shortish break in Rome to include escorted tour of Vatican

fraggle

Registered User
Messages
278
Hi,

My parents (just retired) want to spend about 5 days in Rome.

They would like escorted tours, but only in the morning so they are free to do their own thing.

They found one such package but it did not include the Vatican.

They would tend towards 4* hotels etc.

Can anybody recommend a travel company doing something like this?

Thanks!
 
Fraggle,
My husband and I spent 5 days in Rome three years ago. We tend to stay in 4* Central location, short walk most places. We have to see everything on our trips.

We stayed in Hotel Pace Helvetia, 2 minutes walk from Porta Venezia. It is a beautiful old world hotel. If you decide to choose this hotel ask for a room with a balcony. We had a beautiful room with a magnificent view of City and Basilicas. The location was wonderful beside all the most sought after sights. We had B & B in this hotel. It is surrounded by restaurants, reasonably priced and more special ones too. They all speak English.

We used AA City Pack Rome guide with maps included. We found it excellent for all recommendations about what to do. Also the hotel have information on verything. We went to some musical events in various parts of the city, we used the train system which was very user friendly.

We did the Vatican on the Wednesday as the Holy Father appeared in the square on Wednesdays am.
It is necessary to be there about 7.30 am if you want to get into the Hall where the Pope appears. The Hall holds about 15,000 but despite its size it feels intimate.

Do check the Holy Fathers schedule before you book holiday. To get into this Hall you will need to have tickets. You will get the tickets for the Wednesday event from your local parish priest or by contacting the Irish College. Do get a reference name before calling.

The day in the Vatican is wonderful and a very full day with lots of walking. It is a bus ride about 15 - 20 minutes. If you do everything you may need to return a second day.
Booking a tour from an agent is a waste as from the time you arrive there are guides everywhere for the multitude of tourists. All the tours are detailed in the AA City Guide, you will find everything in this little book.

You are led from one part of interest to another. Apart from the Special Wednesday event we did not book anything.
Do advise your parents to take the City Tour on the first day, when they will get a good orientation of the City. There is no need to book any of the tours, unless there is something special on in Rome. See ' highlights and what to see' in this little booklet
Wish we could go again a wonderful break. The shuttle bus meets the Ryanair flights that go to the nearest airport Ciampino, the hotel is very near where the bus drops off at the Central train station but with cases and the cobble streets a taxi is best.
Hope they have a wonderful break, we went early October and the weather was excellent. Browtal
 
As an alternative to a guided tour, for St. Peter's basilica you can hire one of those audio things that you carry around with you, and do things at your own pace. Between the basilica and museum, not to mention gardens, dome etc. the Vatican is probably more than a single day trip.
 
Thanks guys.

They've been on a few holidays recently where they have ended up with a tour guide, in some cases who met with them a few times over a few days and they've always been lucky and really enjoyed it.

I think they would probably be OK with chancing to pick one up at random and seeing what happens!

I did the Vatican myself a few years back without and guide or audio equipment and I still enjoyed it so I'm sure they will be fine either way.
 
Hi. This company is very highly regarded amongst the cruise fraternity. I have never used them but have heard only good things.


The tours are pricey in my opinion but may be worth it for peace of mind. Lovely city and easily walked, especially if you have a few days. S
 
The first time we visited Rome we booked an escorted tour of the Vatican with a company called VIATOR. We met the group outside the Vatican museum and walked past the long queue outside, which was wonderful. The tour took over two hours and covered the "highlights" of the Vatican and its museum. We've recommended it to others who have also enjoyed the experience. I have no connection to this company am just a satisfied customer.
 
If your parents want something different at night I can recommend this tour

[broken link removed]
 
I don't know much about tour guide companies so I can't recommend any. Two things though, there is free admission to the Vatican museum and Sistine chapel on the last Sunday of each month so the queues can be very long on those days (wasn't too bad once you were inside but the place was busy). The other thing is a suggestion of somewhere to stay, Residenza Paolo VI is literally on St Peter's Square and has one of the best views of the basilica from its gorgeous rooftop garden. It is a four-star, fantastic and unusual boutique hotel in a former monastery without the frugal trappings of monastic life :)
 
I was in Rome last year and booked a tour of the Vatican Museum and St Peters Basicilla, it cost €37, costs €32 without St Peters if I remember correctly.

If you want to do a self-guided tour it costs €16, St Peters is free to enter; you only pay if you want to access the dome (which is really worth doing but involves a lot of stairs and some very narrow passageways).

If you are going to do a guided tour of the museum and are planning to visit St Peters, it is worthwhile paying the extra €5 to include it (even if free otherwise) as you can go straight from the Sistine Chapel to St Peters without going the whole way back through the museum, around the Vatican walls and then joining a huge queue to get into St Peters and therefore easily adding another 1-2 hours on your day

The one thing I would advise, whether you go on a tour or self-guided around the Vatican Museum, book online at the below address. The queues are horrendously long to get into the museum, but if you have already booked online, you just sail to the front of the queue

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html
 
Back
Top