The Vatican, Christian Rome and the Catacombs - Full Day Tour with Lunch

Itinerary

You will be picked up from your centrally located hotel in Rome. Set out by coach, accompanied by a multi-lingual guide on a tour of the famous Vatican Museums and to learn about the history of Christianity in Rome.

The tour begins by coach passing through Piazza della Repubblica with the Fountain of the Nayads and following the ancient Aurelian walls which once surrounded the ancient city. From Piazza del Popolo past Borghese Park, the largest public park in Rome and onto the Square of the People. An Egyptian obelisk of Rameses II stands in the centre of the square.

At the Vatican Museums, your multi-lingual guide will take you on a tour of the main rooms. Start with the Gallery of Tapestries where many valuable tapestries of the 15th-17th centuries are exhibited. Visitors then pass through the Gallery of Maps, which are fascinating in their detail and accuracy.

The main attraction of the Vatican Museums is the Sistine Chapel. Deservedly one of the most famous places in the world, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is covered by the frescoes - including the magnificent Last Judgement by Michelangelo.

After the tour of the Vatican Museums there is a break for lunch in a local restaurant.

The first stop of the afternoon is Esquiline Hill, the largest of the Seven Hills of Rome. Esquiline Hill is the site of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which houses rich and beautiful frescoes and other works of art. Your guide will give you a guided tour of the treasures of the Basilica.

Continue in the coach to the Holy Staircase, which are believed to be the steps Christ climbed on the day of his trial before Pontius Pilate. Adjacent to the Holy Staircase is the Basilica of St John Lateran the Cathedral of Rome, which serves as the official ecclesiastical seat of the Pope.

Travel along the Appian Way, the most famous and important road built by the ancient Romans and go past the Chapel of Domine Quo Vadis, which is believed to be the place where St Peter had a vision of the risen Christ.

Enjoy a guided tour of the Catacombs of Santa Callisto, Santa Domitilla or San Sebastiano depending upon seasonal conditions. Christians gathered in the catacombs to celebrate funeral rites and the anniversaries of martyrs and the dead.

The tour ends with a spectacular view of the Baths of Emperor Caracalla. This great architectural complex is in ruins but they still impress visitors.

After the tour, the coach will be dropped you in the vicinity of your hotel or Via G. Amendola 32.