Rome 3 Tours Combo: Ultimate Exploration

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 1/11 by Eva Polino — Steps leading to the Vatican Museums

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 2/11 by Eva Polino — St. Peter's Basilica

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 3/11 by Eva Polino — At the Colosseum

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 4/11 by Eva Polino — Colosseum from the Inside

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 5/11 by Eva Polino — The Colosseum

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 6/11 by Eva Polino

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 7/11 by Eva Polino

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 8/11 by Eva Polino

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 9/11 by Eva Polino — Trevi Fountain

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 10/11 by Eva Polino

Photo of Best Of Rome and Vatican City In A Day 11/11 by Eva Polino — Pantheon

Rome has beckoned travelers from afar for quite a few decades now. Some might call it mainstream, expensive, luxurious but very few travelers can wind their way away from this enchanting capital. Rome is the 11th most visited city in the world and 3rd most visited in Europe. If Italy represents romance, Rome stands for intimacy. Intimacy between its glorious past and urban present. Intimacy between its spellbinding art and inspiring culture. There can't be any itinerary, any trip, any travel attempt that can claim to have seen all aspects of Rome. There is always more to Rome, and no matter how many trips you take there will always be more to Rome. Needless to say that Rome receives millions of tourists each year.In order to see everything in Rome, you would need to spend one month in the city. Since for most of you this isn’t possible, we would like to propose our 3-tour combo which covers most of the city and can be done in 2 or three days. We highly recommend this combo for first timers to the city, because it offers you a well-rounded idea of what this amazing city has to offer.

You can choose any of these tours.

TOUR 1 Walking Tour- Duration 3 hours

Our most popular tour. We will show you all the main areas of the city and since it is safe for the environment, we can go everywhere and anywhere you want! You’ll visit Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo Dei Fiori, Piazza Venezia, Greek Ghetto, Jewish Ghetto, Circus Maximus & more if time permits. Did we mention that you don’t have to walk and get shuttled around like the Emperors and Empresses that you are?

TOUR 2 Ancient City Tour- Duration 3 hours

Everyone has heard about the Colosseum growing up so it is obviously a priority when you come to Rome. But we don’t want to just show you the monument, we want to make it come alive for you. To relive the last moments of a gladiator, to hear the roaring crowd of more than 60,000 people and feel the awe that someone who’s first time in Rome would have felt at the grandeur and magnificence of the Eternal City. We will then take you to the Roman Forum and tread upon the same roads, whose feet would have felt Julius Caesar, Augustus and every other famous person you have ever heard about since ancient times. Lastly, we will visit the Palatine Hill and show you just exactly what it meant to be the ruler not only of a country, but of most of the known world. We always skip the line, because we are Patricians, not Plebeians.

TOUR 3 Vatican City Tour- Duration 3 hours

Our Vatican Tour is a must for anyone that is coming to Rome. With our Vatican Tour you skip the line and go inside before the regular crowd does with our privileged entrance and your own private guide It’s almost impossible to imagine, but to see every item in the Vatican Museums would take 12 years! You will see the main highlights of Museums including the Apollo Belvedere, Laocoon, Gallery of the Candelabra and of the Maps and the Raphael Rooms. After we will go to the Sistine Chapel, which our expert guide will explain to you in detail before you go in, so you will understand the full meaning of what the genius Michelangelo wanted to express.

After the Sistine Chapel, we skip the lines again and have direct access to one of the most astounding buildings ever created by man, St. Peter’s Basilica. This amazing creation took 120 years to build, spanning 20 popes rule on power and every famous Renaissance architect that you can think of including Bramante, Raphael and Michelangelo. Speaking of Michelangelo, he built the dome and wait until our guide tells you how big the dome actually is as well as the dimensions of this amazing church and everything inside! You won’t believe it.

Time: Since there will be three tours, after booking you will receive a voucher with the times best suited for each tour.

What's Included:

Professional private guide service for groups till 10 pax

What's Not Included:

Entrance Fees

Tips

Food & Drinks

Following are the places you would be visiting all together.

Spanish Steps

A set of 135 steps that lead directly to the Bourbon Spanish Embassy are the Spanish Steps. Designed by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi, these steps are a favorite place to hang out for tourists and locals alike. At the foot of these steps is the Piazza De Spagna and on the top is an elegant and splendid Church. On the whole it is a great start to a tour full of architectural and historic charm.

Trevi Fountain

This huge Baroque fountain is what dominates the Trevi square. Designed by Nicola Salvi, is is the most famous fountains in the world. The source of this fountain is Aqua Virgo. According to a legend Marcus Agrippa sent some soldiers to find a fresh spring. The soldiers met a virgin who pointed them here, thus the name. The beautiful sculptures that constitute this fountain are a breath taking and leaves no wonder as to why tourists flock this place.

Pantheon

Pantheon is one of the iconic buildings of Rome. It was built under the reign of Augustus as a temple to all the Gods of Ancient Rome. It is one of the oldest and best preserved structures of Rome. It is one such place that has been in use for the longest time in Roman history. A classic example of Ancient Roman architecture mixed with tradition.

Piazza Navona

Another open space where the ancient Romans assimilated to watch games and get some entertainment. Today holding three magnificent fountains and a beautiful church, this square is considered to be one of the best in Rome. A major highlight here is the Fountain of Four Rivers (mentioned in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons) designed by Bernini. This fountain has a statue signifying the four major rivers, Danube, Ganges, Nile and Rio De La Plata.

Campo De' Fiori

Literally translated into the "Field of Flowers" this place was once a meadow. In the Ancient Rome context it lay between the famous theater of Pompey and the Tiber river. It was mainly deserted due to the overflowing of the river. The region populated only a few centuries back though, and now a lively market exists there. There is a huge statue of Giordano Bruno, a philosopher who was burned at stake during the Roman Inquisition. This place has a historical significance and is at the same time a great opportunity to interact with the locals.

Piazza Venezia

Piazza Venezia situated in the heart of Rome is a public square with much chaos and traffic. This square engulfs the everyday life of the Romans. Two important monuments are located here. Palazzo Venezia from which the place gets it's name is a palace dedicated to Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice.( This place was a former embassy of Venice in Rome.) Another one is Vittoriano, dedicated to King Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy.

Circus Maximus

Circus Maximus is where the ancient sport lovers would go to seek some entertainment. It was the largest and the first stadium of Ancient Rome. Since Chariot Racing was the most popular sport back then, loved by all Romans, this stadium held chariot races and entertained the Roman Crowd. It could house almost 1/4th of the Roman population. The first king of Rome, Romulus, is said to have held Chariot races here. This huge stadium today signifies the glory of Roman kings as well as the lifestyle of its people. A very significant monument to understand the public life of Rome.

Colosseum

I began my travel through this iconic city with on the most iconic places, not only in Rome, but also in the rest of the world. The Colosseum is right in the center of the city, which itself speaks greatly of its importance. Also known as the Flavius Amphitheater, it is the largest of its kind in the world. This monument is hailed as the epitome of Roman Architecture and engineering. This UNESCO World Heritage site, housed around 50,000 to 80,000 people in its time and was used for entertainment purposes in the early medieval era (remember Gladiator?) The monument is gigantic with four floors and each floor having around 80 arches each. Due to earthquakes much of the monument has been destroyed, but it still spills splendor and awe. If you think the Colosseum looks magnificent during the day, be ready to be blown away by its night view. The monument lights up the cityscape of Rome and looks like a jewel on the street!

Roman Forum

On the west of the Colosseum lies one of the oldest and most important structures of ancient Rome- The Forum. This rectangular plaza strewn with the ruins of various government buildings of ancient Rome was the center of the city often referred to as the 'marketplace'. This place formed a great part in the public life of ancient Rome with processions, trails, meetings, speeches, elections and gladiator matches happening here. It also housed various shrines of Roman Gods and Goddesses and housed The Senate of Rome, the place which gave birth to the Republican government in Rome. There are also structures made by the great Julius Caesar and till today remains a golden ground for archaeologists and historians. This place, although in ruins, remains to be an architectural wonder and resonates the Rome's rich past.

Palatine Hill

The Palatine Hill is very closely knit with the history and mythology of Rome. Rome was built on seven hills, the center most of which is the Palatine Hill. According to mythology, this hill was where the makers of Rome, Romulus and Remus were found by the She-wolf who raised them. Many famous senators of Rome lived on this hill (including the great Augustus Caesar) and thus the word "palace" originates from Palatine. Archaeological data have also proven that the early Romans inhabited this place, giving Palatine hill a strong historical reference. Today, most of this place is covered with Domitian's Imperial Palace that was used for around 300 years. Amongst the buildings is also a museum that houses some of the precious archaeological artifacts from Rome's history.

Vatican Museums

The museums inside the Vatican are home to some of the most envied and treasured Renaissance paintings and sculptures. The various museums and the 64 galleries within the Vatican envisage the works of various artists throughout the century. The museums are more than 500 years old, having being founded in the early 16th century. Not only thousands, but millions of tourists visit these museums each year. The Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo is the most renowned piece of Renaissance Art across the world. Apart form that Stanza Della Segnatura by Raphael is also quite popular. A peek into the culture and the epitome of art in the ancient era of Rome.

Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. It's famed ceiling painted by Michelangelo is the most renowned piece of Renaissance Art across the world. "The Last Judgement" painted by the great artists is what brings art lovers and curious minds together to praise and absorb this beautiful creation. Apart from that, it has numerous frescoes by a team of Renaissance painters like Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio, Domenico Ghirlandaio etc. Sistine Chapel is a highlight of Vatican City and definitely cannot be missed.

St. Peter's Basilica

If there had to be one example to sum up the fury of artistic spirit during the Renaissance it would definitely be the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Rome. This is the largest church ever built in Rome and is built on the crucifiction spot of the first Pope St. Peter. A lot of famous minds worked on this masterpiece namely, Michelangelo, Bernini, Raphael, Bramante, and Peruzzietc. Built in style with Renaissance as well as Baroque architecture, this church was built during the peak of the Renaissance in Italy. Since it is one of the holiest places for Christians all over the world, this place is flocked with devout Christians and inspired travelers soaking the wonder of art. Basilica is not to be missed, it is one of the greatest buildings of its time!