Tours in Rome (before cruise)

[Disneygirlxo91]

Hello!

I’m looking for suggestions on tour companies in Rome prior to our med cruise this coming summer!

Thanks in Advance!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We've used Driver in Rome during our Med cruise. Since then we almost exclusively use Tours by Local, no matter where we travel.

With Driver in Rome you had to bring cash to pay the guide and driver the day of your tour. The nice thing with Tours by Locals is that you can book on their website and pay with your credit card in US Dollars before you leave home.

Both companies used excellent guides and drivers.

 

[Chrispy97]

We have a reservation with Tourist Italy before the Mediterranean cruise this summer. Lots of options available on length of tour and start date, multiple levels of hotel options, and they will pick us up at the airport at the start and drop us at Civitavecchia at the end (we chose to end the day before so we aren't worried about the third party company getting us there for a PAT.)

They also have single day tour packages if you have the hotel and/or are just looking for a quick tour.

That said, while the reviews I've found look good we've never used them before.

 

[CruizyWoozy]

We used Liv Tours this past summer and had an amazing time with a great tour guide, https://livtours.com/tours/vip-rome-in-a-day-private-tour-city-highlights/

The other tour we really enjoyed was this e-bike tour, https://www.topbikerental.com/rome-bike-tours/castel-gandolfo . My son and husband are big athletes, I am not. All three of us enjoyed it and say it was one of the best parts of our trip.

 

[Mommb]

We used Rome in Limo for a day-long shore excursion in Rome a few years ago.
We used Joe Banana Tours for a day near Naples and for a post-cruise day in Tivoli and Villa Adriano.
We did a 2 hour “Rome at Twilight” walking tour with Through Eternity.
I wouldn’t hesitate to use any of them again.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I wasn't going to reply because our Med cruise was back in 2013 and a lot could change since then, but I'm glad to see that Rome in Limo is still around and doing well. We used them for our tours to Florence/Pisa, Rome, and Naples/Positano.
They were fabulous and they offered a multi-tour discount and also a discount if we pre-paid in cash. For that we had to wire money to an account in Miami and I would have swore it was all some scam except I had read from others on the Disboards who did just that with no problems. They marked our reservations paid in full and that was a lot less Euros we needed to carry around.

 

[princesscinderella]

I used get your guide and Klook to book tours when in Rome before our med cruise cruise this summer. We booked the underground coliseum/forum tour, a night walking tour, and the Vatican tour. I have used these two sites on lots of our travels around the world and have never been disappointed.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

RomeInLimo was our guide that picked us up from the ship and we toured the whole day. Communication was great and the tour was fantastic! Used Joe Bananas in Naples- they too, were fantastic. Would not hesitate to use either again.

 

[CaseyCruiser]

Hello!

I’m looking for suggestions on tour companies in Rome prior to our med cruise this coming summer!

Thanks in Advance!

We sailed out of Rome this summer and used Get Your Guide.

 

[wabbott]

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/rome/rome-bus-tours

 

[OKW Lover]

It has been several years but one tour that stands out in my mind is a food tour through the Trastevere part of Rome.
https://www.eatingeurope.com/rome/twilight-trastevere/

 

[bheyman]

We love Rome! We booked private tour of the Vatican museum with https://www.througheternity.com/en/rome-tours/. A food tour with Fabio of Eating Europe was phenomenal…..https://www.eatingeurope.com/rome/golf-cart-food-tour-rome/. Seeing Rome at night was memorable with https://turtletourrome.com/rome-by-night-in-golf-cart/. If you are looking for assistance planning your trip to Italy, may I suggest https://www.davveroitaly.com/. Lauren is personable and gives so many ideas for a trip to Rome, Italy, etc. We have done bar tours in Rome with her. She knows bar and restaurant staff. Her restaurant suggestions were spot on.

 

[CruiseGoon]

Hello!

I’m looking for suggestions on tour companies in Rome prior to our med cruise this coming summer!

Thanks in Advance!

Any private tour company will likely get the job done. Just look for what you really want to see/do. A private guide will be more flexible and helpful with getting off-the-beaten-path gems that you might want to see.

That being said, I try to make this recommendation for anyone who is going to spending some additional time in Rome. Our absolute favorite restaurant was a place called Al 42 by Pasta Chef Rione Monti. This place was absolutely AMAZING! The Carbonaro used real pork jowls and puts any American Italian chain to an absolute shame. There's also a small piazza nearby with a great gelato shop. Make sure to ask for whipped cream on your gelato.

It's located only a 10-minute walk from the Colosseum.

https://www.al42.it/menu/
https://maps.app.goo.gl/MAx5f4aXrK7xx31F6

But wherever you eat, please avoid the restaurants that are right next to the major tourist attractions. They are all over-priced and bland. The really great food is usually a short walk away from the major sights.

 

[Scottishdisneyfan]

just get an esim and walk about. You can walk from the vatican to pretty much all the nicest sites in the city fairly easily. The open top bus tours are decent. But just take it easy, have a stroll about and explore the wee alley ways in the historic centre. If you go on a tour youre only going to see the places the tour company get paid to take you to. We go to italy quite a lot and my recommendation is just diy it. Its a lovely safe city, yes its busy but everyone just ambles about and the thrill of turning a corner and accidentally finding something amazing (piazza navona is my favourite part of rome, i definitely believe lighting a candle in the gorgeous church brought us a miracle in my family) is wonderful.

 

[pjacobi]

just get an esim and walk about.

Learn how to use Google Maps to download maps via hotel Wi-Fi and save them on your phone. You can then view offline maps marked with your current position with absolutely *no* cell service or fees!


-Paul

 

[cedricandsophie]

Hello!

I’m looking for suggestions on tour companies in Rome prior to our med cruise this coming summer!

Thanks in Advance!

We haven’t hired a tour but I can say that we love the hop on hop off bus. It goes everywhere around the city. We have been to most sites in Rome but the last time we got off for the mouth of truth which was featured in the movie Roman Holiday. And once we just rode it around nonstop because it was so great. The other thing we did on our own and we had a car but you could easily take uber or taxi we went to Villa Borghese one of the most beautiful places you will ever see.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We went with Adventures by Disney (ABD) for the pre-cruise days in Rome (June 2025). They are all-inclusive, from picking you up at the airport, transportation to the hotel (we stayed at the Marriott Flora), tickets and transportation to all the major sights, food, and transportation to the port. Yes, it is pricey, but the guides are very knowledgeable and experienced, and there is no waiting in long lines (The Mouse has connections!).

 

[tidefan]

2 things I'd recommend that we did. 1) Do a golf cart tour around Rome. You can get into the smaller streets and get around much easier. We had a blast. 2) Book a transfer to the port at Civitavecchia. It took about an hour and a half to get out there, but if you use a private transfer (or DCL), they can drop you off right at the ship instead of you having to navigate the port, which can be confusing. We used www.romecabs.com and had a great driver!

I will also add that Rome, I think, was a 1 and done for us. We liked it, but feel we saw everything and we are good. The biggest draw for us over there is Greece and Croatia/Montenegro, which going out of Athens is way better for. However, that would put you on something like Virgin or Princess or Celebrity or Celestyal instead of DCL.

 

[Mom24Princesses]

We spent two weeks in Italy last May. We booked tours from GetYouGuide and Viator. I would comparison shop between the two. Favorites - Fast train to Naples and a tour of Pompeii. On another day we took a taxi to the Galleria Borghese museum. It is on a huge estate that has been turned into a garden and park. After our guided tour we walked back to one of the gates into Rome and walked through the Piazza del Popolo and by the twin churches Santa Maria in Montesanto Basilica and Chiesa Santa Maria dei Miracoli before walking down the beautiful Via Margutta where the buildings were covered with blooming jasmine and finding lunch.
Another favorite was a pizza and gelato making class near the Colosseum. The best pizza I had in the two weeks was near the Vatican Museum. (which was also amazing). I most often got classic Margherita.

We also visited Volterra, Cinque Terra and Florence. We can't wait to return. (This June we are going to France - Disneyland Paris, Paris and a circle tour stopping at a number of small towns, gorgeous chateaus, spending the night on Mont Saint-Michel and a two day visit to Normandy.)