Touring Rome

For me, the only sites that a guide is a big help for are the Vatican museums and the forum. The forum is not signed very well and even with a guide book can be confusing. The Vatican museums are so large that you can easily be overwhelmed. You can book a tour of the Vatican museums directly through the vatican at their website: http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=en&do For the forum you will need to hire a private company or use an audio guide. I like the ones from pocketvox.com. They have 2 of the forum which are really great. Donna

Ditto Donna's sound advice. If you get a guide for the Forum (which is definitely the way to see it), perhaps the same guide could explain a bit of the Colesseum to you, too. The right guide will make the historic relics come alive and explain their place in history and how the buildings evolved over time. I would have been bored too soon without a guide, but I was fascinated and have truly fond memories of our guided experience. If your time in Rome is limited, be sure to see St. Peter's early on your itinerary, as from time to time, one will find it closed for private masses or events for several hours (and more rarely entire days). We completely missed getting inside on our first trip to Rome, but managed to do it on our second trip (by having time to wiggle the visit around, as it was closed for a private event on our first two attempts during the second trip). Climb the dome, too, if you are in good physical condition....incredible views both inside and outside. Enjoy!

The Vatican Museum tour that Donna posted is a great value. It's not super intensive, but hits the most important areas and of course once inside you are free to explore the other areas on your own. Our guide had a Ph.d in Art History and gave a fabulous tour. (I've got a MFA in painting and an MA in Renaissance Art History so I think I'm a pretty good judge). Plus it was nice getting to pass the line that was six abreast wrapping around several blocks without the hour plus wait. The tour ends at the Sistine and you can walk out of the Sistine and take shortcut into St Peter's. We also booked the Scavi tour which was fascinating and well worth the time and price.

Hi Meagan, My husband and I were in Rome in February 2011 - we used a private guide for our family of five at the Vatican Museum and had a wonderful experience! We also hired a private driver and guide for a day trip to Pompeii and the Naples Archeological Museum, which for our group came out to the same price as taking the train on our own. For the Pantheon, Forum and the Colosseum, we used Rick Steve's free audio tours (on iTunes) and that was enough info for us. I'm sure a guide would have added to those experiences as well, but without an unlimited budget we had to make choices. My advice would be to decide which sites you would most like to experience in depth and use a guide at those places. We spent a week in Rome and our teens all agreed it was one of our best vacations ever! One thing to be aware of - we were there the third week of February, and with the temps expected to be in the 50's by day, packed only lightweight jackets (we live in New England so 50's seemed warm). However, we arrived and everyone was walking around in winter coats, scarves, gloves, etc. We thought everyone was crazy until we discovered that the wind comes from Siberia at that time of year! The temps were mid-50's but the wind chills were 29-35 - we froze! My daughter and I ended up buying new winter coats, gloves, scarves, etc, and my sons and husband ended up wearing five t-shirts layered under their sweatshirts! So even if the temps seem warmish, you might consider packing an extra base layer that you can layer if needed:) Have a great trip!

When my husband and I went, we had a Roma Pass, but when we went to the Coliseum, we had a tour guide (they are all standing around the area 'collecting' people). We were able to jump the line (which was quite long) and because we had just gotten our Roma Pass, admission was free, tho we did pay for the guide. It also let us have a guide at Palentine Hill. I enjoyed it, because you got a lot of inside info that you may not get by going in by yourself, and my husband and I, not knowing any better, would probably have stood in the line for an hour even tho the Roma Pass lets you a diff faster line. We didn't book, just found a guide at the Coli...have fun!

I too believe a guide at Pallentine Hill provides excellent insight to it's historical significance. Same with having someone answer your questions at the Vatican Museum. I loved exploring both on my own but after the fact felt it would have been more rewarding to have had a guide. Personally, would have loved a guide at First Mondays in Canton. My oh my, the acreage! Thinking of a road trip again before summer!!!

Check different tours and see what they offer for the price, and what you drive by versus what you actually stop and go in to see.
I would never try the coliseum on my own. The wait line is way too long. If you go on a tour, you jump the line, and the guides give you a lot of in depth information that would be otherwise lost. Also, you can get a great city overview from a tour, then go back to see specific areas in great detail. Rome is very big, and you simply cannot walk everywhere. Some of the city tours are great deals, as some will pick up and drop off at your hotels in addition to the tours. If there is something you MUST see, check into the wait times, and if they are very long, definitely book a tour.

You don't need to be on a tour or with a guide to bypass the lines at the colosseum or Vatican museums. You can buy entry tickets to both that allow you to bypass the lines. Also, for the colosseum you can use the romapass to bypass the lines. There are wonderful signs inside the colosseum that explain it really well. I find a guide for the forum is usually very helpful. There are also audio guides of the forum that are great if you don't want to hire a guide. I like the ones from pocketvox.com but there are several really good ones out there. Donna