Rome at Starhotels Metropole

After arrival at Rome Airport find your own way to your hotel. Rest of the day free at leisure.

Overnight in Rome

Available: Every Day
Departure Time: TBA
Meeting Point: TBA

Enjoy our guided tour of the Vatican Museums and visit the most extensive collection of art in the world. The Sistine Chapel with the Last Judgement of Michelangelo, the statues of Laocoon and the Apollo Belvedere, the Tapestries and the Maps Gallery, are only some of the treasures that you will discover. Next your expert guide will lead you in St. Peter Basilica, revealing you its masterpieces as the Pietà by Michelangelo and the internal decorations by Bernini, ending the visit in St. Peter's Square.

Available: Every Day
Departure Time: Approx. 9:30 am
Meeting Point: TBA
Step off the tourist track in the Colosseum and get a gladiator’s-eye-view by using their special entrance and stepping onto the normally off-limits arena floor. You can’t get closer to the action than this. The arena floor is where people actually fought and died in the Colosseum. While most visitors only ever see it from the stands, you’ll bypass long, general entrance lines and step directly onto it via the special Gladiator’s Gate. As you marvel at the great amphitheater around you, your expert guide will tell stories to transport back nearly 2,000 years, when vicious blood sports were the most popular form of entertainment in Rome. During your tour you’ll also explore the rest of the Colosseum, including the first floor and Roman Forum overlook. Then you will head into the Roman Forum and the Palatine hill to learn the wider history of Imperial Rome. Through the stories and anecdotes of your expert guide, the ruins will come to life and you’ll have no problem imagining the heyday of this incredible civilization. Our fully licensed, expert guides are the best in the business. Far from giving you rote history lessons, they pull you into the epic story of Rome and allow you to relive it with them, one step at a time.   

Available: Every Day

Departure Time: Approx. 9 am

Meeting Point: Hotel Lobby

The first stop is Esquiline Hill where our guide will show you some of the treasures inside the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, before continuing by coach to see the Holy Staircase and the Lateran Palace. Visit the Basilica of San Giovanni, the cathedral of Rome (inside visit). Then proceed along the Ancient Appian Way, passing the Chapel of “Domine Quo Vadis” before arriving at the Catacombs, the ancient underground cemeteries and first hiding places of the Christians. A visit to either the Catacombs of San Callisto, Santa Domitilla or San Sebastiano is included, depending on seasonal conditions. The tour will end with a view of the Baths of Emperor Caracalla. End of the tour and return by bus to main central points of the city (Via Veneto, Piazza Barberini, Piazza Venezia, Piazza della Repubblica and Termini Rail Station).

**Remember that there is a dress code for this tour: shoulders and knees must be covered. We cannot be held responsible for entry denied due to improper dress. Comfortable shoes are recommended. **                          

Enjoy the full day at leisure, or perhaps you will book one of the following optional tours:

Overnight in Rome

Available: Every Day
Departure Time: Approx. 0900 am
Meeting Point: TBA
Discover imperial and early Christian Rome and millennia of history as you descend into the Eternal city's underground burial chambers, its long winding catacombs, and its crypts. Go below and beyond to a time when Christianity was considered a simple cult whose members were executed as pagans and buried as martyrs. The one and only tour that takes you to crypts and catacombs from different historical eras, in various locations and with varying styles. Much of what Rome has to offer is buried underground-and through this tour, our guests can discover the underside of Rome through three select sites--The Cappuccini Crypt (chapel decorated entirely by human bones), Domitilla Catacombs (ancient Christian burial ground) and the Church of San Clemente (built over an ancient fourth century church built over an even older Roman house containing Christian artifacts and a pagan temple-with ruins reaching 57 feet deep).

Available: Every Day
Departure Time: Approx. 10:00 am
Meeting Point: TBA
Discover imperial and early Christian Rome and millennia of history as you descend into the Eternal city's underground burial chambers, its long winding catacombs, and its crypts. Go below and beyond to a time when Christianity was considered a simple cult whose members were executed as pagans and buried as martyrs. The one and only tour that takes you to crypts and catacombs from different historical eras, in various locations and with varying styles. Much of what Rome has to offer is buried underground-and through this tour, our guests can discover the underside of Rome through three select sites--The Cappuccini Crypt (chapel decorated entirely by human bones), Domitilla Catacombs (ancient Christian burial ground) and the Church of San Clemente (built over an ancient fourth century church built over an even older Roman house containing Christian artifacts and a pagan temple-with ruins reaching 57 feet deep). When the sun sets on Rome, another side of the city comes to life, an older and more mysterious Rome where fact & legend are intertwined to stimulate the imagination as much as the eye. A Rome known only by a few... You are invited to discover this other side of the city for yourself on Rome‟s only night-time walking tour. Your guide will bring the Eternal city's most enthralling historical and supernatural mysteries to life in a highly entertaining and informative tour that is unlike any other. A night-time walking tour, based on history, legends, mysteries and Ghost stories, points out the lesser known sights in Rome's historic center that any passer-by would easily miss. The tour wanders through the areas surrounding Campo de' Fiori and Piazza Farnese including Via Giulia, Via del Governo Vecchio and Castel Sant'Angelo.

Enjoy the full day at leisure, or perhaps you will book one of the following optional tours:

Overnight in Rome

Available: Every Day
Departure Time: Approx. 9:30 am
Meeting Point: TBA
The island of Capri, situated in the Gulf of Naples and surrounded by an emerald and turquoise sea, is often called the pearl of the Mediterranean. Leaving Rome in a southerly direction motor along the “Highway of the Sun” crossing the fertile Roman countryside and the area known as “Castelli Romani”. Approximately halfway along the highway you will be able to see the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino, noted for the famous battle and its complete destruction during the Second World War. Arriving in Naples you will board a hydrofoil for the 45-minute crossing to Marina Grande on Capri. Minibuses are then used for a panoramic drive to reach Anacapri, situated at 280 metres above sea level from where you will have a wonderful view of the Bay of Naples. After lunch in a local restaurant, you will have some free time to take unforgettable photographs and purchase local products before returning to Marina Grande to board the boat back to Naples. Entering the port of Naples, don't miss the opportunity to admire the splendid Maschio Angioino (a fortress dating back to the 12th century), the Certosa of San Martino and the Royal Palace. After disembarking you will then take the coach for the return journey to Rome, approx. 3 hours. Return to the vicinity of your hotel.  **PLEASE NOTE: During the journey from Rome to Naples, it will not always be possible to make a comfort stop, but the boats for Capri have bar and restroom facilities. Comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes are recommended. During high season there may be delays in boarding the boats and minibuses and we ask you to pay attention to your guide to avoid getting separated from your group.

Available: Every Day

Departure Time: Approx. 9:30 am

Meeting Point: TBA

Take a break from the chaos of Rome with a Tuscan holiday. Our tour will focus on the famous Val D’Orcia region, visiting the historic hill towns of Montepulciano, Pienza and the vineyards of Montalcino. We’ll explore winding streets, catch beautiful views of rolling hills from city walls, hear centuries-old Gregorian chants, stop at a typical Tuscan farm for lunch and have plenty of time left over for sampling world-famous foods and wine – all locally produced. If you have a taste for Tuscany but just a short time in Italy, this tour is for you! A comfortable air-conditioned bus collects us in Rome and by mid-morning we’re in the ancient Etruscan town of Montepulciano. We’ll tour the town’s most important sights from the exposed brick Duomo and the main square to Punch’s Tower where Punch (without Judy) strikes his bell from the clock tower every hour. We’ll see ancient Etruscan wells and venture deep into medieval wine cellars still used today. We’ll have a bit of free time for photo ops before we’re back on the bus to our next stop, the vineyards of Montalcino! Our arrival in the area of Montalcino is perfectly timed to leave us at Sant’Antimo Abbey where stone walls ring with the sound of Gregorian chants. Lose yourself in the mystical ambiance and take the time to enjoy views over some of Tuscany’s most beautiful vineyards. This is where Italy’s best wine, Brunello di Montalcino, is produced and we’ll have a chance to enjoy an exemplary bottle on the next leg of our journey and a sure highlight – lunch. The bus will take us out of town to a typical Tuscan farm where we will be wined and dined with the finest local produce. Devour three courses of regional dishes that surprise and delight, washed down with local wines. Lunch is especially sweet when you know so much of it has been grown, processed and prepared in this very place! Lunch is followed by a professional guided wine tasting of the wines produced on site. Back on the bus your guide will prepare you for our next stop – Pienza. You will hear how this World Heritage site was conceived by Pope Pius II as a “utopian village” and get information on sites you may want to visit, such as the two Renaissance palaces and the beautiful Duomo. Pienza is a small town so we’ll split up here and take some time to wander alone, enjoying the serenity that is still true to the Pope’s vision today. Marvel at the ancient architecture, take in views of the rolling countryside beyond or get hopelessly, wonderfully lost in the town’s winding streets. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to make time to sample Pienza’s most important product – pecorino cheese. With satisfied appetites and bags packed with wine, cheese and pici pasta, we’ll meet back at the bus for a comfortable and scenic drive back to Rome. Take a well-deserved nap, watch the country fly past or spend the time planning your next visit to Tuscany – because one visit is never enough!   

Today morning you will find your own way to the Rome International Airport for your flight back home.