Maximus Tours
Maximus Tours
5
City ToursHistorical & Heritage ToursSightseeing Tours
About
Maximus Tours offers the best priced tours available online of the Vatican City and the City of Rome with professional, licensed and entertaining tour guides. We have been organizing tours here in Rome on a daily basis since 2002, the Maximus Tours website was a new venture launched at the start of 2008. At Maximus Tours, our carefully selected guides are here to share their knowledge and passion about art, archaeology, history and much more, which will all enrich your experience of the Eternal City.
Rome, Lazio, Italy

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles1,060 reviews
Excellent
943
Very good
72
Average
26
Poor
10
Terrible
9

Patricia mc donagh
Chelmsford, UK10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Family
We did the Vatican highlights tour - Semi Private Skip the line with Maximus tours on 26th April 24 it was party of 5 adults for 3 hours . I have to say the tour was excellent the reason it got this rating is because of our tour guide Patricia she was so personable , engaging and so knowledgable her passion for history was clear . We thoroughly enjoyed it , not allowed to take pictures in Sistine chapel , everywhere else you can you will be amazed by the art ,sculptures , history of the Vatican simply breathtaking . It’s lots of walking so wear comfortable shoes . Maximus tours information prior to the tour is very good regarding meeting point, allow plenty of time as traffic in Rome is busy I also received an email the day before say there was a public transport strike on , so had time make other arrangements which was fab. I would highly recommend this company and tour mostly down to Patricia as a tour guide she was simply excellent .
Written 29 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your fantastic review! We're delighted to hear that you had a great experience on our Vatican highlights tour with Patricia. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you back soon for another wonderful tour!
Written 30 April 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

A W
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Couples
Our Vatican tour guide, Liz, was knowledgeable, accomodating and passionate. Although she was leading her third tour of the day she had great enthusiasm and care for our group.

As our first time in the area we put the meeting place into our Google maps and found it easily. Of course the Vatican was crowded (even in March). The tour may last longer than expected as we had to move slowly through certain sections or queue for the toilets, so be mindful of this when making plans after this tour.

Liz left us in San Pietro's basilica so we could leave at our own pace. We enjoyed it when people in our group asked questions we hadn't thought about, we found this an enjoyable way to interact and engage with our tour. Liz answered these questions very comfortably and seemed pleased to take the questions.
Written 20 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Traveler Thank you for your review. We are very happy that you enjoyed your time with us and having Liz as your guide. Thank you for your comments, I know Liz will be happy to read them as well. We hope that you will get back in contact with us when your return to Rome.
Written 22 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sue H
Lincoln, UK37 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022 • Couples
Christiana was the most informative and interesting guide- her knowledge was amazing. She ensured that we explored the main areas and found time to explain and show other interesting things. Well organised and would highly recommend this company.
Written 24 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Sue Thank you for joining us on tour and for writing this review. It is much appreciated and I know Cristiana will be happy to read it as well. We hope to see you back again soon.
Written 23 December 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Louise M
Preston, UK14 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2012 • Family
My husband, 12 yr old son and 9 yr old daughter were so excited to be going on this tour on the last afternoon of our holiday 1st November 2012. We turned up at the meeting point 15 mins before the scheduled departure time and met 2 other couples also waiting. After 10 mins one of the couples rang the office number quoted on the email booking - the phone was answered but then the person on the end of the line hung up. The other couple tried an emergency number quoted on their email booking form to no avail. We tried the UK office number but that just rang out. After waiting for 30 mins beyond the departure time we all decided to give up. The day was totally ruined as we could not find another guide. We went to the Coliseum ourselves but found huge queues and when we finally got in the headsets we hired were hopeless and by the time we had finished, we were too late for entry to the Roman Forum. We booked this tour through Vatican Tours, the confirmation email came from Maximus Tours yet payment was taken by Roman Candle Tours - no idea how this all works but would avoid them like the plague! We emailed them at the time but have still not had a response. Very, very disappointed.
Written 1 November 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Diane P
Wichita, United States54 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2014 • Couples
Our guide was terrific....site easily found to meet.... and our guide was very knowledgeable....crowds were large but she managed to get us through the areas easily ....
Written 5 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lilymorky
Bellevue, TN41 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2014 • Friends
My wife and adult daughter booked a 5-hour private Vatican tour with Maximus Tours in late July 2014. It was an INCREDIBLE experience. Christiana, our very knowledgeable and friendly guide, escorted us through the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica. When I made the reservation I requested a visit to the Pinacoteca art gallery which is not usually part of the museum tour and Christiana was more than accommodating. I chose to add the Pinacoteca because I wanted to see Raphael's Transfiguration (his last painting before his untimely death) and other masterpieces before seeing his awe-inspiring fresco's near the Sistine Chapel. It was well worth it! We also saw Leonardo's St. Jerome. Christiana's breadth of knowledge (history, art, architecture) and enthusiasm kept us engaged for the entire tour. It was an absolute delight to have such a wonderful guide walking us through the Vatican masterpieces. It was expensive, but worth every penny because we gained a profound appreciation for the stories behind the materpieces. The tour of St. Peter's included a trip to the basement crypts where, behind an ornate wall, the bones of St. Peter rest. You will also see the tombs of countless popes. Plan an entire day for the tour which started at 11AM and ended at almost 5PM. After the tour Christiana directed us to the elevator to take us to the roof (on our own) to scale the hundreds of steps to the top of the copula (dome) of St. Peter's for a stunning view of Vatican City and Rome. It was the perfect time of the day for our trek up the stairs. I highly recommend going to the top of the dome. There is a nice souvenir shop staffed by nuns on the roof! My family will never forget our first introduction to the Vatican.

Tips: 1. Do not bring bulky backpacks (they will be checked), a small over the shoulder bag is fine. 2. You may take as many non-flash photos as you want except in the Sistine Chapel and the crypts of St. Peter. 3. Eat a hearty breakfast and go to the bathroom before you start the tour.
Written 18 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Buckguy
St. George, UT67 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2019 • Couples
Had the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel Tour in mid-February 2019. Took too much time to get organized before entering the museum and let some people waste everyone's time as we waited for a family that had to use the restroom one at a time at the entry. When you are on a once in a lifetime trip and have limited time it is frustrating to stand in the lobby for 15 minutes waiting for knuckleheads to us the restrooms.

Our tour guide was a 30ish woman that was overly focused on some of the art work and took so much time that there was little time actually in the Sistine Chapel and virtually no time left to appreciate St. Peter's Basilica. We spent way too much time on the way to the Sistine Chapel as she droned on and on and on about some of the art work, particularly the Raphael works in one of the Papal Apartments leading to the Sistine Chapel. Please do not misunderstand me, the paintings by Raphael were something that deserved time to see and appreciate but when four or five other tours passed us by while she continued to talk about some of the minutiae it got way too long. By the time we got to the Sistine Chapel we were well into the late afternoon and wanted to see the Basilica and its masterpieces as well so we ended up with less time in the Sistine Chapel than we spent with Raphael in the papal apartment. It is our time that she did not manage our time very well. When you make a once in a lifetime trip and get limited time on some of the most important places in history it is a bit frustrating.
Written 28 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Traveler Thank you for taking the time to write a review on our tour. We will take all of your points into consideration and do our best to make it enjoyable for everyone. I would just like to clarify that your review is for a Private Vatican Tour, but you have joined our semi private tour, hence you may have had to wait for someone in the group to use the bathroom. We do warn people to use the restrooms before arriving to the meeting point however this is not always possible. Restrooms in the Vatican museums are limited so if someone must use the bathroom it is best to do so upon entering the Vatican Museums. Bodily functions must not be ignored. With regards to the organization of the tour and the time set aside for each room, we are sorry that you did not like the way the time frame was organized. Our itinerary is based on the rooms, paintings and statues which are considered 'must sees'. Art and architecture is very subjective so although one guest may appreciate more time in one place, another guest may not agree. We try our best to cater to the needs of everyone in the group but unfortunately that is not always possible. With regards to St. Peter's Basilica, we do leave everyone plenty of time to explore the Basilica. Our 3 Hour Vatican Highlights Semi Private Tour meets daily at 1:45pm and ends at St. Peter's Basilica around 5:00pm. The Basilica closes around 6pm in the winter, and 7pm in the summer so even after the tour has finished, our guests have at least an hour to remain in the Basilica, if you choose to do so. In any case, we thank you for joining us and your feedback. We hope to see you back in Italy again soon. Best, Matt
Written 7 May 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

NicoleK2230
Cronulla, Australia23 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2015 • Family
We did the Vatican tour in mid-June with our 2 children aged 9 and 11. It was the biggest disappointment of our Europe holiday. The tour was incredibly boring - it was totally focussed on art history, and if you're an art enthusiast I am sure you will love it, but if you are a family wanting to get a 'taste' of the history of the Vatican (not just the artwork!) it is horrendous!!! It was hot, crowded, and difficult to hear the guide even with the headset. The only upside was skipping the queue. If you have children, do not bother!
Written 5 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Traveller I am sorry to read your review and that you and your children did not enjoy the tour. The Vatican City has some of the greatest artwork in the western world and when touring the Vatican Museums, we believe it is important to talk about the art which we are looking at. The Vatican is also full of history, majesty and mystery and a great way to see this first hand, is to look at the art that they have 'acquired' and commissioned throughout the ages. Even though museums in general are not for everyone, we try our best to keep all of our guests engaged throughout the tour, especially children who can often be our toughest critics. I think that children should absolutely be brought on a tour of the Vatican, however it is best that the whole family knows in advance that the Vatican is primarily a place of art, culture, religion and history, as interesting as it may (or may not) be for a child. We hope that you will all have another opportunity to enjoy everything that the Vatican has to offer. Kind regards Matt
Written 25 October 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

gizmo9292
Hummelstown, PA3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Excellent tour of the Vatican and a guide who genuinely cares about you having a wonderful experience. I showed up a few min late (be on time!!!) after they had already left but managed to catch up with them through my own persistence and some very good luck. Christiana was very welcoming and even waived part of the cost of the tour because I had to purchase my own ticket to the museum. That was generous since it was my own fault I was late. Overall a great tour and I would highly recommend to friends and family.
Written 19 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Morgan S
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2014 • Family
My family and I booked a four-hour tour through Maximus Tours for the Vatican Museum. Our tour guide Christiana was a native of Rome and was extremely knowledgeable about the Vatican, specifically the Sistine Chapel. The tour ends at the Sistine Chapel, and you are given the choice to remain there or exit with the group for closing statements. Just know, if you choose to remain inside, much of the rest of the Vatican closes at 5!
Written 9 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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