Hi all,<BR><BR>My boyfriend and I are flying to Rome next week for 4days/3nghts. As we only have a limited number of days, we want to plan ahead and organise our tours before we get there. Can anyone personally recommend a tour company?? I've heard "Walks of Rome" are pretty good?<BR><BR>Cheers

Hi, Dee. Assuming that you mean day tours, Enjoy Rome is pretty good (www.enjoyrome.com). I did their evening tour of Rome my first night there. <BR><BR>This may have been the luck of the draw, but I also did a group tour of the Vatican Museums that was offered through the museum, and I would NOT recommend it. Similarly, I did the group tour offered by the Colosseum and it wasn't very good. <BR><BR>Since it's off season, you might still be able to sign up for the Scavi tour of St. Peter's. I didn't go, but people on this forum who have raved about it. I hope that helps.

In August, we used Scala Reale & were very pleased. We toured the Vatican Museums with them, and took one of the orientation walking tours that comes with signing up. They also made restaurant recommendations that worked out very well, and offered to assist when we were having trouble with tickets to opera & arts events. A small quality outfit. And, I think you are so right to try to maximize your opportunities by using day tours. It is so easy to inadvertantly "waste" time with indecision, research & lack or organization when there.

I'll second Claire's recommendation of Scala Reale. We used them extensively in November, 2000 and were extremely pleased with their services. You can read more about them on my travelogue site, www.appleberryroad.com under the Rome link.<BR><BR>Have a great time!!!<BR><BR>John

I had heard good things about Scala Reale but considered them to be too expensive. Instead, I took a tour with Enjoy Rome. It was about 2 1/2 hours walking from the Piazza Navona, to the Pantheon, to the Trevi Fountain, to Vittoro Emmananuele, to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. The American tourguide was very knowledgeable with interesting tidbits of information. And this for around $17. I also took the Scavi tour at the Vatican and would highly recommend it.

Thanx so much for all your responses. I haven't had a chance to look at the Scavi tour (this might sound like an obvious question) but does anyone have a website address for this?<BR><BR>Cheers <BR>D

Dee, the e-mail address of the Scavi Office is [email protected]. You have to tell them when you will be in Rome, how many in the group, and they will respond telling you the date and time. For more detail, you can go to the Vatican website at www.vatican.va. Go to the English icon, Holy See, then go to the site map and under the letter "V" you will find the Vatican Necropolis office. There may be an easier way to find it on the website but I don't know it. This isn't the most user-friendly website I've ever seen.

The Scala Reale tours are very detailed and intensive, and I loved mine a couple of months ago. I took their four-hour<BR>Colosseum and Forum tour, and I wasn't bored for a second, just fascinated.<BR>For me the price was well worth it, but it depends on how much detail you want.<BR>When you sign up for a tour with them, you have to pay a small <BR>membership fee. You also get a two-hour orientation hike or walk (your choice).<BR>I took the "hike" and we covered a tremendous amount of ground, made several stops in noteworthy places, and I was able to knock several sites "off my list" on my very first day.<BR>My mistake was not using S.R. for the Vatican tour. I made the same mistake Vita did. I used the group tour at the Vatican. It was only two hours, not nearly long enough, but more importantly, our guide,however knowledgeable, spoke incomprehensible English in a low voice. Her comments were essentially useless to those of us on her tour.

Another note about Scala R. is the background of their guides- they all tend to be graduate/post-graduate degree students in the fields of study of the tours they are leading.<BR><BR>I learned more on the full day "art tour" than I did in a semester of Art Appreciation in college. <BR><BR>jpm

Another plug for Scala Reale tours - they are limited to 6 people at the most. To some degree, the guide can tailor his/her tour to the interests of the participants due to the small numbers. Again, it does depend on how intensive a tour you want. We felt the tours were worth the money, and neither of us was an architect or art history major!

We have really enjoyyed the American Express tours of the Vatican as well as ancient Rome. The guides were excellent and everything was in English. The Vatican guide was a retired art history professor who really did an exceptional job. Check with the American Express office near the Spanish Steps.<BR><BR>

http://www.scalareale.org<BR><BR>their web site

Hi, just want to say thank you to you all for your wonderful advice. I'm off to Rome tomorrow and am pleased to be touring with Scalareale + Scavi Tour!! Can't wait, thanx!!

I've appreaciated the comments mentioned with regards to Scala Reale however, would there tours be too much for an 12 and 14 year old? Also I read somewhere about an age restriction for the Scavi tours. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks.

Technically, the Scavi office states that the tours are limited to those age 15 and above. However, this is not very strictly enforced. When we did a tour, there was a boy of about 12 or 13 on it with us. Of course, he was pretty bored and sighed and sulked his way through the full 90 minute tour of the Necropolis. Although very interesting for adults, younger children would not get as much out of the Scavi tour and if they become extremely bored, disruptive or claustrophobic, there is no turning back once the group reaches the excavations.

Mary, I'd recommend e-mailing the Scala Reale folks and ask them about the suitability of the tour you are considering for your kids. Give them some info on your kids' individual interests.

mary,<BR>we took 3 scala reale tours this october, with a 10 year old.<BR>she enjoyed them all..particularly the ones that kept moving along..<BR>we took the 'orientation HIKE' (not stroll)'roma antica' tour and one to 'tivoli/hadrians villa'.<BR>the only time she was bored/tired was when we stood and listened to the guide for any length of time.

Now I was searching the tours offered by Through eternity, and noticed they offered a tour 5- Cattacombs, which take you to the excavation underneath the Basilica of San Clemente. This is a 5 hour tour which is probably too much for the kids. Is any one aware of any other options to see perhaps these excavations? There may be more tours offered since it is outside of the Vatican.