Rom

"We went to the Vatican very early - did the basilica at 7am and then were in the small line for the dome at 8am. We paid the 8 euros to walk up. It is an easy climb as long as you’ve got sensible shoes and a moderate level of fitness. At 8am we had the stairs to ourselves. By the time we got to the top there was more of a crowd so I can only imagine how busy it gets later in the day. On the trip down the stairs we stopped at the level that the elevator goes to and had a coffee and croissant for a very reasonable price. It was nice to sit up on the dome having some breakfast. The little restaurant/cafeteria was also very quiet with mostly just staff having coffee."

"We did the St. Peter's Dome climb/Basilica/Vatacombs tour in the morning followed by the Vatican Museum/Sistene Chapel tour in the afternoon. We had Chiara as a tour guide for both. She is a very knowledgeable, passionate and humorous guide who brought an amazing energy to the day. She did a great job at presenting tons of historical info while also moving the group along very busy sites."