Rome Private Tour with Driver: Colosseum and Vatican in a Day
Description
With us you will find professionalism and efficiency, we will show you the city in its highlights with maximum comfort and avoiding unnecessary queues. Just relax and your driver will think about the rest! After visiting the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, the tour will bring you right to the Colosseum driving by the Roman Forum, giving you the chance to appreciate the beauty of the Vittoriano. The visit of the colosseum it takes about 1 hour and it's conducted by an official guide. On the way to the Vatican you will see the Circus Maximus, Bocca della Verità, Teatro Marcello, Jewish Ghetto and Capitol Hill reserving a small space for a quick lunch before the Vatican Museums (skip the line tickets), enjoying a 2 hours private guided tour (you will visit the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Square). During the tour, your driver guide will share with you a small historical heritage of this wonderful city from the vehicle.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Tired to looking for tickets that are not a tourist trap? With us you will find professionalism and efficiency, we will show you the city in its highlights with maximum comfort and avoiding unnecessary queues. Just relax and tell your driver all the places you would like to visit. He will think about the rest! After your pick up at the hotel selected or at the pier in front of your cruise ship (available for the 9 hours option only), the tour will bring you right to the City Hall of Rome and will stop at the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. During the tour, your professional driver guide will share with you a small historical heritage of this wonderful city.
The Pantheon of Agrippa, also known as the Roman Pantheon, is one of the architectural masterpieces of the Italian capital. It is the best preserved building from ancient Rome.
Measuring some 20 meters in width by 26 meters in height, Trevi Fountain is also the largest fountain in the city. The origins of the fountain go back to the year 19 B.C., in which period the fountain formed the end of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct.
The 'Spanish steps' in Rome, built in Rococo style between 1723 and 1726, are the steps that lead from the Piazza di Spagna square to the French monastery church Trinita dei Monti (built between 1502–1587). There are 135 steps and three different terraces, referring to the Holy Trinity (the Trinità).
Private Tour at the iconic Colosseum where you will meet your expert guide. With escorted access to the Colosseum (no group entrance regular ticket no attico no undergrounds), you will maximize your time with your professional guide. Once inside, you will learn about the construction and the uses of the imposing ancient building, and hear stories about gladiators, theater shows, and wild animal fights that used to take place here. After Visiting Colosseum you will have time for a quick lunch break (not included in the price). Ticket type: individual ticket, no groups entrance, no attico no undergrounds.
Panoramic view of Ancient Rome and St. Peter basilica.
Then, with more energy, your action-packed day continues, with your guide by your side, in the Vatican Museums. you will enjoy reserved access, so get ready to see the highlights of the vast art collection housed here. Your guide will make sure you see the lavishly decorated halls and visit the Gallery of Maps, Gallery of Tapestries, the Raphael Rooms, and of course, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. At the end of the tour (St. Peter's Square) your private guide will be happy to help you find transport to return to the hotel or if you have chosen the 9 hour option he will accompany you to your private driver for the return to the ship or other destinations.
The Sistine Chapel is one of the greatest treasures of the Vatican City, of Rome, and of the world in general. It's known as much for its decoration, as for being the temple in which popes are chosen and crowned.
The heart of world Christianity, St. Peter's Square, owes its characteristic elliptical shape to the imposing colonnade by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, which, commissioned by Pope Alexander VII Chigi, consists of 284 columns arranged radially in four rows.The construction took eleven years of work (1656-1667), more than 40 thousand cubic meters of travertine transported from Tivoli by land or pulled by horses along the river banks. In designing the colonnade, Gian Lorenzo Bernini played with optical illusions, obtaining a spectacular and scenic result. If you cross the square, you can see the columns come together and move apart, with a feeling of movement and alternation between full and empty. If you look at the columns from the center of the square and place yourself on the point indicated by one of the two marble disks on the pavement marking the ellipse foci, the colonnade seems composed of a single row. The outer columns disappear behind those of the inner row.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
9 HOURS OPTION: (MANDATORY FOR SHORE EXCURSIONS) Way back included. AVAILABLE TIME: 7:30 am, or 8:00am Port or hotel pick-up and drop off Always included. Maximum number of bags: 6 large and 4 carry on luggage. Shore excursions Meeting point: NO SHUTTLE BUS PICK-UP AT DOCK SIDE Directions and contact details will be provided to you the day before your experience by email Hotel or B&B meeting point: You will meet your guide or driver in the immediate vicinity of the entrance of the selected accommodation. Directions and contact details will be provided to you the day before your experience by email 7 HOURS OPTION: (NOT AVAILABLE FOR SHORE EXCURSIONS) Pick-up in front of the hotel or bed and breakfast selected at time of booking. Pick-up time can be slightly arranged according to our availabilities after your reservation, drop off NOT Provided tour ends at Vatican Museums Viale Vaticano Rome. For additional car disposal or transfer to other location after the tour please ask for availability after booking (extra cost). For Arrival flights from Airports the tour starts at the established time, we will not be responsible for any delays or cancellations due by the airline that will compromise the regular performances of the tour. For last minute bookings (less than 30 days) we reserve the right to offer you alternatives or free cancellations if we are unable to carry out the service as described. Important: Identity documents required to access archaeological sites, copy or picture of your passport are accepted.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Each traveler must present a valid passport or ID document that matches the name provided at the time of booking for successful entry to the Colosseum and Vatican Museums.
- For last minute bookings (less than 30 days) we reserve the right to offer you alternatives or free cancellations if we are unable to carry out the service as described.
Reviews(239)
This was an outstanding tour. Our driver Livio, picked us up promptly and immediately began sharing backgroud and options for which places we might want to see. It was very hot, but Livio‘s van was air-conditioned and comfortable. We met our tour guide, Alessandra, at the scheduled time. She was also lovely and knowledgeable, with an education in Art History and Archeology. Alessandra was clearly passionate about the history of Rome, and its’ many artists, as well as the archaeological aspects relating to the Colosseum, and the Vatican. I can’t imagine taking this tour without a driver and an experienced, educated tour guide. We learned details we never would have known if we had attempted to take these tours on our own. Hiring a driver and guide is well worth the cost. We were able to relax, listen and observe as every site and exhibit was described in exquisite English, coupled with the Italian names or regions as needed. Our driver Livio, and tour guide Alessandra, did everything possible to make our experience, enjoyable and memorable. Lori & John A.
Great tour and driver. We were very pleased with this tour. Our driver was knowledgeable and able to navigate the busy streets.
Carlo & George were wonderful guides. They were extremely personable, engaging and knowledgeable. Born and raised in Rome! They are excellent with children and make it interesting for them. Highly recommended!
We have done a lot of tours and this was by far the best one we have done, the friendliness and knowledge of the staff is second to none. We highly recommend doing this tour.
Carlo and Marco did a fantastic job! They were both incredibly knowledgeable about Rome and shared fascinating historical facts and local insights throughout the tour. Their sense of humor made the experience even more enjoyable, and they worked well as a team. They kept us engaged from start to finish, making the tour both informative and entertaining. We also received some recommendations on local eateries. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Rome.
We had a great experience with Carlo and Alexandra. As soon as we stepped out of the cruise terminal we sat Carlo and he starts the tour pretty much as soon as you leave. For the hour long drive to Rome he gave us so much information. We managed to see so many must see places I was really impressed. Alexandra was a fantastic guide at the Colosseum, Vatican Museum, and Sistine Chapel. She managed to keep our 13 year twins engaged in the tours as well. Loved the local pizza place they suggested for lunch. Delicious! A jammed pack day of sightseeing.
Carlo was amazing from the beginning of the day. Our ship arrived late and he was not only patient, but he sent me pictures from where he was located outside of the ship to make it easy to locate him (my biggest concern was wondering around once we disembarked). We got a robust tour on the hour drive to Roma. Checking out a few sites including the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon before we met up with our guide Marida. Marida provided an inciteful and passionate tour of all the major attractions. Even with the time constraint from our late arrival we still experienced a full tour of the Coliseum and an in depth tour of Vatican City which also included the Sistine Chapel. On the tour there were areas that were limited to private tours only that we would not have experienced without this tour. The best part we skipped all the lines! Seeing the lines of revelers that wrapped around the attractions made us more grateful that we booked this tour. It was worth every penny and we would book it again because there is so much to see and learn about the ancient city. Do yourself a favor and book this before it fills up. Be sure to ask for both Carlo and Marida you can thank me later!
This is probably the best way to see Rome, highly recommend. Carlo drove us around, and Max took us through the sites. Both of them were highly highly knowledgeable about room history and very aware of how to navigate the city. They helped us stay safe. They were knowledgeable to keep pickpockets away from us and where we should be careful of big pockets so we felt very safe the entire time. The amount of history that they gave us was amazing and we learned so much. They’re both highly seasoned professionals and very flexible willing to take us two spots that we wanted to see and willing to skip a spot that we had seen already in order to maximize our time. Being able to go inside the Colosseum and inside the Vatican was very important to us and this tour offered that. I feel like we got our moneys worth because the guides were really wonderful and we had the most amazing day together as a family.
Marco Marco Marco!! Best Private Tour Guide in the Biz! Marco is young, full of life, a new Dad and has a wealth of knowledge for his City and Ancient Rome, with in-depth aspects of what Roman life was like before, during and after the Empire. Every step of our private tour was an adventure in history with good-natured anecdotal highlights. Marco holds a Masters degree in History and is a licensed private tour operator with 20 years experience in Rome. You could not be in better hands! Invite him to lunch - he knows all the spots! Thank you Marco! Chris & Stephany E.
We loved this tour in Rome. The guide asked what we had seen and made suggestions. So we opted to go see the Catacombs before the 2 sites that we did have tickets to later inthe day. We love using tour guides for the super easy access to places where we get past the long lines. The tour guides was very knowledgable about the sites and gave us insights to the ancient times. Loved it.
