About This Package
Rome is the greatest open-air museum on earth. Walk paths trodden by emperors and apostles, marvel at Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain, and savour the world's finest pasta and gelato. 8 days in the Eternal City — ancient wonder by day, dolce vita by night.
- ★Skip-the-line Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
- ★Colosseum & Roman Forum underground tour
- ★Trevi Fountain at midnight (near-empty)
- ★Day trip to Pompeii volcanic ruins
- ★Trastevere neighbourhood evening walk
- ★Authentic Roman cooking class
Your Itinerary
Arrival & Trastevere Initiation
Welcome to Rome! Your driver transfers you from Fiumicino Airport to your hotel in the historic centre. After settling in, wander into the Trastevere neighbourhood — ancient cobblestone streets, ivy-clad walls, and the best traditional trattorias in Rome. Your first Roman dinner: a plate of the city's signature cacio e pepe.
- ✓Private transfer from FCO to hotel
- ✓Check-in & afternoon rest
- ✓Campo de' Fiori market visit (if afternoon)
- ✓Trastevere neighbourhood evening walk
- ✓Aperitivo at a Trastevere bar
- ✓Dinner: cacio e pepe at a local trattoria
Vatican & St Peter's
An extraordinary morning. Your expert guide navigates the Vatican's labyrinthine corridors to arrive at the Sistine Chapel at precisely the right moment. The ceiling — one of the most jaw-dropping achievements in human history — never fails to move. Afterwards visit the magnificent St Peter's Basilica and, for the brave, climb the 551-step dome.
- ✓Skip-the-line entry: Vatican Museums
- ✓Guided tour: Gallery of Maps, Raphael Rooms
- ✓Sistine Chapel — Michelangelo's ceiling
- ✓St Peter's Basilica & Treasury
- ✓Climb the dome (optional, 551 steps)
- ✓Lunch near the Vatican
- ✓Castel Sant'Angelo afternoon walk
Colosseum & Ancient Rome
Descend into the arena floor of the Colosseum where gladiators once fought and you can almost hear the roar of 70,000 spectators. Your guide brings the Roman Forum's crumbling columns to vivid life. The afternoon brings the Borghese Gallery — Bernini's magnificent sculptures and Caravaggio masterpieces in a Baroque villa.
- ✓Skip-the-line Colosseum tour (arena floor access)
- ✓Roman Forum & Palatine Hill walk
- ✓Capitoline Hill & Piazza del Campidoglio
- ✓Circus Maximus & Aventine Keyhole
- ✓Afternoon: Borghese Gallery (art collection)
- ✓Evening: Pigneto neighbourhood dinner
Pompeii Day Trip
Board the high-speed Frecciargento train to Naples and onwards to Pompeii — the Roman city frozen in time by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Your guide animates the extraordinary ruins: the Forum, the brothel frescoes, the plaster-cast victims. On the return, a stop for genuine Neapolitan pizza (Rome's great rival) is mandatory.
- ✓High-speed train: Rome to Naples (1.1 hrs)
- ✓Guided tour of Pompeii ruins
- ✓Forum, Lupanare, Villa of the Mysteries
- ✓Lunch in Pompeii / Herculaneum
- ✓Return train to Rome
- ✓Evening: pizza in Naples-style Roman pizzeria
Cooking Class & Food Rome
Roman food is among the world's greatest cuisines — simple, honest, and deeply satisfying. Your chef guides you through the Testaccio market, then you make your own pasta, Roman sauces, and tiramisu — dishes you'll reproduce at home for years. The afternoon features a Trastevere food walk: olive oils, supplì, artichokes, and cured meats.
- ✓Morning: Testaccio market with chef
- ✓Roman cooking class — pasta, sauce, tiramisu
- ✓Lunch: feast on your creations
- ✓Afternoon: gelato masterclass (optional)
- ✓Campo de' Fiori & Jewish Ghetto walk
- ✓Trastevere Food Walk & evening tasting
Day Trip: Orvieto or Ostia Antica
Choose your day trip: the soaring Gothic Duomo of Orvieto perched on a volcanic plateau, or the eerily complete ancient Roman seaport of Ostia Antica. Return to Rome for the Piazza Navona and Pantheon in the golden afternoon light. Your farewell dinner is on a rooftop terrace with a night view of the illuminated Colosseum.
- ✓Option A: Orvieto — medieval hilltop town, stunning Duomo
- ✓Option B: Ostia Antica — Rome's ancient seaport ruins
- ✓Afternoon: Piazza Navona & Pantheon
- ✓Fontana di Trevi at midnight (empty & magnificent)
- ✓Farewell dinner: rooftop restaurant with Colosseum views
Piazza del Popolo & Shopping
Your final day for exploring at leisure — the grand twin Baroque churches of Piazza del Popolo, the elegant Spanish Steps, and the Via Condotti luxury shopping precinct. Rome rewards wandering: every side street reveals a fountain, a church, or a perfectly formed piazza.
- ✓Morning: Piazza del Popolo & twin churches
- ✓Via del Corso & Via Condotti shopping
- ✓Spanish Steps & Keats-Shelley House
- ✓Afternoon: last gelato pursuit
- ✓Packing & final Roman evening
Departure
One last Italian breakfast — a perfectly made cappuccino and a flaky cornetto — before your driver takes you to Fiumicino Airport for your return to Abu Dhabi. Roma, ci vediamo presto.
- ✓Farewell breakfast — Italian cornetto & cappuccino
- ✓Hotel check-out
- ✓Private transfer to FCO Airport
- ✓Return flight to Abu Dhabi
Included & Excluded
✓ What's Included
- ✓Return Flights (AUH–FCO–AUH)
- ✓7 Nights 4★ Hotel, Rome Historic Centre (Bed & Breakfast)
- ✓Private Airport Transfers (return)
- ✓Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Skip-the-Line Tour (guided)
- ✓Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill Skip-the-Line Tour (guided)
- ✓Pompeii Day Trip by High-Speed Train (guided)
- ✓Roman Cooking Class (pasta, tiramisu & more)
- ✓Trastevere Evening Food Walk & Tasting
✗ Not Included
- ✗Schengen Visa (required — we assist)
- ✗Travel Insurance
- ✗Personal expenses & shopping
- ✗Roma Pass for public transport (recommended — €42)
- ✗Gratuities / tips
Destination Gallery
Your Hotel
4-Star Hotel, Historic Centre (B&B)
🇮🇹 Italy · Breakfast Included
Frequently Asked Questions
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