Do not book this tour! The tour guide was Andrea and she was rude, they separated our group and she was 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! read more

Through Eternity Tours - Worst tour and tour guide - Walking Tours Near Me

Only tour in my life where we had to look up Wikipedia DURING the tour. My Italian friend recommended this agency because we are Catholic, coming for the Jubilee and wanted a religion-centered tour - Jubilee/Early Christianity. The other people on our tour were also devout Catholic. I believe the tour was done by Maria Lazara. We do not know her name because she did not bother to introduce herself, nor did she ask our names (aside from checking our family name off). We met at the statue and then without any introduction to our tour, nor introduction to the St John of Laterna Church, she marched off in front of us to the Church's portico. It was a bad start. That's the main complaint: she gave no introduction to the tour or any site, she gave no church or historic context on how things came to be or how they evolved. She gave no Catholic perspective. A tour guide needs to be a storyteller! And I expected a guide well-versed in church history, both religious and urban! Instead, it was a bunch of random historic facts. She primarily spent her time pointing out symbolism in the paintings and mosaics. Clearly, she majored in art history, and the history of Christianity was a boring sideline to her. She liked pointing out that Laterna was populated early, while most of Rome was countryside - but why? How did that change? Where did Catholics live and why did they move? Why were these churches chosen for their Holy Doors? Why only 4 doors? She told us the Laterna Holy Door was an original bronze and a couple more facts and then we marched through as it were nothing. Nothing about why it is special that they are open, how Catholics view this moment, etc. IT IS SPECIAL. In speaking about the Jubilee, the only thing she said was that the Pope first started it once every 100 years, and since the Roman townspeople made money on tourism from the incoming pilgrims, they moved it to every 33 years or when they wanted. That's it - Jubilees were about making tourism dollars. End of her story. None of our group of 3 heard that the Sacred Steps were brought from Jerusalem and why, and where they were placed originally. All she did was say "it is not a hard job to move stairs." THEY ARE SPECIAL. She just said: you can up if you want, I'll wait here on my phone. Again, her specialty seemed to be art history not Catholic traditions or history, and 75% of the time, she spoke about symbolism. The blue and yellow of Mary, the keys of St. Peter. That's fine but there was no narrative, no church history. The tour ended exactly at 12 p.m. Clearly, she was glad to be out of there. Another note - yes, her English vocabulary was good, but she spoke sing-song Italian style and it was hard to follow her. She does not have the cadence of an English speaker. Very disappointed in Eternity Tours' guide. Aside: I really enjoyed Eternity Tours newsletter mailings. read more

Broke my ankle 10 days before heading to Europe. Scrambling to figure out what to do. Called them 7 days before to see if the tour I purchased could accommodate a knee scooter and was told NO. I would need to upgrade to private tour. Called back next day to cancel and was told no refund. So no refund for a tour I no longer qualified for per their requirements. Out a few hundred $$. Thanks Through Eternity, so kind and understanding. LAME. read more

We booked both the 'Ultimate Colosseum Semi-Private Tour with Roman Forum & Palatine Hill' and as well the 'Essential Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums & St. Peter's Basilica Semi-Private Tour' on our recent trip. Both tours were FANTASTIC! The guides were extremely knowledgable, easy to understand, and engaging! Appreciated the small group size (we had 6-9 people in each) and the 3hr duration was great to get into some more detail/information than other shorter tours enable. If I'm traveling in cities Through Eternity operates in again, I'd book tours through them without any hesitation! read more

We booked a private tour of Hadrian's Villa and Villa D'Este with Through Eternity. They provided door to door service with an excellent guide, John Trinto and an excellent driver in a Mercedes. The tour was the highlight of our trip. John really knows how to make the history and architecture come alive. Our driver made an excellent lunch recommendation for local pizza in Tivoli. Loved that we were the only tourists. This tour was worth every penny. Book with them! read more

Just got a tour at the Vatican with Maria Letizia 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. read more

Horrible experience. My brother and I paid over $800 for a Rome in a Day tour. They informed us the day before that we wouldn't be able to get into the Colosseum because they were unable to secure tickets. That was the main site we were excited to see. We then had to spend an additional $100 apiece to get Colosseum tickets because of last minute. This company is a scam. Save your money and book your tours yourself. read more

Bravissima! What a terrific tour of the Vatican--knowledgable but never dry! We covered so much ground and yet were sorry when it was over! Also--we got separated from the group going from Sistine chapel to St. Peter's, called the office who found Enrica--a supremely delightful person and superbly competent--and enjoyed the rest of our time together. I cannot speak highly enough of the quality, depth, and just love she shared with us for this international treasure! I would do this again in a heartbeat and it was my 3rd time to the Vatican! Next time I am here I will see which other tours they offer and take one for sure. Worth every penny!! read more

Through Eternity Tours - Walking Tours Near Me

Terrific online virtual tour of Rome's Jewish Quarter in Rome with Catarina. During pandemic, it's been safest to do online tours. Catarina was knowledgeable, well organized, and very, very, interesting. Thank you! read more

Through Eternity Tours - Walking Tours Near Me

IMPORTANT NOTE: This summer and fall are the best times you will ever be able to find for visiting Europe due to many countries (China, Korea, UK, etc.) prohibiting travel due to COVID-19. We are so happy and blessed to have made it to Italy this summer. Because we wanted to get the absolute most out of visit, I literally spent hours researching which Italian tour company is the best. Through Eternity was the clear winner because it has the best service and most knowledgeable guides. A special "thank you" to Pips for her meticulous organization and helping us navigate the best dates to visit. Through Eternity's guides are the top professionals you will find in the industry, period. The guides speak perfect English and go out of their way to make the tour experience interesting and fun. We reserved two tours with Through Eternity - We splurged on a private tour of the Colosseum and its underground (worth every Euro) and a small group tour of the Vatican with Sistine Chapel. Gracelyn was our guide for both. She is Italian American (originally from New York) who speaks Italian and English. She was an absolute blast to hang out with and was a 10 out of 10 in terms of historical knowledge, presentation skills, soliciting questions, and time management. This was by far the very best use of our valuable time and so glad we did not skimp. I highly, highly recommend Through Eternity. read more

We had a wonderful time and learned so much history on the tour with Caterina! It really was a life changing and exciting experience for us. We look forward to the next time and hope to work with Caterina again as touring with her was like having a friend with all the knowledge personally guiding you through time and space. The tour of the Vatican museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peters was more than informative, it connected so many dots for us in terms of the history of Rome. Namely after a tour of Ancient Rome the prior day, much of the art helped us to better understand Rome's different periods. Further, the Sistine Chapel really was as impressive as we had imagined. Caterina did a wonderful job of explaining to us the depiction of each biblical section as well as some of the inner workings of Michelangelo's experience. St. Peters grandness also blew us away and we learned that the Statue of Liberty could fit under the dome. This was hard to believe but after putting the Basilica's size in perspective we had an aha moment. A very special and memorable day, highly recommended! read more

We had an early morning tour of the Vatican Museums on Sept 11th with Paulo. We were the only ones in the group so it was a very private tour for us. Paulo knew so much about the Vatican and the museum that it was truly an amazing 4 hours. Would highly recommend the tour to anyone coming into Rome On Sept 12th we also did the Forum and Colosseum with Eugenia. Again another great tour with a small group. Eugenia our tour guide had so much knowledge to offer that she made the tour incredible. Also another tour to recommend read more

I've been to Rome several times and this is the first time I took a walking tour. The tour guide has a degree in archeology, spoke perfect English and was incredibly knowledgable about the history of Rome. There wasn't one question Mauricio could not answer. This was very well spent money and I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Rome. What was most appreciated was the little history we got before going into the museums. It made all the difference learning the important facts before going into a crowded exhibit. Speaking of crowded, the fact that the tour guide gets all tickets ahead of time so you don't have to stand in any lines is priceless. read more

Luca was awesome! We did the two full day private tour that covered most of the major stops. Luca was top notch and extremely knowledgable- plus he was just fun to be around. I would recommend these tours to anyone. read more

I did the 5 hour Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill tour with Through Eternity. It was fantastic! Our tour was with Rob, who was a great guide. The group was small, the information was great, presented in an interactive and interesting way, and the pace was perfect. While in Rome I used a few different tour companies and Through Eternity was the best experience hands down (I wished I had booked all my tours through them!). The 5 hour tour was very in-depth and focused on the history of Rome, which is exactly what I was looking for. However, I might recommend a shorter tour for those that aren't as interested in the history or are not up to 5 hours of walking (though there was a break for lunch in the middle). And the company does offer some shorter tours! As a side note, the microphone/headset that they used was excellent quality. It allowed me to walk around and take photos while still being able to hear the guide at a decent distance. The quality of the gear was a consistent issue with other companies that I used that really affected the quality of the tour (and is not something I thought about in advance). read more

I would highly recommend Through Eternity Tours. This was my family's first trip to Italy and we wanted to learn so much about the history being that my family was born in Italy. Our tour guide, Luca De Angelis, gave us the tour of the Colosseum, Form and Palatine Hill. He was so knowledgable and just gave us such an understanding of the history. Both of our daughters so enjoyed the tour and had the opportunity to ask questions. It was just fantastic. The following day we did the early morning tour of the Vatican. Francesca was our tour guide and she was so knowledgable and so interesting. I really loved the fact that we could ask any question and she was so informative. These tours were fantastic and I would highly recommend this company. read more

I came on this tour with a total of eight family members, age ranging from 11-49 and EVERYONE was interested, engaged and appreciative of the monumental amount of knowledge provided by our FANTASTIC tour guide, Thomas. Every single piece of art, he acknowledged and MORE. He explained everything from the Sistine Chapel, to the hallways that the newly appointed popes walk across. We had minimal questions, and the ones we did have, were answered clearly and precisely. If you have the chance to go on this tour REQUEST THOMAS. Thank you again Thomas, we are grateful beyond words! read more

John, our tour guide, brought Ancient Rome to life as we walked through the ancient palace, colosseum and overlooked the circus and many other parts of Empereur' grounds. Highly recommend the underground Colosseum tour, the tour encompasses so much more than you'll imagine. Also loved that our tour guide was constantly finding shade for our small group, happily took pictures and focused our tour on what most interested our group. Kudos to Through Eternity Tour for making Rome a very memorable experience! read more

Blah, Blah, Blah! There is a peculiar disease that afflicts tour guides the world over-- Verbal diarrhea! They will shamelessly make you meet them 30 minutes early, waste an hour standing outside a venue talking your ear off about what you are about to see-- and then most aggravating of all-- rush you through the actual exhibits and sites. Through Eternity was good at saving us time by not having to wait to get into the Vatican, but all the time we saved was utterly wasted standing around and talking, and talking, and talking. This tour could have been completed in 3 hours, but instead meandered for 5.5 hours. I also take issue with the pedagogical style of the tour guide. He spoke to our group the way a teacher would speak to young children. Adults are able to process information at a quicker speed. To afford a trip to Rome, most visitors are college graduates at least-- Speak to our level. Impart info quickly and assume that we are all smart and can catch on swiftly. read more

We did the Vatican Tour with this tour service. Caterina, our tour guide, was where they told us to meet and on time!! She was outstanding!! Very sweet, and knowledgeable of the Vatican Tour and she really knew her way through the crowds. I highly recommend asking for Caterina. She even found a wonderful restaurant for us to have lunch!! Thank you Caterina and Through Eternity Tours! read more

I had this tour recommended by a friend who raved about it years ago and I can't thank him enough for the pass along. We booked this tour for the Vatican and can't begin to describe to you the appreciation I have for everything I learned about the history and arts of the site. Our guide, Stefano, was amazing. Articulate, funny and had excellent English. Like the other guides from Through Eternity, he was a scholar and teacher of history and art who you can tell, just loves educating people about this stuff. Don't think twice, just book a tour through these guys, they are extremely knowledgeable and it'll make your visit through the historic sites invaluable. read more

Massimo was an excellent tour guide. I've been to Rome several times through the years, but this was the first guided tour I've taken. He will take you on a personal tour. What is great about him is the tour groups are small. You aren't Amon a herd of people, but in a more personal setting. Also, the order in which he guides is important. You get to see the Sistine Chapel before it fills up with the masses. It allows you to take in everything in a nice atmosphere. Because, when you pass back through later on your way to another part of the Vatican Museum; it is wall to wall people. The only negative is that we wish we had more time in St Peters. I'm sure if we asked to stay longer it wouldn't of been a problem. Just be sure you are ready to leave because once you do, you can't go back in (and you even appreciate it more because you get more of a streamline access to everything) read more

We took the Vatican 5-hour tour with Francesca (the one from Chili) and she was absolutely a delight! She was full of positive energy and was full of information that she delivered with excitement. We could tell she truly enjoys the history of Rome and enjoys sharing it as well. We will recommend to any friends visiting Rome that they book a tour through you and request Francesca. read more

I unfortunately broke my foot 9 days before our trip. We had booked both a Vatican tour and a Colosseum tour that included the third tier and underground. I emailed and called to discuss my options. I knew that both the Colosseum and Vatican had wheelchair access but that some stairs would be difficult or impossible for me. I asked if I could take those entrances and meet up with the tour and I was told no. I had to stay with the tour. I discussed the third tier of the Colosseum which I was told had extremely steep stairs even for the tour guide. I asked if I could wait while my family saw these sites and I was told no. After a few days of discussing with my family and dealing with my mobility issues, I didn't feel that I could go on with the tour. Before we left, I called to cancel which was almost a week before the tours. I was told that I had to contact the office in order to receive a refund. It was Saturday when I called and I didn't get a response until Wednesday. I had to make arrangements with another company who was more accommodating with my mobility issues. They were happy to send me a link to their refund policy though.... read more

Our guide, Guia, was amazing. She was prompt and used our time at the Vatican wisely. We were lucky enough to do the early entrance tour at the Vatican and while we waited for entry she started explaining the Sistine Chapel to us so that we could appreciate it more fully (NO SPEAKING allowed in the chapel). We entered with a good idea of what to look at/ for while in the chapel. It's an overwhelming space and I don't know how many hours you would have to spend in there (impossible) to fully appreciate the works. We made stops through the museum to see other important pieces, pieces that had influenced Michelangelo, and at pieces that intrigued us. Her depth and breadth of knowledge amazed us; regardless of the pieces that we stopped at she was able to tell us about them, the artist, how they came to be in the Vatican. And all of this information in a fully engaging way that had our 9 and 13 year olds intrigued and engaged! Having been to the Vatican before, I can first hand tell you that the early entrance is worth it. While there are still many people enjoying the museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peters it is a much smaller crowd than during "normal hours". The tour time is limited to the "package" that you select, but you can always go back for more if you desire. Touring with Guia made it fun, educational, efficient and just the best! Highly recommended! read more

We had a private tour of the Colosseum, Forums, and Palatine Hill with Through Eternity today. It was an incredible tour. Maria was a fantastic guide. We originally had a reservation for five people, but one of our young members (age 22) died tragically one month ago. After some deliberation we decided to go ahead with our vacation for the four of us. We had just arrived in Rome the day before, luggage for two of us didn't arrive, so we were feeling the loss of our friend, feeling tired, and feeling further violated by the loss of our luggage. The kids weren't very excited about touring having gone through so much, but Maria brought us back to life in a sense. The kids (ages 20 and 22) were thoroughly engaged during the five hour tour, and just regally loved Maria. Everyone is back on track now ( our luggage is supposed to arrive tonight), and looking forward to the rest of our three week vacation. Thank you Through Eternity. It's difficult to express how much today meant to us all. read more

The reviewer below has obviously not met Gregory, master tour guide from Through Eternity Tours. While I can not judge an entire company based on one guide, I am confident that if you let Gregory show you around Rome, you will not be disappointed. I admit, when my husband booked us on a 7 hour private tour of the city I immediately thought of escape plans in my head. I was pleasantly surprised when Gregory was not only informative, but engaging. He didn't just throw out facts to us, but he engaged us in conversation about what we were seeing while cutting through lines at some of the most populated sites. As my friends and family recommended the tour company to me, I can now also recommend Through Eternity Tours as well. read more

Was able to take 4 tours with this company. They were so much fun and informative. Luca was am amazing guide for the Forum and Coliseum. Through Eternity made our trip to Rome so much fun. read more

We did two tours with Through Eternity. One was the underground tour of the Colosseum + Forum. The other was the Early Entrance to Vatican + Sistine Chapel + St. Peters. Both guides were excellent. The tours was so different but each one was worth seeing. I particularly loved the tour of the Vatican, it was so fascinating. The underground at the Colosseum is definitely worth doing. The views are spectacular from the top. We got really lucky and ran into cool weather. They're both long tours so come prepared to walk~ read more

We have travelled to Rome quite often over the past several years, and whenever we wanted a great experience I booked with Through Eternity Cultural Orgainzation for the best of tours. We have toured the Coliseum, the Ancient Forum, Hadrian's Villa, and Villa d'Este (Tivoli Gardens) under Through Eternity's guidance. I have to say I have, over the past 35 years, been to Rome and Italy a dozen times, and each tour with Through Eternity was like it was my first trip - I saw and learned something completely new with every tour. We are fascinated with the knowledge of each guide about the history, art, architecture, and trivia about the days in ancient Rome. For instance, our tour of the forum ended with the guide delivering Marc Anthony's eulogy of Caesar from Shakespeare - "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" on the very stones the speech was most likely delivered in 44 B.C.E. The presentation was delivered with all the passion and verve that a true Shakesperean actor would have, and it made us feel like we were there! The tour of Hadrian's Villa in the suburbs was just as eye opening, even though it is a few hundred years newer than the Forum. We actually felt like Hadrian had invited us to stay at his palace, and learned about all of the fascinating innovations he made there. Anyone who goes to Rome and does not avail themselves of Through Eternity tours would miss out on a fantastic experience. read more

Seriously overdue reviews (like a year overdue) but the fact I still remember the experiences I had with this tour operator should say something even more powerful. We were in beautiful Roma in May of 2013 for a few whirlwind days before our cruise. We dabbled with a few other tours but eventually decided to select Through Eternity, mostly because their schedule lined up well with ours, and because they offered all the things we wanted to see. Our first tour was an underground tour and as it turned out we were the only people who showed, we were treeated to a one on one tour with an amazingly knowlegeable tourguide who took the time to not just gloss over information, but to really get to the meat of things. EVERY single tour we took with them was the same level of quality and attention to historical accuracy. Absoultely amazing and when we are back in the eternal city we will definitely book with them again. If I could give more stars Iwould and we did 4 tours with them, it is a shame I can only write one review! read more

Last week my fiancé and I took part in a small group tour of the Vatican. The directions for the meeting were clear and when we called them to confirm they answered right away. The tour itself was great. Enrica was our tour guide and she was great - knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She told us everything she knew and guided us like a pro through thousands of years of history and thousands of pieces of art. After the amazing tour she gave us recommendations for food and was just a pleasure to be around. This is a company that will deliver a higher quality product and should be booked by everyone. read more

Both of my tour experiences were amazing! Maria provided my family with a tour of the ancient city. She was informed and spoke English beautifully. As for my Vatican tour, Graceland did amazing. She was warm and welcomed additional questions. I cannot recommend them more if you are visiting Rome, Italy. Thank you!!! read more

We took a tour with Vanessa Biscotto of the Forum, Colosseum, and Palatine Hill (including Augustus and Livia's House which can only be seen on a tour) and it was fabulous. Vanessa's pacing was just right - not too slow nor too fast. We didn't feel like we were running through the sites and she imparted a great deal of information in a way that allowed us to take it all in. She also had a wonderful sense of humor, excellent English, and pointed out things we never would have noticed had we been alone. She's an archaeologist and knows her stuff. We were fortunate that the group wasn't too big and the day threatened rain so it wasn't too crowded. A great tour, the best we had in Rome. read more

Amazing tour of underground Rome. Vanessa is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Rome's history, not too surprising since she's a archeologist. Our hard-to-please teens loved the tour. Highly recommended. read more

I've seen several bad to mediocre reviews and I think they're misleading. First, why would you tour Rome without investigating and reading about the specific sites you will see ? That's an irresponsible tourist. Over two trips we have used Through Eternity guides with the same results. The guides are extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic and very qualified. If you're not interested in the history, the social, architectural significance or economic influence of ancient cultures, then this tour group is not for you. In fact, stay home if you're that self absorbed. I, on the other hand, loved the technical, historical and artistic information provided by this tour company. I undoubtedly will continue to use them in future travels to Italy. They use up to date equipment (headphones, headsets, etc) to ensure you hear everything the guide has to say. Yes, sometimes the tour is long (The Vatican, Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel is 5+ hrs)...but give me a break...you're in italy looking at centuries of culture, art and social significance. Man up (excuse me ladies)..suck it up and marvel at what you see, hear and experience. Otherwise, just stay home and go to McDonalds for your culture education. read more