Vatican Tour — Attraction in Rome

Lost and Found at St. Peter’s – With a Little Divine Help

We began our tour of St. Peter’s Basilica distressed. My wife had just realized her phone was missing. It was switched off too– never a good sign – and we were almost certain it had slipped out in the Uber we had just taken to get there.

Trying to reach the driver through the Uber app was a nightmare. Call the driver option was always diverted to an IVRS of an “it taxi,” which dropped after a standard message.Repeated attempts to flag the driver on the app got us nowhere as uber was not sharing driver profile or even license plate number.In moments like these, you realize why technology alone isn’t enough — you need real people to help you!

And then there was Carl. He was our tour guide, a German talking British English,brimming with wit, humor, and an extraordinary command of history and religion. Under normal circumstances, we would have been thrilled when he asked which part of India and started talking about Kerala,But that day, anxiety had clouded everything.

Carl noticed us ,found out our issue .Quietly, while leading the group through the breathtaking art and stories of the Basilica, he kept calling “it taxi.” He refused to let us abandon the tour, insisting we continue while he worked in the background. To our amazement, he managed both seamlessly — keeping the group engaged with his knowledge while persistently trying to reach someone who could help.

Finally, he broke through. Piece by piece, he traced the driver: the pick-up point, the timing, the shift details. The driver did have the phone – another passenger had handed it over – but his shift had ended. With gentle persistence, Carl explained our urgency and convinced him to meet us near the Vatican Museums, even though it was well past his working hours.

By the time the tour ended, we were not just in awe of the Basilica but of Carl himself. We sat at a nearby restaurant waiting for the driver, and in that time, got to know Carl better. A man of humor, intellect, and above all, heart.

At last, the driver arrived. The phone was back in our hands. Relief washed over us. Standing at one of the holiest places on earth, having been helped by a stranger who went far beyond duty, it felt like divine intervention.

Thank you, Carl — for being not just a guide, but a...

Highly recommend this tour and group. They were very strong in communication and execution. Once they have your mobile, you will be able to easily interact with them. They really make you feel like a valued customer.

I was not the best customer. We had a family member that needed a wheelchair but we neglected to let them know when we purchased. We had taxi issues which made us late on the day of. We brought a metal thermos which wasn't allowed in the Basilica. We brought a small portable camping chair, which turned out to be critical for us to survive the entire tour - but the Vatican Museum almost made us check it at the entrance.

Despite all these 'bad customer' challenges, "Giuliano" , "Carlotta" and their team never turned their back on us. They found solutions to all our issues. They found a wheelchair we could use in the Basilica and for the long walk to the Vatican museum despite only giving them hours of notice. They had a team member wait for our late arrival and quickly got us with the group. They offered to hold our thermos because they told us the Vatican would toss it.. and then a team member waited for an hour after the tour and met us with the thermos as we exited (we were shocked !). As I was checking the camping chair at the museum, Carlotta came to our rescue - asking the security team to take a 2nd look at our chair and they let us have it for the tour. Our senior mother really needed it as there is a lot of walking in the Vatican museums but not a lot of places to sit. "Carlotta" was an amazing guide. She has to be one of the most educated guides in Rome. She gave us so many details and interesting tidbits about so many items. She kept checking on us all the time, making sure we were ok. You just can't go wrong with this team ! Thank you !

Tips: If you need a wheelchair service - please let them know asap. There are some tours dedicated for those who need extra time and help. If you're not super confident about your morning transport (like using "Free Now"), give yourself 30 extra minutes to get to the departure point. Don't bring too much metal - you will have to go through 2 different security checks and metal scanners. Lastly, Covid rules are changing rapidly, so ask ahead of time if that is a...

This tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica was not only one of the best tours I've taken, but the skip-the-line feature is CRITICAL when you're visiting the Vatican. If you don't opt for a skip-the-line admission and go for regular admission, be prepared to roast in the hot sun and super humid conditions during the summer months. Skipping all of that is worth its weight in gold! Finding the office is super easy to check in, right around the corner from the Vatican. After that, you meet your guide, and ours was the AMAZING Carl, from Germany, who can speak German (obviously), English, French, Spanish, and Italian. Additionally, he is an all-around nice, friendly, and enthusiastic tour guide who has a wealth of knowledge, having led this tour for the last 19 years. He also has access to the Vatican Library, which is available to very few people outside of those working there. Not only did Carl keep us entertained with loads of excellent history about the Vatican (from his storytelling to the iPad he used to show us examples), which a lot of other guides could make boring (trust me, I've been on a lot of tours & have seen some bad ones), he was so thoughtful in explaining to us about procedures at specific points in the tours per Vatican rules or that we might get separated due to it just being super crowded and where to meet him after. At no point did anyone in the group of about 20 or so feel lost or get separated. Carl's passion for all things Vatican is evident, and it makes what was around 3.5 hours fly by quickly. I was shocked when he said this is where we part ways, and couldn't believe we had been together for those hours. While the price may turn some people away, it is entirely worth it in my opinion, for not only will you save time not waiting and sweating bullets in a MASSIVE long queue for general admission (giving you more time to other parts of Rome), but you will get an education as if you took a semester in college on the history of...