Organized Tours

Because of the sheer number of sights to see, some first-time visitors like to start out with an organized tour. While few things can really be covered in any depth on these overview tours, they're sometimes useful for getting your bearings.

One of the leading tour operators is American Express, Piazza di Spagna 38 (tel. 06-67641; www.americanexpress.com; Metro: Spagna). A popular tour is their 4-hour orientation of Rome and the Vatican, which departs most mornings at 8:30am and costs 68€ per person. Another 4-hour tour, which focuses on the Rome of antiquity (including visits to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the ruins of the Imperial Palace, and San Pietro in Vincoli), costs 68€. From April to October, a good excursion outside Rome is a 5-hour bus tour to Tivoli, where tours are conducted of the Villa d'Este and its spectacular gardens and the ruins of the Villa Adriana, all for 58€ per person.

Through Eternity Tours, Via Sinuessa 8 (tel. 06-7009336; www.througheternity.com), is staffed by a team of art historians, archaeologists, and experts on ancient Rome. Its guided tour of Vatican City is the best in Rome, a comprehensive 5-hour tour that brings life to the artifacts in this vast treasure-trove. The cost is 32€ per person. Other tours include Rome at Twilight, a 2 1/2-hour evening tour of the city's beautiful piazzas and fountains, costing 29€ per person. Lasting 4 hours, a tour of Underground Rome costs 49€.

Another option is Context Travel, Via Baccina 40 (tel. 06-4820911; www.contexttravel.com), which has a network of architects, historians, and art historians who organize walking seminars for intellectually curious travelers. These walks last anywhere from 3 hours to all day and provide an in-depth alternative to traditional tours. Groups are small, never more than 6 participants. For example, 1 tour lasting 2 hours and costing 35€ per person takes you into the subterranean chambers of the Circus Maximus (not open to the general public). Yet another 3-hour tour, costing 55€ per person, takes you on a tour of the development of Rome during the Imperial period, including the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

Rome from a Tiber Perspective -- Battelli di Roma (tel. 06-97745498; www.battellidiroma.it) runs tours aboard a "water bus" that passes under the bridges of Rome. You'll see such landmarks as St. Peter's Basilica (in the distance); Castel Sant'Angelo; and the little island in the Tiber, Isola Tiberina. The cost of a one-way ticket is just 1€. For a 75-minute guided tour, you'll pay 15€. Children ages 6 to 12 pay 6€; ages 5 and under ride for free. Tours start at Ponte Sant'Angelo near the Vatican and are conducted daily at 10am, 11:30am, 3:30pm, and 5pm. An evening tour that includes a four-course dinner departs nightly from Ponte Sant'Angelo at 8pm and lasts 2 1/2 hours. The cost is 54€ for adults and 35€ for kids.