Frequently Asked Questions
The questions guests actually ask us before they book. If yours is not here, write to info@romelocalexperience.com and we will answer.
Booking
How far ahead should I book?
As soon as your dates are set. Availability on every product page is live, so if a time slot is showing, it is genuinely open. Cooking classes need at least 12 hours’ notice.
How do I pay, and is my card safe?
Full payment is taken when you book, through a secure third-party payment provider. We never see or store your card details.
Are your experiences private or shared?
Most of what we run is private: your group, your guide, and nobody added on. Where we do run a group tour, it is capped at 7 participants, so it never turns into a coach trip.
Can I customize the itinerary?
On private tours, yes. Write to us beforehand if there is something specific you want to see, or tell your guide at the start, and the route gets built around it. Group tours follow a set itinerary so everyone gets the same experience.
Are you a licensed travel agency?
Yes. Rome Local Experience is a brand of Local Experience Group S.r.l., an Agenzia di Viaggi e Turismo registered in Rome. Civil liability cover is held with REVO Insurance S.p.A., and protection against insolvency is guaranteed through Garanzia Viaggi S.r.l. The registration and policy numbers are at the bottom of our Terms and Conditions.
Cancellations and changes
What is your cancellation policy?
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your scheduled start time. Inside that window, and for no-shows, we cannot refund. Third-party tickets such as the Colosseum or the Vatican may be non-refundable whenever you cancel. The exact policy for your booking is shown at checkout.
What happens if you cancel?
You choose: an alternative date, or a full refund.
Do tours run in bad weather?
Yes. Our golf carts have protective covers that go up in a couple of minutes for rain, wind or cold, so the tour carries on in comfort. Tours generally operate in most weather. If something outside our control makes it impossible, such as extreme weather, a strike or a monument closure, we may change the itinerary or cancel, and in that case you get a new date or your money back.
On the day
Where do we meet?
Group tours meet at Caffè Roma, in the centre of the city. Private tours start wherever suits you in central Rome, whether that is your hotel, your apartment or a landmark you would rather walk to, so tell us your preferred spot when you book. Your confirmation email carries the exact meeting point and time.
What time should I get there?
Ten to fifteen minutes before the scheduled departure. Late arrivals can miss the tour without a refund, and on group tours the guide may leave with the guests who are already there in order to keep to the schedule.
I am running late. What do I do?
Contact us as soon as you know. On a private tour there is usually some room to wait, or to shorten the route so you still see the highlights. On a group tour the guide can hold for up to 15 minutes past the meeting time, then has to leave.
What should I wear and bring?
Comfortable shoes, and something that covers shoulders and knees if your tour includes churches, which enforce a dress code at the door. Sunglasses and water in summer, a jacket in the evening. Everything else is on us.
Golf cart tours
Do I drive the golf cart?
No. Your guide drives, which is the whole point. You sit back and look up at Rome instead of watching the road and hunting for parking.
Do golf cart tours go inside the monuments?
Most are panoramic. You get close, you stop for photos, and you hear the story from your guide, but you do not go in. That is deliberate: it is how you cover in three hours what would take two days on foot. If you want to go inside the Colosseum or the Vatican, book one of the tours that includes entry.
Are entrance tickets included?
It depends on the experience, and each product page says so plainly before you book. Our Colosseum and Vatican tours include entry. Golf cart tours are panoramic with photo stops, so they do not, unless the listing states otherwise.
Food, wine and cooking classes
What is included in a cooking class?
Three hours, hands on, with a local English-speaking chef. All the fresh ingredients, the equipment, an apron, the full meal you have just made, a glass of Italian wine or a soft drink, and water. The class is private to your booking and never shared with another group.
Do I need to know how to cook?
No. We have had guests who had never made pasta in their lives and guests who cook every night, and both walk out pleased with what they made. Children are very welcome, at any age.
I have allergies or a dietary restriction. Can you work around it?
Usually, yes, and the earlier you tell us the better. There is a celiac-friendly option for the cooking classes and menus can be personalized on request. On food tours we arrange the stops around what you can and cannot eat, so please tell us when you book rather than on the day.
Families and accessibility
Are your tours suitable for children?
Yes, and children come on most of them. Tell us their ages when you book so we can plan the pace and the timing around them.
I have limited mobility. What works for me?
Tell us what you need when you book and we will tell you honestly what works and what does not. A golf cart tour covers a lot of ground with very little walking, which suits a lot of guests who could not manage a long walking tour.
Still stuck
My question is not on this page.
Write to info@romelocalexperience.com with your dates and what you have in mind. There is no call centre here. You are writing to the people who run the tours.