The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel are both closed on Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month. The Basilica of St. Peter’s is always open, and you will be able to visit it. If lucky enough, you might even be able to see the Pope since he gives a Blessing on this day. When the Vatican museums are closed, it will be replaced with a visit to the catacombs or something else you would like to see. The tour is very flexible, so we do not follow a strict itinerary; if you have any suggestions we will be happy to satisfy them.
Yes. To visit the Sistine Chapel you will have to pass through the halls of the Vatican Museums
Tips are not included in our prices, as we feel it should be entirely up to you, to decide how much should be the appropriate tip for the service received. And it sure is a nice way to show our guides and drivers how much you've appreciated their services. The more you like the service, the more you can tip them. If the service is awesome based on their professionalism, punctuality, and personality you are more than free to give them a big tip! In general we’d say 10% good job; 15% very good; 20% super.
It's quite simple easy. Depending on the type of service, tour or transfer, we offer many opportunities: Tour guides: Which must be qualified and licensed, according to Italian Law. Tour guides are the only ones that can give explanations (to a large group of people in any given venue, Museum, monument etc.). They've studied incredibly hard to learn the depths of the most important Italian Historical events, traditions, arts and culture. And our fully stocked list of Guides include historians, archeologists, specialized in Churches, art, Christian history, Jewish history. We have a guide for every occasion. That speak fluent foreign languages too! Tour Escorts: They are not licensed guides' per se. Although they have to sustain an exam too and their preparation and historical/cultural/art education is very high, but they can only give explanations when on buses or minivans. They are basically knowledgeable, passionate individuals that will escort you through the activity. An assistant, in some way, to attend to your needs during your trip. Necessary for larger groups for which is required a large vehicle. Tourist Interpreter: they have a lot of knowledge as well, but their job is 100% based on their language education. They are nothing more than a linguistic mediator. To be a tourist interpreter, they have to certify a certain level of education. Multi-lingual Tour drivers: This is a pretty new figure that operates in this field. Tour drivers are very experienced and safe drivers that show you around with those very fancy and cozy vehicles. They have a deep knowledge of the Italian history and art. Almost all of them are bilingual. They will guide you through the day and assist you with entering the places you'll see, whilst remaining by the vehicle at all times, while you enjoy your time.
The Accademy Gallery (David of Michelangelo among other beautiful masterpieces) is open every day except for Mondays, or other unforeseen events.
Once you have collected your luggage and cleared customs, head to the columns near the exit. More precisely, between Posts devoted to "Meeting Points 3 and 4, reserved to NCC/Limo service". But we will send you a picture, in your final confirmation voucher, to make things easier. And he will be holding a sign with the name shown on your reservation confirmation. It normally takes about 40 minutes from the moment your flight touches ground until you physically meet you driver.
We wish we could guarantee the driver requested for your tour. You probably read about him or had a friend suggest him to you; and knowing that he will be assigned to you, maybe will let you feel more secure about booking a tour with us. Knowing that there are many things that can change between now and the day of your tour, we will be honest with you and not lie by guaranteeing he will be assigned to you. We schedule the drivers’ tours at the beginning of each week and try our best to assign to each client the driver requested; this happens most of the time, but not always. Please be reassured that all the drivers used are trained to be friendly, informative and safe. Some are more fun, some more informative, but the most important thing is that you will be satisfied with them. Remember, it takes years to get a good reputation, and one unsatisfied client to ruin it. So do not worry, you will have a great time with our tours. If you have a preferred driver(s), when you book your tour, please let us have the list so we can try to best satisfy you.
We accept all credit cards so you pay in advance prior to your tour date and take advantage of when currency exchange is in your favor to pre-pay, in order to save money later on if rates change again.
Through our fast and easy booking system, with credit card. We accept all credit card but we do recommend you to use Visa and MasterCard circuit.
The cost for the tour guide inside certain venues, is included in the agreed total cost. Or if you'd like to add a guide to your tour even though you have already paid for it, we can arrange this additional cost via online payment.
We recommend you book a private licensed guide to take you through the vast museums to get the most out of your tour in limited time. The Vatican Museums are an entanglement of halls and galleries in which priceless artwork can be easily missed on your own. Your guide knows exactly where to show you the best the museums offers, while providing ongoing commentary about the history, art, and culture, as well as answering all of your questions. Only accompaniment by a licensed tour guide can give you access to St. Peter’s Basilica easily through the Sistine Chapel. This time saving shortcut is limited to visitors and their guides, not the general public. When time is of essence on Shore Excursions, your tour guide will make sure you see the best of the Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica, and bring you back to your driver at the precise time. It’s quite easy to get lost inside the Vatican for visitors; being accompanied by an experienced guide will ensure a timely exit and arrival to your ship.
We recommend comfortable shoes and clothing. Since many (if not most) of Italy’s streets are old cobble stone, high heels, strap-on sandals, and flip flops can be dangerous. During the summer months, we also recommend sunblock, sunglasses, summer hats, and/or summer umbrellas to keep your head cool. Don’t forget important items such as your wallet and ID. Valuable items such as your passport, expensive jewelry that can be easily lost or misplaced, and large sums of money in excess of what is necessary to cover all expenses on the tour, should be kept in a safe inside your hotel.
We are more than happy to accommodate your needs, and if you would like to extend your tour, please let your tour driver know. There is an extra fee of €50,00 per hour for each additional hour past the suggested return time.
No we do not. We believe in providing our clients with quality services you enjoy and feel are priced fairly. We never receive commissions or kickbacks from anyone
Whenever possible, you certainly can do that. Your experienced tour driver will make sure you will not run behind schedule and miss important sites, or cause you to arrive late to your ship. We strongly suggest you follow the guidance of your driver to ensure the best possible experience on your tour. Please bear in mind, if you booked your museum tickets online (Vatican Museums, Uffizi Gallery or Accademia Gallery,) you must enter the museums at the time slot you reserved. Failure to arrive for your visit on time may result in your ticket being rendered invalid.
Absolutely. All of our guides are local, highly qualified and licensed and speak fluent foreign languages, to fully satisfy the group's needs and make the places you'll visit more understanding, interesting and fun.
Please let us know what we can do to make your tour more suitable for your needs. We will do our very best to accommodate you.
Our shore excursion tours are carefully planned with serious consideration to distance, time, and traffic conditions to ensure an exciting excursion with prompt return to your ship. We would never steer you in areas of Italy that may potentially place you at risk of missing your ship. Our vehicles are safe and are properly and frequently maintained. In case of a vehicle breakdown, we have a strong network where a replacement vehicle will be provided to you immediately. We take every measure to ensure our clients have the best possible experience on our shore excursions, and implement all possible efforts to eliminate any potential incidents that would cause our clients to arrive late for their ship’s departure.
We appreciate your business and always respond to all inquiries within 24 hours. If you have not received a reply from us, please check your spam box in case our reply email ended up there. We also check our spam box regularly. Otherwise please send us another inquiry immediately.