Hello! I found all the millions of rave reviews over on Tripadvisor for the (seemingingly) millions of Rome tour companies overwhelming, so I thought I'd check over here for some advice. We've only got four nights, 3 1/2 days in Rome in late December and thought it would make sense to get a private guide for one day to visit the Vatican/St. Peter's and Colosseum/Forum. That way we can use the rest of the days to explore on our own. Can anyone highly recommend a really knowledgeable, accessible private guide or a company that has private guides? Thank you so much in advance!
PJ
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
I have to say that seeing the Vatican museums, St. Peter's, the colosseum and forum in the same day is a lot. I would suggest splitting them up and seeing other things that are in the same area. This way you won't get burned out. Though I haven't used them, you might want to check out Context tours. Some of the people on TA whom I trust have used them and rave about them. They are a little pricey but the comments I've heard are that they are worth it. Donna
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11777 posts
PJ:
We used Francesca Caruso ([email protected]) a R.S. recommended guide for the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Forum. In less than 4 hours we had an understanding of ancient Rome that set the stage for our next 4 days in Rome. She was 50 euro an hour, but it was for only the two of us, so highly personal and specialized in a way a group cannot be. The historical understanding Francesca gave us (just a month ago by the way), was a great background for the tour of the Vatican we took, 4 hours with Walks of Italy and their Pristine Sistine Tour. Check their website for details, but I can tell you it was an energetic, educational, and entertaining 4 hours. Only 12 people in the group, so fairly intimate. That's 2 half-day tours that wll make the most of your time. But as Donna said, do them on separate days. We did the ancient Rome tour our first afternoon in Rome, then the Vatican one morning a couple of days later, returning after lunch to see more of St Peter's and take the Scavi Tour (also worthwhile).
Posted by
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
1127 posts
Katie Parla, www.katieparla.com is great but she is also very busy. Try a private guide from Through Eternity, througheternity.com
Posted by
OP
Van
11 posts
Hi! Thank you all so much for the great suggestions. I was, in fact, looking into Context but it's really great to get other suggestions as well. I had also been thinking about Through Eternity. I agree that the Vatican combined with the Forum/Colosseum etc. does make for a lot in one day. But we wanted to make sure we had the remaining two days on our own after getting some expert guiding. We were also thinking of going to the Galleria Borghese one morning. So the only option is we could skip the Borghese and do the Vatican on that morning instead, so that the private tours would be split over two days. We have heard wonderful things about the Borghese, but maybe someone has some insights as to whether it might be missable if time was tight? Thanks again so much for everyone's help!
PJ
Posted by
Florence
362 posts
We had a guided tour several years ago of the Forum with Francesca del Fattore [email protected] that was fantastic. She also does the Vatican. If you email her you can tell that Anthony in Florence recommended you. She is lovely and really knows her stuff.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
You could do the colosseum area and the Borghese gallery on the same day. This would be much more relaxing than doing either one with the Vatican areas. You are only allowed 2 hours inside the gallery so it doesn't take up much of your day. You could take the metro or a cab from the colosseum area to the Piazza Barberini or the spagna stop and walk from there or you could take a cab. With the metro you would have to switch lines at the termini but that is covered with the one euro ticket. Seeing the Borghese gallery with the colosseum area would be a good way to relax and change pace. It will also get you to a different area of the city and allow you to see some of the sights you might not have seen with such a short amount of time. donna
Posted by
Tinton Falls, NJ
792 posts
Roman Odyssey has both group tours and private guides. I arranged a private guide through them for my brother and a party of six this past September. They said their guide was excellent!
Posted by
OP
Van
11 posts
Thanks so much for yet more excellent advice! I think we've begun to conclude we will skip the Borghese this time and we will, as people have suggested, split up the Vatican tour and the Forum/Colosseum tour for two separate days. I think that will enable us to enjoy each tour more without it becoming exhausting and more time for lunch and exploring. Thanks for all this great help. I suspect I will be asking more questions!
PJ
Posted by
Cincinnati, Ohio
22 posts
PJ, Just returned last month. We only had two days in Rome and were able to cover a lot. Our first day we did the colosseum/forum. then that evening we did Rick Steves walking tour from Piazza Navona to Pantheon, Trevi, spanish steps. This was an awesome evening. We stayed in Campo Di Fiori so it was very convenient. The next day we had a tour of the Vatican. We booked through www.walksofitaly.com We did the Pristine Sistine tour. We were able to get into the Sistine an hour before the public so no lines and crowds. Our tour guide was incredible. We learned so much. We finished around noon so we still had plenty of time to just explore on our own. Rome is very easy to get around.
Good luck and have fun.