Vatican

Very well organised from all the Dark Rome Tour staff. David our assigned tour guide was excellent, his English was superb, loved the microphones so everyone could hear no matter where you stood. David had an excellent view on the art and gave us a very colourful insight into Vatican life.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

Itinerary Number: 27681723

Rating: 5 Stars

Our group of 16 persons from Virginia in the United States was most satisfied with the tour of the Vatican on April 4, 2013. David was our guide for this tour and he excelled in everyway: knowledge, communication, respect, efficiency, sense of humor, advice, and personal demeanor.

David had superior command of the core knowledge of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and the Raphael apartments. In addition, he provided relevant historical context to the many sites and art treasures that we viewed. His English was excellent, unfailingly clear and easy to understand. He spoke about the topics of our tour in an organized and systematic manner. His respect for members of our group was evident in the many responses to our questions and we freely questioned him on a multitude of topics. At no time were his comments demeaning nor did he ever suggest we were “ignorant” tourists. He made us believe that we were receiving an education and we all concluded that he succeeded well in this task. David was able to guide us through the hallways and doorways of the many buildings and rooms with excellent directions and his use of the electronic microphone enhanced our ability to learn and to follow him around. He used humor in an effective manner, never being acerbic, but allowing us to see persons and history in a timely and human perspective. This use of humor allowed us to enjoy and appreciate the many facts of history and personalities permeating the formal setting of the Vatican. David generously offered us advice on other aspects of our visit to Rome and stayed with the group after the official tour until he had answered all our questions. We enjoyed being with him throughout the tour and wished we could have taken him with us on our other destinations in Rome and beyond. His communication skills, charming smile, openness, helpfulness, and expert knowledge were deeply appreciated by all of our group members.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

Our tour guide was Tatiana, a very knowledgeable, helpful, clear and enthusiastic.
Regrettably the tour was most disappointing. We understood that it was not possible to view the Sistine Chapel but we were not guided through St Peter's either. I am not sure which part of the Vatican was on extension of the original tour but to us it was certainly disappointing and more expensive than even the offers made by local tour operators in Rome.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

I would like you to know that your employee, Fracisco Silvestra, made our trip to Rome so very special. After a wonderful visit to the Vatican, the Pantheon we were on our way to the Colosseum when my legs gave out and I could not do that tour. Mr Silvestra  was so kind to me and we communicated as best we could while we waited for our group. He is not only an excellent driver but was caring and very thoughtful. What a wonderful example of Italian hospitality.
Please give Mr. Silvestra my fondest regards.

Diane DallaMura

I have booked this tour about 4 years ago when i visited Rome, with my family. However this time i visited with my boyfriend who had always wanted to visit Rome. The tour is very informative, walking the museums on your own could get very overwhelming so i find it much easier to have a guide who can walk you through the history behind the vatican. Having done the tour before i thoroughly enjoyed this one also, our guide was Laura there were just 6 people in our group and lucky it was fairly quiet on the day we visited so you dont feel like you are being bustled along. I would reccommend the tour to first time visitors as you can miss so much not knowing what you should be looking out for. We also ventured upto the Dome of the bascilica, which was worth the excercise ( note not for the faint hearted), 520 steps ( an extra 2 euros to miss out the first 200) still leaving 320 to climb and in a small space spiralling upwards. The views from the top are spectacular and the weather was gorgeous the day we visited, it was a perfect end to the mornings tour.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

We had catherine as our tour guide and she was fantastic. She told the stories and history with such passion that made the tour truly fascinating! Well done to Catherine!

our guide was franchesca (so sorry if that is spelled wrong). she was great. we went on a not so busy day. so we didnt have to stand in a horrible long line like many have posted in reviews, i was also warned about an additional fee? we never paid for anything extra. so im not sure what that was about in previous reviews. i really enjoyed the tour it was amazing to see the history behind each art piece. though i was extremely upset about idiotic people taking pictures and talking and taking pics with flash in the sistine chapel. it saddened me because it clearly states no photos and to be silent. and flashes from cameras ruin the old paint. some people just have no respect. other then that our tour was amazing and so was our guide. i highly recommend going and taking this tour! the meeting place was easy to find and is if you know how to read road signs and a map. we walked to everything in rome including our visit to the vatican.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's

Stella our tour guide was amazing. Patient and knowledgable ...and very entertaining. We enjoyed the tour very much. We took the skip the line Vatican and opted for the early 8.15 departure. Though there were crowds it was well worth it as the early start meant the groups were small and spread out. By the time our tour was over the crowds were wall to wall and this would have made for a less intimate and more frustrating experience. Thumbs up for the early bird tour!

An absolute must in Roma - the small group was great, Laura our guide was passionate about the art and history which brought it to life, she was well organised so felt it flowed without any major delays. Certainly need good walking shoes and water as is exhausting for the less fit!

An absolute must in Roma - the small group was great, Laura our guide was passionate about the art and history which brought it to life, she was well organised so felt it flowed without any major delays. Certainly need good walking shoes and water as is exhausting for the less fit!

An absolute must in Roma - the small group was great, Laura our guide was passionate about the art and history which brought it to life, she was well organised so felt it flowed without any major delays. Certainly need good walking shoes and water as is exhausting for the less fit!

Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and get a good night's sleep the night before because this tour makes for a long day. However, it was fantastic! We started the day in the Vatican and St. Peter's Basillica. The highlight, of course, was the Sistine Chapel. Our guide, David, prepared us before we entered so we'd understand symbolism. We were allowed about 25 minutes in the chapel to view the frescoes on our own. I could have stayed for the whole day.
The afternoon was spent touring the other basillicas in Rome. An exhausting day, but so worthwhile!

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican in One Day

Uncomfortably hot and crowded. Unless you want to see he 'big' items visit Rome's smaller less visited churches. They contain many treasures and are tranquil and peaceful. However, if you must, this tour was excellent, if only for the guide who was interesting, informative and enthusiastic about her subject, about Rome and its history. She coped admirably with the crowds and kept tour together well. Organisation at the tour office was good. The microphone and earphone system, essential in the packed museum, could be a bit difficult when dozens of other tour groups around use the same system. Best bits: sitting in the shade on the steps in the Vatican museum garden listening to our guide give a first class overview of the Michelangelo's Cistine Chapel ceiling fescos, the Laocoon and the awesome interior of St Peter's. Terrible shame the stunning Pieta has to be viewed behind glass from about 30ft away.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica Half-Day Walking Tour

a brilliant tour,Fredericka was amazing !! she made it interesting,funny and exciting.Didnt want to leave her at the end of it.Ac credit to your company..a wonderfull ,well educated girl who adores her job. thankux

Our guide was on time, gave each of our party of 10 headsets where we each can listen as we walk to our guide who was a Rome native. Great personality, engaging and very informative. We did not have to wait in any lines to view the Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica or the Vatican as we toured as a comfortable pace. Would not hesitate to use their services again on future visits.

Doing what: Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's