jlpx2

We are only going to be in Rome for 1 extra day before a cruise. I have been reading on this forum about going to see the Sistine Chapel before or after the crowds. Do you have any suggestions for a driver for a day? My dad is 89 & I dont think wants to go on a full Vatican tour but would like to see the Sistine Chapel.

Thanks in advance. Jan

Grinisa

I'm not sure how a private driver is going to help with the crowds at the Sistine Chapel. In order to get in after the crowds, you are going to have to arrange a private tour of the Museum/Sistine with a company that has access to the Museum after hours. I believe the Italywithus.com arranges tours for around 250 Euro per person. But they are not available every day. Seeing the Sistine before the crowds simply means getting either a reserved time to enter when the Museum opens or being first in line at opening time and running to the Sistine. Not something an 89 year old would do. There is no tour that I'm aware of that goes simply to the Sistine. If you were to arrange a private small group tour with a company such as Context Rome, you will avoid standing in line to enter the Museum, but you will have to see other parts of the Museum before getting to the Sistine. As these tours are done during normal Museum hours, you will be there with everyone else and it will be crowded.

Zerlina

Sistine Chapel:

You can now book on line with www.italy-museum.com for a prearranged admission (you meet as a group and go in together, but it is *not* a guided tour). You can then go straight to the Sistine Chapel. If you choose the 8:15 a.m. admission, you can probably get to the chapel before the hordes. There's a surcharge of 8.50 Euro over the admssion fee for the booking.

It's a long, long walk from the entrance to the Sistine Chapel. According to the Web site of the Vatican Museums, a wheelchair can be reserved:

>>Wheelchairs can be reserved in advance (fax 06.6988.5433)<<

As pointed out, a private driver will not be able to help you with the Sistine Chapel.

jlpx2

What I was hoping to do was to find someone who could offer a private tourof Rome for a day-- perhaps using a wheelchair for my father--focusing of the the Sistine chapel and then having the guide stay with us for the rest of the day so my Dad wouldnt have to walk so much. Have any of you used such a service? Thanks Jan

Zerlina

There are private guides in Rome. Just put >private guide Rome< in the "Search this forum" box and you will see very many threads.

But:
a) A private guide cannot get you into the Sistine Chapel without going with the crowds;
b) A private guide will not see it as his/her responsibility to find you a wheelchair, much less to push it;
c) A private guide may or may not be able to offer you a tour in a car, and if it *is* in a car, then it will most likely *not* include any interior visits, parking being the problem that it is in Rome.

jlpx2

Zerlina--Whoosh sounds strict --we have been to Rome before and loved it--i am just trying to find a way my father can sample Rome without having to walk long distances. I dont mind paying for a guide and/or a driver--I just like him to see as much of Rome as possible without as little walking for hime. I recognize Rome is a walking city. I love the Roman drivers and know the problem of parking--I am just trying to find a way for him to savor Rome for a day--so maybe it should just be sitting in the piazza by our hotel. Jan

Grinisa

If your father really wants to see the Sistine Chapel, get the reserved tickets at the 8:15 am time. Take a taxi to the Museum and have a wheelchair reserved there. Enter and go directly to the Chapel. There is no need for a private driver.

Golfergal

We've only spent time on our own in Rome in the past, but we have been looking into a couple of private tours for this trip to get a more in-depth prospective on some favorite spots. Several of the tour companies we have looked at will do private car tours of wherever you want.

As several have said, this won't really help with the Sistine Chapel. the early times are either tour groups or individual bookings. There are some companies that say they pick slow times for their small tours, but you will still need to arrange the wheelchair and they don't guarantee how long you wait in line. I would reach out to some of the more specialized/personalized tours like Context Rome and see how they can help you.

I would also suggest you check out SlowTrav.com message boards and also their tour guide classifieds. While Fodor's is a wealth of information, you might find more guidance on this particular question over at Slow Travel.

granbury

We just returned from Rome and had a wonderful private driver named Pyno Grassi. My husband is 70 and was recovering from a severe illness which meant that walking long distances was out of the question. Pyno has a large mercedes that he drove us around in. He took my husband to see a lot of Rome, including several things that we would not have otherwise thought to see. Pyno was very kind and patient with my husband. I would highly recommend him for your father.

As for your father and the Sistine Chapel, I think you will either have to book an after hours tour (expensive) or maybe just see St. Peters. We did the 8:15am pre-arranged tour and stood in line for about 45 min. As stated before, its a long walk to the Sistine Chapel once you are inside. You might want to consider the Borghese Gallery instead. My husband really enjoyed it and Pyno let us out fairly close to the entrance of the gallery. The time limit for visiting the gallery is 2 hours and Pyno was waiting for us when we got through. The Borghese is my favorite thing to see in Rome.

You can contact Pyno Grassi by phone at 0039 340 826 5633

or email him at [email protected]

Pyno was our driver for the entire time we were in Rome. He even drove us to Civitavecchia to pick up our rental car when we were ready to leave Rome.