked me out on a safety level by the way. The Sistine Chapel is a jewel worthy of walking through every annoying tourist cliche in the museums. It is so incredibly beautiful. Everyone should see it in person at least once! read more

We did the 3hr skip the line tour with Dark Rome (City Wonders) of the museum, Sistine chapel and basilica. We chose an organized tour to primarily avoid lineups. If you choose an organized tour I'd recommend doing the museum at your own pace and then head to thechapel and basilica on your own, as there is much to see. They're all connected,so it is navigable and there are no more ticket or timed entry inspection points after the museum. Do hold onto the ticket from your tour provider. Once you leave the museum and chapel, there is no going back. At the chapel no talking is allowed, so a guide is not goingtobe as much help in the chapel. They give you a lowdown about the chapel in the museum. Please take a bottle of water per person and use the washrooms at the entrance of the museum. read more

Vatican Guided Tour or On Your Own? This is a question that tons of travelers to Rome ask every year. There's so much information available and while one person will tell you to do the Vatican Museum on your own, the next will tell you that you absolutely must take a tour. Keep in mind that it really depends on what kind of traveler you are and what you want your experience to be. From personal experience, on our first several trips to Rome we visited the Vatican museum on our own. The first time we'd really done no research, and thus wandered around aimlessly, finally ending up in the glorious Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina). Of course it was worth it, but I vowed to do some research for the next trip. I did. And our visit was a bit more educational, though no less spectacular. I loved the fact that I'd found out that the Pinoteca room was where all of the original artwork was housed that inspired the massive mosaic works next door in St. Peter's. I loved the fact that through my great friends on Tripadvisor, I found out about the 'Secret Door' in the Sistine Chapel that allows one to bypass the line at St. Peter's. Now the 'But....' in the story. In October, 2010, we were invited on a guided tour (our first) by a friend who owns a tour company in Rome. We decided of course to experience the museum this way for a different perspective. The two-hour tour was wonderful, very informative, and I have to say that I really wish we had done this the first time and then self-guided ourselves on subsequent trips. The tour guides have all of the cool little back stories and inside info that you won't find in the guide books. A group tour is well worth the money, in my opinion. But if you prefer doing it on your own, do yourself a favor and do some research first. Keep in mind that if you rent headsets, you have to go back to the entrance to turn them back in (at least this is the way it's been in the past) and you won't be able to take advantage of leaving the Sistine Chapel and walking right into St. Peter's next door. Also, if you check larger backpacks, you'll have to hike back to the entrance for those as well. So plan your visit accordingly. Pack just a small bag, forego the headsets and enjoy! Many people will wholeheartedly disagree with that plan. Keep in mind...much of the advice from other travelers is very subjective! This is what works best for us. And while you're at it, check into the free tour offered at St. Peter's, another freebie for the Pantheon, and the inexpensive but fascinating Scavi tour (the necropolis with St. Peter's tomb at St. Peter's Basilica). FYI, my favorite tour companies in Rome are 'When In Rome Tours' and 'Stefano Rome Tours' (same owner as the vaunted Romecabs). Buon viaggio! read more

Just don't bother unless you like long lines and hordes of people. Watch a video. It is vast and takes forever to get to the museum from St Peter's Square. We even had a guide, and it was still a mess. We were there at the end of October on a Monday and can't imagine what it would be like during the busy season. We couldn't stand to stay and see it all and left after 2 exhibits. Some of the staff in and around the museum were helpful; some were extremely rude and obviously in the wrong job. Don't go. read more

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This is my 2nd visit to the Vatican and i loved it the 2nd time just as much as the first. There is so much art to look at, I highly recommend purchasing the audio guide. To avoid standing on the long cues to get in, purchase tickets from the Vatican website with a time frame. We walked right in! read more

Beautiful museum with lots to see and do! They have so much artwork from the Renaissance period. Some artists include: Michelangelo and Raphael. They have Raphael's School of Athens and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling. The line was surprisingly not that bad because I pre-ordered my tickets online, but if you didn't pre-order your tickets, you better get ready for being in a line for several hours in the scorching heat. The museum is definitely a fun experience, especially if you enjoy art and history. read more

I wanted to love this place; I really did. But it was the only totally negative experience in an otherwise magical 5-night visit to Rome. 'Crowding', 'herding', 'cattle car', 'rude Fascist guards' don't begin to describe our visit. We advanced-booked a tour headed by a museum staffer, thereby avoiding a long wait for general admission. The guide was very pleasant and informative. Unfortunately, our 30-person tour was one of dozens of others, all intermixed and all moving in the same direction at the same time. And all of those tours were further intermixed with hundreds of general-admission visitors, each with his/her own viewing agenda. Total chaos. Total lack of crowd control. We shuffled the entire length of the map room without actually being able to look at the maps -- too busy trying to keep our guide's flag in sight. And then the climax: the Sistine Chapel. Imagine entering this sacred space with 2000 other people, as the guards do everything but physically push you, saying "Keep moving!", and "Silencio!" No kidding: at least once they activated the public address system to urge "Silencio!" (In reality, the room was at a dull murmur. People were keeping a respectful silence; unfortunately, 2000 respectful people still make a certain amount of noise.) The Sistine was a total letdown. We left as soon as we could, after a couple of furtive glances at the ceiling. These people should be ashamed of themselves. They care nothing about the user experience. (Simply dividing up the day into 'tour group only' and 'general admission only' periods might improve things.) Skip the Vatican Museums. Go here instead: http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html read more

One of the highlights of my study abroad experience in Italia was visiting the Musei Vaticani. The museum is filled with masterful art, ancient history and rich beauty that brought tears to my eyes. My favorite experience was gazing up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Every inch of the ceiling tells a colorful story from history. I spent hours there and still felt like it was too short of a time to really appreciate the beauty. Make sure to arrive as early as possible because the museum is heavily populated with tourists from all over the world. Order your tickets in advance to avoid some of the waiting time. There is also a very strict no pictures policy in order to protect the sacred art. I would recommend respecting this rule because the police are strategically stationed around the Sistine Chapel and many people were escorted off the property for taking pictures. Instead, I suggest really taking the time to appreciate the amazing artwork. Que bello! This experience is perfect for friends, families, and couples to explore. read more

Outside the Vatican is vendors galore. Luckily I know not to even look at them & them will leave you alone. Unfortunately for me I lost my sunglasses & really needed a new pair. Luckily I had at least a 30 minute wait to haggle with the vendor before I could enter the Vatican. I am not a Christian but I do appreciate art & this place is full of it. This is another place you could easily spend a week checking everything out. Definitely worth checking out. read more

What a collection! The Vatican has it all! Wear comfortable shoes because it is almost endless. Beautiful artworks and statutes from BC to AD. The finale is the Sistine Chapel. It is amazing that most of the paintings are still vibrant and well taken care of. I was so excited to see DaVinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo! read more

This museum was the most talked about museum from reading over travel guides. We didn't want to miss any time from waiting in line. So, I reserved our time slot for our last day in Rome through their website. The Hotel Pierre in Florence was nice since there was a computer which was in the lobby to use. This was a life saver since we arrived and found a line wrapped around the wall of the Vatican museum. We took the outer lane with our reservation to "jump the line" as the popular tour guides try to sell us. However, we did it ourselves without using their services. Afterwards, we checked in with our backpack and then exchanged our printout reservation for tickets. The entrance was like walking in circles to reach to the top and worked your way down. There is an escalator which you can use but it's nice to just take your time and admire some artifacts along the way. There is an audio guide which you can purchase as well which gives you a map. We thought we could maybe sneak a map but realized it was only given when you purchase the audio guide. Oh well, we just followed the signs to the Sistine Chapel and skipped some rooms. Once we got there, the line slowed down and you hear shhhh... from the guards. Every 5-10 minutes there was a reminder "No video, no photo, shhhhh...." After getting inside, you could look up and see the famous touching of fingers in the middle of the room. It was pretty obvious that everyone was secretly taking photos on their phone when nobody was watching. After seeing it, we wandered back through some of the other rooms to see what else we missed. There are some famous statues/paintings which are good to note such as: Laocoon and his sons, Perseus with the Head of the Gorgon Medusa, Caravaggio's 'The Entombment of Christ', Raphael's 'The School of Athens' are just a few. I guess there is no real good time to come visit since there are always crowds. But, it's best to just come really early in the morning if you can. Also, you can visit St. Peters Basilica too to make your trip to Vatican City a 2-for-1. read more

This was my very favorite part of our trip to Italy. I am a huge religious art aficionado and touring the Musei Vaticani was like a little bit of heaven for me. The art work as well as the vastness of the space is breathtaking and I encourage you to take your time and take everything in since there is so much to see. I'm not much for museums and typically shy away from large crowds when traveling but I braved all to see the Musei Vaticani and it was every bit worth it. After all, how many times are you going to be able to see the Sistine Chapel? Go. read more

Aside from nearly getting arrested for taking pictures in the Sistine Chapel(I didn't know), this place is awesome. I found myself taking (legal)pics of nearly everything because nearly everything stood out. The line to get in is long, but moves pretty quickly. 16eur, a steal. This place is miles long of wandering and exploring, all leading up to the Sistine Chapel. And believe me, it was worth every penny and some to see Michelangelo's famous work. I just stood there in awe for minutes staring up at the ceiling and thinking to myself "Wow" read more

We pre-booked and were exhausted. It's kind of an ordeal to get in there. The crowds are insane. The art is vast - not a lot of focus. But, obviously amazing. Honestly - it's too large and there's no way to just expedite to the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is GRAND and GORGEOUS, but they keep yelling "Silenzio" and "No Photo." They make you feel like you are in a prison. read more

So, like everyone else in the world, you come to Rome to see the Vatican. Let's all be serious. The food in Italy is awesome pretty much everywhere, Rome included, the sites are amazing, but all of it does pale a little to The Vatican. Make sure, absolutely sure you have booked a tour and do some research to ensure you get the best one possible. Even then, with four to six hours you will be leaving the Vatican going "wow, I could have seen that more". I used Dark Rome (http://www.darkrome.com) they set everything up perfect for me. Don't miss the Vatican, it's really something everyone should see at least once in their life. read more

This was an amazing experience! So much to see, we took a tour that skipped the line, which I highly recommend. The lines are very long. The Sistine Chapel was by far my favorite part, mere words can't express the feelings of this experience. read more

Seriously worst museum experience ever! I'm sorry but it's totally disorganized, they let in waaaaaay too many people at any given time and 75% of the place has no AC so if you go on a hot as balls day like we did you are going to roast. The last leg on the way to the Sistine chapel literally reminded me of leaving a sporting event as everyone just packed together moving slowly. I was waiting for people to start "moo"ing. Many of the pieces are roped off so you can only see them from 50 ft away. There are no descriptive signs for about 80% of the works. What am I looking at and why is it important? I have no idea!!! My wife got the audio guide and that was a waste of 7 euros. So much for the supposed dress code too. I wore jeans instead of shorts because I was worried some agent of God would deem my shorts too short and not let me in. So all day long I schlepped around Rome with a serious case of swalls and swass only to see dudes with biker shorts and tank tops and chicks with mini skirts and tube tops walking around. I'm lying about the biker shorts but seriously, tons of dudes wearing shorts showing their knees and tons of chicks clearly violating the code. Only next door at st Petes basilica do they enforce the code. That being said, Sistine chapel is pretty unbelievable. My advice to you is this: go on a guided tour so you can skip the line and have someone knowledgable navigate and educate you properly. read more