Discovery Escapes · Italy
Rome Tours & Custom Italy Trips
Colosseum · Vatican · Roman Forum · Trastevere · From €1,599 per person
Why Rome
More History Per Square Kilometre Than Anywhere on Earth
Rome is where the ancient world, the medieval world, the Renaissance, and the Baroque exist simultaneously — in the same street, sometimes in the same building. The Pantheon has been in continuous use since 125 AD. The Roman Forum was the civic heart of the largest empire in history. The Vatican assembled five centuries of the world's finest art with unlimited resources.
The difference between visiting with a licensed archaeologist guide and visiting alone is the difference between looking at the Colosseum and understanding it. The hypogeum — the underground network where gladiators and animals waited — is the part most visitors never see. With pre-booked entry and a specialist guide, it becomes the centrepiece of the visit.
Plan My Rome TourWhat to See in Rome
Top Sights in Rome
Skip-the-line timed entry pre-booked on all tours — arrive fresh, not after a 90-minute queue.
Best-Selling Italy Tours
Best Selling Tours from Rome
7 Days · Italy
Italy Express
Rome (Colosseum, Vatican), Florence (Uffizi, Duomo, Michelangelo walk), Pisa (Leaning Tower), Venice (gondola, Doge's Palace). All Frecciarossa trains.
€1,599 per person
View Tour
9 Days · Italy
Rome to Amalfi & Venice
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rome, Sorrento and Amalfi Coast, Pompeii with archaeologist guide, Florence (Uffizi, Tuscany day trip available), Venice. Skip-the-line throughout.
€2,599€2,199 per person
10 Days · Italy & Greece
Italy & Greece Tour
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ · 4.8 · 43 Reviews
Rome, Amalfi, Florence, Venice, Athens, Santorini. The most consistently requested multi-country tour — Rome opens it, Santorini closes it.
€3,199€2,299 per person
9 Days · 3 Countries
Rome to Nice & Barcelona
Rome to Barcelona by train through Florence, Cinque Terre, Nice, and Monaco. One of the finest multi-country rail routes in Europe.
€2,799€2,199 per person
9 Days · Southern Italy
Rome to Amalfi & Sicily
Rome, Amalfi, Pompeii, flight to Palermo, Cefalù, Taormina, Mount Etna. The complete southern Italy experience.
€2,099 per person
View Tour
10 Days · 4 Countries
Europe Express
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ · 4.7 · 31 Reviews
London, Paris, Zurich and Lucerne, Venice, Rome. Rome as the grand finale. Eurostar, Swiss railways, and Frecciarossa.
€3,099€2,299 per person
Custom Rome Trip
Build Your Own Rome Itinerary
Book a custom Rome city break or add cities across Italy. Your dates, your hotel, your pace. €100 deposit.
3
Days — Rome City Break
- Colosseum & hypogeum (skip-the-line)
- Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
- Historic centre walking tour
- 4-star central hotel · All breakfasts
- Private airport transfers both ways
From
€899 pp
Book Now5
Days — Rome & Naples
- All 3-day Rome inclusions
- Day trip to Pompeii with archaeologist
- Naples pizza & archaeological museum
- Frecciarossa Rome–Naples pre-booked
- 4-star hotels · All breakfasts
From
€1,299 pp
Book Now7
Days — Rome, Amalfi & Naples
- All 5-day inclusions
- 2 nights Sorrento or Amalfi
- Full-day Amalfi Coast boat experience
- Optional Capri day trip (€80pp)
- 4-star cliff-side hotel on Amalfi
From
€1,899 pp
Book NowAll custom trips include: 4-star hotels · Skip-the-line guided entry · Private transfers · Local expert guides · 24/7 support
Start Planning — It's FreeSample 7-Day Itinerary
Rome, Naples & the Amalfi Coast — 7 Days
Sample itinerary — fully customisable. Add Florence, Venice, Sicily, or Greece.
01
Rome
🏨 Hotel Artemide or similar
Arrive in Rome. Private transfer to your central 4-star hotel. Evening orientation walk: the Pantheon (free to enter, extraordinary at dusk), the Piazza della Rotonda, and Campo de' Fiori for dinner. Trastevere for a post-dinner walk through the finest medieval neighbourhood in Rome.
02
Colosseum, Forum & Palatine Hill
🏨 Hotel Artemide or similar
Skip-the-line timed entry at the Colosseum with a licensed archaeologist guide — the hypogeum and the arena floor. Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on the same ticket: the Via Sacra where Roman triumphs were celebrated, the House of Augustus, and the view across the Forum from the Palatine terrace. Afternoon free: the Capitoline Museums or the Circus Maximus.
03
Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
🏨 Hotel Artemide or similar
Timed entry at the Vatican Museums with a licensed guide — the Gallery of Maps, the Raphael Rooms, and the Sistine Chapel ceiling. St Peter's Basilica and Bernini's colonnade. Afternoon: Castel Sant'Angelo (the mausoleum of Hadrian, converted into a papal fortress) and the Trastevere neighbourhood for dinner.
04
Rome → Naples → Sorrento
🏨 Hotel Antiche Mura Sorrento or similar
Frecciarossa to Naples (1hr 15min). Naples: the National Archaeological Museum — the finest collection of Roman art in the world, with the original Pompeii finds (mosaics, bronzes, frescoes). Then Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento. Dinner on the terrace above the Bay of Naples.
05
Positano, Ravello & Capri
🏨 Hotel Antiche Mura Sorrento or similar
Full-day boat from Sorrento: the sea caves below Positano in the morning, lunch at anchor below Ravello, Capri in the afternoon (Blue Grotto at low tide, Faraglioni rocks from the water), return at sunset. Optional: private charter from €250/couple. The most consistently described highlight of any Amalfi itinerary.
06
The Ancient City
🏨 Hotel Antiche Mura Sorrento or similar
Guided half-day at Pompeii with a licensed archaeologist — the election slogans still legible on the walls, the bakery with carbonised loaves, the Villa of the Mysteries with its intact fresco cycle. One of the most extraordinary ancient sites in the world. Afternoon free in Sorrento or the Amalfi town by ferry.
07
Sorrento → Rome or Naples Departure
🏨 –
Transfer to Naples or Rome airport (Frecciarossa from Naples to Rome FCO in 1hr 15min). Optional morning: the Capri ferry for those extending to the island, or a final Sorrento morning with a lemon granita at Bar Fauno.
Every Tour Includes
Included in Every Discovery Escapes Rome Tour
Archaeologist Guides
Licensed specialist guides at the Colosseum, Vatican, and Pompeii — not generic tour leaders.
Skip-the-Line Entry
Pre-booked timed entry at Colosseum, Vatican, Borghese Gallery, and all major sites. No queuing.
Frecciarossa Trains
All high-speed trains between Italian cities pre-booked and included. No coaches.
4-Star Hotels
Centrally located, handpicked. Hotel Artemide, Hotel de Russie, Marriott, NH Collection, boutique design hotels.
Private Transfers
Airport meet-and-greet and private transfer to your hotel on arrival and departure.
Daily Breakfast
Included at all hotels throughout the tour.
24/7 Support
Local Discovery Escapes contact available throughout your trip by phone or WhatsApp.
Free Customisation
Add Venice, Florence, Sicily, or Greece. No extra planning fee.
Rome in Pictures
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included on a Discovery Escapes Rome tour?
Skip-the-line guided entry at the Colosseum and Roman Forum with a licensed archaeologist, timed entry at the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, a guided walking tour of the historic centre, and a Trastevere evening walk. 4-star central hotel, daily breakfast, all Frecciarossa trains between cities, and private airport transfers.
What is the Colosseum hypogeum?
The underground network of tunnels and chambers beneath the arena floor where gladiators, animals, and stage machinery waited before the games. The most compelling part of the Colosseum — and the part most visitors never see. Requires timed entry with a licensed guide. All Discovery Escapes Rome tours include hypogeum access.
Is the private Vatican dawn experience worth it?
The private early morning Vatican (before 9am public opening) is available on Discovery Escapes luxury tours — the Sistine Chapel in complete silence, Raphael Rooms with morning light, and a private art historian. One of the most consistently described life-changing experiences on any European tour.
What is the best day trip from Rome?
Pompeii (2.5 hours south) with a licensed archaeologist is the standout. Ostia Antica (30 minutes, the ancient port of Rome) is the less-visited alternative — equally extraordinary and almost always empty. Tivoli (1 hour) for Hadrian's Villa and the Este Gardens.
Can I combine Rome with Greece?
Yes — the Italy and Greece Tour (10 days, from €2,299, 43 reviews, 4.8★) is the most consistently requested multi-country tour in the Discovery Escapes range. Rome, Amalfi, Florence, Venice, Athens, and Santorini in one connected journey.
Ready to Plan Your Rome Trip?
Colosseum, Vatican, Trastevere — and wherever else on the Italy circuit. Free consultation, €100 deposit to confirm.