When to hire a local guide

Pompeii definitely. Licensed guides are available for hire at the entrance to the site.

The Vatican - do you mean the Museums? I personally dislike being told what to look at in a museum, preferring to wander and read labels if something of interest to me catches my eye. Rick Steves' Rome book includes a guide to the museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peters which is well recommended by people on this Forum. The Borghese Museum has an audio guide available. I was lucky to be introduced to the Historical Centre of Rome by Francesca Caruso on a couple of Rick Steves' tours - she is a terrific guide (also did the Borgese with her). Her contact info is in the Rick Steves book but she is extremely popular and busy but can probably make some recommendations of colleagues.

Make sure you add San Clemente Church to the list. Aside from being beautiful building it sits on top of layers of ancient Rome that have been excavated over time. Wander Roman streets without the hordes at the Forum - amazing!

I just returned from a trip to Naples. My friend and I hired a guide for a day trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum. Things didn't turn out as planned and we overpaid (in full before arriving in Italy) for a mediocre guide who wasn't the one we'd hired. We were handed over to the new guide by the person we'd paid who we believed to be highly qualified. Our new guide's qualifications were vague and they weren't able to answer many of our questions.

I don't want to damage anyone's reputation, I just suggest doing as much research as you can about a guide's qualifications and cancelation policies (including what happens if the guide you hired is unable to take you on the day you agreed on), and don't get pressured into paying in full before your arrival. I feel that it's reasonable for a guide to ask for a deposit in advance, but watch out for high transaction fees if they ask you to use PayPal.

I think hiring a guide or joining a group tour to visit any place you want to learn about in depth is always worth the money if you can afford it. Until this most recent incident, I've always had very good experiences in many different countries.

Hey jrob,

We will definitely hire someone to view the Vatican, the Historic Center of Rome

If your guided tour does not include St. Peter's Basilica, here is what I like to suggest for newcomers visiting on their own:

A self-guide to visit St. Peter's Basilica. http://stpetersbasilica.info/index.htm

The Basilica is gorgeous. The Piazza is magical at night -- lit up -- especially during the Christmas season with the hand sculpted Nativity and overwhelming Christmas tree decorated with unique ornaments. The amber glow surrounding The Basilica is mesmerizing. The 140 Saints above seemingly hold a gentle, welcoming, yet protective command.

Since you'll be visiting in the summer months, your experience will be different of course. Still, St. Peter's is not one to be missed and have dedicated time to absorb its history and beauty and inspiration. I love it and would never tire of it. (I visited many times.) We all have our favorites :)

Have a nice trip.

I routinely use Tours By Locals for local guides and have had amazing experiences in Italy, Spain, Paris, London, Ireland, Scotland, the Loire Valley and even California. I have a teenager and I want our visits to be customized to his interests and I didn't want him on a tour with a bunch of 70 year olds (no offense to 70 year olds :-)). So I always pay a bit extra for a local guide. I believe that Get your Guide and Viator also have local private tours. I highly recommend it. I currently have 11 Tours by Locals booked for Italy and Germany next summer. I use these guides to get us from city to city where there is no train (tour from Belfast to Dublin for example). We don't like to drive in other countries so we use TBL as drivers as well as guides.