Can someone suggest a good website to look for a tour of the Vatican. I am reading that we want to plan ahead so that we won't be standing in lines all day long. We are not Catholic, so one of the shorter tours, about 3 hours, would be sufficient. Thanks for any suggestions.

I was in Rome a month ago and booked four tours with Dark Rome Tours (each about 4 hours, 2 per day), all went perfectly well, the tour guides were well-versed in the subject and enthusiastic. Bad thing for me was that The Vatican closed the Sistine Chapel without warning (tour companies have no control over it) the day before my tour of the Vatican, and when I landed in Rome, I had a text and email telling me about it and offering refunds and options.

Through Eternity offers great small group walking tours. They have a 3.5 hour Vatican Tour.

You can also book guided tours directly with the the Vatican Museum on their website. We did the Vatican Museums and Saint Peter's Basilica tour. Walked right past the museum lines; easy to redeem our voucher and find the tour starting point; a private guide and small group may have been better but our guide was fine; I also believe we bypassed the line into the Basilica by being on the tour; and 3 hours was plenty of time for me.

There is also the Scavi tour under the Vatican. You can book this through the Vatican's office, but each tour is only 12 persons, so it books up very fast and far into the future. I tried to book in October 2012 for late November 2012 and they were already full. People on TripAdvisor think it's a great tour. Here's the website:

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/in...090216_en.html

I sent them an email with several dates in mind, and they replied within 24 hours.

I took the Scavi tour earlier this month. As has been mentioned you must book early. I thought the tour was good and definitely a great value. �13 per person with an English speaking guide who is very knowledgable. After the tour, you are let out in to St. Peters Basillica giving you access without having to wait in line. I would recommend it to anyone planning on visiting the Vatican.

Thanks for all the help!!!

I've got an upcoming trip to Rome next weekend booked long ago. Will the Vatican be open to tourists as usual now between popes? What if a new pope is elected next week before we arrive or when we are there?

The Vatican museums are currently open and operating on their regular schedule. The Vatican gardens are closed.

The conclave (= voting for the new pope) takes place in the Sistine Chapel, so it is closed and will remain so until a few days after a new pope is elected. Some adjacent rooms may also be closed for security/privacy reasons.

St. Peters Basilica, as a church, will be open and operating as normal.

W/Holy Week/Easter activities, the crowds in/around St. Peters are always quite large during this time of year. Once the conclave officially begins, the crowds in piazza will get pretty large - and the longer the time passes until a new pope is named, the larger they will get, as people await the smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney (black = no decision, white = new pope).

When the new pope is named, the ceremonies associated with his announcement will attract *huge* crowds - and the church/museums will be closed on the actual day of coronation (and probably a day or two before).

everyone goes to flr to go to the uffizi. noone mentions the vatican museum. it is one of the greatest museums in the world. right up there with the uffizi and the hermitage. if you know anyone at the old home town museum, they can probably get you into the back rooms of the vatican museum.

http://www.viator.com/Rome/d511-ttd#ss_a=115

This is an awesome tour. We got to do the Sistine Chapel with only 12 people in the room. Well worth every penny.