ron in rome

Liz - Ron in Rome is fine BUT my question to you is - Do you really need a guide to see the Highlights of Roma? From the Spanish Steps you can easily walk to The Trevi Fountain, The Roman Forum, The Via Veneto and, from The Via Veneto you can hop on an open air bus that will show you many of the highlights, allowing you to get off and back on as often as you like. Why spend a bunch of money if you don't need to. I spent part of my youth growing up in Roma and I just hate to see people spend excessively when exploring in an easy manner is so much fun!!

Ciao, Greg

Thanks, that's a good point. I was just wanting to get historical information as well. Don't you think a guide is needed for the Vatican and ancient Rome?

Ron will take you on a private tour, Angel Tours et al will do group tours.

I think a guided tour makes a lot of sense in the Vatican as it's just so huge. We also felt we should have had a guide at the Forum Romanum as it was really difficult to look at the ruins and imagine the history behind them. We had an audio guide but that was not much help.

For other walks around the city we felt fine on our own with a guide book for additional information on history.

I think any one who has seen a city with a private guide ends up knowing that the money is well spent.

A guide will tell you and show you all the little things that a guide book won't. Things that are fascinating and make you go home appreciating where you were and what you saw far and above what you would have gotten from just a guidebook. You don't have to worry about getting lost, you will get fantastic tips about where to go, and where to eat.

There is nothing wrong with seeing a city just using guidebooks, but there is also nothing wrong with people wanting to get the most out of their trip. You just spent a huge chunk of money to come over here, why scrimp on the one thing that will make YOUR vacation over the top wonderful.

Though I haven't toured with Ron, I certainly will the next time I go to Rome. His website is wonderful and there is something to be said for touring with a native English speaker, someone who is passionate about their adoptive "hometown" and who will help me to make the best use of my vacation time while in Rome.

Ron in Rome is a semi-regular on this board. He's offered lots of great information here and through his website.

Jo said much of what I would say. Let me add that Ron, or any good guide, will customize the tour to your liking and you'll get a lot more out of what you are seeing. And with a private tour you get to see a lot more in less time.

Liz, We spent a day with Ron this past September. Ron was great! We covered a lot during the day, Ancient Rome, Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Novana and much more. We travel a lot, but it was very nice not to have to look at a map, and not to read from a guidebook. All we had to do for a change was to listen to Ron's history lesson and it was worth every penny! He also has a book that shows now and then pictures (i am sure you could buy one in Rome), that was interesting too! It was only the three of us, so the itinerary was very flexible. I would suggest taking the Vatican tour guide, for the Vatican/Sistine Chapel they we're very good too, and Ron for ancient Rome.

Hi Liz, We used Ron in Rome in July this year and he was awesome. It was the first time I used a private guide, as I usually just tour on my own & join groups for specific sites. Ron will work with you to build the itinerary you want and imparts a lot of the history along the way in a way a guidebook or audio just doesn't do. Also, we saw more in one day than we ever could have on our own. If you check around, you will also find his prices quite reasonable and it is money well spent.

I would also like to add that thanks to Ron, my daughter's favorite part of the trip was Rome and the Coleseum in particular -- She can't wait to go back again.

I would, however, recommend a separate tour of the vatican on a 2nd day, as another poster suggested as it is just so vast with so much to see. We used Angel Tours for that and were happy with our guide Jimmy, who was quite entertaining.
Hope this helps.

Joann

Thanks !! Is he a licensed tour operator?

We spent two incredible days touring with Ron Phillips of Ron in Rome. We had initially planned an "ancient" rome day with him, and he was superb. His prices were extremely reasonable for the time he spent with us, and his willingness to accomodate our interests, and a bad ankle I brought with me to Rome. We were fortunate that his next day was open, and so we spent the day touring St. Peters and the Vatican museum with him. It was an exceptional experience, mostly due to all the research that he does and his breadth of knowledge. We regretted not a minute or a Euro of the time. We can't recommend him highly enough. His website is also wonderful to prime you for a trip and take away the first-time jitters on tackling the new experiences you face, from the time you land until your departure. He gets a 5+++ star rating from us!!

We spent two evenings and a full day with Ron. Only thing that could have made it better would have been spending all day everyday with Ron! It was so nice to relax and have him lead us around, no getting lost, trying to find places, etc. He knows his history and is a joy to spend time with. He went out of his way to make our experience wonderful. He also knows all the great restaurants and is helpful for every aspect of the trip, giving directions, showed us where to meet our tour, etc. We did take a Vatican tour with Angel tours, but if I did it again I'd take Ron instead. We're pretty cheap, but he was very reasonable and well worth the price. If we go back while he is still there we would hire him again!

We spent two days touring Rome with Ron Phillips. We do not regret one minute or one euro we spent! His rate was extremely reasonable and there is no way we could have covered as much of Rome without him. We didn’t have to worry with guidebooks; Ron was our “live” audio as we walked through the streets of Rome.

I agree with all the wonderful comments that were previously mentioned and I’ll sum it up this way…….my husband and I felt like we were visiting with an old friend as he shared his knowledge and love of his adopted hometown!

I just want to add that if his tours are half as great as his blog, then you will really enjoy your tour. I was in Rome last month and used info from his blog on more than one occasion. It is practical and he includes photos.

Let me add to the positive comments on Ron...he has been a great contributor to this site, and despite my own knowledge of Rome, I will use him on our next Roman holiday to really see "the back doors" of Rome. Apart from RS himself, I can't think of a better guide.

We just returned from our first trip to Italy and used Ron to make the most of our time in Rome (one night). While we walked by many of the ancient Roman sites and fountains on our own after we arrived in Rome, having Ron as our personal guide of ancient Rome and the Vatican the next day was one of the highlights of the whole trip. Ron's descriptions and stories brought the Forum and Colosseum to life. We also had a "highlights" afternoon tour of the Vatican and still made our 5:45 PM train to Venice. Reasonable rates and worth every Euro. On our next trip to Italy we will plan 3 or 4 days in Rome and will definitely use Ron again.

We too spent a full day in Rome with Ron Phillips. It was a great day as we went around Rome to see the major sites as Ron gave us interesting facts along the way. Unfortunately, Ron and his wife have moved to Copenhagen. He still maintains his website "Ron in Rome" with updates, but he is not available for tours in Rome at the moment. We are returning to Rome this fall and plan to spend two days there. I had sent an e-mail to Ron with our plans and asked for advice. He replied with some tips that were very useful including some local restaurants to visit.

Sadly..Ron in Rome is now Ron in Denmark! He moved this last summer. He is awesome, but a thing of the past for Rome. We spent a full day and two evenings with him and enjoyed dinner and a walking tour with his wife also. A great couple and a great opportunity for us while in Rome. Glad I was able to use him before he moved.