The Vatican without the queue: when to go, and through which door

The queue for the Vatican Museums at the height of the day stands for two or three hours in the sun. And almost everyone in it could have walked in calmly: they simply came on the wrong day and at the wrong hour. Here is how to get past that queue and win back half a day.

1. A timed ticket only

The main mistake is to join the 'live' queue at the desks. Take a ticket for the Vatican Museums ahead, online, for a set time. With a timed ticket you enter by a separate door for bookings, with almost no wait. The morning slots go first, so buy a couple of weeks ahead.

2. When the Vatican is empty, and when it is hell

• The best time is the very first slot, at opening, around 8:00. For the first hour the halls breathe, and you see the Sistine Chapel almost in silence.
• The second option is late in the day, a couple of hours before closing: the wave has already passed.
• Avoid Monday: many of Rome's museums are closed, and the crowd flows here.
• The last Sunday of the month is free entry, and that is a trap: the queue runs for hours.
• On Wednesday morning the papal audience is on the square, and the basilica is out of reach. Plan the museums.

The rule is simple: the first hour after opening is worth three hours at midday.

3. The door through which the guides reach the basilica

One move repays the whole article. At the end of the Sistine Chapel, on the right, there is a passage for tour groups: it leads by a short cut to St Peter's Basilica, bypassing the main queue for the basilica entrance. Go with a guide, or carefully in a group's wake — you save another great queue and a whole hour.

4. The dress code people trip on

The Vatican is a working holy place. Shoulders and knees must be covered, for everyone. Take a light scarf or a T-shirt: a second that saves the whole visit.

St Peter's Basilica on its own

Entry to the basilica is free, but it has its own security right on the square. If you are going without the museums, come at opening or towards evening. The climb to the dome is a separate ticket; take it in the morning, while your legs are fresh.

A morning at the Vatican is easily built into a whole day: the 'Rome in one day' route. And if you are choosing where to stay nearby, look at the quarters of Rome: the Prati district is a step from the entrance.

Next, open the City Map of Rome and mark the points from the article. In Prime I open my own places near the Vatican, where I take guests after the museums.