Scavi Tour or Underground Rome????

I have taken several underground tours of Roma and the scavi tour more than once. If you are interested in the tomb of St. Peter and the old Roman cemetary in which it lies, by all means take that but that is all you will see, ie, St. Peters tomb. The underground tours usually cover a number of underground sites, old drains and sewers, long buried buildings, some tombs, Roman homes, etc. In other words, parts of old Roma. I loved the scavi tour but you will be fed, by a priest, 'proof' of St. Peters sainthood and beliefs of the Catholic Church.

My husband and I were amazed by the Scavi tour! I have not done underground Rome, so I can't compare the two, but we recommend the Scavi tour to any of our friends going to Rome. There's a whole "city of the dead" underneath the Vatican! If you do go with the Scavi, give yourself lots of time to find it, as it is a little confusing.

I've been on the Scavi tour a few times and every time it was led by a student of archeology... Our tours were a little different than Charles' experience. Each time they mentioned the belief of St. Peter's burial place, but no push on the beliefs of the Catholic Church. It was very interesting to see the original Greek burial grounds, the original foundations as well as the foundations of the current Church. You just get a different perspective of St. Peter's. I haven't been on the underground tour, but IMO the Scavi tour is not to be missed.

Have only done the Scavi tour, but agree with the others not to miss it. It is warm inside the site a lots of steps to walk up and down, but I found it amazing to see the burial grounds and hear about the history from so long ago. From there we went up into St. Peter's and then went up to the roof and dome of St. Peter's. We saw it from "Top to Bottom", so to speak. To find it, as you look at St. Peter's go to the left side, past the Vatican Post Office and up to the gate where the Swiss Guards are. The Scavi tour office and entrance is right past the Swiss guards, but they won't let you in until a about 1/2 hour before you schedule time. You can use the bathrooms by the post office if needed before or after your tour. T

I have not taken the underground Rome tour so cannot give a fair comparison between the two. The Scavi Tour is certainly worth taking although once was enough for me. If I had a choice and had not done either I would go for the Scavi Tour. The Scavi Tour has a limited number(14 or 15 I believe) they take at one time and reservations can be hard to get so if you have your confirmed reservations I would opt for the Scavi.

If you plan to do the Scavi tour, book early. I tried to book 6 weeks in advance and was unable.