We had no issues with this tour or company and we enjoyed it. I don't know how many tours they…read moreoffer, but we did the Vatican museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's basilica tour. I don't know if this is common among the tour guides in the agency or tour guides in Rome in general, but our tour guide was a legit art historian and he really knew his stuff, so I felt we got an exceptionally great tour. There is so much to see in the Vatican museum but you won't get to see it all on the tour, so if you want to see it all, you'd have to come back after the tour on your own time to do so.

We did the Rome in a Day Tour with Vatican, Colosseum & Historic Center with Walks and it was…read morephenomenal. With an early start we were able to see several of the key sites including the colosseum and Vatican City. Our guides were amazing and so knowledgeable.

Amazing!!!! I've been back in my hotel room for 10 minutes and just had to write a review bc this…read moretour was spectacular. We felt like we had VIP access to every area in the colosseo! We had two tour guides and both of them had so much knowledge... One an archeologist with a PhD the other art history. I never write reviews and I highly recommend this tour. You will have see Beautiful sights and learn so much!

My wife, mother-in-law and I used this company. We were running about 3 minutes late, even though…read morethe messaging we received was very clear to be early. My mother-in-law is elderly and getting around with her took more time than expected. Still, we arrived at the staging area and the staff was still very pleasant and accommodating. You can tell they were getting us to hurry because they know the area would be overrun with other tour groups. They really wanted us to have the best time and experience there. And they sat us in a very good spot for the Wednesday audience with the Pope. I would definitely recommend this company.

tour and food was an amazing experience. our tour guide was Toni. she was fun energetic and very…read moreknowledgable about the places and history of the food stops! Highly recommend!

Took the twilight food walking tour through the Jewish"Ghetto" with Fabio. He was knowledgeable,…read morefriendly, funny and all around great! We visited about 6 different places and tried so many foods - I did not expect to be THIS FULL!! Personal faves included the pork stew, the SUPPLI, and the fried artichoke. Loved the tour, the history, and the experience. Will definitely check out an Eating Europe tour again in the future!

The Mr. and I recently had the privilege of touring the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St…read more Peter's Basilica with Massimo and two other couples, in an early morning semi private tour. Massimo is exactly the kind of guide you want when taking on a site of such immense history and significance. There is simply no way to see and fully absorb everything the Vatican Museums have to offer, which makes having an experienced guide invaluable. With more than 30 years of experience, Massimo brought the history, art, and stories to life in a way we never could have experienced on our own - and he did it all with wit and charm. He seemed to know every guard and all the other guides, which seem to give us an edge at times, especially in crowded spaces. Thanks to Massimo, our visit to the Vatican was one of the highlights of our trip to Rome! His knowledge and guidance made the experience even more special. HIGHLY recommended!

I booked a Colosseum guided tour through LivTours for my family during a long planned trip to Rome,…read moremeant to celebrate my son's graduation from Lehigh University and my daughter's high school graduation. Instead of a memory to celebrate, we left with one none of us will forget for the wrong reasons. LivTours guides do not give guests individual paper tickets. The guide holds all admission on an electronic ticket and hands each guest a small sticker as the only proof of entry. On an extremely hot day, my sticker came loose. Our guide walked ahead with two other guests to the bookshop and, by her own account, only glanced back and saw our group heading toward the exit. She never confirmed we actually made it out and never checked that each of us still had proof of admission. When I reached the exit checkpoint, staff asked for my ticket. I had none, because LivTours never gave me one. I was told it was illegal to be in that area without a valid ticket, pulled aside, and questioned. The police were called. I stood there while my wife and children watched and had to step in to try to help me. My wife eventually pulled up our purchase receipt on her phone, and that is the only reason I was allowed to leave. LivTours admitted in writing that the guide saw our group heading toward the exit and left without confirming we made it out. She did not secure our exit. She did not check that everyone in the group actually cleared the checkpoint before she walked off with two other guests to the bookshop. Making sure a group actually exits a controlled site, not just watching them walk in that general direction, is a basic responsibility of a tour guide, especially one holding the only ticket that gives that group the right to be there in the first place. As an African American man in a foreign country, being publicly stopped, questioned, and detained by police in front of my family was humiliating in a way that is hard to put into words. This was supposed to be a trip celebrating my children's accomplishments. Instead they watched their father get pulled aside like a criminal because a tour guide walked away without making sure we had what we needed to leave. A LivTours representative called me shortly after and told me directly that a refund would be issued. Weeks later, after I put the complaint in writing, LivTours reversed course completely. They now claim the tour was "completed as planned" and that the incident was outside their control. Their own emails contradict that. They admit their guide saw us walking toward the exit and left without confirming we got out safely. They admit they do not provide physical tickets to guests. Those two facts together are exactly why this happened, and it happened because of how LivTours operates, not because of anything my family did. I would not recommend LivTours for any tour requiring facility exit past a checkpoint. Ask directly whether you will receive an individual physical ticket before you book, and get it in writing. Reggie

So interesting. Note: Just because the tour has an English speaking guide, doesn't…read more mean you will understand what they say. Our guide's accent was very heavy and it was difficult to understand what she was saying.

We went on the Last Supper and Duomo tour with Clara, and she was an excellent guide. She was…read moreextremely knowledgeable and provided so much interesting insight and information throughout the tour. Her experience and guidance made it easy for us to navigate the different sites and get the most out of our time. Having a guide for both the Duomo and the Last Supper was especially valuable, as we were able to skip the lines and avoid unnecessary waiting. I had considered visiting these sites on my own, but after experiencing the tour, I'm very glad we chose to go with a guide. Clara's knowledge added so much to the experience, and everything went smoothly and efficiently. I would definitely recommend this tour rather than trying to do it on your own.

This is a great tour company. The guides are well knowledgeable and have a true passion for the…read morecity! They also know about the not so touristy spots you can venture to if you want to explore. Offering such a great tour for free is amazing, but make sure you tip your guides well! They deserve it!

This is a free walking tour around Rome. Most tours that you have to pay for do not tell you about…read morethe history around it, but this tour does. The tour gives a history of the city, an introduction to Christianity and origins of Rome. The tour is about 3hrs long but it covers Porta del Popolo, Piazza del Popolo, the Tomb of Augustus, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Fountain of the Four Rivers, Ponte, Sant'Angelo, Castel Sant'Angelo, and gives an introduction to the Vatican. The tour guides also give recommendations to places to eat, visit, nightlife locations, and discounts towards the skip-the-line Vatican tour. I highly recommend the Rome's Ultimate tour. You would have to make reservations online ahead of time.

Just got a tour at the Vatican with Maria Letizia…read more Shes very knowledgeable and entertaining. There were times people from other tours stop just to listen to her. Even my mom who aren't into history like I am was very engaged.

Do not book this tour! The tour guide was Andrea and she was rude, they separated our group and she…read morewas not willing to answer. She told me to stop talking as I was talking about the rest of our group. They told us tour was at 9:45 and it didn't start until 10:45 am. The tour guide also wasn't explaining much and wasn't tech savvy. Took forever to even get our tickets on her phone. She got mad I was trying o take a photo and told me I could come back later but she stopped to answer a personal phone call. Book through someone else!

A visit here was scheduled for our 25-person study abroad class and it couldn't have a more perfect…read moreexperience for the entire group. Chef Andrea and his wife, Erica, were delightful hosts. The students split up with some making pasta and the others preparing the ingredients for the fried pizza dough with fresh tomatoes, the meat sauce for the pasta and the tiramisu. The quality was first rate. The small restaurant was maxed out with our 25, but we never felt crowded. If you need an evening event with your group you should definitely have it here. The walls were filled with artwork provided by all the different collegiate groups that come here. Our students loved it!

Such a fun experience. This was my first cooking class ever. Chef Andrea made the class…read moreunforgettable. We went with friends and had a blast cooking. After cooking we had a dinner with what we cooked. Awesome wine served at dinner too. I've already told my wife that we are getting a class every time we go to Rome. But only with Chef Andrea!!

Took two tours from them. One afternoon, I took the Colosseum tour with Paola, the second…read moreafternoon, I took the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica with Michele (Italian for Michael). I started off several months ago researching several tour companies for my Rome trip. Some companies subcontract to other companies and you have to read between the lines or find where they tell you which company will actually be doing the tour and then research them. Kind of exhausting. Somehow I stumbled on What a Life Tours and am super happy I did. I read the reviews and liked what I read so I took a chance and booked with them. They weren't the cheapest but the prices were comparable to the other companies including the bigger companies that subcontracted anyways. I also booked the smaller group tours which included 12 people max. As I learned, What a Life was the company you booked through and also the company you did the tour with. Let's start off with the Colosseum. We met near the metro exit near the Colosseum. The meet spot was well explained and they send you a text through Whatsapp with an actual picture showing you the meet spot the day before. That was nice considering that's an added stressor on your vacation since you don't want to miss the meet-up time and place due to the cost. As far as the tour itself, As Paola said, you have to use "your imagination" because you are touring a historical site that is only a little over 30% intact. She gave us an in-depth tour that later also included the area around the Colosseum such as Palatine Hill where Rome originated. I have a newfound respect for tour guides who are in essence educators. They have to keep teaching even though most of us don't appear engaged when in actuality, we're just awestruck and overstimulated with the sights. Paola did not skip a beat and spoke almost the whole 3 hours. We only had 1 bathroom break halfway through the tour but likely because I saw zero public restrooms at the Colosseum. I loved the tour! Paola took a lot of time explaining things and knew her way around. The second tour was the Vatican. On this occasion, we met at the What a Life Tours company office that was less than a block from one of the Vatican entrances. Took a cab there and that part was easy. Michele was there at the office blending in as a tourist on the couch while we checked in at the office. He has a super great personality and is very personable. You can tell he genuinely loved the art at the Vatican and it shined through when he explained things. This tour was also three hours. I appreciated when he told us about the Vatican etiquette at certain parts of the tour to include where we could take pictures and where we could not (Sistine Chapel). Both Paola and Michele were awesome! Each had different personalities but both were personable, effective, professional and spoke great English. I would definitely take a tour with this company again as long as they continue to use tour guides like Paola and Michele. If you can afford it, I suggest booking the mid-tier tour that includes a smaller tour group.

What a fascinating experience with a very knowledgeable guide. This tour offered "skip the line"…read moreaccess to the Vatican, which is definitely recommended. Our guide, Emma, was wonderful and definitely knew her history of the Vatican. We met our group at the designated meeting space and after several minutes, began our walking trip to the Vatican. There were hundreds of people waiting in line to purchase tickets, but were able to bypass the line and entered the entryway after a quick, but efficient, security screening. Some areas allow pictures, while inside the Sistine Chapel, photos are forbidden. Emma led our group, expertly providing a wonderful and informative history of the art and sculptures within the vast set of buildings that make up the Vatican complex. Beautiful does not begin to describe the Vatican exhibits. Bathrooms are very limited, so pace your coffees, etc. to ensure you do not need to hurry through the halls. As our tour started, we were each handed a picture map of the Sistine Chapel which really helped once we entered. Simply beautiful. No photos, but also, no talking/speaking while inside, which some failed to adhere to. Emma provided an explanation of the beautiful painting by Michaelangelo prior to and after visiting the Sistine Chapel. There is so much to see and then to hear how it was completed is simply fascinating. Emma's knowledge and patient explanations were extremely helpful. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone wishing to visit the Vatican and receive an excellent historical presentation of many of the wonderful sights within. Emma, well done and thank you so much!

I was able to book our cruise pick up in Rome and reserve with this company that is permitted to…read morecome directly to the cruise ship for pick up. Great benefit was not having to pay in advance and the messaging they provided to let me know all was aligned. The ride from the port to the hotel was with a pleasant driver that could speak English. I would highly recommend as a transfer option post cruise in Rome, Italy.

This company and its drivers are the best in the business. Our family of 4 went to Rome recently…read more We didn't want to rent a car but getting places in your 70's isn't as easy as it was in bygone days when we would just walk. We used this service for the transfer to and from the airport as well as short hops to the train station, the Vatican, and the catacombs. They are punctual and communicate about your upcoming rides so you don't have to wonder if they are going to remember to pick you up. Drivers are friendly and helpful. I wish I could give more stars.