The Vatican and Colliseum

I think I would like to take a semi private tour instead of the other
for the Vatican, suggestions? Is there a site I should purchase
tickets in advance from?

Hi Helena -
I'm not sure what "other" tour you're referencing? The Vatican has multiple parts, and there's no single tour which covers all of those which tourists are allowed to access. You can book a tour of just the museums/Sistine, or a combo of the museums/Sistine and basilica, which is what many do. Tours of other parts - such as the Necropolis - must be purchased separately. I'm also not clear on what you consider "semi-private" but will throw out some options...

The most economical are offered by the Vatican itself: you may explore the various options here (under "individual visitors"). Group sizes are 16 or more, probably up to 30 or so, and may not fall into your definition of "semi-private".

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita.html

Walks of Italy offers a small-group (12 or less) tour which allows early access to the museums/Sistine and includes the basilica. This one has been very popular amongst R.S. forum posters and may be a good choice for you. Find that here:

https://www.walksofitaly.com/vatican-tours/pristine-sistine-chapel-tour

I'm unsure if you were asking about tours just for the Vatican or for the colosseum as well? Entry tickets for that one include the Forum and Palatine, and you may book inexpensive (€ 5.00) general tours + entry tickets (€ 12.00) over the phone through their official ticket-seller. Entry ticket may also be purchased online (€ 14.00).

http://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm

Tours of the underground area through the coopculture website are more complicated: tickets are limited, sell out very quickly, and you have to be up on and on the phone or online at 9:00 AM ROME time the minute they become available: the third Monday of every month for the following month.

Walks of Italy also offers combo tours (small-group) of the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine or those three PLUS the Colosseum underground. You might take a look at those as, again, they may appeal because of their more limited group size?

https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours

We used Through Eternity for our tours of the Vatican/Sistine chapel and Colosseum/Palatine hill. Both tours were fantastic and our tour guides were even better. I think there were a total of 8 in both of these tours. (Ask for Lucca if you use them for the Colosseum tour - he was amazing!)

Sorry, I forgot to answer your question about transport passes.

Yes, there is a 48-hour pass available. You can find information on the various passes here; choose "tickets and passes" from the menu bar:

http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?lingua=ENG

Clicking on the 48-hour option will bring up the details. Do be aware that passes are not accepted for transport to-and-from the airports but work for the metro, buses, trams and some urban railways within central Rome. Don't forget to validate it the first time you use it as that starts the clock ticking, and fines are large if caught on transport without a validated pass/ticket.

We've found Rome to be such a great city to walk that we've rarely used public transit. Just buying a few single-ride BIT tickets to tuck in our pockets has done the trick.

I really do appreciate the time you take for your feedback, thank you!
I guess the best thing to do is take a taxi from the airport to the hotel? Then purchase bus tickets if need be when we get there?

Do you suggest purchasing tickets ahead of time for the Vatican or Colosseum or just go there and get them? I was hoping to avoid lines.

I guess the best thing to do is take a taxi from the airport to the
hotel?

You may certainly do that. Or you can take the Leonardo Express train or shuttle bus from airport to Termini and cab from there. Our last hotel in Rome was not a particularly long walk from the train station so we took public transport from the airport instead of a taxi.

You do not need to buy any transport passes or tickets in advance but I'd do some reading up on the bus system, entry/exit process and ticket validation. We have not used the buses; just the metro a couple of times.

Do you suggest purchasing tickets ahead of time for the Vatican or
Colosseum or just go there and get them? I was hoping to avoid lines.

YES!! The Colosseum and the Vatican Museums/Sistine are the top 2 tourist attractions in Rome and are mobbed during high and shoulder seasons. But I thought you wanted to book a tour of the Vatican? Those should include your entry tickets, and yes, should be booked in advance.

Really suggest Rick Steves' book to give you transportation options. I followed his directions and was very pleased. He estimates cost and travel time for the various options.