"If you dream it, I deliver it"
Tourguide Mitra Talarman
How to hire a Tour guide for your Rome and Italy visit, and get the most out of your experience?
I am a board certified licensed tour guide and historian with almost 20 years of experience and
you can hire me regardless of if you’re a TravelbyMitra client or not!
History is fun, scandalous, fascinating and above all, important. If we don’t know where we have
been, we can not understand why and how we are here now, and where we are heading.
As for the tours, The “Top Three” are the most common tours, and for good reason.
City Walk of Rome
Roman Forum & Colosseum
Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peters Basilica.
Each of these tours cover the basics of Rome and run about 3-4 hours each.
The Rome City Walk
This tour is a great way to orient yourself around Rome. You see the Spanish Steps, Trevi
Fountain, Victor Emmanuel II monument, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiori etc – all the
main monuments, squares and fountains!
This tour is a nice stroll through the city center with no entrance fees, also with a stop for
the best gelato in the city, coffee, and try out what it is like doing it the way the Romans do.
Roman Forum and Colosseum
Covering the beginnings of Rome, we walk through the shadows of Romulus and Remus, the Republic
of Rome, and all the internal strife that eventually lead to its downfall. We trace the steps of
Caesar and Augustus, and follow history to the fall of the entire empire and through the
abandonment of the greatest western civilization.
We see the Colosseum, talk about gladiators, animal hunts, and the myths surrounding Rome’s
largest amphitheater. In short, we tie together 3000 years of history before lunchtime (or
before aperitivo, whichever time you choose).
Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel
Visit the world’s smallest country that houses the world’s largest church. We talk about the
rule of the papacy, the importance and impact of the renaissance, and what happened if it never
took place. You will get to know the entire story behind the choice of sending Michelangelo into
the Sistine Chapel to paint when he is truly the worst choice for it all, as he was a sculptor
with no knowledge of painting.
We put the images together into a story, so that when you walk inside the Chapel it all makes
sense. On our way there, we see the very best of sculpture, tapestries and painting.
This tour covers all things Vatican and run about 4 hours.
The cost per tour is 150€ per hour for up to 4 people, 200€ per hour for larger groups. All
tours run a minimum of 3-4 hours. This is for all of you and not per person. You can ask for a
tour to be shorter, but please note that you will always be charged for a 3 hour minimum.
Ticket costs are excluded. I can also arrange early morning or late evening access into the
Vatican if you’d like, which is a separate cost, so let me know if that’s interesting to you.
Travel tips & etiquette
- Wear comfortable shoes and bring sunblock in summer as most archeological sites have little to no shade.
- Water bottles are allowed inside.
- Cameras are permitted – except in the Sistine Chapel where no photo or video (or talking) is permitted. The Sistine chapel is an ACTIVE chapel and a sacred place of prayer. Even if you personally do not agree with the religion, it is important to remember that visiting the Vatican museums are still the papal palace. In other words, the headquarters for the world’s collected Catholics.
- Tripods are not allowed in museums, archeological sites or churches.
- Professional equipment with microphones are not permitted in museums, archeological sites or churches.
- Drones are not permitted in archeological sites, national parks or historical city centers without permits.
- Children are always welcome on tour, so we will decide what itineraries fit best for your family.
- Strollers can be checked in for free inside St. Peter’s Basilica, but are not allowed inside. Please keep in mind that strollers are hard to navigate through archeological sites.
- Big backpacks are generally not admitted in most sites or museums, so try to keep them as small as you can.
- For churches and the Vatican museums, please remember that knees and shoulders need to be covered (you can easily use a simple scarf to cover up.) I advise strongly against long sleeves or jeans in the Roman summer heat.