I went there on 26th May, which was the last Sunday of the month, therefore, it's free entrance! The museum open at 9am, close at 12:30noon. I arrived there at 7:30am, queued for more than 1 hour to get in, during that time many people (from somewhere) always tried to queue in front of you. When i had a chance to go in, the first thing I did was sitting on the bench! (So tired) After 15mins, then I started my walk inside the museum. It was too crowded, so there's no space for you to stand or rest. All I could do was just to follow the crowd and moved forward. The staff around kept telling us "move forward faster~~~". I was so tired but no place to sit down, and I wanted to leave the museum. Unfortunately there's no other way to exit, I HAD TO follow the crowd and see all the items (from room to room) from the beginning to the end!! While I was moving, all I thought was "where is the exit??" "I wana get out of here!!" It was really a terrible experience.

We booked our vatican tour through the office of guided tours of the vatican which cost us E23.50 each. We didn't mind the price because we didn't have to fall in line which was very, very, very long. Actually, it's one of the cheapest museums we'd ever been to and the collection inside are quite impressive. The guide was knowledgeable pointing out important details but she was too knowledgeable that our group was among the last to finish the tour - a lot of tour groups overtook us. You could say she tried to give us value for our money but since we were touring with a 9 and 2 yo who wanted to move more freely, we couldn't wait for her to finish. When she did finish it was almost closing time so we didn't get to go around by ourselves. It was still a good experience for me and my husband but it wasn't as pleasant for our children.

We were just in Rome February 2007. Awake early and arrive at the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum befor 9AM. It opens at 9 am. We stood in line 10 minutes on a Wednesday. We went through the rooms in about 1 1/2 hours with an audio guide. We spent about 30 minutes in the Sistine Chapel and exited the museum. Some friend of ours had arrived at 10AM. The line is now 1hour 45 minutes. They still had another 30 minutes left in line. The line stretched all the way down to the split that goes up to Vatican City and St. Petere's Basillica. Arriving early also allows you to see the exhibits with less of a crowd. The rooms in the museum are small. And there are a large number of school groups. I can only imagine what it's like in the summer.
We then went to the Basillica. I recommend to see the top of the Dome first, if your up to it. Pay the extra and ride the elevator up 200 steps. Then you walk up 320 steps. The last part is in a tight spiral, and you have to use a rope to assist your ascent. When you walk out on the ledge inside the dome and look down, 25 stories. Wow! The ceiling is made up of mosaic tiles. The views are fantastic from the top. You then walk back down 320 steps to the elevator. After the ride back down you are let out inside the Basillica. Spend time taking it all in. After that then visit the pope's burial chambers below. Quite facinating.

We used Presto Reservations and our Vatican tour guide's name was Michael, he was great. There was never a dull moment, and my kids' eyes were stuck on him the whole time. they even smiled the whole time! He was really educated, informative, entertaining and considerate. I recommend Presto Tours to anybody. They have tiny groups