Rome In-Depth
7 DAYS
Rome 5
Basic Inclusions
Accommodations
Accommodations in centrally-located three-star or four-star hotels. Rooming on a triple basis. Double rooms: $50 per night, per person.
Meals
All breakfasts. All dinners. Cooking Class with dinner on Day 5. Dinner with entertainment at Le Terme del Colosseo on Day 6.
Transportation
Round-trip transportation on scheduled airline. All public transportation tickets included where applicable.
Guide
Services of a specially-trained passports Tour Director throughout. All tips are included in the Program Cost. Whisper headsets included.
Travel Protection
Passports provides and pays for a Post Departure Travel Protection Plan that includes coverage for Trip Interruption, Trip Delay, Medical Expense and Evacuation and more.
Tour Summary
Itinerary Includes
Unlimited public transportation
Days 1-2: Arrival Rome
Arrival transfer
Day 3: Rome
Visits to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum: 24-hour public transportation pass in Rome, Headset receiver, Local guide, Visit to the Colosseum
Visit to the Pantheon
Day 4: Rome
Excursion to the Via Appia Catacombs and Castelli Romani: Catacombs of San Sebastiano or Catacombs of San Callisto, Alban Hills towns, Sightseeing stop in Castel Gandolfo to view the Papal Palace, Sightseeing stop in Frascati
Day 5: Rome
Visit to the Vatican: Local guide, Headset receiver for the Vatican sites, Visit to the Sistine Chapel, Visit to St. Peter's Basilica, 24-hour public transportation pass in Rome
Cooking Class with dinner
Day 6: Rome
Tour director-led walking tour from the Spanish Steps to the Trevi Fountain
Dinner with entertainment at Le Terme del Colosseo
Day 7: Departure
Departure transfer
UNPARALLELED STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE
Detailed Itinerary
Days 1-2: Arrival
Rome is your destination; a wide-bodied jet is your vehicle. Swoop down over the Alps and touch down on the wide concrete runway at Fiumicino Airport. You've arrived in Italy!
Proceed to your centrally-located hotel, settle in and get ready to explore your surroundings.
If your schedule allows, consider a visit to the Trevi Fountain, one of Rome's most celebrated sights, which was the terminus of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct. Throw a coin over your right shoulder and into the spray to ensure your return to this wonderful city!
Overnight: Rome
Day 3: Colosseum and Roman Forum, Pantheon
Walk through the best known monuments of Ancient Rome, the Colosseo and the Foro Romano. Once the heart of a vast empire, the Forum was filled with extravagant buildings and crowded with people from all over the known world.
A headset receiver is included.
A local guide, specially-trained on the history and culture of Rome and its surroundings, will accompany your group.
Step into the heart of ancient Rome with a visit to the majestic Colosseum. This iconic symbol of Roman engineering and architecture invites you to walk through the pages of history. As you stand within its towering walls, you'll be transported back to the era of gladiators, emperors, and epic spectacles. The Colosseum is not just a monument; it's a timeless narrative of Rome's glorious past. Marvel at its grandeur, imagine the roar of a bygone crowd, and experience a pivotal piece of history. Each stone of this ancient arena tells a story of triumph, tragedy, and enduring legacy.
Your combination ticket to the Colosseum and Roman Forum also allows entrance to the Palatine Hill archaeological site and its museum: should time permits, you may want to make your way up the hill to visit the oldest and most prestigious residential area of Ancient Rome.
Inside the "Temple to All the Gods," you will understand why it has been called one of the better-preserved and most harmonious monuments of antiquity.
Overnight: Rome
Day 4: Excursion to the Via Appia Catacombs and Castelli Romani
Today's excursion takes south of Rome.
You will visit either the Catacombs of San Sebastiano or the Catacombs of San Callisto.
It is said that at the dawn of Christianity, during the height of the persecution of Christians by the Romans, the remains of St. Peter and St. Paul were transferred to the Catacombs of San Sebastiano. A stone believed to bear a footprint of Christ is also held there. The Catacombs of San Callisto served as the official burial grounds for the first bishops of Rome. Its Crypt of the Popes houses the graves of early pontiffs.
The volcanic Alban Hills region, set within the Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani, includes two crater lakes and thirteen picturesque towns founded in the pre-Roman era of Ancient Latium. They are collectively called "Castles of Rome" because they were later chosen by popes and prominent Roman families as cool places (literally) to establish their summer country estates.
Head up to the highest point of a town set on a long ridge above Lake Albano. It's said to occupy the site of the ancient citadel of Alba Longa, the mythical mother city of all ancient Latium towns, and, by extension, of Rome itself. Nowadays, its name, Castel Gandolfo, is synonymous with the official summer residence of the Pope: the Papal Palace, or Apostolic Palace, built in the 1600s on the site of one of the emperor Domitian's palaces.
Discover the town that's perhaps the most elegant of the Castelli Romani with its villas and parks. Frascati is also widely known for its production of cheese, jams, and DOC white wines.
Overnight: Rome
Day 5: Vatican Museums, Cooking Class
Discover outstanding masterpieces collected for the Vatican Museums since the early 1500s. See exceptional statues from antiquity, such as Laocoön and His Son and the Apollo Belvedere, as well as stunning Renaissance paintings, notably the The School of Athens fresco in the Raphael Rooms.
A half-day local guide, well-educated and specially-trained on the history and culture of Vatican City, will accompany your group.
Marvel at Michelangelo's Last Judgment and brightly-colored ceiling frescoes in the Cappella Sistina.
Enter the sanctuary recognized as the world's largest church. The Basilica di San Pietro also houses priceless works of art, in particular Michelangelo's Pietà and Bernini's Dove of the Holy Spirit.
Today's cooking class will present cooking techniques, local products and Italian culture as you prepare your dinner under the guidance of a local chef.
Overnight: Rome
Day 6: Spanish Steps to the Trevi Fountain Walking Tour, Dinner with Music at Le Terme del Colosseo
Enjoy a walk through the heart of Rome as you discover a maze of narrow streets, avenues and iconic sights.
Start at the Spanish Steps, a favorite spot for Romans and tourists alike. These monumental stairs lead from Piazza di Spagna, a square graced by a 17th-century fountain, to the church of Trinità dei Monti on top of the hill. Nearby, you'll see the Keats-Shelley House, last residence of the poet John Keats, the exclusive Babington Tea Rooms, and Via dei Condotti, lined with high fashion boutiques such as Armani, Prada, Versace, and Gucci.
Proceed past picturesque piazzas, restaurants and gelato shops on your way to the Trevi Fountain, which was the terminal of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct. Throw a coin over your right shoulder and into the spray to ensure your return to this wonderful city!
Tonight, enjoy dinner with entertainment at the restaurant Le Terme del Colosseo, which is located between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, in halls with arched ceilings and exposed stone. It offers a variety of Italian dishes accompanied by musical entertainment titled "Roman Fantasy," with singers in costume.
Overnight: Rome
Day 7: Departure
Ciao, Europa! Statistics show that visitors do in fact return to Rome, although it may not have anything to do with coins in a fountain. Race the sun and arrive home later today, eager to share your discoveries with family and friends.
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Visit the Colosseum
Visit the Roman Forum
Visit to the Vatican Museums
Visit to St. Peter's Basilica
Trevi Fountain Walking Tour
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