With over 3,000 years of history, and a wealth of museums, galleries, churches and archaeological sites, Rome can be a daunting prospect for first-time visitors, especially those with limited time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it can’t be seen in one either - at least in its entirety - but it’s surprising how much you can experience on a well-planned day trip.
Our Cruise Excursion from Civitavecchia to Rome are carefully designed to optimise your time in the Eternal City, taking you on a whirlwind journey through Rome’s rich history and revealing the unmissable highlights, as well as a few secret spots that you might otherwise miss.
On this private tour of Rome, you’ll be picked up at the port by your personal driver and taken to Rome, where you’ll meet your private guide. Over the course of the day you’ll learn about the secret lives of the gladiators at the Colosseum, explore the sprawling ruins of the Roman Forum, gaze up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and take a stroll through the centro storico, seeing iconic monuments such as the Trevi Fountain.
While exploring a large city on your own can be exhilarating, it can also be frustrating and disorienting if you’re short on time, as you waste precious time scrutinising the map, or trying to decide what to prioritise. Our cruise excursions are organised by experts - locals who love Rome and know it well. With the right planning, it’s possible to see all of the most famous places in Rome in a day, from the Colosseum to the Vatican.
In the company of your expert personal guide, you won’t merely be ticking boxes on your checklist, but exploring these fascinating sites in-depth and learning about the emperors, popes and artists who transformed the city over the centuries. Our guided visit of the Colosseum will give you a glimpse behind the scenes, as you discover the amazing engineering that made the games possible, and find out how the games were staged, with a combination of technical wizardry and slave power. When you visit the Vatican during the second part of your cruise excursion to Rome, the explanations of your guide will provide valuable insight into the context and symbolism of the artworks, enriching your appreciation of magnificent masterpieces such as the Roman statue Laocoon, or Michelangelo’s Pieta.
Although it’s a fairly intensive day of sightseeing, you’ll never feel as though you’re in a rush. Our itineraries are planned in such a way to give you ample time to stop and savour the moment, lingering over a work of art or pausing to ask your guide some questions.
As well as enjoying a leisurely lunch break, you’ll also get to experience a more relaxed side of the city later in the the day. Wandering through the charming piazzas and back streets of Rome city center is an undisputed highlight of walk, as you discover the magical atmosphere of Rome at twilight. A visit to Piazza Navona is always going to be a memorable experience, but it becomes even more special as darkness falls, and Bernini’s theatrical Fountain of the Four Rivers is illuminated.
A day in Rome may not sound like enough, and in a way, it isn’t - you could easily spend a lifetime uncovering the treasures of the Eternal City. But if you do only have a day, there’s no better way to spend it than in the company of one of our expert guides, discovering the wonders of Rome on this special cruise excursion.
~by Alexandra Turney~
