Good morning. I've planned an itinerary for my husband and me in January 2025. We meet in Rome on the 5th and will head to Florence on the 8th. I just learned that it is not only a Jubilee year, but also Epiphany on the 6th (this is what I get for being a lapsed church-goer.) I had planned for touring the ancient Rome sites on the 6th (I have tickets for the Vatican Museum on the 7th).
I'm seeing recommendations to book a private group tour to the ancient sites, given the holiday. That's more expensive (than a regular ticket with Rick's audio tour)--but may be necessary. Thoughts?
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7225 posts
Why? Are you worried about crowds or not getting tickets?
Posted by
OP
5 posts
I'm worried about not getting in. Some advice I am seeing "It is open on Epiphany, but you should probably book a guded tour."
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4624 posts
I'm not sure a private tour is necessary but I'll always recommend at least a group tour for the Forum and Palatine Hill; which I found far more interesting than the Colosseum. Without a tour, some of these sites may look like piles of rubble if you don't understand what you're looking at. We've used Through Eternity for several tours in the past. https://www.througheternity.com/en/rome-tours/
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7225 posts
Agree with above about a tour for Forum. We used Walks of Italy for our first visit then on our own for future visits.
Have you obtained Colosseum tickets yet? Not sure if your date is open but if you have your tickets in advance there's nothing to worry about- you will have admission and there is nothing you can do about the crowds.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA area (USA)
29 posts
It seems like the big advantage of a tour is you avoid all the gyrations at 2:45 AM US Eastern time that are required to get regular tickets online. If you don’t mind those hassles then just get the regular tickets. And if you’re not able to get them then you can book a tour. It seems like some operators have “audio guide” tours where you just get an entry ticket and some kind of audio guide and there’s no person leading a group. They’re cheaper than the ones with human guides and enable you to tour as though you just bought regular tickets.