Frequently Asked Questions
Does the tour fee include the entrance tickets to the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum?Ticket fees are included in the tour fees only for tours where it is necessary to book in advance.
The costs of tickets, when not incorporated into the total tour fee, are outlined on the page for each tour, please refer to the website for details.
Do I have to pay the full amount from your site in advance of my tours?
If you are the first people to book a tour, we do request payment in full in advance.
This is because sometimes in the past, people have not shown up for tours when they were the only people booked, in which case we still have to pay the guide. If there are already others booked,
we request a deposit of 20% of your tour fee, with the balance payable in cash.
What if I want to pay the full amount in advance, but you only request 20%?
Our tour fees are cash prices. Although we do not charge booking fees for the deposit we request from you, if you wish to pay more than this, a 5% booking fee is added to the total fee, to cover Paypal costs.
Do you run all the group tours every day?
We schedule tours as they are booked, but if you book at the last minute,
we can only add you to an already scheduled tour if there is room, or else we will offer you a private tour, if a guide is available.
Rome Survival Guide
Can I just turn up at the meeting points to join your tours?
No. We have a limited number of people on each of our tours,
so to ensure that there is room for you it is necessary to book in advance.
What is your policy with relation to refunds / cancellations?
Your deposit can be refunded in full with 1 week’s notice of cancellation.
A no-show for any tour is deemed as a cancellation and your deposit in this case is non-refundable.
Where are your meeting points for the tours, and how will I recognise my Real Rome Tours guide?
All of our meeting points are next to famous monuments and landmarks and very easy to find.
We will send you detailed instructions, with maps, with your tour confirmation for each of our meeting point locations.
Your guide will be at the meeting point, holding a Real Rome Tours sign.
Are your guides good English speakers?
All of our guides are from countries that speak English as their first language.
Do you do tours in Spanish, French ... ?
Unfortunately, at this time we only provide guided tours in English.
No. We have a limited number of people on each of our tours,
so to ensure that there is room for you it is necessary to book in advance.
What is your policy with relation to refunds / cancellations?
Your deposit can be refunded in full with 1 week’s notice of cancellation.
A no-show for any tour is deemed as a cancellation and your deposit in this case is non-refundable.
Where are your meeting points for the tours, and how will I recognise my Real Rome Tours guide?
All of our meeting points are next to famous monuments and landmarks and very easy to find.
We will send you detailed instructions, with maps, with your tour confirmation for each of our meeting point locations.
Your guide will be at the meeting point, holding a Real Rome Tours sign.
Are your guides good English speakers?
All of our guides are from countries that speak English as their first language.
Do you do tours in Spanish, French ... ?
Unfortunately, at this time we only provide guided tours in English.
FAQ
Do you skip the lines at the Colosseum and at the Vatican?
Yes. When necessary, we book tickets in advance for both sites, which allows us to skip the lines.
When it is not necessary to book tickets in advance as there are no lines,
we allow you to save on booking fees by buying your ticket on the day.
This is always indicated at the bottom of each tour description.
Are Cameras allowed on the Vatican tour?
Yes, you are allowed to bring cameras into the Vatican. They must be put through an x-ray machine as part of a security check on entrance to the Vatican museums, but the machines are camera-safe. Once inside, there are certain rooms where the flash must be turned off, due to the damage they can cause to valuable frescoes, but your guide will inform you of this on the day.
Remember, when entering the Sistine Chapel, your camera must be put inside the camera bag and not used inside, flash or no flash.
In St. Peter's Basilica, there are no restrictions on photography or video recorders.
What about clothing at the Vatican? I heard it was very strict on what you are allowed to wear?
It is not as bad as all that! At the Vatican, the only requirement is that knees and shoulders must be covered. You can read all of the rules for entering the Vatican here.
Yes. When necessary, we book tickets in advance for both sites, which allows us to skip the lines.
When it is not necessary to book tickets in advance as there are no lines,
we allow you to save on booking fees by buying your ticket on the day.
This is always indicated at the bottom of each tour description.
Are Cameras allowed on the Vatican tour?
Yes, you are allowed to bring cameras into the Vatican. They must be put through an x-ray machine as part of a security check on entrance to the Vatican museums, but the machines are camera-safe. Once inside, there are certain rooms where the flash must be turned off, due to the damage they can cause to valuable frescoes, but your guide will inform you of this on the day.
Remember, when entering the Sistine Chapel, your camera must be put inside the camera bag and not used inside, flash or no flash.
In St. Peter's Basilica, there are no restrictions on photography or video recorders.
What about clothing at the Vatican? I heard it was very strict on what you are allowed to wear?
It is not as bad as all that! At the Vatican, the only requirement is that knees and shoulders must be covered. You can read all of the rules for entering the Vatican here.
FAQ
What Our Clients Say
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“Our tour guide was outstanding. His knowledge of Rome and history was impressive.
He had a natural ability to communicate this wealth of knowledge in a way
that was easy to grasp and enjoyable. I look forward to visiting Rome again
in the future and highly recommend your company to everyone.
Thank you for a wonderful day in Rome full of amazing memories!”
– Shauna, USA -
“We had a great tour and we were very impressed and overwhelmed with the guide’s
abundance of knowledge! He was great and made it wonderful because we learned so much!
The group size was small which was very nice.
I will definitely recommend your company to others traveling to Rome!
Thank you.” - Kim, U.S. -
“Tour with Richie was wonderful. Everything we expected and more.
It was singlely the best decision we made when planning our trip!
Richie was very knowledgable and we enjoyed spending the day with him.”
– Kristy, USA -
“All three of our guides' level of historical, archeological and artistic expertise
is to be highly commended. I cannot say enough positive words about all three tours.”
- Wendy, Connecticut. -
“Your 3 tours made our time in Rome really worthwhile.
The sunset one with Richie was great; he was so helpful and informative.
The Vatican tour with Alexandra was equally good
and we could not get over how much of a difference it made to the holiday.
Thanks too for the easy to understand directions and meeting places,
we had absolutely no problems at all.
You are all wonderful……..” – Jenny, Slough -
“We had a wonderful tour and Richie was a great guide!
He was wonderful with the children (ages 7 and 4) as well as us adults.
We highly recommend him to others!
Thank you for helping us have a truly wonderful experience in Rome!
Also, a special hello and thank you to Richie!!
We still talk about him!”
- Susan, USA.