Vatican Guide

[columbusnj]

I am going to be in Rome for 4 days post cruise and we want to book a guided walking tour of the Vatican. After doing some research, I found Presto Tours and Tour in Rome Tours. Has anyone taken either of these tours? Does anyone have a recommendation.

[texancruzer]

We used Angel Tours. Did it private tho..... a bit pricey but worth every penny. We had a tour guide ALL DAY for just me and dh. We did the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peters in the morning and then lunch....a quick pizza. Then a taxi over to the Coliseum, Forum and Palatine Hill in the afternoon. One day I will never forget !

[sandinmyshoes]

We used a different company from the ones you mentioned and had a wonderful time. I would highly recommend paying the extra to get a private guide to take you through the Vatican and St. Peters. You will learn so much more and get the back stories of the different works of art along with facts and legends. We were amazed at how large and overwhelming the place is, but with our guide we got through it in a timely manner and knew what we were looking at. It was amazing! Good luck!

[omasbabies]

We went with Driver In Rome for our trip in 2007. We hired a driver through them for one day and saw everything! He dropped us off at the entrance to the sights and gave us a cell phone to call him when we where done. Then he would come pick us up. We saw more in one day with him than we could have seen in 3 or 4 on our own. The next day we booked a private Vatican tour also with Driver in Rome. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, took us exactly where we wanted and was able to answer all our questions. It is a little pricey, but I figure- I spent so much to get here, I want to maximize what I see and learn. I would highly recommend a private tour.

[English_in_Spain]

When booking tours make sure that it includes a "Guide" not just a driver.

 

Guides at places like the Vatican have to be licenced. Some of the tour companies supply you with a driver and you have to pay extra for the guide when you get there.

 

You can book vatican tickets in advance and book a guide at this website

http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking

 

It is a bit cheaper to join another group (max 20 people) if you don't want to pay for a private tour.

[tuscansun]

Thanks for the recommendations!

[EDHCruiser]

I was in Rome last October and used Armando Solipaca for two private tours, one all day hightlights tour and one half-day intensive Vatican tour. Our (group of six) private tours with Armando were one of the highlights of our 3 week adventure through Italy. He will customize the tour to meet your interests, pace, food requests, gelato stops etc.. I highly reccommend Armando! Here is his contact information:

 

http://www.italyprivatetours.it/home/Home.asp

[jlijny]

We just returned from our Celebrity Med cruise and used Romeinlimo for our tours in Florence/Pisa and for our tour in Rome. They are FABULOUS. They are reliable, knowledgeable, friendly, and affordable. I can't say enough, they were outstanding. For the Rome tour, we had a driver/guide AND a licensed guide for the day. Julia was great, and I probably had the single best day of the trip in Rome. We saw all the sights, and she accompanied us to everything (Coliseum, Vatican, etc. etc.) telling us about everything. Romeinlimo also secures all the necessary tickets prior to arrival, so we were able to walk right in. The tour was approx 9 hours, and I believe we saw everything we wanted that day.

[tuscansun]

Thank you for all the great suggestions! We have contacted all the companies listed above and it all looks wonderful! Viva Roma!