Viator Rome

When visiting a new city for the first time, one of the best things to do is take a relatively quick city-wide guided tour. This helps give you a lay of the land, an understanding of local history, and a better idea of what you’ll want to spend more time on and what you feel comfortable skipping. In Rome, there are a few hop on/hop off tours to choose from that will help accomplish all three of these goals. What’s more, you can – just as the name suggests – hop on and off as you like, spending more time on certain sights so you don’t need to backtrack later if you’d prefer not to.

One of the greatest pleasures of a visit to Rome is eating your way through the city. Sampling local specialties like Roman-style artichokes, bucatini all’amatriciana, porchetta, and cacio e pepe (a “comfort food” pasta dish with grated pecorino cheese and black pepper), not to mention the city’s array of fabulous gelato shops.

But if you’d like to make those mouth-watering memories last longer than your vacation, you absolutely can – sign up for a cooking class in Rome and learn to re-create those famous dishes once you return to your own kitchen.

Have you ever dreamed that you were Russell Crowe, fighting for revenge in Ancient Rome? Your dream can finally come true! Become a gladiator for a day at Roman Gladiator School: Learn How to Become a Gladiator and learn the secrets of Imperial Rome’s gladiator games. This month, we are giving away two tickets so that one lucky winner and a friend will get to master the basics of hand-to-hand combat!

See some of Rome‘s most famous landmarks on this Christmas Day Walking Tour! See the famous Nativity scene and Christmas tree at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City and more with your expert guide.

For the eighth week of our Viator’s 2011 Ultimate Holiday Giveaway, we’re giving away tickets to one of our most popular Rome tours!

Nestled in Rome, the Vatican is the smallest country in the world. Since 1929 it has been an independent city-state of just over 110 acres with a population of 800. It has its own stamps and coins, even its own passports although very few are issued. The head of state is the Pope.

I know that while one is in Italy, one is kind of obligated to be interested in the Renaissance. Unfortunately, the Renaissance was sadly devoid of gladiators, and as such, I’m much more interested in ancient Rome. Luckily for me (and you, presumably), there’s a tour package that takes you through the city’s Roman ruins, including the Coliseum.

Like most ancient cities in the world, you could spend weeks in Rome wandering the streets, exploring ruins and reverently tiptoeing your way through art museums. It would really behoove you to get a tour. Rome tours vary. Since a lot of them take you over the same stuff, go for the one that looks like it will give you a funny story when you get home. Like, for example, a bike tour. Or better yet, a Segway tour.