Vatican City Travel Forum

Hi,

I'm planning to visit Vatican City on 27 Dec, which is a Saturday. What is the best time to go there and to beat the crowd?

Cheers,

Justin

You cannot visit the Vatican City. You can only visit Saint Peter's Basilica, and the Vatican Museums (which include the Sistine Chapel). There are private tours of the Vatican gardens, but they have to be booked well in advance (and by email or fax only):

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Servizi_Visite.html

There will be crowds and queues whenever you visit, but the late afternoon is generally quieter (everyone tends to go early to beat the queues, and thus the queues are created). As for the Vatican Museums, it is possible to buy your ticket online beforehand and thus not have to queue. Many VT-ers use www.tickitaly.com although you can also buy tickets online from the official site:

http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/tickets/index.html