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Rome Tours

Rome Tours

Because of the sheer number of sights to see, some first-time visitors like to start out with an organized tour. While few things can really be covered in any depth on these overview tours, they're sometimes useful for getting your bearings.

One of the leading tour operators is American Express, Piazza di Spagna 38 (tel. 06-67641; Metro: Spagna).

One popular tour is a 4-hour orientation of Rome and the Vatican , which departs most mornings at 9:30am and costs 40€ ($36) per person. Another 4-hour tour, which focuses on the Rome of antiquity (including visits to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the ruins of the Imperial Palace, and San Pietro in Vincoli), costs 37.50€ ($33). From April to October, a popular excursion outside Rome is a 5-hour bus tour to Tivoli, where tours are conducted of the Villa d'Este and its spectacular gardens and the ruins of the Villa Adriana, all for 45€ ($40) per person.

Enjoy Rome, Via Varese 39 (tel. 06-445-18-43; www.enjoyrome.com )

Offers walking tours of Rome costing 17.50€ ($16) for those 26 and over, or 12.50€ ($11) for those under 26. Three tours a week of Trastevere and the Jewish Ghetto are featured, a service provided by no other tour company in Rome . Other services include free hotel reservations.

Through Eternity Tours, Via Sinuessa 8 (tel. 06-700-9336 ),

Staffed by a team of art historians, archeologists, and experts on ancient Rome . Its guided tour of Vatican City is the best in Rome , a comprehensive 5-hour tour that brings life to the artifacts in this vast treasure trove. The cost is 35€ ($31) per person. Other tours include Rome at Twilight, a 2 1/2-hour evening tour of the city's beautiful piazzas and fountains, costing 20€ ($18) per person; and a 2 1/2-hour tour of the Ancient City, a tour through sites that bring classical Rome back to life, also costing 20€ ($18) per person.

Another option is Scala Reale, Via Varese 52 (tel. 888/467-1986 in the U.S. , or 06-474-5673)

A cultural association founded by American architect Tom Rankin. He offers small group tours and excursions focusing on the architectural and artistic significance of Rome. Tours include visits to monuments, museums, and piazzas, as well as to neighborhood trattorie. Custom-designed tours are available. Prices begin at 25€ ($22). Children 12 and under are admitted free to walking tours. Tour discounts are available for a group of four.

Rome Walks, Via Urbana 38 (tel. 06-484-853 )

Features tours ranging from 1 to 5 hours. Some itineraries concentrate on major attractions, while other specialized tours take visitors to offbeat sights. Guides are young, native English speakers, usually art or history students, who know how to make the monuments come alive.

One of the most unusual tours of Rome , a first for visitors, was recently announced by Passetto del Borgo (tel. 06-390-80730 ).

Reserve in advance for these tours, conducted Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. You'll start inside the Castel Sant'Angelo and move toward the Passetto del Borgo, a covered walkway that joins the medieval castle to the Vatican. Built in the 13th century and reconstructed at the end of the 15th century under Alexander VI, it was an escape route for the popes when threatened at their castle. When the murderous troops of Charles V arrived in 1527, Pope Clement VII ran for his life, his skirts flying in the wind. After a walk through the first 250 feet of the passageway, you reenter the open air and head for the Vatican , taking in a private glimpse of the life of Borgo dwellers along the way, complete with their hanging laundry and balconied herb gardens.

Rocommended Rome Tours