Ten Reasons To Take a Tour of the Vatican

In the years that I have been working as a Rome tour specialist I have heard some bizarre reasons people give for taking or not taking tours. Finally I decided to set the record straight, but not because I want to sell more Vatican Tours (although if this were a by-product of my opus, I would not complain). More importantly, I want to make the tourist experience in Rome as good as it can possibly be by providing a few key points of information which people can use to help them decide whether to tackle sightseeing in Rome and the Vatican on their own or with a good Rome tour guide.

These are the top reasons why people usually forego Rome tours, and why these people will probably regret it.

1. My husband/mother/friend is ½ Italian. And? Does that qualify them to act as your tour guide in Rome? Many tourists in Rome know more about the city and its history than the majority of Romans themselves!  Just because someone has Italian heritage or speaks a little bit of Italian does not mean they should be leading tourists around.

2. We have a Rick Steves book. I hate to break it to you, but Rick Steves is a jackass. Ok maybe not a jackass, but he is not the God of travel and his books contain flaws. Besides, a book simply cannot replace a human being who will prevent you from losing your way and bring the artwork to life for you.

3. We just want a driver. OK perfect. Let me know how fast he drives you through the roman forum? No matter how you look at it, Rome is a pedestrian city. You simply cannot use a car while touring the major monuments of Rome. If you are coming with a large group and/or people who are mobility challenged, then it makes sense to use a vehicle. For the rest of us, the best plan of action is to avoid driving in Rome and tackle the city on foot, using short and inexpensive taxi transfers as needed.

4. We already bought Hop-on, Hop-off tickets online. Good going. But this will only get you around the city. What you see and learn once you get to the main Rome attractions is another story.

5. Two hours is too much time to spend inside the Vatican. Please believe me when I tell you that you will waste at least double the time without a guide. Nothing is marked inside the Vatican Museum and it has over 1400 galleries. After a while, you will just stop registering what it is that you are seeing. This is a normal response to what I like to refer to as artistic overload. A guide will get you in, show you what is important, and get you out. This is their job.

6. We only want to see the Sistine Chapel. Sure you do, but you can’t. It is located at the very end of the above-mentioned 1400 galleries. They do this on purpose to torture you into walking past papal tapestries, papal busts, papal statues, and more papalabilia. After all, they want to make sure you get your 14 Euros worth.

7. We’re slow walkers or handicapped. This is not a stupid reason at all. Having to struggle to keep up with a fast-moving tour group can be a nightmare for the elderly or people who are physically challenged. In situations like this I would always recommend a private tour guide for Rome so that you can go at your own pace and not feel pressured. If you have any doubts on whether you would be better of with a walking tour or driving tour of Rome, ask us or ask someone who knows Rome well and explain your situation. Also important to know is that the Vatican museum offers wheelchairs for complimentary use. To reserve a wheelchair at the Vatican museum, you can phone the day before your visit.

8. We don’t have the money for a tour (So leave us alone while we go and spend 4 Euros on a can of coke and 6 Euros on a gelato right in front of St.Peter’s Basilica). Folks, guides were put on this earth for a reason and that reason is to prevent you from making mistakes like this.

9. We’re not TOUR people. Did you decide this without every trying one? Or was it after a bad experience? Not all tours are created equally. A bright and engaging tour guide can turn an average holiday of sightseeing in Rome into the trip of a lifetime.

10. We’ve been to Rome before. You could go 20 times and still have no clue what any of it is or was. You owe it to yourself to do it right at LEAST once.

Have I left any questions unanswered? Use the comments section to put your two cents in!

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Selected photos are courtesy of eyalos