Guided tour is the way to go to get the true value and understanding of what the Vatican museums have to offer. We did the ‘Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica’ guided tour. Being escorted by an expert tour guide, there’s shorter waiting time in line and easy navigation through the labyrinth of rooms and artwork. St Peter’s Basilica is stunning to see, indoors and outdoors. Lots to see at an easy pace and not overcrowded or stressful – quite spacious. I found Pope John XXIII quite fascinating to see – his corpse waxed, not embalmed, lays in a glass coffin. One of my daughter said that he looks like Santa. Oh… to see the Sistine Chapel, you must go through the entire Vatican Museums, which is at the very end, where you will find ‘The Last Judgement’ painted by Michelangelo Buonarroti. Let’s not kid ourselves, The Last Judgement is the “attention getter” and our main reason why we did this tour and definitely for many other tourists to visit Vatican Museums. We were struck with admiration standing under the much talked about, famous detailed work of art, which only took Michelangelo four years to complete – ceiling and vault decoration. Unfortunately, it was overcrowded, you could barely move, to appreciate the artwork and as a whole, the experience was not enjoyable. I simply don’t understand nor have we were given a valid reason why we can’t take photos of the Sistine Chapel? Our tour guide showed passion, professionalism and had immense knowledge and in-depth description of ancient artworks and artists involved. However, she told us, that if we spend one minute in front of each art work (20,000 are on display) in the Vatican Museums, it would take you four years to get through it. Our tour guide had a quietvox for us to hear clearly, as we all were given earphones to hear what she had to share. Should you still want to see the Sistine Chapel, I highly recommend Viator, they give you clear and helpful information of the meeting point, time and what you need to bring – yes, you definitely need to bring a valid passport for entry purposes. Be sure to wear comfy walking shoes (a lot of walking and stairs involved) and also bring a bottle of water – lots of drinking fountains available throughout. There’s definite room for improvements that could be made and that is to cut back on the amount of visitors at The Vatican, so the experience won’t be overwhelming or not enjoyable. Definitely not suitable for children. Note: When we booked the tour, we were advised that you must wear clothing that covers shoulders and knees when visiting sacred or holy places, which we did. But when we got there, we had noticed a plethora of exposed shoulders and knees. It was a heatwave that day, not too sure if the workers there were told to “turn a blind eye” or they simply used common sense? I would suggest, if it’s a hot day, wear cool clothing but bring with you a scarf for just-in-case.

City Wonders' Colosseum & Ancient Rome with Roman Forum & Palatine Hill Tour is well organized. The team arrived on time at the designated area, and the guide was knowledgeable. The experience of seeing the sights while listening to fascinating stories and historical accounts is priceless.

Very well organized and run professionally. Sonya was very descriptive in her conversations about the region. Highly recommend it

Our guide Heather was simply great! She really made the day perfect! She was so nice, informative and funny without being annoying! She showed us all the hidden places for incredible views, and made sure we were all having a great time! You don’t have to be a wine drinker to enjoy this tour! Great day!

Johnathan made our tour great and easy to maneuver. He made sure we were all informed and comfortable! He was incredibly knowledgeable and personable, these traits are so important for a lengthy day trip. I would book another tour with him again!

Just missed group because of construction work. A small notification would have made all difference. We passed our group before we checked in. We continued into closeup on our own; still worth it.

The tour guide (Sonia with an I) was really lovely and provided a great service to us. She provided us with in depth information about Rome and Sorrento and the meanings behind the mountains, the coast and the Roman times. She ensured the information was the right level and made sure she spoke to everyone on the tour which was very sweet. This tour is a must to attend as there is so much to learn but extremely fun too! Thank you Sonia for the little present (lemon soap).

We took the Pompeii and Sorrento trip in September. This trip was well worth the money . Be prepared it is a long day but so jammed packed full of great sights, information and entertainment. The enthusiasm our tour guide, John, shares with the participants is fabulous! He is funny, extremely knowledgeable and incredibly helpful! Sorrento was breathtakingly beautiful and Pompeii is an absolute MUST SEE! This city is so well preserved that you can almost feel the people that lived in this town 2000 years ago!

Paula H was friendly, smiley and very knowledgeable. A great experience and informative tour. Throughly recommended.

The ticketing was very good can't fault the collection point and helpfulness of the staff but the Vatican trip itself is an abomination of what it once was. I expect busy and yes it's August I have been before but to see never ending huge vast swathes of tourists crammed into the beautiful corridors being herded into the place and packed to bursting in the Sistine Chapel is sad beyond measure. I felt like I was leaving a football match it was that crowded. This is just a cash cow now there is no respect for the beauty around you honestly shameful and pricey too, this in comparison to Uffizi Gallery or Academia in Florence same month where you have space and quietness to appreciate the beauty - what a sad place it has become a money making cash cow for the Catholic church.

Was hoping for a breath taking experience. However, it was absolutely terrible. Started with an enormous security queue, baring in mind this tour is 'fast entry' and 'skip the queue', the entry absolutely wasn't fast. Nor was the queue organised, starting as one large group of people having no idea where they are supposed to queue and people being able to join the queue anywhere they desire. Was happy to see past this however the tour has easily become the worst experience I've had on holiday yet. They clearly let far too many people in and it turned into being herded like cattle through the entire of the museum and the Sistine chapel. We were continually ushered through the entire area, including the chapel due to there being so many people, we needed to keep walking and so probably spent a maximum 30 seconds in the chapel - couldn't tell you what it looked like! I expect when organised it would be fascinating, but this was clearly to get as many people through to get more money.

We did the full day trip and it was amazing and made even more so by our tour guide Jon. Information, knowledge, interaction and overall just really helpful. Learned more about Italy during the tour than we thought possible and would jump on another guided tour if Jon was guaranteed as the guide!!!

We thought the tour was great, and especially great with our guide Jon who painted us some great historic pictures and sailed us trough everything. So we had a really good time, however we wish we could stay in Sorrento some more. Pompeii was really great and again our local Pompeii guide aslo was amazing. So this Tour can really be reccomened. But please bring some food just to have in between.

We decided to try this tour guide for our Pompeii experience and it was definitely the highlight of the trip to Italy. John our tour guide was a wealth of information, a funny, knowledgable and entertaining guide who appeared to ensure everyone on the tour had the best experience possible. He was very attentive to everyone and nothing was too much trouble for him to deal with. Thank you John for an amazing experience and full day of entertainment. Will definitely be booking up again for this or other tours in the list of experiences! Well worth the money!

This was an incredible day trip for us, and John was probably one of the best guides I think I've ever had on an excursion, and I am well traveled so this says a lot. Not only did John make the entire coach laugh constantly, but he was incredibly informative, from the history of Rome and surrounding areas, to types of food and wine that have originated in Rome, and where to find authentic Restaurants that aren't tourist traps, so that we could have good experiences in the city. Sorrento is absolutely gorgeous and is somewhere I would like to return to, for longer, and Pompeii... wow!! Long story short, I would highly recommend this trip and if you get John as your guide (American guy, cant miss him), you're in luck!!