23901ITA
Rome does not have the typical “city sightseeing” (ie a few hours on the bus and off with a local guide). The guided sightseeing is essentially in two parts at two sites, Vatican and Colosseum. Guides can be different at each site. You meet the guides at the sites:
1.Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica (guide meeting outside the Vatican Museum entry on Viale Vaticano), visit appx 4 hours
2. Colosseum inside visit (guide meeting between the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine), visit 1 hour
Guides no longer accompany groups on the coach in Rome, so TMs do any relevant city commentary. You should therefore be familiar with the routes you’ll take by coach (speak with driver if possible).
· Check the current Rome Bus Regulations on the Rome Facts and Free Time page of this Technical Itinerary.
· Remind everyone to have VOX with them and be sure to take a guide transmitter (***you might need two if your group is big. Check vouchers), extra headsets and batteries with you.
· Vatican Museum drop off is via Leone IV (next to Vatican Walls) or by Cipro Metro stop (take Scalinata di via Vittor Pisani steps up to Vatican walls and turn left). Gianicolo Terminal is the easiest pick up point after the Vatican City tour and allows a maximum 15- minute stay for the bus (driver deals with payment).
· Check the meeting time and place with your local guide and call to confirm.
· On ROM, the sightseeing is split into two half days. In addition to the normal Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s with local guide (4 hours), there is an inside visit to the Forum and the Colosseum with local guide (3 hours) on another day.
· YOU MUST MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT NO ONE WITH BARE KNEES OR SHOULDERS (MALE OR FEMALE) IS ALLOWED INTO ST PETER’S AND THE SISTINE CHAPEL. FOR MEN LONG TROUSERS ARE MANDATORY EXCEPT IN HIGH SUMMER WHEN LONG SHORTS COVERING THE KNEES ARE ACCEPTABLE.
· The visit to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel is pre- booked. This also covers the rental of the headsets. Check the time of your reservation. The reservation is normally made by default for a group of adult passengers and you will need to have it amended on arrival to reflect the actual make up of your group. YOU MUST HAVE THE ORIGINAL VATICAN RESERVATION DOCUMENTS WITH YOU.
· The visit to St. Peter’s Basilica now requires a group registration. This will be done by your local guide at the counters found inside the porch of the Basilica. Your local guide pays directly so no voucher will be included in your pack.
Leave the hotel and drive to Vatican City. Make sure the group is aware that they will not see the bus again until after the visit of St. Peter’s if at all the rest of the day. Any knives, or other bladed items, as well as big backpacks should be left in the hotel (or on the bus if that is an option) as they will be picked up by the security controls. Be sure the driver knows where and when to meet you again, if applicable.
At the drop off walk flanking the walls and up toward the entrance of the Vatican Museums. On the square locate your guide and walk together toward the entrance, show the original voucher for bar code scan and walk inside the Museums. Ask the group to wait and use the toilets if necessary, while you go to the ticket counter on the left.
The group ticket has ALL pax booked on full fare – the breakdown of Adults vs. Under 18 of age is done at the reception desk; please be aware that ALL pax under 18 MUST have on them copies of their passport (copies/original is fine) and will exhibit them individually at the reception desk.
The ticket always includes the headsets rental – together with the individual tickets you will receive a separate receipt for that, and your local guide will handle the logistics;
* Groups larger than 30 pax will have to have two local guides;
Join the group, distribute tickets and make sure everyone is present to start the tour.
You will follow the guide on a prescribed route the entire time. The Sistine Chapel is the last stop on the tour of the Museums. Gather and exit TOGETHER. Be sure NOBODY exits the Sistine Chapel alone or they will not be let back in. The guide will take you directly into St Peter’s Basilica from there.
At the end of the tour, you will exit the basilica and gather by the Swiss guards. Return headsets to the guide and give suggestions for free time and lunch (if timing is around lunch). There are several places around the square. Borgo Pio has loads of places for lunch.
Meet your driver inside Gianicolo Terminal if you are leaving the area by coach.
Colosseum visit
On ROM or custom itineraries featuring a local guide, a three-hour service will be provided (separate Effetto voucher) including both the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
However, a local guide is always provided to visit the Colosseum only. An Effetto voucher is therefore included in your pack for this service.
Visits to the Colosseum require a timed reservation. Given the increasing number of visitors per year, reservation slots are hard to secure, making it impossible to change once booked.
Tickets issued by the Colosseum are always attached to the documents you print pre tour (one with free entrances for the number of U18 pax in your group; full fare tickets for the adults, including TM are nominative! Check that the number of U18s is correct and that all adult pax have a full fare ticket).
* Under 18 – passport copies are accepted, and they will have to be exhibited individually at the entrance.
* The local guide will have to use the microphone provided in the VOX case;
* Unless differently specified, the local guide service is ONLY for the Colosseum;
* keep your tickets as they are valid for entrance to the Forum & Palatine Hill (valid for 24 hours from the time of issue), should you wish to visit when no guide is provided.
The guide provides an hour commentary inside the Colosseum. At the end of the tour proceed outside and, if the case, over to the Roman Forum. There are further toilets outside and round to the left underneath the stairs leading to the street level.
If you arrive with the bus, drop off WILL HAVE BEEN BOOKED AT ONE OF THE PERMITTED DROP OFF/PICK UP SPOTS, as per Rome bus regulations. The closest one is on the Caelian Hill, on the Via Claudia, and is the usual choice. However, in peak season one of the other three spots may end up being booked. Remember that you are not allowed to give any explanations either inside or outside the monument; do all your commentary beforehand on the bus.
Rome evening walking tour
On one or more evenings of your stay in Rome you will lead the group on a typical introductory walking tour (and gelato stop) through the historic city centre (centro storico).
The following areas should be covered but not necessarily in one evening: The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon (however, to see the inside of the Pantheon you will have to come before 19.30/ 18.00 on Sundays (***be aware that the Pantheon now has a mandatory entrance ticket) and Piazza Navona.