Rome And Vatican Full Day Tour

**Wonderful Experience Exploring Rome and Vatican City – Great Value and Highly Recommend!** We booked two tours with Discovery Tours Rome—one exploring Rome and the other visiting Vatican City—and had a wonderful experience with both! We were traveling with a group of 12, and the company did a fantastic job accommodating our large group. For our Rome tour, we accidentally booked without a tour guide, but our driver went above and beyond to make sure we still had a great experience. He was friendly, helpful, and did his best to share historical information and interesting facts about the places we visited. We really appreciated his efforts, especially since the booking oversight was on our end! Another huge plus was the convenient pickup and drop-off in Civitavecchia, which made exploring Rome much easier and less stressful for our group. Our Vatican City tour was equally enjoyable! This time, we had a dedicated tour guide who was knowledgeable and helped us learn so much about the history, art, and significance of the sites we visited. We saw so much and really appreciated how accommodating the team was in allowing us to prioritize the places we wanted to see and the things we wanted to do. **The pricing was also very reasonable, especially considering the size of our group and the services provided.** We also arranged for Discovery Tours Rome to purchase our admission tickets in advance, which was incredibly convenient. Having them help coordinate the tickets, transportation, and other logistics saved us time and made the entire experience much smoother. It was nice not having to worry about all the little details, especially when traveling with 12 people! Coordinating tours for a large group isn't always easy, but Discovery Tours Rome made the experience enjoyable and memorable. The team was professional, friendly, flexible, and attentive to our group's needs. **Overall, we felt the tours were a great value for the price and would highly recommend Discovery Tours Rome to anyone visiting Rome or Vatican City, especially families and larger groups!** Thank you for helping make our time in Italy such a wonderful experience. We would gladly book with them again!

If you want the absolute best experience seeing Italy, you have to book with Discovery Tours. They are truly the best in the business and provide exceptional experiences from start to finish. Giulia is incredible and does an amazing job personalizing your trip to exactly what you want. She was also extremely helpful with recommendations, including the hotel my husband and I stayed at, which was absolutely wonderful. Their drivers are professional, punctual, and incredibly kind and accommodating. They make everything seamless, from airport transfers to getting you to each destination without the stress of parking or ride shares. The vehicles are always clean and very comfortable, which made every part of the experience feel easy and enjoyable. The tour guides are outstanding. Not only do you skip long lines, but you also gain so much more insight into each location. Every tour is engaging, and the time truly flies by. We especially loved our day with Katia, who guided us through the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. She was so knowledgeable, engaging, and had such a warm and fun personality. She shared so many fascinating details, made sure we got the best photos, and gave us thoughtful recommendations for the rest of our trip that we really appreciated. And Gilberto, the owner, is simply the best. He is incredibly kind and goes above and beyond to create unforgettable experiences. He took us to unique, off-the-beaten-path places we never would have found on our own, including Bracciano Castle, which is now one of our favorite places, and a charming medieval town where we picked up local honey and truffle salt. He also brought us to an amazing lunch spot and treated us to his wife’s absolutely delicious homemade limoncello, which was such a special touch. We truly had an unforgettable trip and can’t say enough great things about Discovery Tours. If you’re planning a trip to Italy, you won’t be disappointed booking with them. My husband and I can’t wait to return and travel with them again.

We scheduled multiple tours via Discovery Tours while visiting Naples, Rome, Pisa and Florence on our Mediterranean cruise. Each and every tour set up by Discovery Tours was simply excellent! Pasquale, Marco (The Great) and Sabrina were our tour guides. Each of our guides were truly fabulous! Friendly! Timely! Informative! Courteous! Reliable! Accommodating! Etc… We could not have asked for better tour guides! In the time allotted for our tours we were able to visit and do just about everything we desired at each destination! We saw and experienced things that we had only dreamed of! Our special thanks to Giulia and Karolina for setting everything up for us! You two are the best! We highly recommend Discovery Tours! AAAAA+++++

Gilberto could teach a college course, blending ancient history with modern culture. He was a pleasure to be with and made it interesting, insightful and fun. Effortlessly, he was able to guide us through our long checklist, taking in everything we desired in our 10-hour time frame. He then put us in the very capable hands of Valerio, who gave us a Master’s Class as we explored the Vatican. An art and history expert, Valerio strategically merged his iPad as a teaching aid, and was able to help us live the incredible history of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel.

We had the best time on the tour to the Pentathlon, Trevi Fountain, Coliseum, lunch, and the Vatican. It was by far the best day and tour we had on our 3 week European vacation. Gabriele was our driver and we couldn't ask for a better guide for our day. He drove us right up to where we needed to go, gave us our tickets and directions and met us back in the same easy to find spot. He was great with adults and our young teens. He even gave us Italian lessons. There is no way if we did this with a group we could have gotten everything in in just one day. It was well worth the money spent.

Private VIP tour of Rome and Vatican. This was worth every penny...or Euro. We were on a cruise and had limited time. With the crowds and the heat, we would have never been able to have the day we had without this personal tour. The van was large and comfortable and I was so thankful we were not navigating transportation to and from the port. This saved time, removed all the stress, and made for a pleasant experience. On several occasions, the benefit of having a private guide familiar with the processes at each place allowed us to navigate the crowds and lines more efficiently.

I can’t say enough about this tour. We booked this private tour because we were coming in just for a day on a cruise. Marco picked us up from the port drove us into Rome and was very friendly and informative. Then we picked up Katia for our tours and she was simply amazing. So informative, friendly and got us through the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, and Colosseum with pointing out highlights along the way. If you have to do Rome in a day I totally recommend Discovery Tours. Thank you for such a wonderful experience.

The folks at Discovery Tours were amazing. From Julia who helped us plan our 2 day Rome tour (even private transportation) to our fabulous tour guide Maddalena. Incredible experience and a very knowledgeable tour guide! Highly highly highly recommend them for any visit you are planning.

I booked the tour months ago with the wrong date. The discovery team helped me in the last moment and made our trip plan became true. Mr. Roberto drove the van himself and helped us to visit all planed locations. Thanks Riberto and his team. Peng Lei

Gilberto was fantastic! Our tour of Rome was a highlight of our trip. Gilberto’s knowledge of Rome and his explanations helped us to understand the deep culture and history of Rome. My son and I had this private tour together. It was amazing to be able to see so much of Rome in one day while also not walking! Having Gilbert drive us privately was amazing! Would highly recommend this tour to anyone!

After booking the VIP Rome and Vatican private shore excursion for July 25 for a party of four, with the most kind, helpful, efficient Giulia and Julia of Discovery Guided tours, I was extremely happy to have Silvia as our tour guide (I initially requested her), she being the best, most kind, highly informed, pleasant tour guide for Rome and the Vatican. She effortlessly gave us a full, guided, walking tour complete with full, relevant descriptions, associated history of all the important, various sights in Rome. Her time management was fantastic, even slipping in visits to an Italian coffee shop, a Gelato ice cream parlor that was visited by the Pope and for a local, a tasty lunch at a family bakery and a short shopping experience afterwards. Our driver Alex was on time for pick up at the Civitavecchia cruise port, provided safe driving in a Mercedes town car to Rome and then pick up after the tour to transport us back to the cruise port in ample time for the ship's departure.

We went on this tour as an excursion from Civitavecchia port on our Mediterranean cruise. We chose the private tour due to mobility concerns and wanting to be able to experience things at our own pace and I'm so glad we made that choice! Our driver was incredibly kind and gave us cold water all throughout the day. Our guide wad incredibly knowledgeable and made all the history interesting and gave us a great lunch recommendation. We fully enjoyed our short time in Rome Thanks to this tour and can't wait to go back to see and experience even more!

Our driver Gilberto was AMAZING! He spoke EXCELLENT English and was a very safe driver. He gave us lots of tidbits of interesting info as we drove to Rome. Sylvi was our guide once we got to Rome. She also spoke very good English. She navigated us through the massive crowds and ensured we got fantastic photos at each stop. She also gave us excellent tidbits of interesting history in between our stops. She has a masters in art history so I can’t imagine having a guide who knows more about the art we saw at the Vatican. This tour was a big splurge for our family but it was 100% worth it to learn so much about the massive amount of images we were seeing. This was by far our favorite day of our trip.

My favorite part of the tour was not only the beautiful history filled Vatican, but our wonderful tour guide Silvia! Her incredible knowledge, she is a art history professor at the University, helped to bring history to life! Her passion for art and superior knowledge really enhanced our tour! My son who is also a history teacher really appreciated her level of knowledge. Marco our driver also did a Superb job navigating Rome and showing us the amazing landmarks and architectural treasures! Overall the tour was a highlight of our trip.

Discovery Guided Tours My wife and I booked our cruise over 3 years ago, and our private shore excursions with Discovery shortly thereafter. It was very easy to work with these very nice folks, and my on-line chats with Julia and Gilberto to set up the itineraries were informative, and fun. We scheduled tours for the ship’s ports of call in Sicily, Naples, Rome, and Livorno (2 tours on consecutive days). Then along came Corona. After chatting with Julia, we decided to “let it ride” and reschedule the tours for when we could re-book our cruise. Last year, we rolled the dice and re-booked our cruise for mid-May and June of 2022. Once confirmed, I again chatted with Julia and Gilberto, and we were seamlessly back in sync. One important note: my wife has back and hip issues, so we asked Julia and Gilberto to keep that in mind so we could keep the amount of walking to a minimum wherever possible. They and their drivers/guides were extremely accommodating, and helpful at every step, and got us to within a few steps, or staircases, to memorable sites that would have required long hikes or climbs had we taken the cruise line’s excursion. In fact, thanks to Discovery, we were able to skip long wait lines and visit multiple destinations in each port, whereas arranged excursions from the cruise ship company might visit just one. Thanks to Discovery’s drivers and guides, we were able to cover a lot of ground. Summary of each stop: Messina, Sicily: Our driver/tour guide, Carlo first took us for a quick stop to view the beaches of Taormina, followed by a drive into the countryside where we saw very few tourists, and went to the picturesque town of Castiglione do Sicilian, where we drove up to the top of the town right to the base of the steps leading into the old fortress/castle. After an easy climb he showed us the historic aspects of the place, and then explained some of its history. Then he drove us to the site of an out of the way historic Byzantine church, and then led us a short distance to a beautiful small gorge cut through the old lava flows by the Alcantara River. These stops were Carlo’s idea, and well off the beaten tourist path, but absolutely worth it. He then took us back to beautiful and historic Taormina, where we toured the downtown area on our own, followed by a sumptuous lunch at a restaurant recommended by Carlo, which overlooked the picturesque Isola Bella and the shoreline. When we docked in Naples, we were met just outside the dock area by our driver/guide Mirko. Since the ship was late docking, and the traffic was horrible along the Amalfi Coast Highway due to an accident, we skipped through the tourist-packed town of Sorrento, and went to the lovely cliff and seaside town of Positano, where we took a quick tour of the old town, beach, and church. After grabbing a quick lunch, we proceeded back north to visit Pompeii, where we were met by our very knowledgeable tour guide, Danilo, who packed as much information and sites throughout Pompeii as he could in the 90 minutes left before we had to get back to the ship. As a side note, the ship’s tour choices were either/or (Amalfi Coast and Sorrento, or Pompeii (and a couple other single destination choices). With Discovery we were able to do both, and had there been no traffic accident, would have been able to tour Sorrento, Positano, and had a couple hours to explore Pompeii. Mirko got us back to the ship with time to spare, but cruise ship buses ended up coming back over an hour late due to traffic. Roma: Gilberto himself picked us up just steps away from the cruise ship dock, and whisked us away so we could meet our fantastic, knowledgeable, and lovely tour guide, Chiara. Thanks to her and Gilberto, we were able to get very, very close to notable landmarks, and I think we saw all the major spots, to include some along the route that few tourists get to see. Gilberto’s local knowledge was phenomenal, and Chiara’s encyclopedic knowledge and keen insights had us awestruck. We visited the Flavian Amphitheater (aka Coliseum), Circo Massimo, Trevi Fountain (along with a few other lesser known fountains) (and Gilberto took us high above the city to the “Mother Fountain” from which all the rest of Rome’s fountains get their water), The so-called Spanish Steps, a whole bunch of other places of interest, and of course St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and much, much more! No one on the ship’s tours covered as much ground as we did, and thanks to Chiara and Gilberto, we got into the major sites with very little wait time. Livorno - we had two days in Livorno. The first day we had to wait for clearance to disembark, which set us somewhat behind schedule, but our driver/guide, Roberto, was standing at the end of the boarding ramp, with his car waiting just steps away. We quickly rode to Firenze (Florence) where we were met by our fantastic tour guide, Simona, who walked us through all the major sites and explained, in depth, the history and significance of what we were seeing. I should note again that Roberto was able to drive us via side streets to points very, very close to the sites of interest, and we noted bus tours from the ship, which arrived much later than us, having to park quite a distance away, necessitating very long walks. After lunch we went to Pisa to see the famous leaning tower, and the cathedral. (This was not her case where the cruise could not cover both Firenze and Pisa in one day). On the second day, Roberto was again waiting for us at the ramp, and whisked us off to see historic San Gimignano, with its many towers, followed by breathtaking scenery as we drove through the beautiful Tuscan countryside on our way to historic Siena. There, again, Roberto was able to deliver to within a few yards of the historic sites, like Piazza Campo, and the gorgeous Siena Cathedral. Based on his recommendation, Roberto delivered us to a wonderful Trattoria for a delicious, al fresco lunch, with lush vineyards just a few steps away. Roberto then took us back to our ship, where he literally parked at the bottom of the ramp for us to board. Discovery Tours? Don’t visit Italy without them!!

When we think of Italy and all of the great things we saw, the tour of Rome and the Vatican by Discovery Tours ( discoveryguidedtours.com ) absolutely top the list. Gilberto made us feel more like friends than customers. His easy style and vast knowledge made the visit to Rome comfortable and rewarding. Gilberto also arranged for a fantastic private guided tour of the Vatican by Alberto, whose knowledge and enthusiasm was amazing. At the end of the day, Gail said it best when she said “My eyes are full!”

This is my 2nd trip to Italy(2nd time using Discovery Tours) but my husbands first. We did 1/2 day Rome tour with Gilberto and 1/2 day Vatican tour with Katia. My husband and I enjoyed them both. Gilberto knew that this was my 2nd tour so he added a few new things that I didn’t see last time. So hospitable and so informative. After Rome we were heading to Naples then Positano. We had no idea how we would get to Positano, Gilberto helped us with transportation through his company. And also helped with transportation when we got to Capri. Discovery Tours are easy to get in contact with (Guila, so nice)and very eager to help you to make your trip great. We highly recommend them for your next trip. We will definitely use them again!!

Like many people before us, we felt our all day tour with Gilberto was the best. He was right there waiting when we walked off the ship at 8:15. (He had been there since 7:30 in case we were allowed off the ship early) No need to take the shuttle bus to the outside of the port. Smooth ride into Rome with interesting conversation. Lots of time to wander the Colosseum because Gilberto had arranged the Skip the Line tickets (extra fee but totally worth it) then off to see lots more sites. Lunch in a lovely restaurant by a farmers market in the centre of Rome. The afternoon was spent in the Vatican. Gilberto dropped us off in front of the entrance to meet our wonderful guide Chiara Provenziani. He had arranged Skip the line tickets to get into the museum (again extra cost) and so began an amazing tour. Chiara gave us just the right amount of information that would assist us in enjoying and understanding what we were going to see in the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. Amazing is the only way I can describe it. We finished with a walk in the Basilica. Gilberto picked us up and away we went back to the ship. Traffic wasn't too bad even though it was rush hour. Back to the ship about 6ish. All four of us said it was the best money we spent on the cruise.

Great service! they were extremely professional and on time! Language was fantastic too! If we head back to Rome we'd use them again for a different tour and recommend to all our friends! We were a group of 9 people!

<p>Our tour guide Gilberto I hope I spelled his name correctly was the best! He was fun and informative. He also saved the day!! By helping us buy tickets to the Vatican the day of the tour. We had missed an email informing us to do so ahead of time. We weren't too sure it would happen after a couple of phone calls and missed opportunities but he made it happen and we are SO grateful to him!!! This tour was the most relaxing part of our 2 week visit to Italy. To be picked up and dropped off at all of the highlights of Rome along with the historical details of the sites was a great experience. We asked him for the name of his favorite restaurant in Rome. We went there for lunch the following day and it was spectacular. We highly recommend this tour.</p>