Advice on Colosseum and Pantheon timed-admission tours
We are on the April 26, 2023, Small Group Classic Italy tour. Is there any advice from tour veterans on the need to pre-book for timed-admission tours of the Colosseum and Pantheon during our free time? Should I rely on either the tour guides or hotel to do that once there? Thanks, Tom
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Check with Tauck. When we were on the ClassicItaly tour, it included admission to the Colosseum. Make sure it is no longer included.
Rome is the one place it’s best not to buy tickets ahead as Tauck’s schedule for you all will change. I was there last year and the Colosseum was included in a morning tour and the TD via the concierge at the hotel helped us get tickets to the Pantheon. You might ask your TD about a Rome by night tour. It’s an extra cost, but it was fabulous to see the all the famous monuments at night. Have fun, this is a great tour.
Another comment about purchasing tickets ahead- we did this tour several years ago, so I don't know if things have changed, At the beginning of the tour our TD gave us a schedule that differed from the Green Book itinerary. Then, just a day before arriving in Rome we got a new schedule that not only changed times but also the days we would visit sites like the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. The schedule in Rome revolves around the Vatican. If the Vatican changes their schedule for some reason, that can have a cascade effect on everything else you see. Bottom line, you are taking a big chance buying tickets ahead for Rome. That being said, have a prioritized list of what you want to see that Tauck does not show you, if and when you get time, e.g. Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc.
Florence is a different story. Figure out what you will see and when with Tauck, then decide what else you want to see, e.g. Opera del Duomo (climb Brunelleschi's dome, enter the Baptistry, climb Giotto's tower, visit the Duomo crypt and museum), Pitti Palace, Ponte Vecchio, Boboli Gardens, Santa Croce Church, Palazzo Vecchio, even a side trip to Pisa (we did it all) on your own and get tickets as early as possible ( Now!!! You may be too late!!).
Some (many?) tickets will be for timed entry so you need to plan carefully. Also, be careful buying tickets online, there are a number of vendor sites that look like the official site, but are not. https://duomo.firenze.it/en/discover/opera-duomo-museum
This is a fantastic trip!!!
Great advice! Thanks. Tom