Considered one of the world’s best places to visit, Rome offers countless things to do and an endless selection of delicious cuisine. Plus, it’s an especially exciting time to visit the city given the recent election of Pope Leo XIV. But given the overwhelming crowds and restricted access to ancient sites, it can be difficult to fully enjoy all that Italy’s capital has to offer on your own. That’s where a guided tour can help.
Based on recent traveler reviews and expert opinion, we’ve selected the best tours in Rome. Whether you’re gliding past the Colosseum on a Segway or savoring Italian wine in the countryside, you’ll benefit from fun and informative guides leading the way.
Price: From 1,080 euros (about $1,224) per person
Duration: 7 hours
Conquer Rome in seven hours with Through Eternity Tours. With your skip-the-line tickets, you’ll be able to cover the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Professional, engaging guides – all fluent English speakers – allow you to set the pace, absorbing as much history and archeology as you want at each stop.
Travelers say you’ll see much more on this half-day tour than you would if you were to visit each site on your own, especially since guides point out unexpected gems along the way. Rates can vary considerably depending on the number in your party; the company offers discounts for students and children. Bring stamina, a water bottle and wear comfortable walking shoes.
When you’re ready for more, try one of Through Eternity’s other tours, such as its evening tour of Rome’s piazzas and fountains.
Price: Adults from 129 euros (about $147); kids from 124 euros (around $141)
Duration: 3 hours
One of the largest – and most crowded – landmarks in the world, the Vatican Museums actually comprises 26 museums, plus various chapels and galleries, so while it’s a must-see attraction, it can be an overwhelming place to visit.
On this skip-the-line excursion from What a Life Tours, the engaging guide brought us straight to the highlights, starting with the Pinecone Courtyard and ending in St. Peter’s Basilica, where she showed us Michelangelo’s Pietà and explained why it’s the only work the artist actually signed.
Along the tour, you’ll see masterpieces from the Vatican Museums’ collection, including the ancient statue of Laocoön and his sons; the Belvedere Torso, which inspired Michelangelo; Greek Cross Hall; and the Round Hall, which contains a monumental bronze statue of Hercules. Other highlights include the Gallery of Candelabra; the Gallery of Tapestries; the Gallery of Maps, where the guide pointed out some fun facts about Italy in the 1600s; and the Sistine Chapel.
Talking isn’t allowed in the Sistine Chapel, so the guide explained Michelangelo’s frescoes at the beginning of the tour. Our guide shared a deep knowledge of the artworks, and delivered her commentary with a sense of humor. However, the guide didn’t bring us to the Raphael Rooms; if this is a priority for you, you may want to book a different tour.
Tours generally operate Monday through Saturday; the first tour begins at 9:30 a.m. In addition to its variety of Vatican tours, the company also offers tours of the Colosseum and daylong tours of Rome.
Good to know:
- Groups are capped at 12 or fewer participants.
- After the tour, stroll down Via della Conciliazione to capture the best photos of St. Peter’s Basilica.
- For a nice lunch nearby, book a table at Ristorante Arlù, a family-run eatery that’s been open since 1959. If the weather is nice, ask for a table outside on the charming cobblestone street.
- Prati, the neighborhood surrounding the Vatican, is popular for shopping, especially along Via Cola di Rienzo. Stop by il Sellaio di Serafini for a handmade leather bag, or Castroni for espresso and other gourmet foods to bring home.
Best Colosseum:
Price: Adults from $67; kids from $62
Duration: 3 hours
Our top choice for the best Colosseum tours, this excursion covers the famous landmark – once known as the Flavian Amphitheatre – as well as the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Expert English-speaking guides bring the history of the Colosseum to life, with recent visitors noting the guides are excellent storytellers. Plus, audio headsets ensure you won’t miss any of the important details they provide.
When booking, you can choose to join up to 10, 15 or 24 participants; tour rates fluctuate accordingly. Note that this tour does not include the Colosseum underground.
City Wonders offers a variety of other tours in Rome as well as day trips from the city.
Price: Adults from 124 euros (about $141); kids from 110 euros (about $125)
Duration: 4 hours
Past travelers recommend skipping lunch before this evening walking tour of Trastevere, lauded as the best food tour in Rome. As you meander through the neighborhood (often compared to New York City’s Greenwich Village), you’ll enjoy mouthwatering bites of everything from classic supplì, or fried risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella, to porchetta, homemade pasta and gelato.
Foodie guides share each chef’s story and culinary traditions, along with tips on how to find and make the best Roman cuisine on your own. Reviewers praise the guides for their insider knowledge and gush about the quality of the food and wine featured on the tour.
Tours run at multiple times each evening, and there is a maximum of 12 people per tour. Eating Europe also operates a tour that explores Testaccio, considered Rome’s “original foodie neighborhood.”
Price: From $635 per person
Duration: 3 hours
Let an expert guide teach you about Rome – and navigate the city for you – so you can take in all the beauty and history without any distractions. On this private tour provided by The Roman Guy, you’ll ride around town in an air-conditioned car or van, stopping off at iconic landmarks including the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona. You’ll also have a chance to stop for some authentic gelato along the way.
Tours are limited to seven people, and the tour cost fluctuates by the number of people in your group. Both hotel pickup and dropoff are available.
Previous tourgoers highly recommend this excursion, noting they discovered so many places they would have never found on their own. They also say this is the best way to explore Rome on a hot summer day.
The Roman Guy offers a variety of specialized tours in Rome, including explorations of the Rome Catacombs.
Price: From 69 euros (about $79) per person
Duration: 3 hours
Hop on a Segway to see the Eternal City’s many sights. After receiving your helmet and tuning in to a quick training session, you’ll put on a headset to listen to the lively commentary from your experienced Fat Tire Tours guide. Along the ride, you’ll glide past sights like Trajan’s Forum, Capitoline Hill and more. Plus, you’ll don a virtual reality headset during your stop outside the Colosseum that reconstructs the famous arena’s past grandeur.
Travelers appreciate that Segways make getting around and seeing Rome’s sights easier and more fun, especially for families with older teens. Reviewers also appreciate the engaging local guides.
Tours run daily at 9:30 a.m. Participants must be at least 16 years old and weigh between 100 and 260 pounds. Pregnant women are not permitted on this tour.
The company also leads a night tour, which visits the city’s illuminated monuments after sundown, among other outings.
Price: From 99 euros (about $113) per person
Duration: 6 hours
Travelers have been using the Ancient Appian Way for 2,300 years, and you’ll get to traverse it with a friendly, knowledgeable local on this electric bike excursion. Along the ride, you’ll pass archeological sites, Christian catacombs and picturesque Roman aqueducts framing the unspoiled countryside. The tour covers roughly 17 miles, 60% of which requires off-road cycling, so TopBike recommends this tour for intermediate riders. Some tourgoers say you might not even break a sweat, though, thanks to the ease of the electric bikes.
Tourgoers can opt for the Short Tour (four hours) or the Plus Tour (six hours), the latter of which follows the same path as the shorter excursion and also includes a guided tour of the Catacombs of St. Callixtus (or Saint Sebastian) and a stop at the Baths of Caracalla. Exact tour departure times vary by season, but you can expect to start around 9 a.m.
TopBike also leads cycling tours within the city center.
Price: From 350 euros (about $397) per person
Duration: 3 hours
Avoid Rome’s congested traffic and keep the family entertained on this golf cart tour . Whizz past major sights in the historical center and piazzas Venezia, Navona and del Popolo, plus the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and more.
Since the tour is customizable, you can also ask the guide to take you to lesser-known spots in the city – a highlight for recent reviewers. Along with the knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides, reviewers appreciate the golf cart’s ability to avoid traffic using Rome’s narrow back lanes.
Tours, which can accommodate up to seven participants, depart daily at 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. One week’s advance reservation is recommended. Tour rates drop considerably for groups of four or more.
Rolling Rome also offers daylong golf cart tours, as well as a variety of Segway and electric bike tours.
Price: Free
Duration: 2.5 to 3 hours
According to reviewers, this free walking tour is a great way to start your visit in Rome. During the nearly three-hour stroll, you’ll visit several photo-worthy piazzas, the Pantheon, Ponte Sant’Angelo and Castel Sant’Angelo, among other sights. Guides, who have backgrounds in subjects like history and architecture, earn praise from reviewers for their entertaining storytelling and thoughtful restaurant and activity recommendations.
Tours, which are limited to 15 participants, operate twice daily at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. In total, you’ll walk less than 2 miles. According to the company, the tour is suitable for travel strollers and wheelchairs.
Though the tour is free, it’s recommended that you reserve your spot in advance via the company’s website – guides do not wait at the departure point unless reservations are booked. At the end of the tour, you can tip your guide based on your experience.
Best Kids: Gruppo Storico Romano
Price: From 120 per euros (about $136) per person
Duration: 2 hours
This immersive experience allows kids and adults alike to learn the basic techniques of gladiator sword fighting before putting their new skills into action (with foam swoards) at the on-site arena. The tour also includes a visit to the Gladiator Museum.
The experience is so popular that many celebrities, including Blippi, have trained to be a gladiator here, and recent reviewers say this was their children’s favorite activity in Rome. They also say the trainers are passionate about teaching visitors the art of gladiator fighting.
Price: From $124 per person
Duration: 12 hours
If you want to visit Tuscany while in Rome, but don’t want to drive the approximately 175-mile journey yourself, consider this 12-hour excursion from City Wonders. You’ll depart from Rome at 7:30 a.m. via an air-conditioned coach bus to see famous hilltop towns, such as Montepulciano and Pienza. You’ll also visit the Renaissance church of St. Biagio before enjoying a three-course lunch and wine pairing in the famed Montalcino.
Travelers say guides are informative and thoughtful, giving tourists ample time to explore the towns and take pictures. All agree that leaving the driving to a professional made the trip worthwhile.
Tours are offered daily. City Wonders also offers a variety of tours in Rome, including tours of the Colosseum, the Vatican and the Borghese Gallery.
