Can anyone help me decide between using Icon Tours or Context Rome for tour guides when my husband and I are in Rome for 6 days in October?

Hi Betsy -- We just returned from Rome and used Icon. We were given a 3 hour tour for half the price of Context. If you click my name, you can see my review of Icon in my current trip report. Hope it helps! Good luck - h.

Heather: Thanks for your quick reply. Glad to hear Icon is good, as they are cheaper, tho I've heard great things about ContextRome. Your trip report is SO helpful, now I'm going to look at your photos. I also have a Canon Rebel, which I love.

Ah, great Betsy! You'll have fun with that camera over in Italy. I took sooo many pics. Good luck!

betsys...another vote for Icon! We used them in April for the Ancient Tour and would have loved to use them for more. Had to skip the Vatican because of Pope's passing.

We had Mike and he was great. The tour was supposed to be 2.5 hours and was over 4, no additional charge.

We did Context Rome for the Vatican. Only 6 people in the group and very personal. With all the crowds in the Vatican I would say it would be tought to follow around a group of more than 8 or so. We were happy with Context but they skipped the Pinicoteca and we had to double back on our own to see it. To their credit we did not tell them in the beginning we wanted to see it so I assume they skip it for the sake of time.

Do yourself a favor and check out Francesca, an absolutely wonderful guide that a group of us toured with in Rome in April. We found out afterwards that Rick Steves uses her as a guide in Rome, and there's info about her on his website at
http://www.ricksteves.com/news/tourn...rancesca.htmte

She charges 40 euro/hr whatever the size of the group. She made the history of the Colosseum, Forum, and Pantheon come alive. I just wish we had used her for the Vatican Museums also.

No, I'm not related to her

Another Betsy

Oops, don't know where the "te" at the end of the URL came from. Here's the correction:

http://www.ricksteves.com/news/tourn.../francesca.htm

Her email is [email protected]

TTT

Icon tours are better than context Rome.
However I would suggest you an individual native guide (their english is superb, they charge much less tahn context and other anonymous guides associations and you know who you will find on spot).
I tell you my top five:

http://www.activitaly.it/inglese/gui...ncesca_ing.htm

http://www.travelswithfriends.com/Pr...Rome_Paolo.htm

http://www.iloverome.net

http://www.romanguide.com/

http://www.romapg.it/home_.htm

Marguerite
Tour operator agent in Rome

Hey did I ever tell everyone that we used Icon tour guide for the roman forum and she was great, gave us extra time, and it was more than enough. I am happy to endorse them for tours. Oh, is Rome ever the best!!

Context Rome is better than Icon tours-so there!

ttt

If you go to Context Rome's website and click-on the Docents link, it pretty hard not to be impressed with the guides they use.
Archaeologist, published authors, PhD's & Masters degrees from World class universities, etc.

And I've seen 2 of my past guides on a couple of 'History Channel' documentary shows. Regards, Walter

We had a private tour of Rome highlights with Chris from Through Eternity and could not have been more pleased. We took the train from Florence for just one day in Rome and wanted to see as much as we could as efficiently as possible. He was VERY knowledgeable and entertaining. Chris met us at the train station in Rome and took us to the Colosseum, Forum, Vatican, Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain before delivering us back to the train station. We used the subway, taxi and city bus depending upon what was most efficient. It was a VERY FULL day, but a truly wonderful introduction to Rome. It wasn't cheap (300 euros) but it was an excellent value.