We used Myvaticantours.com to pay entry fees in advance. The meeting point directions indicated the Café Vaticano and the steps were exact. We were a little early so we had coffee and Ice Cream at the Café Vaticano which is situated across the street from the Museum entrance. As I became more acquainted with my surroundings upon entering the museum, I think we could have purchased the entry much more cheaply than using the MyVaticanTour.com website which cost €64. Go to the Musei Vatacani website and research other means of entry. Even though the cost of entry did not include a tour guide, we found our way easily and enjoyed the art on display. There were 1,000’s of other tourists in the museum from all over the world. We could hear German, Chinese, Japanese, French and Spanish tour guides. We walked around the museum for 3 hours, which included an obligatory visit to the Sistene Chapel of course. Pictures were not permitted in the Sistene Chapel. As we marveled at the work of Micheangelo’s ceiling many other tourists indiscreetly took photos. Luis and I tried to photograph the center, most famous part of the ceiling in secret. I obtained 1 photo that is dark and fuzzy. It only proves I saw the place in person. Many of our other photographs of the museum are enjoyable. We exited the chapel to find that there were even more galleries to see. Maybe the €32 entry fee is not too high. I ponder the cost now and realize the expense is not outweighed by the experience of visiting such a historical sight. Several cities later in Italy, I made a comment to Luis that “with out the Christian art in Italy, would there be any art?” Most, if not all, of the art displayed through our tour of Italy was based on Christianity. Near the end of our 3-hour tour we were getting hungry. We looked at the food offerings of the Vatican cafeterias. I was not too impressed by the displays. We departed the museum down the famous spiral staircase, which at the time I did not know that Micheangelo had designed this famous exit of the Vatican Museum.

We have just got back from our very first trip to Italy. After spending 4 days in Florence, we finally arrived to Rome. Though we are not the people that hire a guide anywhere, we decided this time to contact a guide that my friend recommended to me, Katherine Sledzik. She was amazing, her knowledge of the history and the art was more than we could have hoped for. We were worried about doing this tour for just two people because it was pricey, but we came away with every pennies worth. I am a huge art buff and the stories she was able to tell us that go along with all the history was great. She thoroughly knew museums and all they had to offer. She even took extra time with us in the Vatican and let us cut our lunch short because we were so interested in all she had to tell us. She then went out of her way to walk us over to eat and even helped us order since we don't speak the language. That afternoon Katherine asked what things we wanted to see and made sure we saw all of them and also took us to see other important areas. It’s so hard to know what to pick and choose when you are only there for a couple of days as we were. Her knowledge of the Coliseum and forum was particularly impressive. One of our highlights was when she had the driver stop and the doorway of the monastery so we could look through the peephole at the view of the Capital. What a fun surprise! She is currently working with Roman Journeys Sincerely Christy H

i liked it because of all of the paintings that there were of famouse painters were and that there was some things that i didnt like the service was awful and the people there were very disrespect full

The art work inside is amazing but it takes forever to go through. There is basically one way in and one way out. Also plan to stand in line for a long time. My friend and I told her husband were only going to go in and see the Sistine Chapel and be back out...should have been back in about an hour...it took about 3. It was well worth it, don't get me wrong, but plan enough time to see it. You will probably also have a stiff neck because the art on the ceilings is amazing.

simply outstanding. Can get very busy every third Sunday of the month, because the entrance is free. In summer itr a nightmare, though, with all the tours wandering around. gotta go back!

My and my family had a tour on July 12, 2007. The tour was very memorable and it was the highlight of our trip, thanks to our guide Sarah. We avoid the lines completely, learned a lot from her and had a great time! She even stay with us an extra hour without any charge.The family is still talking about our trip to the Vatican and the wonderful day that we had with our guide.

I would recommend getting a tour guide so you can bypass the LONG lines. I can't remember the exact name of the company we used, but it was angel something and they advertise so it should be easy to find. I would highly recommend using them! Plus, you get a little history that you might not know about, so it is worth it. It was one of the places that I enjoyed the most while in Rome. There is so much to see, be sure to allow yourself plenty of time.

Yes the queue was long but the wait was so worth it! What an unbelievable collection in an amazing place. Totally museumed out by the time we had been round but fantastic.

I have waited for 25 years to go to the Vatican and left broken hearted! We waited for hours on a crowed street before we entered the Museum. Once inside we were heared though a line with closed off galliers to get to the Sistine Chapel. Then a bell rang and we enterd the crowed chapel. You could not move let along savor the paintings. Stay away in the summer months. The museum is expensive to be rushed through.

The Vatican is worth seeing. We got there in the am around 8am. We didn't mind the wait in line. A tour guide came up and offered us a tour for 45 euro. We said no its only 11 euro to get in and 6 euro to rent the audio. We took our time and enjoyed our paced. For some it probably would be worth the price to pay for the tour.