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Rick Steve's audio tours vs. Tour Guides, please help!

Rick Steve's audio tours vs. Tour Guides, please help!

Old Apr 16th, 2012, 12:55 PM
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Rick Steve's audio tours vs. Tour Guides, please help!

I've done a lot of searching online, and from this, have decided that Rick Steve's audio tours seem to be better than the audio tours you would rent at the site. Tour guides emphasize that they allow you to skip the line, but Roma Pass can help with that. I've emailed with guides that have high trip advisor ratings, but the cost is pretty high. I'm just not sure which tours are worth the money, and which is better to save the money and use the podcast. It's my husband and I, so all the prices I've listed are for two people total.

*Rome Sights (we're only staying 2 nights in Rome)- Tours showing you the main points of the city are around $500 (and its by car and they don't go inside the ancient city with you) and we found one to show you the Colosseum and Forum for $120 (not incl entry). Rick Steve's has audio tours for the city and for the Ancient city. I'm thinking we'll probably do the audio tours for the city (to hear more about Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, etc.), but for the Ancient parts, I'm not sure if an in person tour guide would bring it to life better and point things out.

*Vatican CIty- We found a highly rated guide (with a max of 15 people in the group) for $118 including entry tickets total. It's 3 hours. We know nothing about art, and need to hit the high points, with explanations, and not spend too much time (given our short time in Rome), so I was thinking this guide might be best. Rick also has a podcast. Ideas?

*Pompeii- $160 for 2 hours. I've really looked forward to seeing Pompeii for a long time. I was thinking that a tour guide could make it really come alive, be available for questions, and make sure we're hitting the most important parts (since I've read it's pretty big). However, we could spend longer and take our time without a tour guide, and maybe Rick Steve's audioguide illustrates the history just as well as a guide, which would save us money!

I appreciate any help that you can give me!!
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Old Apr 16th, 2012, 01:37 PM
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My husband and I who are going to Rome and Florence had this same debate. We are splitting it between the paid tours and Rick Steves. Our theory was that this may be our only time to see these two beautiful cities and we wanted to experience them to the fullest. After all, we came all this way! We came to the point where we decided what was the least familiar to us (Vatican) and booked a knowledgeable tour guide there. It's big too, so that will help us avoid the overload. Your time constraint may dictate a guide too so you don't use precious time searching out certain high points. Have fun!
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Old Apr 16th, 2012, 01:46 PM
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Each site has their own audio tours also which typically cost from 4-7€.

I've used the RS audio guide for Pompeii. It's pretty easy to follow, but there had recently been a cave in of one of the buildings so the route wasn't accurate (some streets were blocked off). RS guide for Pompeii is pretty much a set route and you follow his directions. The audio guide you rent at Pompeii entrance is a bit different. The sites are numbered and you enter the number when you want to hear about something.

There are much cheaper tours available at most sights (provided by the site, not outside guides/tours) if you are wanting to spend less.

For the Colosseum tour:

VISITS FOR INDIVIDUALS
info
languages: English, Italian, Spanish
persons: max 40
duration: 45 minutes
price: € 5,00
Orari partenze fisse virite in inglese:
dal lunedì alla domenica: ore 10.15. ore 11.15, ore 12.30, ore 15.00, ore 16.15, ore 17.15

You can rent their audio guide (5.50€)or download from them. Scroll down for the info.
http://www.pierreci.it/home-page/en/.../colosseo.aspx

Guided tours of the Vatican are 31€. If you book the tour that is museums only, you can stay as long as you want after your tour finishes. If you book the tour that is the museums and St. Peter's, I'm not sure you will be able to re-enter the museums. It used to be allowed, but you would need to check for sure.
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...zi_Visite.html

The audio guide for the museum is 7€.
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...i_audio01.html
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Old Apr 16th, 2012, 02:08 PM
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I always feel a live tour of the Forum is helpful to make sense of the area. I found the audioguide that you can rent at the Forum to be fairly dry. I did not do a guided tour and regretted it; but I urged my sister to and she was very pleased. I believe it was only 30-40 euros a person.

However, if you are only in Rome for two nights, I would resist the urge to overschedule. In that case, Rick Steve's as a back up might be fine. I listened to one of his tours of St. Peter's--he injects some corny humor, as I recall, which depending on your own views, you may or may not appreciate.

Also, I hope one of those 2 days is not in Pompeii--are you coming from Pompeii on another leg of your trip?
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Old Apr 16th, 2012, 04:01 PM
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We're seeing Pompeii later in our trip when we're spending 4 nights in Sorrento.
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Old Apr 16th, 2012, 05:15 PM
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If you are going to pay a significant sum for private tours make sure that the guides are really outstanding - erudite, lively, and willing to work within your parameters. I hae seen numerous group tours over the years - and frankly a good quality guide book is better - and allows you to spend enough time where you want.

We generally do only very targeted walking tours led either by a professor or a grad university student - who can make the area come alive and when you ask a question don't do the hummana hummana thing. It also depends on yuor level of nowledge going in - we tend to do tours where we are less familiar - but guide ourselves with places about which we already know the basics. (I remember one group guide in the forum saying something about the Vestal Virgins and the mother of a couple of kids walking off in a huff at the "dirty language".
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Old Apr 16th, 2012, 09:02 PM
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I have found guides at the sites are (perhaps not every time, but usually) just as good and much cheaper than those you book ahead. The truth is, while I may enjoy it at the moment, I often don't remember much they say anyway. Of course you want the best experience possible, but IMHO, Rome is best seen by walking around a lot (or taxi or bus longer distances - say from the Vatican to the colosseum) and not by car. A combination of guide books, audio tours and some guides at the sites might work best and be a whole lot less expensive.
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