5 Days in Rome (first timers) Best tours?

Train to Pompeii

Are you planning to do a day trip from Rome?

This site has probably dozens of "How do I do Pompeii as a day trip from Rome?" postings.

Generally it is seen as a long hard day, but not impossible, and most suggest staying at least over night.

An often suggested alternative, is to visit Ostia Antica to satisfy the desire to see an "ancient Roman city" that has been preserved by natural forces and resurrected through archeological excavation

Personal tour

Tami, can you clarify what this means to you? There are any number of very good small-group tours conducted by human guides but they would include other participants. Are these acceptable to you?

Train to Pompeii

If you are to try to do a day trip to Pompeii from Rome, getting there by train is absolutely the way to go, IMHO. Almost all the escorted tours from Rome get there via coach (bus), which takes longer. So are you willing to get to Pompeii or Naples by train yourselves and meet a (recommended) guide there?

I highly recommend Walks of Italy. We have used them several times. They limit the group sizes, usually to 12. The tour guides are top notch and very helpful.

We had other tours on or Viking River Cruise on the Rhine that were awful - 25-40 in the group and poorly informed and bored guides. It helped us appreciate how good a job Walks of Italy does.

Unlike Kathy, I think for a first time visit, a bus trip to Pompeii is the best way to go. I have done Pompeii as a day trip from Rome twice-once on a very long bus tour that included the spectacular Amalfi Coast, and one as a bus but no tour trip with Enjoy Rome. I would recommend either one, but a teen may not be willing to sit on a bus as long as it would take to take the Amalfi Coast version.

I just did the Underground tour of the Colosseum with "The Roman Guy" tours also known as "The Tour Guy" and it was fantastic. There were 16 total people in the group, and it was about 4hrs long which included the Forum and Palatine hill. Highly recommend.

To Cala's point, there's no wrong answer as long as it works for you. :O)

But to elaborate on my reasoning to get there independently via train is that many tours only spend 2 hours at the VAST excavation that Pompeii is. If you are nailed to the tour-bus schedule, you have to leave when the bus does. If you meet a guide there, you can continue to explore, take photos, etc. after the escorted part of your tour is over.

Yes, many of the bus tours go on for a couple of hours along the Amalfi Coast with a brief stop at one of the towns. It takes abt. 3 hours by road to the scavi, 2 hours there, additional road time for the Amalfi drive, and then a long drive back to Rome. They are generally 12-13 hours total in length with over half of that time spent sitting on the bus. You can shave some of that transport time off if going by train, although you do change trains in Naples. There are also escorted tours that depart from Naples so there's that option too.

However you choose to do it, it's going to eat time, and weather could be a roll of the dice; what time of the year are you planning this trip for? For multiple reasons, consider taking the advice above to do Ostia Antica instead, and save Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast for a future trip when you can give that region the time it deserves. Ostia is much closer to Rome so can be done in just half a day or so by very inexpensive transport, with a fraction of the sitting time Pompeii requires.

We used https://www.througheternity.com/# for the Vatican and Colosseum/Forum. They also do Pompeii. Through Eternity is by far the best tour group I've found anywhere in Europe so far.

www.walksofitaly.com

Their Pristine Sistine tour is worth every penny.
Also did the Colosseum/Forum and it was fantastic

Walks is running a 10% off sale now

You might enjoy a food tour- always tons of fun
www.eatingeurope.com
25% off thru today

If you're at all interested in a food tour, I would recommend Eating Europe. We did their Testacchio tour and really enjoyed it, but the Trastavere one gets great reviews as well.

I liked Eating Italy's Trastevre tour. I highly, highly and highly recommend RS local guide Francesca Caruso.

I've been to both Pompeii and Ostia. Both excellent. We did Pompeii in route from Rome to Sorrento. My own personal preference is that unless there is an extenuating circumstance, we do not do day trips with total transportation times exceeding about 1.5 hours. So that's our own bias. With five days and a first trip to Rome, I wouldn't take the time to go to Pompeii. There is so much to do in Rome. I would do the Ostia tour. It's closer, the transportation is easier and MUCH cheaper. Admission tickets are much cheaper. Ostia has grass and it's cooler. The scale is perfect and could be preferable for a teen and young adult. We spent about 3/4 of a day, but many will find that a half day would do it. You could do Ostia and still have time that day in Rome to see the Pantheon or some churches. Ostia has a nice little air conditioned museum, too.

We did Ostia as part of our Rome RS tour. I recall the RS guide commenting on Ostia being the preferable sight for the tour because of all the factors I mentioned. He also felt that the "quality" of the site in terms of importance/history and what is available to see is equivalent to Pompeii.

In 2019 we took a day trip (by coach bus) to Pompeii with City Wonders. It also included a stop at Vesuvius itself, and we had the opportunity to hike up to the crater (which we did). I believe we spent a couple of hours at Pompeii itself, and the large group was split into groups of about 20-25 for a tour with a specialized guide. I’m sure that there were parts of Pompeii that we didn’t see, but for us, it was enough to see the high points with the commentary of the guide.
We had considered a DYI trip by train, but after comparing the cost of train tickets/admission fees/guides etc, found that it was actually pretty reasonable financially to take the bus tour. It was the end of our trip and we were content to go with the flow of a tour. It was a LONG day though, probably about 3 hrs on the bus from Rome each way, but again, we were OK with that. I think it just depends on what you’re looking for.

If you choose to visit Pompeii by train, Gaetano Manfredi would be a fabulous guide once you get there. He was the local guide for Pompeii during our RS Southern Italy tour. I believe his energy and delivery would be especially suited to the teens and young adults. If you plug his name into the search frame at the top of the page there are reviews for him.

We did Through Eternity tours for Rome and had wonderful guides. The best one was for the Domus Aurea (only open on weekends) which is basically across the street from the Colosseum. He couldn’t guide inside (sadly), because that must be done by someone associated to the archeological team. However, his back story about what we would be seeing and the “players” stick with me still.

We had a great experience with See Amalfi Coast. It was a full day, took the Train from Rome to Naples where we met our private driver who took us to Sorrento, then a fab lunch above Positano, then to Pompeii where we had a private guide for a few hours. Driver took us back to Naples station for return to Rome. Back in time for late dinner! Not cheap but less than spending the night.

Also, did Walks of Italy tour of the Vatican…Pristine Sistine. Very good as well. Set your clocks early.

hey hey tami
when are you taking this trip? it's a lot to think about plus seeing "the blockbusters" you want. when it says "skip the line" does not mean you skip security lines, if it's long you wait. always carry small denominations of euros, 2 debit cards from different accounts (one for you one for husband) just in case
take the train rome to pompeii and hire a guide at gate: pompeii-tickets.com
"pompeii guided tour with skip the line"
this is a two hour guided tour, see some main things, may be "ruin" overload for your kids. take a bag with water and snacks. after tour cafe/restaurant outside of ruins. stop in naples for lunch (this is pizza country) or back to rome for lunch/dinner.
many bus tours from rome, your are at the mercy of the driver. may not do what you want and 11-13 hours is a long day.
withlocals.com/rome under day trips also look under florence
"private tour of rome's historic coastline" family friendly adventure your kids would love, out of hustle/bustle, bring a swimsuit, enjoy lunch at seaview restaurant and bike ride.
cookly.me search rome
many ccoking classes, tours of markets, eating in residents home, catacombs tours. don't know how picky your kids are.
marketsofrome.com
email them mercatidiroma@gmail.com for a tour and tastings of the market
saw a special of testaccio market, very interesting. walk thru campo de fiori, a fun piazza with lots of everything. "free entertainment" bring your small coin euros for tips, walk down street with so many bakeries, butchers to drop inside and look.
streaty.com/florence
tasteatlas.com/pasticceria cucciolo
eat the doughnut of florence, bombolini. via del curso 25R 50122 florence
while walking around florence near carousel we found 2 guys with pedicabs and they took us 3 on tour of florence highlights, our feet had enough. mine was opera student and sang while going thru the alleys and main places, even took us to "wine windows"
sit down at a cafe, have a glass of wine, we ordered meat /cheese platter and people watched. it was a fun evening.
hope you guys have a great time, don't stress, if plan A don't amount to much go to plan B. don't have to be timed on everything, relax
when buying tickets to train make sure you validate at machine outside gate, so you don't get fined.
this subject has yes and no answers, i bought 200 euros here at home, small bills, just to have. most airports have gone to "travelex" machines/ATM's that charge fees, every other person will rush to machine to get cash, i've been when only one machine/ATM working, other out of order, long lines, ATM in another terminal. it's worth the few bucks, less misery and stress, to find a taxicab or train and will pick up rest at one in town. it's your decision.
aloha

Earlier this month I did several tours with The Tour Guy (used to be 'The Roman Guy' and they still use this name, too), and I was pleased with all of them. (Capuchin Crypts, Vatican, Pompeii & Sorrento, and St. Marks/Gondola (in Venice)).

Edited to add:

We normally aren't ones to do tours, but we had enough credits with this company from our May 2020 cancellations to add on two tours (the Crypts and the Venice tour).

There were 2 other people on our CC tour and our Venice tour. There were 3 other people on our Pompeii tour. There were ~8 other people on our Vatican tour. (I imagine groups could be bigger during high season.)

When we were in Rome, based upon glowing reviews, I booked a Pristine Sistine tour. It was around $100/person but the thought of a more private, early view of the Chapel was enticing.

I will be the voice of dissent. Despite having a highly-rated guide, we absolutely did not like this overpriced, overblown tour. They lure you in with a promise of a small tour with 10 or so people. What they don't tell you is that they've got 15 tours running at the same time. Once our groups were formed, we stood in the same line as everybody else to get in. When we finally got to the Sistine Chapel, there was nothing pristine about it. The crowds were shoulder-to-shoulder. The different tour groups jostled for position. The hallways were a madhouse. It's so loud and crowded, you can't even ask a question. The guide called us "my friends" so many times, I thought I would scream.

However, it was an important learning experience. We learned we're not very good at being tour people. Next time we go back to the Vatican, we'll do it ourselves with an audio guide that we can turn off. If we want to spend 15 minutes transfixed by some piece of art, then, we will. The guides won't like it; they are very proprietary about their domain.

For Ostia Antica, we took the train out there one Sunday morning and wandered around by ourselves. The train itself was fun. The place was nearly empty and it was magical. We didn't learn every fact about the town but it was inexpensive and wonderful.

You may think about your kids and their level of tolerance for being shepherded around for hours. My kids wouldn't have made it. Maybe you can hire a personal guide for the four of you. It might be more intimate and less expensive. Perhaps you can research what things you really want to see and focus on those. Know yourself and your family. Do it your way. If I never have to follow somebody with a flag or umbrella again, I'll be a happy woman but that's me.

Another vote. We took a Secret Food Tour of Paris when our daughter was in college and she said it was one of her favorite things that we did. My husband and I also enjoyed a food tour of Florence-I think it was Walks of Italy.

There is and always has been more than one tour company offering early entry tours
It sounds like the above poster may have had a skewed impression of what that particular tour was offering
I don’t believe any of the tour companies imply that “your group” will be the only one in the chapel
Also sounds like maybe they got a late start
Everybody must go thru security

We found the pristine Sistine to be worth it- did not expect to be the only group in there ( and we were not-but it was in no way shoulder to shoulder- it was shoulder to shoulder in chapel as we walked thru later to the secret door to Basilica )

The Vatican museums are always jam packed crowded I don’t think there is ever a way to avoid that mob scene
Glad we’ve been there but have no desire to return, it was seriously frightening!

We were at the Vatican museum, Sistine Chapel and the basilica as a part of a RS Rome tour. It was very crowded. We were happy we had a guide to shepherd us thru and see some of the highlights. None of the many tour groups were allowed to talk in the Sistine chapel. Pretty much the whole time in the chapel, the guards were shushing and admonishing people for taking photos (rightly so, can people not follow directions?) over the loud speaker. There is a "secret" door to the basilica used by many.

Our guide tried to provide an introduction and highlights prior to going into the Vatican museum and the Sistine. The basilica was much less crowded and the guide was better able to walk us around and provide information.

I think if you take a tour of the Vatican or any popular venue in Rome, there is someone handling the logistics of getting the tickets and thru security, and that's nice. The guide usually provides more information than one can get independently and shepards people thru the crowds to the highlights. But, for the most part, a tour is not going to provide private access to a venue.

I have heard there is an evening tour of the Vatican with cocktails that seems to have fewer people, and people seem to like this.

As a mom of four, I think there is always the temptation to fit as much as possible into these really special opportunities to learn about history, art, etc. Kids (and adults) get overloaded I was constantly reminding myself the number one priority was to make memories. I'd be careful about booking a lot of expensive tours. You may find after one that your family may prefer exploring Rome in alternative ways at your own pace. (And, really, really, consider Ostia over Pompeii, you may find that you'd love to have cocktails/"festive" beverages on a piazza after Ostia rather than get back to your hotel from Pompeii after dark)

Ah, some wise words from Jules about making time for memories. :O)

Another suggestion? Pretty sure your young adult and teen know their way around the internet enough to do some research on their own. Having them involved with the plan and given latitude to make some of the sightseeing choices can reduce the amount of complaining if they're not exactly wild about art, old buildings and piles of rocks. Ha! Give them some homework: have them both pick an attraction or two that they're responsible for doing the deep dive on. The more they know in advance, the more what they'll be seeing will have an impact.

It's also a great opportunity for them to learn what goes into making an excellent adventure, and maybe take some pressure off you. :O)

The Colosseum, Palatine and Forum are a good combo in which to have a guide, IMHO. While the Colosseum isn't all that difficult to get one's head around (a guide is mandatory for the underground), the Palatine and Forum are more complex so...

Just a little side note on the Vatican? The "secret door" from Sistine (which is in the museums) into the St Peter's that Jules mentioned is reserved for tours so I wouldn't plan on using it if visiting independently. It is also still closed (due to COVID) even to tours. No word on when that shortcut will be open again for tours which include both the museums and the church but hopefully sometime next year.

The "secret door" is indefinitely closed, even to tour groups that could access it in the past. Our guide said that the Vatican is considering keeping it closed permanently.

Curious to if I had been delusional about our Pristine Sistine Vatican tour, I checked back in my emails to the booking confirmation. It clearly says that we booked an "Early Entrance Small Group Vatican Tour". The implication from the brochure and reviews was that it would be less crowded and "pristine". It was early May but maybe that doesn't matter. I'm not sure what else I might have expected. Interestingly, that's exactly what the website says now. Although, I think they have cleaned up the verbiage and rebranded some of the tours.

It's okay. Know thyself and buyer beware. Although, I wish I'd seen a more realistic review before buying the tour. If this is the best, what's the worst?

My point was Walks of Italy is just ONE of many tour companies that book early entry tours

Sounds like you just happened to book on a super busy day and maybe a late start because of that?

There were maybe 6-8 other groups in the chapel with us but I never expected there not to be any other groups

We did a day trip from Rome to Pompeii on 11/22. We thoroughly enjoyed it and would do it again. We took an 8 AM train to Naples and the Circumvesuviana commuter towards Sorrento to Pompeii. It was extremely easy to do. We hired Antonio Somma (Rick recommends him) for a 2 hour private tour of Pompeii for 120 euros no matter the number of people in your group. He met us at the train station and he was excellent. Pompeii is so big that it wouldn't be feasible to see everything in one day, but he made sure to hit the highlights. After the 2 hours are up you can stay and explore on your own if you want. It was pouring down rain the day we went so we took the commuter back to Naples and went to the Naples Archeological museum until it was time for our train back to Rome.

CT, the Vatican is not allowing the super-early entrance times right now, so all of the tour groups who normally have an early entrance option are in the same position. That said, the company we used let us know this in advance and charged us less than the early admission tour would have usually cost.

Hi Tami -

If you physically can and if like me you are cheap, because Yorkshire folk are renowned for having short arms and deep pockets, one of the best things you can do in my book is get a good guide book (the Eyewitness ones are good for this because of the building illustrations), grab a free street map from your/a hotel and walk and walk and walk, calling at various stop offs on the way and obviously stopping for refreshment when necessary. You see a lot of the city, get a feel for it work out what you definitely want to visit and, just as importantly, what you probably don’t and best off all you stumble across unexpected treats (Argentinian lighthouse, for instance?) and wining and dining spots.

It doesn’t suit everybody I know, but me and Julie had a great time just wandering and exploring for a couple of days.

Ian

I agree there is definitely a place for tours as a way for facilitating logistics and to provide information. But, I often find that I can be my own tour guide, often retain more information that way, and can spend more time at sites or specific parts of sites based on my own interests. I agree with Ian that doing your own research is absolutely necessary. I do like the Eyewitness travel books and with the RS guide I get a great start on learning about my destination. Add in Rick Steves tv shows/videos and that's quite a lot of information. I think a formal tour of the Forum and Palatine hill is quite helpful. We had a tour of Ostia and then did a lot on our own. I love the RS walking tours right in the guide books and I do them as soon as possible when I arrive to a city. We used the RS walking tour for Pompeii. We loved the Eating Italy walking tour of Trastevre. We also think Francesca Caruso is an excellent guide. She showed our group around the coliseum, forum and St Cecilia. Tickets for the Borghese are in 2 hour slots. You might find this perfect for your family, as it's a smaller museum and not so overwhelming.

All the talk of Pompeii, I also like Herculaneum, it's a smaller much more manageable version of Pompeii without the crowds, Pompeii is about the vastness, the size of the town, which you will not see much of at all on a 2 hour tour there anyways, it takes a full day to wander around all of Pompeii.

Pompeii's buildings are mostly ruins, 1 story because of the heavy rocks that pummelled it destroying the buildings, Herculaneum is much better preserved, 2 story buildings because they were covered in ash not pummelled with rocks, original wood still there, quality of frescoes in the interiors of both Pompeii and Herculaneum are about the same.

All the good stuff taken from the buildings from both Pompeii and Herculaneum are in the Naples museum.

What time of the year are you going? If it is summertime, beware of the hoards of crowds. It will be hot, overrun with tourists from all over, and tours will be packed. Rome offers lots of shopping excursions as well as the usual tourist attractions. Do the Sistine Chapel first thing when it opens. You will be glad you did. The Vatican also used to offer nighttime tours. Not sure if they still do, but they looked interesting. There are also tour operators who do golf carts and car tours of Rome at night, which can be really pretty when the sights are lit up at night. Walks of Italy is a good tour operator, and there are also some private tour operators you can get, but it will come at a price. I can offer some individual names if you are interested. When you say personal in your post, are you meaning as a tour group? It helps to know what time of year you are going.

https://theromanguy.com/
https://www.walksofitaly.com/
romewise.com
https://www.througheternity.com/
https://darkrome.com/ (Dark Rome and City Wonders are sister companies)
https://citywonders.com/
https://angeltours.eu/destination/rome/

OK you are all so generous with your time giving me tips...I'm reading and taking notes...this is great!!

Hello All
Thought you might want an update. Still in Rome. Did all tours with Through Eternity. The guides were so knowledge! I highly recommend. I have one day left-sort of a free day. Thinking of visiting the catacombs but didn't book ahead so I don’t know if we should show up without advanced tickets.

By the way, Vatican and colosseum were not crowded! Thx to covid lol

Thx for all the tips!