Rome

[haredi]

Okay, I have read lots of the threads regarding Rome. I am very interested to know, is $1,000.00 normal to spend on a private tour, with guided tour at the Vatican? And is it worth it, or should we take the train and do the city by ourselves, and follow some of the suggestions on how to get around and still see everything? (We are traveling with 11, 9, and 5 year-old boys.)

 

I am trying to learn basic Italian to get by, but am a little concerned about the ease of doing the city on our own.

 

Any thoughts?

 

D

[fsdorado]

Okay, I have read lots of the threads regarding Rome. I am very interested to know, is $1,000.00 normal to spend on a private tour, with guided tour at the Vatican? And is it worth it, or should we take the train and do the city by ourselves, and follow some of the suggestions on how to get around and still see everything? (We are traveling with 11, 9, and 5 year-old boys.)

 

I am trying to learn basic Italian to get by, but am a little concerned about the ease of doing the city on our own.

 

Any thoughts?

 

D

 

With three kids, I would opt for a private driver, if nothing else then for logistical purposes. (It's nice to be able to bring an extra backpack with snacks and drinks that you can leave in the vehicle.) We paid 750 Euros for a driver all day and a two hour licensed guide for the Vatican. This was for a large van for 8 passengers. If you have less passengers, you can save a hundred euros by going in a smaller vehicle. We had Maurizio from Rome Cabs (www.romecabs.com) for our group, who was excellent. If you try to do it on your own, you'll spend a lot of time getting from site to site. With a driver, you can literally drive right up to the site, which saves a lot of time.

 

Have a great cruise!! You'll love Rome!!

 

 

Frederick

[alinehu]

Check http://www.driverinrome.com Excellent!! 1,000 is way too much we pay much less.

[nco4242]

Okay, I have read lots of the threads regarding Rome. I am very interested to know, is $1,000.00 normal to spend on a private tour, with guided tour at the Vatican? And is it worth it, or should we take the train and do the city by ourselves, and follow some of the suggestions on how to get around and still see everything? (We are traveling with 11, 9, and 5 year-old boys.)

 

There is a bridge in New York I can sell you cheap - its way way out of line. There are numerous tour companies that do the tour guide part and you can hire a driver for far far far far less. Don't worry so much about know Italian many of the things you can do on your own. Many are free or have very low cost if you do some planning go to the various travel lists slow travel, Fodors, here, get some guide books Rick Steves, Fodors, Lonely Planet etc. Make it a fun project for the kids as well.

[suzy671]

I think that is way too much. We had a private tour for the whole day and it was 6 of us and we didn't even pay that much. Have you contacted romecabs.com (Stefano) he and his partner Marco and excellant, would highly recommend them.

[haredi]

I guess I should have clarified, the $1,000 is US. In Euro's it is 640, and I think that I may have added the fees for entrance to the sites. That number was in my head from discussing it with DH. Sorry. It is more like $860 dollars just for the driver and tour guide. The extra $140 is for the entrance fees.

 

I did try driverinrome, BTW, and they were even more expensive. 600 Euro's just for the driver, and she did not give an option for private tour of the Vatican.

[cecilterwiliger]

We used limoinrome.com Claudio was busy that day, so he referred us to Vincente. Absolutely excellent. If you have limited time in Rome, it's the way to go. We found it cheaper than staying another night. He showed up at our hotel exactly on time, and asked us what we wanted to do and didn't want to do. He customized the tour for us. We gave him some highlights and must do's and he added in his own "secret" favorites, which were fantastic. We asked for a casual restaurant that didn't take a lot of time but had an authentic Italian menu, some place he would take his own family. We went to an out of the way place, no other tourists that had a menu that was unbelievable. The owner came up to meet us and made sure we were well taken care of and served as quickly as possible. A private driver is the only way to see the Vatican in the summer. You have to get up bright and early, as the lines (even for the certified guides) are long. The guides (that the tour company will arrange for you) are given priority entrance. Our guide was about 30, had a Ph.D in Art History and really knew her stuff and how to communicate it to all levels. When the tour is over, she contacts your guide and you go on with the day. We had a air-conditioned Mercedes van that he drove as close to the sites as possible, briefed us and then stayed with the van until we returned. It saved a lot of walking on a hot summer day. We were totally pleased. If you email him, he can give you a quote. We tipped both the driver and the Vatican guide generously because of the great job that they did.

[nco4242]

I did try driverinrome, BTW, and they were even more expensive. 600 Euro's just for the driver, and she did not give an option for private tour of the Vatican.

 

Try <gennaro.roviello@alice.it> I have used him several times over the past couple of years.

The price even with entry fees is high most stuff is 3-6e with a couple slightly higher and lots of things are free.

[betonic]

I've used Fabricio for the last couple of years. My son was 6 last year and had a great time! Sometimes Fabrizio works with Claudio but if you want to contact him directly his e-mail is info@allarounditaly.net. I know for a fact that his prices are better than what you've been quoted.

[jmsbrophy]

You can contact Luciano (luciano.giannone@gmail.com) for another estimate. In my opinion this price is high!

have a nice trip!