[ About ]■
We can’t stop the crowds from flocking to Italy’s marvels — but we can make a difference. With carefully designed itineraries and expert guides, we turn sightseeing into something personal, meaningful, and memorable. Our guides are highly educated professionals who share history with humor, passion, and a deep respect for Italy’s cultural heritage.
Collectively, they cover a wide range of languages — from English, French, Spanish, German, and other European languages to Japanese, Arabic, Korean, and Chinese. They are all based in Italy, with native or near-native fluency, ensuring your journey is seamless, engaging, and far from ordinary.
[ HISTORY ]A Walk, a Story, a Spark
The City Lights Way
City Lights Tours was born on the streets of Rome in 2005, when founders Maja and Sean decided to move beyond the limitations of large tour agencies and create something more personal, flexible, and rooted in care. From their early days, they focused on quality over quantity — smaller groups, off-limits access, skip-the-line privileges, and storytelling that brings art and history to life.
Over the years, they expanded their offerings beyond the Vatican to include tours of the Colosseum, Rome’s ancient ruins, Florence, and day trips across Italy. What started as a boutique dream has grown into a respected name among travelers seeking deeper, more meaningful experiences — always with a local’s heart and traveler’s insight.
OUR GUIDES
Excellence & Passion
City Lights Tours are proud of our fully licensed, professional English-speaking guides – experts in their field!
Combine their passion with history and archaeology, with that of almost a fascination about storytelling, you will be dazzled by “City Lights Tours” Guides who will be completely at your disposal, and answering any questions you may have along your journey.
[ team ]Our Superheroes
Dr. Maja Ajdin, Ph.D. As one of the cofounders of the company, she is the backbone, the front bone and every one in between. With a background in political science and diplomacy, her knowledge exceeds most, but her caring, considerate, warm hearted nature never make you feel less. She controls every situation with the upmost professionalism and treats everyone kindly and respectfully.
Maja
As Cofounder of the company, he embodies the true goal of City Lights. A company, like him, that is filled with the desire to help any and everyone, giving high quality and great service. His best moments are ones shared with others, never failing to keep a light, joyous atmosphere alive.
Sean
Husnain is the mastermind behind our numbers! With the precision of a Swiss watch and an Excel skillset that keeps everything running smoothly, he ensures our accounts are always accurate, timely, and perfectly balanced. His politeness, steadiness, and keen attention to detail keep City Lights Tours on the right path—both financially and operationally.
Husnain
Meet Jibril, the youngest member of our team, but don’t let his age fool you—he’s a linguistic powerhouse, fluently speaking Chinese, Arabic, Italian, and English! With his fresh energy and dynamic spirit, he brings great vibes to the team. As our tour coordinator, Jibril ensures everything runs smoothly for our guests, and he’s quickly becoming an essential part of our office team too.
Jibril
Ludovica is the mastermind of your itinerary, and the reason everything flows like a perfectly choreographed performance. A quick learner with a sharp analytical mind, she thrives on new challenges and always finds a way to make the impossible look effortless.
Ludovica
Martina is our office Art Historian. Her deep knowledge and passion for art allow her to design tailor-made itineraries to suit every guest’s needs. Several years of experience in the tourism industry have made her quick and precise when managing logistics making her a key support for both clients and colleagues.
Martina
A true jack-of-all-trades, Stefana is the powerhouse behind the scenes, handling everything from back-office operations to event planning, communications, logistics, and beyond. With an unmatched ability to multitask and problem-solve, she ensures that every moving part of City Lights Tours runs seamlessly.
Stefana
Christopher, our Guest Experience Coordinator, has a wealth of experience in tourism, tour management, and sales. Originally from Cancun, his international background and passion for creating unforgettable travel experiences makes him the perfect man to make sure your tour takes off seamlessly.
Christopher
Francesco is the calm, steady force behind our operations and bookings. Joining during peak season, he quickly proved himself with his attention to detail, reliability, and warm professionalism. His background as a footballer taught him the value of teamwork, discipline, and staying cool under pressure. He’s a true team player, bringing patience, leadership, and positive energy to everything he does.
Francesco
Albert is poised, well-spoken, and has a touch of charm. He brings professionalism and warmth to every guest interaction. Albert’s respectful and calm attitude makes him the perfect coordinator at our meeting point.
Albert
Why choose
City Lights Experiences
Skip the line
Exclusive
experiences
Tailored experiences
Expert tour guides
Vip off‑limits access
[ FAQ ]Common Questions
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The price covers:
Entrance tickets
Reservation fees
A professional licensed guide
Headsets (for groups larger than 5 people)
The full itinerary as described in the tour program
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Customers should be at the meeting point 15 minutes prior to the departure time. If you will be late, please contact our customer care team at City Lights Tours at the telephone number found on your confirmation voucher and we will do our best to accommodate you; however, it may not be possible for you to join the tour. Late arrivals are not eligible for refunds.
Please note that if you do not arrive on time for your tour, it cannot be rescheduled. This is because the tickets are time-sensitive and valid only for the specific date and hour booked. -
We suggest booking your Experience at your earliest convenience. Due to popular demand, it is possible that the Experience will be fully booked if left too late.
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We accept online payments from most major credit and debit card providers including Visa Credit, Visa Debit, Maestro, MasterCard, and American Express.
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You should receive your email confirmation, including your tour voucher, after you make your booking online. In most cases this happens almost instantly.
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If your payment didn’t go through, it may be due to your credit card not passing our payment gateway security check. For a credit card to be accepted, it needs to have 3D security verification enabled.
If your card has been declined for the reason mentioned above, please contact us directly at info@citylightstours.com or through our online forms and we will assist you in completing the booking process.
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If you did not receive an email confirmation when making your booking, please check your spam folder first. If it's not there, contact our customer care team at info@citylightstours.com, and we will be happy to investigate and reissue your tour voucher if necessary.
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Please contact City Lights Tours customer care team at info@citylightstours.com before making your booking, and we will advise you on accessibility, as well as any potential restrictions at the sites you wish to visit. Note that a wheelchair-friendly itinerary is available and must be booked specifically for such needs.
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If you wish to cancel your booking, please contact our customer care team at info@citylightstours.com. Cancellations will be issued in accordance with our Cancellation Policy, which can be found on our Terms & Conditions page.
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You can reschedule or change your tour providing that you give us enough notice. Changes to bookings are subject to our Terms & Conditions.
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We would be happy to accommodate additional guests subject to availability. Please contact our customer care team at City Lights Tours with the details.
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Our staff at the meeting point will be dressed in branded clothing, with CityLights logos on it.
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The Vatican and Colosseum tours entail extensive walking, including navigating staircases and uneven surfaces.
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If you join a group experience, the guide will have a microphone connected to the headsets provided to all customers. We always ensure high-quality headsets for our experiences. However, please note that inside the Vatican, the audio equipment is provided by the Vatican (Whisper), and the quality of the headsets may vary.
How did we do?
Review us!
With a trend of 'questionable' operators in the tourism industry and a growing number of tour companies claiming to be 'experts' in the field but failing to deliver on promises made, it can be a breath of fresh air to find someone who truly values the customer's experience.
City Lights Tours is genuine. We have been trading for many years and have provided first class tours for hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Eternal City. We have invested in our office in Rome to ensure customers have a point of reference and management staff on hand for any eventuality.
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Thank you very much!
[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]Borgo Vittorio 85a 00193 Roma, Italy
+39 351 737 8623
info@citylightstours.com