I booked this tour because it was advertised as a small group or private tour and we were traveling with 2 kids and my elderly father in law and seeing the Vatican for the first time. I did a lot of research and comparisons of tours when booking and specifically booked a 10:30am time slot due to our jet lag but got a message that the tour operator had made a mistake when opening the time slots and we had to move to the 9:30am slot or get a refund. Since the operator was apologetic and we were told about this with only about 24 hours in advance of the tour, we decided to just make the best of it and I regret it. The tour had 15 people in total and no other children, which is not a small group or private as advertised. The tour guide had to use radios for such a large group and for such a crowded place and the kids could not understand anything she said due to static and her rushed speech and my older daughter asked a lot of questions so it was difficult to keep explaining things to them that we could understand from the headset. The worst part was that when we were about to enter the Sistine chapel, the guide told us we could take a toilet break and then spend time in the chapel and meet back up with the group after the chapel. Well, the toilet line and the line to buy a bottle of water took 30 minutes and we didn’t get to see the chapel at all because the guide was rushing us out of there and apparently nobody else in the group had understood that there was also a break time. So, the part of the tour I was most excited to see I didn’t get to see at all because we were rushed by the guide. The guide did not enter St. Peter’s basilica at all because she said tour guides aren’t allowed inside even though we saw plenty of other guides walking around and explaining significant things like La Pieta. Basically, the tour was 3 hours of the museum only and we had a large group which I never would have booked if I had known it would be like this. This tour has been the biggest disappointment of our trip to Rome and I cannot believe what a bad experience it was.
Dear Guest, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are sorry to hear that the tour did not fully meet your expectations. We want to clarify a few points for future guests. The experience you booked was advertised as a small-group tour, not a private one. With 15 participants, the group size fit the advertised format and is considered small for Vatican Museums tours, where larger groups are common. As for the radios and headsets, these are required by the Vatican Museums for guided groups inside the museums. They help ensure that guests can hear the guide clearly while following the museum’s rules and respecting other visitors. Using headsets is standard practice and not tied to an unusually large group size. We understand that visiting the Vatican with children can be tough. Our regular tours are designed for a general audience and cover the history, art, and highlights of the Vatican Museums. Regarding the restroom break before the Sistine Chapel, we are sorry that you experienced a long wait. However, restroom queues and visitor congestion inside the Vatican Museums are managed by the museum and are unfortunately outside of our control. The guide provides the available time and instructions according to the tour schedule, but unexpected waiting times can occur due to the high number of visitors. We appreciate your feedback and will keep working to provide clear information so guests can select the experience that fits their expectations. Kind regards, Customer Support Team
