General admission vs guided tours, Vatican and Colosseum

Any suggestions for whether we should spend the extra for guided tours at both the Vatican and Colosseum, or would general admission tickets be okay?

I recommend one for the Vatican because it is so big and full of so much it can be overwhelming. We found a guide keeps you focused on the highlights and adds a lot of color that must would not know on their own.

The best decision we ever made was to book an early morning tour for the Vatican. Our tour guide took us in before the Vatican was open to the public. He headed straight to the Sistine Chapel and we had a good 30 minutes in the Chapel before the hoards of tourists started pouring in. It was the most remarkable experience of our trip.

As far as the Coloseum is concerned it is very doable on your own. We used the Rick Steves' audio guide and it was fine. But don't stand in the long line to buy your ticket at the Coloseum. Cross the street to Palatine Hill and you will most likely not find a line.

You can buy tickets for the coliseum online on your phone, and show the barcode at the turnstiles to jump the ticket queue.

It depends on how much time you want to spend at each location. Also your touring style. Do you like to go at a leisurely pace reading all the information signs / looking through your own tour book? Or do you care for just looking at the main highlights and the ease of a personal guide walking you through? It depends how much you want to get out from each place. You can purchase tickets in advance to both locations, which lets you skip the often long lines. Depends on what time of year you are visiting.

When my husband and I went to Rome for our honeymoon we had 1.5 weeks, so we took our time exploring the sights and didn't have a guide or pre-purchased any tickets. Fast forward to 9 years later, we were only in port for one day -this past June, so I pre purchased tickets to both places. I'm glad, because the lines were huge!

Don't forget that even if you are just interested in the Sistine Chapel - it still takes about an hour to walk through and get there. The crowds are very large.

Thanks for all the feedback! Very helpful! :D The Vatican Tour does make more sense. I think we'll be fine with general admission tickets to the Colosseum. We only have 2.5 days in Rome before we head to Civitavecchia so I don't want to spend too much time on organized tours.

~Katherine

Useful post as we have around 24 hours do 'do' it! I want to maximise the opportunity.

The best decision we ever made was to book an early morning tour for the Vatican. Our tour guide took us in before the Vatican was open to the public. He headed straight to the Sistine Chapel and we had a good 30 minutes in the Chapel before the hoards of tourists started pouring in. It was the most remarkable experience of our trip.

 

As far as the Coloseum is concerned it is very doable on your own. We used the Rick Steves' audio guide and it was fine. But don't stand in the long line to buy your ticket at the Coloseum. Cross the street to Palatine Hill and you will most likely not find a line.

May I asked who you booked the early morning Vatican tour through?

Ours was a 2:00 tour but we used Angel Tours.

Ours was a 2:00 tour but we used Angel Tours.

Thank you.

May I asked who you booked the early morning Vatican tour through?

We have booked an 8am exclusive guided tour (prior to public opening) thru Italy with us dot com for 50€ per person for a 2 hour tour.

You may remain after the tour to do more on your own if you wish.

Our tour will be on Tuesday, 10/28/14. Can't wait! We fly out in 38 days [emoji14]

Cindy

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk