My husband and I are seriously considering doing the 11 day Best of Sicily tour in October 2019. We'd also like to tack on a couple days in Rome to see the Colosseum, the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, etc. (the highlights). It doesn't look like there are any 2-day RS Rome tours. Suggestions? Also, should we do Rome before or after Sicily. It looks like the Sicily tour is fairly strenuous.
Thanks!
You might want to check out Walks of Italy tours.
I have taken the Best of Sicily tour and don’t consider it strenuous. Busy, but not taxing. The consideration I would make if I were you is how tired you will be when you arrive in Europe. Your profile doesn’t contain any clues as to where you’re flying from, which will greatly influence your transit time and consequent jet lag. Did you plan a day in Sicily prior to beginning of your tour? If so, I’d go directly to Palermo and leave the two days for Rone at the end, to maximize Rome time without jet lag. You can see a lot in Rome by planning on your own using your RS resources, but, of course, to do it justice, Rome needs more than two days.
If you want to spend a few days in Rome, you can do that on your own. You can pre-purchase tickets that include tours of the places you listed.
I'd do Rome after your tour, because that makes returning to the US easier. If you say which airport(s) you would be flying out of, people can give you better advice on connections. But be aware that Sicily is not so easy to reach. You will want to arrive at least one day before your tour starts, to get over jet lag and to allow for delays.
Thank you. We haven't made our air travel arrangements yet. We'll be flying out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Looking at the limited flights in and out of Sicily, we may just add a day or two there after the tour and save Rome for another time.
We were just in Rome for 5 nights. Did a Walks of Italy tour of the Colosseum and forum; it was very well done. Had a Context Travel tour with Valeria for the Vatican-Sistine Chapel; excellent and only 6 in the group. We stayed at a RS recommended Hotel (Lancelot) near the Colosseum; it was great and a short walk to each metro line.
Sicily: Only spent a day in Sicily (arrived via cruise ship) & plan to return. Great advice from others of checking your airline connections, and then determine which place for the start. Agree that no jet lag in Rome would be an advantage. Sicily is beautiful and laid back; enjoy.
