When in Rome, do as the Romans do! That’s the advice we would give anyone looking to visit the “home of Italian heritage”. The locals will show you the most authentic time within the city if you allow them, and if there’s one thing you’re going to need, its a guide through the queues of tourists.
So if you’re planning a Rome day tour of the Vatican and the Colosseum, let us show you some of the best options available. Especially if you’re one of those who are looking for local insight and navigation. A Vatican and Colosseum tour is one of the city’s most popular activities and thus you’re going to need all the help you can get!
Know Before You Book
- Prepare for a fair amount of walking
- The Colosseum and Vatican are both almost always busy
- Expect a lot of information in a short space of time
Highlights:
- The Colosseum and its vast arena
- St. Peter’s Basilica
- Sistine Chapel and Michaelangelo’s masterpieces
Rome has for many years been the go-to site for any person looking for a shot of ancient culture! From its ancient buildings that are still standing after 3000 years to its modern-day cultural significance as the center of the Catholic Church, Rome is a tourist’s must-do.
Whether it be due to time constraints or personal preference, some people would prefer to focus their Rome day tours on one major site, or a couple of smaller sites. However, some other people want their day tours of Rome to cover as much ground as possible.
If you are one such person, then a Vatican and Colosseum tour will be right up your alley. As day tours in Rome go, this is one of the most popular. And for good reason! From Michaelangelo’s frescoes to the majestic St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican should be the first stop on anyone’s to-do list in Rome.
Then you have the Colosseum and its ancient, blood-stained halls. You’ll get to walk the Arena, the dungeons and stairways, and bask in the brutal historic greatness of this circus of gladiators!
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Vatican and Colosseum Tour Prices 2021
These beautiful landmarks all boast open access, with ticket pricing at $13 USD for the Colosseum, and $19 USD for the Vatican.
However, should you be looking to “skip-the-line” and receive a guided tour of both sites, then prices sit more in the region of $70 to $130 USD.
Rome Full-Day Tour Times
Due to these international landmarks’ popularity, they need to be accessible and try to remain open for as long as possible.
Thus, you can expect the Colosseum to be open at 8.30am sharp, every day, 356 days a year! The Vatican, on the other hand, is less flexible, due to its religious functions. Predominantly the Vatican will remain open from 9am-6pm (with final entry at 4 pm), Monday to Sunday.
Bonus Tip: At both venues, on the last Sunday of every month, museum entry is free!
The Colosseum
- February 15: 8.30am – 4.30pm
- February 16 to March 15: 8.30am – 5.00pm
- March 16 to last Sunday of March: 8.30am – 5.30pm
- Last Sunday of March to August 31: 8.30am – 7.15pm
- September 1 to September 30: 8.30am – 7.00pm
- October 1 to last Saturday of October: 8.30am – 6.30pm
The Vatican City
- Monday to Saturday: 9am – 6pm (Last Entry at 4pm)
- Sunday: Closed (Due to Mass obligations)
When to Tour Rome in a Day
Cruise-takers and holidaymakers love the Meditteranean in its summer months. However, the Italian Summer makes for weather straight out of an oven, and thus means heat. Heat, tourists, and queues!
So with this unbearable thought in mind, we have surmised traveling to Rome into 3 categories:
● Time of Year: November – February is the low season and is almost always preferable for tourists looking to avoid the hot and sweltering lines. Much more preferable than March – October (peak season). If possible, aim for the “shoulder months” i.e. October, November, February, and March.
● Time of Week: Basically every day of the week is busy but weekends are busier!
● Time of Day: The best time of day to begin your tour would be either early morning before the gates open or an hour or two before they close!
Vatican and Colosseum Tour Options
So it’s the guided Vatican and Colosseum tours that you are after, where you’re not only wanting to see as much as possible but also in as timely a manner as possible. You’re going to be covering a lot of ground on your tour, and are thus going to need a well thought out itinerary!
We’ve handpicked two of what we believe to be the best tours available for achieving this. The first is a skip-the-line “Best of Rome” tour that will get you in and around the Vatican and the Colosseum efficiently and with great details in tow!
The second one is unique, to say the least. A private, secluded Vatican and Colosseum tour, that covers the museums of the Vatican City as well as the gladiatorial arena and underground tunnels of the “Colossus”!
Vatican and Colosseum Combo Tour
Get a combined Rome day tours of both the Vatican and the Colosseum, where you’ll make the most of a “no-wait” ticket into the home of the Catholic Church, as well as skip-the-line tickets into the Colosseum. All the while being lead by a professional local guide.
Prepare for a full-day experience where you’ll get to see the best of Rome in a day. Tours start by crossing the border into the city-state of the Vatican City. Over 200 tour operators have “skip-the-line” tickets into the Vatican. However, this tour takes it one step further by being a part of the Official Partner Tour. You’ll be able to enter immediately!
After exploring the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, you’ll meet your next expert guide as he leads you past the queues at the Colosseum. You’ll explore the arena, and get a good look around the layout of the ancient stadium.
Finish your day by walking Palatine Hill and the famous Roman Forum. A full day, to say the least, this tour will take you closer to all the historical abundance Rome has to offer!
- Professional guide
- Skip-the-line access to the Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum
- Audio headsets
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Transfer between venues
Give yourself an extra two or more hours to see the Vatican with this top-tier tour, and beat the crowds as you walk the halls of the Sistine Chapel. Fill your day with admiration of these Roman sites instead of waiting in queues admiring some person’s sunhat!
Get Cheapest PricesVatican and Colosseum Private Tour
Are you looking for something a little fancier? Something that may leave more of a personal impression than just the standard combined tour? One does not get more personal than one of the best day tours Rome has to offer: private, 6-hours and fully catered to you!
You’ll start at the Colosseum, exploring the arena to its fullest. You’ll get to see the Palatine hill, the Roman Forum and lots of little spots in between such as where Caesar was killed.
You’ll then get the chance to cover the ground between the center of Rome, over the border, into the Vatican City. You’ll see the museum, Sistine Chapel, and the heart of the Roman Catholic Church, St. Peter’s Basilica.
All the while this day tour of Rome will be private, skip-the-line and custom to your small group! If getting a more personalized experience is your thing, and walking streets of Rome intrigues you, then this for you!.
- Professional guide
- Skip-the-line and fewer tourists
- Snacks and beverages
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Optional gratuities
Specification: Rome Small Group Combo Tours: Vatican And Colosseum Combo Prices 2024
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Anonymous –
For the Vatican tour, we really couldn’t understand what the guide was saying, so at one point, a number of us just gave up and took our earphones off. The audio device itself was also faulty, and for the most part, the guide’s voice was choppy (which made things worse because we couldn’t understand her already even if the audio was good). There’s nothing wrong with having poor english skills though, don’t get me wrong. It just would’ve been better if the person leading an english tour could speak good english because if not and they’re barely comprehensible, it defeats the purpose of having a tour at all. I appreciated the skip-the-line passes though because the Vatican was really crowded. For the Rome tour outside the Vatican, I really liked our guide Alessandra (different from the Vatican guide). She was engaging and seemed to be really passionate about the beautiful sights of Rome. She was also able to explain facts about the sights really well. Overall, I guess it’s a hit or miss with the guides. I’d also recommend separating the Vatican and Rome tours because doing both in a day was very very tiring and frankly, felt quite rushed. P.S. got more pictures of the Vatican because again, we gave up trying to listen to the guide, hence more free time for pictures haha.
Anonymous –
The trip was excellent but the arrangement was a bit confusing . The Vatican trip was wonderful but the meal needed improvement. The Rome trip was a mess because the staff of grayline was new comer. We had to wait in the uncovered area at 37 Celsius for bus transfer.The 1 hour waiting made me sunburn. The tourist.guide for Colosseum was excellent
Anonymous – Germany –
Guide at Colosseo is very engaging
Charlesetta – United States –
Thank you Ms M for an excellent tour