When in Rome there are so many things to see and do, especially in the historic center. You could live there a lifetime and still not see everything. The Eternal City is often described as being like a lasagna – layers of history are piled up on top of one another.
Unless you are a historian, there’re a lot of stories that you’ll miss if you take to the streets and the sites on your own. If you want a taste of all the saucy details in the history of this fascinating city, book a private walking tour with Inspiration Trips and let one of our guides share their passion about “La Grande Bellezza” known as Roma.
Top 3 Tours
The most popular private day tours include a Historic Rome Centro, the Colosseum & Ancient Rome, and the Vatican & St. Peter’s Basilica including the Sistine Chapel. These top 3 will give you a taste of the most important highlights of Rome and are perfect for first-time visitors.
Our private 3-hour half day walking tours are available with licensed guides throughout the year. Each guide has been screened for their English proficiency and consistent excellent ratings on Trip Advisor.
Limited on time? A full-day Rome in One Day walking tour combines the best of the top 3 above during 6-7 hours with a break for lunch.
But That’s Not All
If you have more time to spend in Rome or you are returning for another visit to see more, other available tours we can offer include the Borghese Galleria & Gardens, Ostia Antica (near to FCO airport and a similar site like Pompeii, but far less crowded), and Rome Underground.
When booking a private tour guide in Rome, it’s ideal to reserve your tour at least two weeks ahead if not sooner during the high season. At some venues the tickets are limited and sell out early. The guides with the most excellent ratings also fill up their schedule well in advance and it can’t be guaranteed to find an available guide, especially at the last moment.
Contact us to start planning your tour schedule with a licensed guide in Rome from Inspiration Trips.
More details…
In Rome we offer the following half-day walking tours with professional, licensed tour guides given in English language. A minimum of 24 hours is required to schedule any tour. For the best chance of your chosen availability it is advised to order your tour at least 2 weeks in advance of your tour date and even as early as up to 2 months or more in advance during the high season.
Historic Rome Centro
This tour is a pleasant stroll through the heart of the historic center of Rome. During this tour you will see the famous and must-see sites of the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo de’Fiori, Largo Argentina, and Piazza Venezia. Along the way you’ll have an opportunity to stop for a traditional Italian caffé, glass of wine, or a delicious gelato. If this is your first visit to Rome, you want to start your adventure with this one as it will help orient you to the layout of the historic center of the city and show you a few surprises you might not discover on your own.
This tour is available EVERYDAY, even on holidays!
Intro to the Colosseum & Ancient Rome
This tour will take you inside of the Colosseum and through important highlights within the gated areas of the Ancient Forums to learn about the history and significance of the buildings throughout the periods of Ancient Rome. Your visit inside of the ancient forums will cover a vast area not completely seen from the public walks with views that you do not want to miss. Time permitting you can remain inside the Ancient Forums after your tour to visit other areas not discussed during the tour. Our regular intro tour does not cover the underground or 3rd ring levels of the Colosseum. Please inquire for special arrangements so that we can accommodate an alternative plan for those who desire to see the Belvedere (3rd ring) level.
This tour is not available on the first Sunday of each month.
Intro to the Vatican & St. Peter’s Basilica
This tour covers the highlights of the Vatican museums, the famous ceiling inside of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo, and the Basilica of St. Peter (when access is permitted). On your journey through the museums to reach the Sistine Chapel you’ll see the Cortile della Pigna (Pinecone Courtyard); various sections of the Pio-Clementine museum including the Belvedere Torso, a 1st century B.C. marble copy of an original Greek bronze seen in the Room of the Muses, which inspired Michelangelo and others in their art; and the Galleries of the Candelabra, Tapestries, and Maps. Optionally according to desire and the tour’s schedule you can see the Rooms of Raphel and the historic Apartments of the Pope.
This is the perfect Vatican tour for the first-time visitor who wants to see an overview of the museums and learn about the history of the museum’s formation and the church that supported it. For a more in-depth tour of the Vatican please look at one of our other tours of special focus.
This tour is not available on Sundays or Wednesday mornings.
Ostia Antica: The port city of Ancient Rome
On this tour you will see an (ongoing) excavation of Ancient Rome’s port city of Ostia. Strategically located at the mouth of the Tiber River, this harbor town was once a thriving city of around 60,000 people and an important settlement of the Ancient Roman Empire.
Similar to another notable excavation in Southern Italy (Pompeii), you won’t need to travel far from Rome’s city center in order to see an entire ancient town and walk back in time for a memorable experience to glimpse what life must have been like in ancient times. Whether you are an architect, engineer, city planner, or simply enjoy history, you’ll love this visit to Ostia Antica where you can see and walk through the original cobblestone streets, past the necropolis, through the city’s center piazza, inside the walls of buildings, temples, warehouses, apartments, businesses, the mill, mansions, the public and private bath houses, and of course go to the theater that was built during the time of Augustus. A great number of the mosaics have been preserved as well as statues and frescos, some of which the originals can be seen inside of the on-site museum where they are preserved from the elements.
If you are an artist, it would be ideal to book a morning tour so that you can stay afterwards and find your perfect spot for some sketching or perhaps a plein-air painting. There are plenty of trees at Ostia to locate a shady spot beneath some Mediterranean Pines during the warmer months. There is also an on-site café where you can have a lunch break or refreshment along with a few fountains for refilling your water bottle when you need a break.
Traveling with your dog? No problem, the site of Ostia Antica does allow entrance if your dog is on a leash and of course you must take care of any remains left behind. The only exception is that dogs are not allowed inside of the museum. Don’t worry, it’s shady outside and you can find a spot to tether their leash. The museum visit doesn’t take long during the tour.
This tour is not available on Mondays or the first Sunday of each month.
Jewish Ghetto: A walk through the history of the Jewish community in Rome
Jews have lived in Rome for over 2000 years, longer than in any other European city. Having had this long of a presence in Rome over the centuries there are certainly a number of historical events that occurred here.
On our tour you will walk through the Ghetto where the population was once strictly contained, see the Jewish Synagogue (the only building with a squared dome in Rome), and see where tragic events of the holocaust occurred during the Nazi occupation of Rome. We’ll cross the Tiber River over to the Isola Tiberina and also to see the section of where the earliest Jews once lived.
Due to the restrictions of the Ghetto, you’ll see how the architecture grew vertically to accommodate the population since they were not to expand beyond the perimeter of the rione. In this neighborhood you’ll also see one of the most famous fountains of Rome, the Fontana delle Tartarughe (Turtle Fountain), located in Piazza Mattei.
Throughout this neighborhood you’ll find several great restaurants, including kosher establishments, to try authentic Roman-Giudea cuisine. You absolutely must try the Carciofi alla Giudea (fried artichokes)! They are in season during the spring.
This tour is available EVERYDAY, even on holidays!
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