Classic Rome Tours

Tour details

• Duration: 8 hours
• €640 for an 8 hour private guided tour, tickets additional
• €960 for an 8 hour private guided tour with private sedan and driver, tickets additional (3 guests max)
• €1,040 for an 8 hour private guided tour with minivan and driver, tickets additional (6-7 guests)
• Suggested start time: 9:00am
• Tickets: These will depend on where you decide to go!

Transportation

We can do this tour on foot, taking a taxi here and there or save yourself a lot of walking with the addition of a car service. A Mercedes sedan is an additional €40 per hour and a Mercedes minivan minivan is an additional €50 per hour. We can also do one half of the tour walking and the panoramic half by car, just let us know!

Cruise Passengers

Cruise passengers: If you are coming into Rome for the day we can arrange pick up at the cruise port in Civitavecchia and a car service that will stay with you throughout the duration of the tour. A Mercedes sedan is an additional €500 for the day and a Mercedes minivan is an additional €600. 

Just want a transfer into town from the cruise port? A sedan transfer is €170 and a minivan transfer is €250.

Tour Description

With a whole day to explore the city this tour can be entirely customized to you whether you plan to come into Rome for a day trip from another city or cruise port, or are staying in the city. Skip the lines at the Colosseum and the Vatican to explore Rome’s two historic powers: the Ancient Roman Empire and the Papacy. Or avoid the crowds and take a tour of Rome’s hidden gems in the city center, explore the back streets of neighborhoods like Trastevere and the Jewish Ghetto, go underground at the catacombs or take in smaller art galleries like the Galleria Borghese for a unique experience of the eternal city. There is so much to see and do in Rome that we simply can’t write a a one size fits all tour, so let us know what sites are on your must-see list and we’ll make suggestions for how to enjoy the best of Rome in a day.

Tour Details

• Duration: 4 hours
• €320 for a 4 hour tour, tickets additional
• Tickets: Entry tickets to the Colosseum/Forum are €30 per adult and free for children under 18.

Tour description

Skip the line at the Colosseum and discover the arena where men and animals fought for their lives to the cheers of the crowd. Then walk through the idyllic ruins of the imperial palaces on the Palatine Hill to enjoy breathtaking views of the Circus Maximus before heading down into the Forum as you compare life in the modern era to the richest and poorest of ancient Rome. 

Tour Details

• Arena access is mostly available in the afternoon as very few tickets are released in the morning for private groups.
• Duration: 4 hours
• €320 for a 4 hour tour, tickets additional
• Tickets: Entry tickets to the Colosseum/Forum with special access to arena floor are €35 per adult and €5 for children under 18.

Tour Description

This tour is the same as the Classic Ancient Rome tour listed above but you have the opportunity to gain access the Colosseum arena floor (pictured).

Colosseum Arena Floor Access: Stand exactly where the gladiators themselves stood, looking up at the enormity of the Colosseum and get a privileged view down into the lower level of the Colosseum that served as the back stage.

Note on Colosseum Underground tickets: this is not something we can offer at this time.

Tour details

• Duration: 4 hours
• €320 for a 4 hour tour, tickets additional
• Suggested start time: 9am or 2pm
• Tickets: Entry tickets are €35 per adult, €20 per child under 18 with ID and free for children under 5 years old.
• Not available Sundays (museum closed)

Customisation options

Want to spend less time in the museums? Talk to Lauren on booking about what else you can combine with this tour. One idea could be the Castel Sant’Angelo which can be more fun for kids!

Note: The Sistine Chapel cannot be visited without going through the rest of the museums. St. Peter’s can be visited on its own without the museum (for free) but it will not be possible to skip the line.

Tour description

Skip the line at one of Rome’s most popular destinations and uncover the secrets of the papal collection. You’ll see rediscovered ancient Roman statues from Laocoon to the Belvedere Torso that inspired artists from the Renaissance to Rodin. You’ll pass through the tapestry room, the map gallery and see the frescoes in the Raphael Rooms before hearing the stories of the notorious Borgia Pope as you explore his Renaissance chambers and end with Michelangelo’s Sistine ceiling. Along the way your guide will help you unlock the hidden meanings behind timeless pieces of art before you visit the ultimate monument to the Catholic imagination: St. Peter’s Basilica.

It is possible to include a climb to the top of the dome of St. Peter’s (this will require an additional 30 minutes to the tour and the ticket is €10 per person payable directly at St. Peter’s).

Tour details

• Duration: 4 hours
• Meeting time: 7:20am
• €320 for a 4 hour tour, tickets additional
• Tickets: Entry tickets are €60 per adult, €35 per child under 18 with ID and free for children 5 years old or under.
• If booked Wednesday morning, it is not possible to include St. Peter’s Basilica (closed for the Papal Audience)
• Not available Sundays (museum closed)

Tour description

Start your tour of the Vatican by entering the museums one hour before general access. This tour has a meeting time of 7:20am. This is mostly the same tour as the general access but you have less time in the museum in order to get to the Sistine before general access. If you want to spend a lot of time in the museums (and seeing the Raphael rooms) I recommend the general access tour.

Note on the Vatican Breakfast option: Many guests find this option online or on the Vatican website. This isn’t something we usually recommend as you get into the Vatican early but then are required to remain in the breakfast area for a set period of time, reducing your early access admission to the museums themselves to just 30 minutes before general access – not a great deal in our opinion! You also are required to pay an entry ticket for your guide that is otherwise free for all other Vatican access tours. The breakfast is American style breakfast with bacon, eggs, pancakes, a typical hotel quality American breakfast.

Tour details

• Available Fridays and Saturdays April 14-October 28
• €240 for a 3 hour tour, tickets additional
• Last entry 8:30pm
• Tickets: Entry tickets are €35 per adult, €20 per child under 18 with ID and free for children under 5 years old.

Tour description

Visit the Vatican in the evening when the crowds and the heat of the day have diminished! This is a beautiful way to visit the Vatican and one we highly recommend in the summer months.

Note: St. Peter’s Basilica is not open at night. If you’d like to include it, let us know and we could start the tour with the Basilica around 5pm and end with the museums. (In this case the tour would be 4 hours).

Tour details

• Available mornings or afternoons
• €320 for a 4 hour tour
• €10 entry tickets to Castel Sant’Angelo
• Optional €10 tickets to climb the dome of St. Peter’s (regular access to the basilica is free)

Tour description

You don’t have to battle the crowds of the museums in order to visit Vatican City. Especially with very young kids in the group, we’d recommend a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica instead. You can even climb the dome and have a coffee at the top of the Basilica overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Then, following below the secret escape tunnel of the pope you’ll make your way to Castel Sant’Angelo. Part ancient Roman mausoleum, papal fortress, and luxury villa Castel Sant’Angelo has it all: views, frescoes, cannons and military armaments and some even say the ghost of Emperor Hadrian. Enjoy a coffee or a spritz on top of the castle with a view back at St. Peter’s Basilica for a well rounded tour of the Vatican that is off the beaten track.