St Peter's Square

We booked a guided tour of The Vatican as we were only on a stop over on Rome and new from past experience that The Vatican would be extremely busy. We were delighted with the whole experience, our tour guide, who's name I cant remember was a young man with a passion for history. He shared his passion and knowledge generously with the group and invited questions readily. The tour group was 20 or less and we had immediate access into The Vatican with no waiting other than the gathering for the beginning of the tour. Our tour was for 3 hours and although we were there the week after Easter, still The Vatican was extremely busy. when we came out at approx 12.30pm the que was at least 10 deep and snaked all the way around St Peters square. I am glad we took a guided tour, I think it would be very difficult to do this independantly, and I would not hesitate to recomend Viator for such a tour, Excellent.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

Highly recommended tour. Our guide Tiffany was fantastic, she got us in the square with no problems and told us exactly where to sit as to be as close as possible to the Holy Father Pope Francis ( we were within 2 feet of The Pope as he passed by in the Pope mobile 2 times). This is something that must be done if visiting Roma. Thanks again Tiffany, this was something myself and my family will remember for the rest of our lives. Long live PAPA Francis.

Doing what: Papal Audience Tickets and Presentation

This tour would have been even more amazing if we were younger. I met our guide Natasha at the bottom of the stairs across from the Vatican;. No trouble finding the location. Since we were 6 seniors (in our 70's), most with walking difficulties, I was very concerned when Natasha told me there was a lot of walking and a lot of steps involved in this tour. We knew about the walking, but not the steps. Natasha arranged for us to take an elevator up to the main level and we avoided the long spiral incline that would have been impossible for us to navigate. She then made arrangements for us enter the Sistine Chapel where others exit. By doing this we avoided much of the walking and the stairs, but did miss many of the Vatican Museums. However, we did something no one gets to do ... we spent over an hour and a half in the Sistine Chapel waiting for our tour to get there. It was truly spectacular. St. Peter's Square is massive. We do thank Natasha for making the Vatican tour possible for us. It was certainly the highlight of our trip.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

We enjoyed this tour. Be prepared for the crowds of people. It is focused on the museum and on art work. If you are not into Art it's not for you. St Peters was closed during our tour so we did not get to visit that. The Sistine Chapel is amazing but it was so crowded you cannot sit and enjoy it, it is jam packed with people. The tour is long so once we got into the Chapel we were ready to leave. If it wasn't so crowded and you could sit it would be nice but this is one of the most popular attractions. It does not take you to Vatican Square, you have to find that on your own. Our tour guide was very nice and informative. Make sure you are not tired. This was our last excursion and for us it was hard to concentrate after 7 days of tours. Make sure you save your energy. The art work is amazing. The tapestries are beautiful. The statues too.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

our guide led us in the wrong direction and the swiss guards let in all sorts of others so that our being there at 8:00 am was a waste of time. Then she led us into seats near the centre of the square guaranteeing we cosuld never see the pope going around on his cart. We did see the pope when he sat ounder the tent but we were so far away that he looked like a white ant. The people who were on there own and paid nothing were much better off and did not have to miss breakfast at their hotel in order to arrive so early.

Doing what: Papal Audience Tickets and Presentation

Our tour guide, Graham, was great despite not being able to get into St. Peter's. The Pope was holding Mass the following day and the square and the basilica was being closed in preparation. Getting to see the other famous works, the ceiling of the Sistine, Raphael's works,the School of Athens. Getting to skip the massive line was worth the cost alone.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

We had no trouble accessing the guide and group. The tour was well paced and informative. We would have appreciated a short time outrside the buildings with a brief description of the gardens and square. This could have been gained with a little less time in some galleries.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

We have done this tour before about 5 years ago, so we have a comparison. Firstly it was difficult to find the meeting place near St. Peter's Square, whereas last time we met at the bus depot and were driven to the Basilica. Upon arrival we were told that after passing thru security the guide and a couple of volunteer fellow tourists would go ahead and find good seats. The guide then said that there were plenty so there was no need for to rush. Although the seats were reasonable, with her previous knowledge, she could have easily placed us a good deal closer to the barricades where Pope Francesco would pass by. We had no chance at all to see him. Apart from skipping the line, this tour was disappointing.

Doing what: Papal Audience Tickets and Presentation

I don't know how anyone could take in the Vatican Museum without doing a tour. It is GIGANTIC! Someone said four square miles. With that said, this tour was three hours long and only touched on the major things worth seeing. It was a good tour, worth the money. But the throngs of people there made it hard to hear and difficult for our group to stay together. I've never seen so many people. I would have liked to linger in the painting area a bit longer. But all and all, it was a good tour. Our guide was very informative.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

We liked the tour, probably picked the worst week to be there, Holy Week and a new Pope. Our guide was very knowledgeable, answered all our questions, thought we were going to see St Peters square on this tour but did not..

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

This tour is brilliant. The inside of the Basilica is really quite breathtaking, and was brought to life through our guide whowas very knowledgeable and spoke perfect English as well. But the tour also included information about St. Peter's Square explaining the connections with the Basilica to give people an all round understanding of the whole site. The queues waiting to get in were long, even in February, so skipping the line really does save time.

Doing what: Skip the Line: St Peter's Basilica Walking Tour

Alexandra was fantastic, he knowlage was amazing and was able to keep visitors from all countries entertained. Thank you so much! Just a note, the tour departs from opposite the museum, NOT St peters square. You need to go all the way round to the other side.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

After a glass of wine and some apertizers at a local eatery by the Spanish Steps, Natasha, our tour guide, took us on an evening walk through the streets of Rome, pointing out the highlights of the city, and it's hidden treasures you can only reach on foot. The last part of our tour was by bus, and it was great to see St. Peter's Square and the Colosseum lit up at night. A very nice tour.

Doing what: Illuminated Rome Night Tour with Aperitivo

The tour was long, but excellent! After a social Aperitivo, we walked quite a distance from the Spanish Steps through town to Piazza Navona, past the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon to the Rivers edge where we boarded a bus. The bus ride took us to St. Peters Square at night. Beautiful indeed! The next stop was atop the Janiculum Hill overlooking the City at night for a spectacular view! Final stop was the Colosseum at night. The Tour was nothing short of unbelievable! A must in Rome!

Doing what: Illuminated Rome Night Tour with Aperitivo

The Vatican museum tour was a wonderful way to get a glimpse of the great works they have especially if you have a limited amount of time, especially when you get to skip the line. Even with the early morning tour it was very crowded, noisy and generally chaotic. The tour group lead by Angela moved along at a good clip glazing over many of the roman sculptures, and lesser known frescos and works or art, making taking any pictures a bit rushed. It was a shame that the descriptions and notes on the Sistine Chapel had to be given outside and well in advance of seeing it, as to rules by the Vatican. Unfortunately we chose a Wednesday where the Pope gave a mass in St Peter’s Square, which meant that St Peter’s Basilica was not apart of the tour, so be weary of of Wednesdays with the tour.

Pros:
* Microphone / whisper system was very helpful in the noise of the crowds.
* Major/Famous works were very well explained
* We saw a lot in a little amount of time

Cons:
* Many of the works were missed / glazed over.
* No handouts, or museum map given.
* Too much time between explanation of the work of the Sistine Chapel and when we got to see it.
* No guided tour of the St Peter’s Basilica (Due to closure on Wednesday morning)

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's