“I felt like cattle in the Vatican. I don't think I even moved my foot while I was there. I was just floating in a huge mass of people. And the pace was too fast, so I didn't have time to appreciate everything I was looking at. This outraged me,” was the review left by a foreign traveler who visited the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, one of the main tourist attractions in Europe, the Express newspaper noted.
A whopping six million tourists visit the Vatican's Sistine Chapel every year, which is about 30,000 people a day. About 2,000 tourists can be accommodated at the same time. Travelers began to express their outrage en masse on social networks. They criticized overcrowding, loud noise and fast pace near the historic landmark. “There were so many people there. I wanted to stay in the Sistine Chapel and admire the paintings on the ceiling, but they pushed me forward and it was noisy. Viewing the relics and paintings was completely ruined,” complained another.
“Stay away. There were too many people in the room and there was no way out. When you get to the chapel, it’s very crowded,” the traveler added on Tripadvisor. However, among tourists there were also those who consider visiting the Sistine Chapel an amazing and magnificent experience that is worth experiencing, despite the critical number of tourists.
Due to its incredible popularity, tourists began to look for ways to avoid the crowds when visiting for this attraction:
- Arrive very early.
- Visit the Sistine Chapel during less popular seasons.
- Book tickets in advance, as those arriving without pre-purchased tickets may face long queues, first to purchase them, and then to view the historical building.
Information: The Sistine Chapel is a historical building in the Vatican, part of the Apostolic Chambers. It is one of the most famous and visited places in the world thanks to its stunning frescoes by Michelangelo, including the famous “Creation of Adam” on the ceiling. The Sistine Chapel is also used for ceremonies and conclaves for choosing a new pope.
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