We booked an early morning Vatican tour with What a Life Tours for our trip to Rome last month, and…read moreit was an A+ way to explore the world's smallest country. We could've visited on our own, as many obviously do, but it was great to have a skilled guide to put all that marble and history in context. We'd already paid to come to Rome and set aside a morning to see Vatican City. The added value we got out of the tour far outweighed the incremental expense. I found the tour on Get Your Guide, where it was highly rated with thousands of reviews, and I liked that it was a small group situation, with a maximum of ten participants. We received strict instructions to arrive before 7:45 at the What a Life office, within walking distance of the Vatican. We checked in and got assigned to our tour group, with an amazing guide named Giulia. She set us up with audio devices that let us hear her through our earphones even when she was just whispering--a cool bit of tech I'd never encountered before, but saw again twice more before leaving Italy. We arrived in time to enter the Vatican Museums right at 8:00, the start of visiting hours. Our tickets allowed us to skip the line, which was nice in mid-November, but no doubt doubly nice during peak season. Giulia was fantastic, so smart and informative and funny. She knew how to corral us, and I got the sense that she could work very easily under much worse conditions. She let us know how lucky we were to see the Vatican on such a quiet morning. There were plenty of people, but the crowd was apparently nothing compared to the crush of summer or early fall. The Vatican is so grand it was almost overwhelming, and it was extremely helpful to have a guide to keep us oriented. She gave us so much insight into what we were seeing, pointing out the highlights and offering a running commentary with a dry wit that was all Giulia. In the Gallery of Maps in the Vatican Museums, she showed my husband where he could find the village his family came from, painted on a 16th-century Fresco. She also prepared us well for the Sistine Chapel, where visitors are not allowed to talk, using down moments to tell us about the chapel and its artwork, with the aid of a well labeled print-out. The tour was three hours long and encompassed the museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. We could've spent several more hours in the museums alone, but we saw a lot, moving at a pretty brisk pace. The tour was very well calibrated. I can't think of a single thing I would have changed. I thought about booking our Colosseum tour through What a Life (would've saved me a review) but saw that the one they offered had very few ratings, compared to the thousands they had for the Vatican. I'm curious what their other tours are like, and have more confidence in the company overall after going on this one. If you're visiting the Vatican, in any case, What a Life Tours is a top notch provider. We saw and learned so much in those three hours, and had a truly wonderful time.

We did the early entry (7:45 am) tour with Jeannette. She was amazing. Her knowledge was expansive…read moreand being an art historian made it even more amazing. She not only covered the immense history of the Vatican, but her knowledge of the artists and their works was very helpful. I would not hesitate to recommend her and thus company. It was limited to a group of ten made it so easy to stay together and not lose anyone.

AMAZING tour experience!…read more We had a private 4-hour golf cart tour (highlights of all major attractions) which allowed us to see so many special places all over the city and from vantage points we would never have found on our own. Plus the golf cart was just fun whipping down random cobblestone streets and through crowds of people. It was a really special experience for us, and our tour guide was superb; very jocular and down to earth. As part of the tour our guide also got us into the pantheon for free and showed us around one of the local churches which had unique graphic illusions (as well as some creepy skulls/skeletons incorporated into the religious artwork). One of my favorite parts of the tour was stopping to check out Giardino degli Aranci (orange grove public square overlooking the city at night). Highly recommended.

AWESOME in every way! Our driver Matteo was absolutely…read morefantastic. Personable and knowledgeable, he was like an extension of our family, not just a tour guide. Do you want to see a lot of Rome in a short time? This is the way to do it!

I waited four years to do the Taste of Trionfale and it did not let me down. We tried such a wide…read morebreadth of food it was outstanding and everything was such high quality. The tour was expensive but worth every penny. I especially felt the group size was really appropriate.

As foodies, we had to do a food tour to try and eat as much as we could. This one was done in the…read morePrati neighborhood right outside of the Vatican City by The Roman Food Tour company First stop was for some Roman street food at Trapizzino. Imagine a pizza rolled into a cone and then filled with flavorful toppings. I had the Double Cream which consisted of a blend of Cream and Buffalo Mozzarella in addition to Cantabrico Anchovies. Salty, creamy, and a hint of sweetness from the cream. An explosive flavor combo. Next we stopped at the one and only Bonci Pizzarium. If you watched chef table to see Ann Kim, you might have seen this place. Phenomenal pizza by the slice with creative toppings like purple potatoes or squash with sausage. Next we had some traditional Italian pasta at Osteria Da Fortunata. Some red wine paired with Amatriciana. Well spiced and fresh noodles went down way too easy. We finished with charcuterie and tiramisu at La Nicchia Cafe. Many types of cheeses, bruschetta, balsamic, meats, and olive oils. Rounded out by the best tiramisu I've ever had. ____________

I'm a huge Yelp user when traveling and thought ... why do a food tour?!?! Well with my family of…read morefour it was amazing to relax and just let our tour guide Robbie take control! He showed us approx 10 different places with smoking from each. He has a sincere personality very warm and welcoming. It was like being with extended family. We got to Meet two other families one from England and one from Australia both were very interesting and warm. An absolutely great night of people, food, and drink. We did the drink package but wasn't necessary as those who did not still got a little wine along the way. If you like... coffee, Prosecco, spritz, pizza, beer, cheese, rice balls, wine, cheese, more wine, cannoli, pasta and gelato... this tour is for you! I can only hope you get to Meet Robbie!

Rome may not have been built in a day, however you can sample some of the best in Italian cuisine…read morein just one afternoon. Secret Food Tours offers three-hour long tours that take you on a gastronomical adventure throughout the heart of Rome. This experience is more than just delicious food, which is what makes Secret Food Tours so unique. The tour explores Piazza Navonna, a city square ripe with history, as well as the Campo Dei Fiori Market, offering sightseeing as well as culinary escapades. Along with four other visitors, we embarked on a daytime tour, which started at an intimate café in Piazza Novanna. Our tour guide Tomasso was a local Italian and incredibly knowledgeable about the city square and its rich background. Here, he introduced us to the finest Italian coffee, freshly brewed for our group. I sipped a cappuccino, which alerted my taste buds with rich, full-bodied flavor and an airy foam. I was awake and eager for the next stop. While enjoying three different types of real Roman style pizza at Forno Campo de Fiori, our tour guide made us feel so welcomed. He took great pride in his city, and it showed in his passion for both the locales and the food. Next we stopped at a specialty shop, known for fried balls of risotto, called Suppli, which basically solidified my trust in anything this delicious city had to feed me. Crispy on the outside, warm and creamy on the inside. I was excited to visit the Campo Dei Fiori Market, which as our guide informed us is the oldest market in the town. With so many fresh and beautiful vegetables, it's easy to see why the food in the area is incredibly tasty. I was pleasantly surprised to do some sightseeing during the tour, as we got to see some of the Roman ruins that dot the city and here a few stories of the many narrow streets. Whether it was Carbonara near the Jewish Ghetto, amazing cannoli at a legendary bakery, and salty Italian hams, salamis, and cheeses at 'Beppe', our guide always made us feel like locals. We ended on a sweet note with the most refreshing gelato. Our tour guide was so fun and friendly, and the food was exquisite. A real "taste" of Rome.

Nico crushed it for us on our custom private tour! My teens first time in Rome with a 9:30 am…read moredeparture and he made it lively and interesting for all. 10/10!

We booked our 1/2 day golf cart private tour a few weeks before our arrival in Rome…read more It far exceeded our expectations. It made touring SO fun for our kids and allowed us to skip over the things we'd already done and focus on new and different sites. Giorgia was our guide, and we immediately fell in love with her. She was on time and at our hotel for pickup, she asked what we wanted to see and if there was anything we'd already done. She gave great suggestions and off we went! We were able to see so much so quickly and Georgia shared stories and history along the way. When the tour was done, we asked to be dropped off not at our hotel, but someplace further away. Giorgia shared with us her absolute favorite place for lunch and dropped us there at our request - it was perfect and such a good use of our time in Rome. It was my third visit to the city and I still found so many. new and interesting areas thanks to Giorgia and Rolling Rome.

Do not book this tour! The tour guide was Andrea and she was rude, they separated our group and she…read morewas not willing to answer. She told me to stop talking as I was talking about the rest of our group. They told us tour was at 9:45 and it didn't start until 10:45 am. The tour guide also wasn't explaining much and wasn't tech savvy. Took forever to even get our tickets on her phone. She got mad I was trying o take a photo and told me I could come back later but she stopped to answer a personal phone call. Book through someone else!

Only tour in my life where we had to look up Wikipedia DURING the tour…read more My Italian friend recommended this agency because we are Catholic, coming for the Jubilee and wanted a religion-centered tour - Jubilee/Early Christianity. The other people on our tour were also devout Catholic. I believe the tour was done by Maria Lazara. We do not know her name because she did not bother to introduce herself, nor did she ask our names (aside from checking our family name off). We met at the statue and then without any introduction to our tour, nor introduction to the St John of Laterna Church, she marched off in front of us to the Church's portico. It was a bad start. That's the main complaint: she gave no introduction to the tour or any site, she gave no church or historic context on how things came to be or how they evolved. She gave no Catholic perspective. A tour guide needs to be a storyteller! And I expected a guide well-versed in church history, both religious and urban! Instead, it was a bunch of random historic facts. She primarily spent her time pointing out symbolism in the paintings and mosaics. Clearly, she majored in art history, and the history of Christianity was a boring sideline to her. She liked pointing out that Laterna was populated early, while most of Rome was countryside - but why? How did that change? Where did Catholics live and why did they move? Why were these churches chosen for their Holy Doors? Why only 4 doors? She told us the Laterna Holy Door was an original bronze and a couple more facts and then we marched through as it were nothing. Nothing about why it is special that they are open, how Catholics view this moment, etc. IT IS SPECIAL. In speaking about the Jubilee, the only thing she said was that the Pope first started it once every 100 years, and since the Roman townspeople made money on tourism from the incoming pilgrims, they moved it to every 33 years or when they wanted. That's it - Jubilees were about making tourism dollars. End of her story. None of our group of 3 heard that the Sacred Steps were brought from Jerusalem and why, and where they were placed originally. All she did was say "it is not a hard job to move stairs." THEY ARE SPECIAL. She just said: you can up if you want, I'll wait here on my phone. Again, her specialty seemed to be art history not Catholic traditions or history, and 75% of the time, she spoke about symbolism. The blue and yellow of Mary, the keys of St. Peter. That's fine but there was no narrative, no church history. The tour ended exactly at 12 p.m. Clearly, she was glad to be out of there. Another note - yes, her English vocabulary was good, but she spoke sing-song Italian style and it was hard to follow her. She does not have the cadence of an English speaker. Very disappointed in Eternity Tours' guide. Aside: I really enjoyed Eternity Tours newsletter mailings.

We did the Rome in a Day Tour with Vatican, Colosseum & Historic Center with Walks and it was…read morephenomenal. With an early start we were able to see several of the key sites including the colosseum and Vatican City. Our guides were amazing and so knowledgeable.

I booked a tour for our family with Walks of Italy (also called "Walks & Devour Tours") for the…read morePrivate VIP Colosseum Tour with Roman Forum & Palatine Hill. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!! First of all, we booked our tour for four people months in advance, and reserved an 8:30am slot (as the morning is the best time for this tour in late May, as Rome gets hot fast). A few months later, I was informed that our start time had been moved to 10:00am, with no options to rebook at a different time for the days we would be in Rome (5 days in late May 2026). We received instructions on where and when to meet our guide, for this small group (basically, our family) VIP tour. On the day of the tour, we arrived early at the designated location, but our guide was not there. An employee at a nearby cafe insisted that "the tour groups meet down those steps" and pointed to the pathway to the entrance of the Colosseum. We went down the steps and looked around but could not find our guide. When we returned to the designated area (still before the 10am start time), a guide from another company told us our guide had been there but had left a few minutes prior. We went looking for the guide "with the green WALKS sign" but could not find him/her. I tried calling the customer assistance number provided in the email but was put on eternal hold. More than an hour later I was finally able to speak to a customer service representative, who said "because you missed your guide, there is nothing I can do for you" (or words to that effect. Because our guide had our tickets/passes to get into the Colosseum and Palatine Hill, we had no way to even visit the Roman Forum. I logged into the government-run website to see if there was any way we could purchase scheduled-entry tickets for the Colosseum sometime later when we were still in Rome, and the only tickets were for late on our last afternoon, when we had already scheduled a "Small Group VIP Tour of the Vatican Museums" with Walks & Devour. I purchased these tickets, knowing that we could end up having another Walks & Devour Guide disappear/no-show leaving us to miss pretty much everything we had come to Rome to see. When I tried to cancel our VIP Vatican Museum Tour, I was told that we had already passed the refund window. When I explained what had happened, the customer service rep said there was nothing she could do. DO NOT BOOK ANY TOURS WITH WALKS & DEVOUR!!!!

My wife and I have been talking about Simone and for the last nine years so there was no way we…read moreweren't going to Rome and not book another tour with him. Simone has incredible insight in all things Rome. Want to hear about Mussolini and WW II, the Caesers, Jewish Ghetto or perhaps the Appian Way? This is the bike tour you need to go on. The price is fair and he's generous with his time.

Simone customized our bike tour of Rome to see the things we wanted. We wanted to see (1) catacombs…read more(2) via appia antica (3) the aqueduct. We saw this - but more and better. Turns out there's more catacombs in Rome and the one we went to was fantastic. There's also more ancient roads than just one. While we did ride on "the one" we also saw two others that were better preserved! I had no idea there were multiple aqueducts. We saw two! Plus got to see inside one. We had done a larger commercial tour before. We will go with Simone if we go back to Rome. He also was very good with our 10 year old girls. He spent time to find a bike that fit them just right (they're super tall and skinny so it wasn't easy). When they needed a break, we went to a cafe to have a local Roman lunch. It was fantastic. While I don't like riding on roads with cars, it's impossible to avoid in Rome. He always made sure we were safe in riding and crossing roads. We did have one problem with one of the bikes. He had a tool kit with him and was able to easily adjust the bike. This is by far my favorite Rome activity of the trip.