Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t your average ‘when in Rome’-title that absolutely tells NOTHING about the city itself, or just states the obvious. No, it’s merely the name of the Tour Operator that gave us an unforgettable tour in the Vatican Museum. And believe me, with more than 1,200 rooms filled with art and antiquities, you need someone to guide you!

DSC_2281.JPG

When you visit the Vatican, it is almost impossible to chose between tour operators to book yourself a tour in the Vatican Museum. They all offer the best, the cheapest, the fastest, .. tour available, but in the end, you get the feeling you’ve haven’t got what you wanted for your money. And you get stuck in a very .. VERY long line ..

DSC_2277.JPG

We decided only to book a tour when it had the best rating all over the internet. The Vatican is quite expensive to visit so we’d wanted to make it worthwhile. After doing a lot of research, we decided to book our ‘Vatican Highlights’-tour at ‘When In Rome’, as it got hundreds of positive reviews all over the globe. And oh, they let you dress up as a gladiator!

DSC_2273.JPG

We booked the earliest tour possible – 9 o’clock – as it was advertised as the ‘calmest’ one available. The Vatican Museum can get VERY crowdy, so if it was possible to avoid the big crowd, we happily did so. Our guide of the day was Luigi, a very enthusiastic local, who knew the museum as well as his back pocket. Look at him go!

DSC_2280.JPG

I did not take any pictures inside of the museum, except for the Laocöon-group – my favorite piece of ‘ancient’ art – and the beautiful gilded ceiling in the museum. It was ether too crowded, or bad lighting. And frankly, I didn’t have much time to take some shots, as we were running from one masterpiece to another. Luigi exactly knew where to go, and when to go!

We also visited the Sistine Chapel, but weren’t allowed to take any pictures. I did manage to take this cool shot of the papal stairway to the chapel. Only the pope and his entourage use this passageway! Pretty cool!

DSC_2288.JPG

After our 3,5h tour, we decided to enter the Saint Peters Basilica, also included in the price of this tour. Luigi showed us every well kept secret of this magnificent building, and kept us interested ’till the last minute of the tour! Thanks again Luigi!

More about our ‘When in Rome’ tour in the Vatican Museum:

  • Price & Reservation: We paid 49 euros for a guided tour, booked here !
  • Dress Code: St. Peter’s has a strict dress code: no shorts, no skirts above the knee, and no bare shoulders. And they are NOT kidding!
  • Other: They no longer allow you to take large bags or purses into the basilica and museum, so keep this in mind.