Vatican Museum - Rome - Things To Do Reviews

WorldEuropeItalyLazioRome
Vatican Museum Photos

Vatican Museum

based on 3 reviews

Contact & Location Details [edit]

Vatican Museum Travel Reviews

Vatican Museum Mar 01, 2008
I agree to go in the afternoon; there was hardly a line when I went. This museum is well worth its entrance fee. There is so much to see.
I would recommend spending some time in the exhibits before the Sistine chapel. I saw many people walking through the exhibits without looking at the pieces just following the signs to the chapel, but all of the pieces are beautiful. Once you are in the Sistine chapel you probably wont get a chance to go back to some of the other exhibits because there is a general flow in the opposite direction, and the museum is somewhat maze-like.
The Egyptian collection was great as well as the courtyard, which houses Laocoon and his sons (as Eric mentioned.)
The audio guide was also a great help. It’s only 4 Euro per person and it highlights some of the more important pieces to explain.
The halls and rooms that hold the pieces are great. Most have decorated ceilings or frescoed walls. The museum does a great job of matching the designs with the items. While other exhibitions I saw in the Castel Sant Angelo clashed between the Roman fourth style wall paintings and modern art, the Vatican combined them so that you don’t lose focus. The Hall of miscellaneous sculpture did this particularly well.
If you go with a tour group make sure the tour in the museums is more than an hour! We decided against the tour group when we learned this, there is too much and it is well worth it to spend double or triple the time.
cat mummy in Egyptian exhibit
Jun 20, 2007
I agree with Eric, the Museum is incredible. I just have two tips from my visit there:

1. Go in the afternoon if at all possible. The lines will be long no matter what, but in the afternoon they are FAR shorter than first thing in the morning with all the toursists who want to check it off thier lists.

2. The sheer number of people can be overwhleming in the Sistine chapel, and Eric's right about the 'silencio' guy (or the British woman who tells English-speakers to kindly be quiet and not take photos). I'm a painter so I knew I had to really spend some time with the ceiling. I just found a piece of bench, tried to block out everything around me and looked up for a good 20 minutes. Chances are this might be the only time you'll see it in real life, and unlike some other famous works of art, it really does live up to its hype, so it's worth spending time with.
Michelangelo.
What not to wear in the Vatican ...
Jan 29, 2006
In short, this is one of the most amazing collections of art in the world. Even with all of the other amazing attractions in Rome, this should be at the top of your list for things to see. Instead of trying to hopelessly summarize the entire museum, I'm just going to focus on my favorite part: the inner courtyard.

This small courtyard contains many ancient statues of staggering quality. Each work is situated in a small, outdoor alcove and there is a real sense of discovery and wonder as you walk around the courtyard, wondering what great work the next niche holds. My favorite statue here is Laocoon and his Sons. During the Trojan war, Laocoon was a priest of Troy who warned its inhabitants about accepting the now infamous Trojan Horse. After his warning, two giant snakes sent by the gods (probably Athena) emerge from the sea and basically strangle Laocoon and his sons. The story is grisly, but the statue is spectacular!

The discovery of these ancient statues also played an important role the flowering of the Renaissance. Laocoon, carved by three brothers in Greece over two-thousand years ago, was hailed by the Greeks as the most beautiful statue of its time. When it was unearthed 1500 years later in Italy, the artists of the Renaissance were motivated to create even more beautiful works of art, and in a sense were competing with antiquity. Also, since ancient Greek sculptures were all the rage during the time, many artists (including the great Michelangelo) tried to create works and pass them off as ancient Greek originals.

This is just one small, small part of the museum and I haven't even mentioned the Raphael rooms, Michelangelo's Last Judgement, or the Sistine Chapel. It's all worth it (although the guy shouting "silencio" every 3 seconds in the Sistine Chapel can get kind of annoying...). Bottom line: go here.

Laocoon, sons, and serpents.
Apollo Belvedere.
The courtyard.
Eric says:
Ohh, I've never been to the Peggy Guggenheim in Venice...Never heard of it, actually! I'll have to check it out next time I am in Italy.
Posted on: Jun 20, 2007
ivanatravel says:
This museum and the Louvre are my favourites..oh and the Peggy Guggenheim in the middle of Venice, Italy is incredible =)
Posted on: Jun 20, 2007
You need to be logged in to leave comments and smiles. Becoming a member is free and easy - Join the TravBuddy Community!

More Things To Do in Rome

Silvia87 says: You have many many things to see in Rome.First..you have to go to Vatican city,where you can visit S.Peter church,Bernini's colonnade(barocco style)egyptian obeliscus of 1 century(situated in the middle of the square).Near the obeliscus there is the point called"eclipse fire"from that the colonnade ...
travelman727 says: VIA VENETO In my opinion, Via Veneto (also known as Via Vittorio Veneto) is one of the most fascinating and romantic urban streets in the world! Via Veneto became immortalized in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life). In the 1960 film, Marcello Mastroianni plays a playboy new...
showbiz101 says: Firstly, the vatican is amazing. So make sure you go. Secondly, the line for the museum will quite possibly be the longest queue of people you have ever seen in your entire life (it certainly was for me). So get there early, early, early!! Seriously! It is well worth going to the top of St. Pe...
» See all 69 reviews of things to do in Rome

Map Location [help geo-locate]

Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links

Travel Blogs From Rome

Crazy day trip to Rome!

Two J Club members meet in Italy!   J4 and J5 maybe????????? The idea for this trip was conceived a few months ago while chatting with Jennifer(Je...

Look who I picked up! =)

oh myyyyy what a DAY!Ale's sister Vanessa and her boyfriend came in very late last night, so I was up until about 2am. Didn't help that I was chatting wi...

The exchange rate is suicidal and Asia is so beautiful!!

Oh my freaking Lord...I spent 75 Euros to taxi it from the airport to Ale's house. That would be $150 freaking dollars. FOR A TAXI RIDE. Oh my Lord shoot m...

PhotoShopped

Have you ever seen a picture you wished was just a little different?  I saw one today and had to do something with it. Travelgirl updated a blog from 2...

This is why libertarians can't survive in Europe

So today sucks. I am bored out of my mind and I can't wait for Jeremy to arrive tomorrow. It's been cold and rainy today and the baby has been crying nonstop...

» See all 522 Rome travel blogs