Rome Tour Companies
 

There are a few tour companies that are mentioned several times on this board: Scala Reale, Roman Odyssey and Walks of Rome. Is one better than the other? The tour descriptions from their websites seem to be very similiar. Any opinions out there? How do I chose between them?

Can anyone help me out here? Any advice or opinions? I would appreciate any feedback.<BR>Thank you.

We used Scala Reale and the experience was excellent. They offer several tours and we took the Vatical/Sistine Chapel tour. Our guide (as are most of their guides) was an American graduate student living in Rome for several years. He was so knowledgeable and has a wonderful sense of humor.<BR><BR>Included in whatever tour you take, is an orientation walk which we took the afternoon of the day we arrived. They had a packet waiting at our hotel with Rome information and a map on where to meet the group. That walk was wonderful...another intelligent guide offering information on lots of points of interest.<BR><BR>The next time, we will do the Colosseum/Forum tour. My husband and I highly recommend them. If you have any questions, write me.

Contact Scala Reale. For the Forum, for example, ask for Gregory. Look on this site for Elaine's ideas on guides - she recommends Scala Reale too. This outfit will also get you to and from the airport. Tom Rankin is their president, and they have a website, www.scalareale.com. These are US university people who know Rome and environs inside out, and choose to stay in Italy. They also give good advice on moderate priced places to dine. Have a good trip.

Anyone who intends to go to Rome should think of engaging Daniella Hunt to guide them. Her email address is [email protected] and her web site is http://village.flashnet.it/users/fn025316/guide.shtml <BR><BR>She's great, and it is nice to have a small tour (2 to 4 people). We loved her Underground Rome tour. She made the ancient frescoes at San Clemente come alive as she talked about them.<BR><BR>Doug

When we used Scala Real last summer in Rome, (the Vatican & orientation tours), one advantage was a cap of six people per tour. Also, their restaurant recommendations were right on the mark for us. Highly recommend these friendly and knowledgeable folks!

Try Through Eternity: www.througheternity.com Native english speakers with relevant university degrees. Tours are more like stories, very interesting.

Just a word of caution about Through Eternity. My husband reserved a night walking tour of Rome for Saturday, May 11 on the internet. <BR>They do not require prepayment. But we were the only two that showed up at the appointed time, and they would not take us on the tour.<BR>I was very disappointed. It was not their fault that no other people showed up, but neither was it ours. Yet we were left without a guide.<BR>I think I would go with someone else next time. I reserved with them because they were listed along with Scala REale in Frommer's newsletter.

I provide private tours in Rome for very reasonable rates and like to cover the more unusual and hidden side of ancient, Renaissance and Baroque Rome. E-mail me for more information.