Civitavecchia Shore Excursion

This Civitavecchia shore trip includes interior visits to the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. Later in the day you enjoy a driving tour of Rome with photo stops at major sites.

After meeting your driver guide at the pier in Civitavecchia you drive to Vatican City where you meet your licensed guide. We have VIP tickets reserved for you so you can avoid the long lines and get started with your 4 hour tour of Vatican City.

The Vatican's museum complex houses one of the most impressive collections of art and treasures from antiquity through the present day. Of course the Renaissance treasures of the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel are the highlights of any visit. In the Sistine Chapel you will marvel at the masterpieces by Michelangelo, including his frescoes of the "Creation" on the ceiling (completed in his 30s) and the "Last Judgment" filling the altar wall (completed in his 60's).

After your museum tour, you will walk to St. Peter's Basilica. Gaze in awe at the symmetry of the Piazza San Pietro and the enormity of St. Peter's Basilica, whose massive scale is almost too much to take in. The church, decorated in High Renaissance and Baroque style, is overwhelming with its grandeur of art in gold, marble and mosaics. Your guide will show you Michelangelo's exquisite Pieta which was completed when the young master was just in his 20s. After visiting Vatican City you say good bye to your licensed guide and continue to tour Rome with your driver guide.

Then as you leave Vatican City, you drive past Castel Sant'Angelo. This fortress on the Tiber River was originally designed by the Emperor Hadrian and was to be used as a mausoleum for his family.

Piazza Navona, a popular square which is beautifully designed with several baroque masterpieces including Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers. The square is also lined with caf̩s and popular pizzerias. While you are here, there is free time for lunch (meal not included).

After lunch you drive to the Coliseum which dates back to 80 AD and is perhaps the grandest and most famous of the city's monuments. This enormous arena once featured 76 numbered entrances, marble seats for 50,000 spectators, retractable shade awnings and subterranean passages. Gladiatorial combats against wild beasts and some say even mock naval battles were staged here. You have time to walk around the Coliseum and the Arch of Constantine to take lots of photos.

After seeing the Coliseum, you will pause at a vantage point overlooking the Roman Forum, where numerous foundations, columns and arches served as the religious, civil and commercial hub of imperial Rome.

Your next stop is the Trevi Fountain, where legend says that if you toss a coin into the fountain over your left shoulder it will guarantee a return visit to the eternal city.

Your final stop is the Pantheon, which is one of ancient Rome's greatest buildings. Built as a temple to the gods (Greek pan-theon, means all gods), this building was saved from destruction by being turned into a Christian church.

Special Vatican Tour Notes- The Sistine Chapel is not available separately, it is only able to be seen as part of the museum complex visit. The Vatican has a dress code so please come prepared. No bare shoulders, no shorts, no dresses above the knee, and no bare feet or exposed midriffs are allowed.

Mobility: Folding wheelchairs OK, some sites may be inaccessible (advance notice required)