I had booked tickets for the Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel. Because I booked within a week of our visit, only guided tickets were available. I strongly recommend purchasing tickets in advanced, as the walk-in line was over 2 hours long in the sun!
The guided tour was worth it, but it’s 2 hours long, so only book it if you have the time. Also, note that the entrance to the museum is not the same as the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica. The museum entrance is on the right side (toward the Ottaviano Metro station).
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| The Gallery of Maps |
Make sure that everyone (including children) has identification that matches the online reservation. They accepted our U.S. driver’s licenses, but most people were showing passports. This isn’t required for security reasons, but to prevent scalpers from reselling “skip-the-line” tickets.
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| School of Athens by Raphael |
I had also booked tickets for the Papal Audience back in February via the Prefecture of the Papal Household. You book them online and wait for an email confirmation containing your reservation number and the number of tickets requested. We noticed tickets were still available even two days before, and we learned the next day that in most cases, you don’t even need to show the ticket to enter the Papal Audience, but better to be safe than sorry.
After the visit, we met with a priest friend who lived in Rome for five years and recommended a nearby restaurant Hosteria Ago e Lillo, which was pretty good. We then headed over to the Bronze Door to pick up our tickets for the Papal Audience on Wednesday. You can pick up the tickets from 3–7 p.m. It’s the same line for “online reservations,” but only one person per party can enter (at least during the Jubilee).
From there, we walked over to see Castel Sant’Angelo, which is a block away from the Basilica, toward the Tiber River.
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| Castel Sant' Angelo |
Then we took a bus to visit the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. This is a beautiful church that hosts the tomb of St. Paul. It also features a painting of all the past popes, now including Pope Francis.
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| Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls |
<< Day 7-8 (Rome & The Vatican) | Trip Itinerary | Day 10 (Papal Audience) >>
