I will have 36 hours in Rome, on my way back to the U.S. Any suggestions for the best tour company for a full day's bus tour? Thanks!

In the past, at least, IMO the best bus tours in Rome were CIT and American Express. I'm kind of outdated though, and I don't know if they still offer the service. <BR> <BR>Other companies that offer the service are Carrani Tours, Appian Line, Green Line Tours and Vastours (though it appears that Green Line Tours doesn't offer a combination with a tour in the morning, lunch and a tour in the afternoon - you'd have to take off on your own for lunch and then get he afternoon tour at the meeting point). <BR> <BR>There are 4 basic tour programs (2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon) that don't differ much from company to company. To have an idea on what's offered, visit <BR>http://www.romeguide.it/FILES/visite/bus_tour.html <BR> <BR>Note that if your day in Rome is a Wednesday or Sunday, you won't be able to visit the Colosseum (only outside) and there are no tours to the Vatican Museums on Sunday. <BR> <BR>Last time in Rome with our daughters, we did tour #4 with Carrani (they wanted to visit a catacomb!) ... nothing to rave about! <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

Just to correct Paulo's information. I was just in Rome last week and we did go inside the Colosseum on a Sunday-It is open on Sunday mornings. <BR> <BR>We took the Enjoy Rome 3 hour walking tour of Ancient Rome and really enjoyed it. We were in Rome for about 48 hours and we found that it was plenty of time to see all the major sights. The historical area is so compact, walking and public transport so easy, you might want to reconsider whether to take a bus tour.

Yes, Christine, the Colosseum is sure open on Sunday mornings but ... it appears that all BUS TOUR itineraries that include the Colosseum are offered only in the afternoons <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

... I must say, though, that I agree with Christine. Unless I had some sort of a handicap, I would always prefer a walking tour (like Enjoy Rome or Scala Reale) over a bus tour to visit Rome's ancient center. As a matter of fact, among the 4 standard bus tours that are offered, the only which is IMO to one's clear advantage, is the one that includes the Sta. Maria Maggiore and San Giovanni in Laterano basilicas, the Scalla Santa and one catacomb. Transportation wise this is a bit awkward to do on one's own. <BR> <BR>Some of the tour companies include the San Paolo Fuori le Mura Basilica ... which also is out of the way but easily reachable by metro. One may easily do St. Peter's and the Vatican on one's own or on a guided walking tour. Ditto for the Vatican Museum tour, though when the entry queue is very long, organized tours appear to have a way to shorten the waiting time. The bus in both of these tours plays a really minor role. <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

Hello <BR> <BR>I would agreee with the poster above to skip the bus tour and do it on your own. Given a short period of time, I would probably make it a point to visit the Vatican and the Colosseum, and devote the rest of the time to walking around the center of Rome, including the areas around the Spanish steps, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi fountain. These are all close to another, and I think you get more from this than a bus tour, where you see more "sites" but all very superficially. On a walk of your own, you can hit some highlights, but also focus on what you want to. <BR> <BR>Howard

Thanks to all who responded; a good pair of walking shoes it is! <BR>Debbie

Paulo--- do you know of any tour companies in Rome with tours in Spanish? My niece (12-yr old) is joining us on our Feb 2001 trip to Rome and although she speaks both languages fluently, her history class is in Spanish. Any ideas?

I never joined a walking tour in Rome, Maira. So I can't tell about those. The first time I took my wife to Rome she had to take it easy because of a condition and we decided to take all 4 standard bus tours. At the time she didn't understand English that much so I looked for a tour in Spanish (her mother language). Though all companies I contacted assured me that tours were delivered in English, French, German and Spanish I was advised by the hotel people to opt for the Carrani. Their argument was that Carrani had a bigger market share and there were more chances to find a bus where at most two languages would be used. Otherwise we would risk hearing all the stuff in 4 languages As it turned out, once there were enough Portuguese and Spanish speaking people to fill a bus, all 4 tours were delivered solely in Spanish. Last time with our daughters we took Carrani once again and the tour was delivered in Spanish and French. But both times there was enough demand to fill several buses. In winter there's a chance that English will be spoken in one bus and the 3 other languages in one other bus. <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>