Things to do in Rome

whitelightrider

rossie1977 wrote: »

get there early before the first tours of the morning start (worked for me) but then again that was january, queueing in the august heat in rome is not fun

I hear ya. And I dont think Im much good at queues at the best of times!!! Ill take a look online and see what comes up.

spongebobx

Pre-book for the Vatican on-line and you'll waltz past hunderds in the queues.

whitelightrider

spongebobx wrote: »

Pre-book for the Vatican on-line and you'll waltz past hunderds in the queues.

Where do you book?

Awful Scut Mk2

A lot of people miss the catacombs. They're a bit difficult to get to - you have to go to a particular part of the city to get a bus out there. But they're definitely one of the highlights of Rome.

Hallo World

whitelightrider wrote: »

I hear ya. And I dont think Im much good at queues at the best of times!!! Ill take a look online and see what comes up.

look for the guys and girls with brollys outside the colleseum.. I did it last year, we gave em the entrance fee and they took us past the q's and gave us earpieces.. only way to go... might've cost us a fiver in a tip.. very entertaining though..

if ya like wandering round ruins in peace.. go out to ostia antica on the coast, its about a 20 min train journey followed by a 15 min walk straight out of the station.. ancient port town.. spent 3 hrs wandering round it and when we headed back to hotel we realised we'd only covered a 1/3 of it!!!.. but fascinating all the same.. (the bar they had in ancient times is still there.. complete with sinks and mosaics on the wall of the food they served)

hawkelady

Hi everyone,

Long time viewer,first time poster,so hope some of you can help me...

I have organised a surprise trip to Rome in a couple of weeks for my other half . We are staying in the Radisson and as neither of us have been to Rome Im wondering if this hotel is in the middle of Rome or will we need to get taxis to see some of the sights. Also, I will need a very special/romantic restaurant for us to go to on the Saturday night.Can anyone suggest such a top class place in or around where the Radisson is situated. As we are only there for half day Fri and full day Sat, and I love shopping,can anyone suggest a decent shopping mall,for clothes like jeans,tops in Rome. Do the open top tourist buses cover all the sights and how much is it for the day and will I need to bring our winter coats? What temperature will it be in the middle of December in Rome?

Reading back over this, Id imagine that alot of folks might think Im lazy and I should go and find out this info myself but believe me,Im not great when it comes to the internet,and I have tried but I just cant get the answers ,so thats when I came onto Boards to seek help. Its hard keeping this from himself let alone getting the info I need to make sure we have an amazing weekend away.
Thanks for reading and I hope someone can help me..

biko

Walking from hotel (if it's the one on Via Filippo Turati) to Colosseum, 22 mins
Most things will be within walking distance, or you can get a taxi. The hotel will have a map and will be happy to help you get anywhere you want to go.

dr.bollocko wrote: »

The Vatican Museum. All of it. Not just the sistine chapel. The chapel is a great finale but the whole thing is awesome. I was not a big fan of Peter's basilica, climbing to the top was very claustrophobic.
You can get beer in the Mc. Donalds next to the Pantheon. It's cheaper than the other 5 rip off cafes in the square.
Get one of those pop-up maps. It doesnt really matter where you go TBH. It's all beautiful.
Oh and the food. Eat your weight!

CSC wrote: »

Been a few times now, great city. Get on one of the open top buses. They are not too expensive and a great way to see the city. Get a pass that lasts for a couple of days and you can hop on and off at as many sites as you want.
I'm not really religous but I think the Vatican is a magnificent place and a must see when you are there.

Weather will be a mild 10°C and mostly cloudy with rain. Do bring a warm jacket if you plan to sit in an open bus.



I've merged this thread with some earlier similar threads so you can read previous suggestions.

GeneralC

hi!
I need HELP! I have never been to Rome, Im going in Jan, could anyone please recommend me affordable accomadation that is centrally located and close to all sights,
thank u so much

biko

Close to all sites would be Hotel Trevi

dr.bollocko

GeneralC wrote: »

hi!
I need HELP! I have never been to Rome, Im going in Jan, could anyone please recommend me affordable accomadation that is centrally located and close to all sights,
thank u so much

It would help if you could define "affordable". Most people would have a different POV on what affordable is

Omega28

I also need help with finding accomadation Ideally Id like to pay as little as possible but my budget is around 200-270 for 3 nights in a decent well located hotel.

Rowley Birkin QC

Heading to Rome later tonight, flying into Ciampino. Anyone know what the easiest way to Termini is? Our hotel is very close by but I want to avoid taxis if at all possible.

dr.bollocko

Should be a direct bus from Ciampino to the termini which should take you right there.

Mr. Presentable

Terravision buses will take you to Termini. You can book them online. There is also the local bus service if you are adventurous.

http://www.terravision.eu/rome_ciampino.html

Rowley Birkin QC

Thanks. Turns out our hotel is right by a metro stop. Anyone used the COTRAL bus service that links to the first metro stop?

spear thrower

Hello there i am sure a lot of you lovely Boards members are sick to death giving advice on Rome but just this one time could you please share a small bit of your Rome wisdom with the Spear Thrower.. i will be forever grateful..

Myself and my girlfriend have visited a lot of beautiful cities but its our first time visiting Rome.. We are heading over in a couple of weeks for 2 nights(3 full days) and my dilemma is that 3 days is far from enough(i think) to see this wonderful city(we are both mid 20s).. So what would you suggest is a must do in Rome? Sightseeing, Restaurants, Pubs/Bars etc..(cant really get a good judgement off Trip advisor)

We're staying in the Welrome hotel which i booked as it was recommended on Trip Advisor.. Has anyone stayed here that would like to give us a heads up how they rated it?..

Again thanks a million!!!:):D;)

rossie1977

first off bars and pubs in rome are on the poor side especially in or around the centre, there is a handful of ok places but don't expect anything like we have here

as for sights, st peters/vatican are obvious must dos, Spanish Steps, trevi fountain, forum, Pantheon, Colosseum (get there early to avoid the lines)

mikedragon32

Moved from T&H

biko

Merged with general Rome thread so we don't have to reinvent the wheel

tipperaryboy

Rome certainly is brillant city once you visit you will want to return again and again.Visting the vatican booking online http://www.vatican.va is a must do especially if you intending to visit during the summer months and really at most other times it is advisable.

July and August are very warm months in Rome.
In August nearly all of the locals abandon the city for nearby holiday homes/beaches to escape the heat so in that month especially nearly everyone around will be a tourist.

If there is any first time visitors to Rome looking for information that you cant find on the internet PM me as i can get that information for you as i have family living in Rome and luckly have been several times myself.

littlemissteach

spear thrower wrote: »

Hello there i am sure a lot of you lovely Boards members are sick to death giving advice on Rome but just this one time could you please share a small bit of your Rome wisdom with the Spear Thrower.. i will be forever grateful..

Myself and my girlfriend have visited a lot of beautiful cities but its our first time visiting Rome.. We are heading over in a couple of weeks for 2 nights(3 full days) and my dilemma is that 3 days is far from enough(i think) to see this wonderful city(we are both mid 20s).. So what would you suggest is a must do in Rome? Sightseeing, Restaurants, Pubs/Bars etc..(cant really get a good judgement off Trip advisor)

We're staying in the Welrome hotel which i booked as it was recommended on Trip Advisor.. Has anyone stayed here that would like to give us a heads up how they rated it?..

Again thanks a million!!!:):D;)

Hey!
I'm just back from my First trip to Rome- we were there for 3 and a half days, brill city, here are a few things I'd recommend- get a travel pass so that you can hop on and off all the metros and busses etc, saying that we walked from the Colosseum to trevi onr day and from trevi to the VAtican another!
Book a guided tour for the Colosseum so that you can skip the q- we booked on line with mycolosseumtour,com-its a three hour tour for 49 euro-give you entry to the Colosseum , roman forum and palatine hill and full commentary by a guide , group of about 25 people.

fifib

littlemissteach wrote: »

Hey!
I'm just back from my First trip to Rome- we were there for 3 and a half days, brill city, here are a few things I'd recommend- get a travel pass so that you can hop on and off all the metros and busses etc, saying that we walked from the Colosseum to trevi onr day and from trevi to the VAtican another!
Book a guided tour for the Colosseum so that you can skip the q- we booked on line with mycolosseumtour,com-its a three hour tour for 49 euro-give you entry to the Colosseum , roman forum and palatine hill and full commentary by a guide , group of about 25 people.

+1 for the guided tour at Colosseum. we arrived there about 1pm and the queues were massive. we stayed in the Piazza Venezie area and so walked to the Colosseum. bit of advice...do not stop to have your pic taken with any gladiators on this street. one guy literally forced us to..we didnt wana as we were eating our breakfast (baguettes) while walking down to the colosseum but after realising he wasnt giving up me and my bf both had our pics taken, on my camera can i add, and then he put his hand out for money to my bf. he only had 20 and the guy pocketed it, turned to me with his hand out and i told him where to go! i was gobsmacked!

the price included guide at palatine hill and roman forums but wasnt til about 4pm...so we got the guided tour around there..only takes about 30/45 mins and let wander on your own after. though bout 10 minutes late we were chased out of the place by the security guards. this was in December so maybe opening times very on the seasons

also recommend guided tour for vatican. they will bring you to all the best bits otherwise you could spend all day wandering about same areas and miss half it! i wouldnt leave the vatican til last tho. day we were there was 2nd last day of holiday and tour guide told us how pope can close the sistine chapel anytime he likes and had in fact ordered it to be closed the day after we did it. this new pope is fond of doing this, the previous pope never once did it...bless him!!

also had another lil incident in spanish steps where this indian guy forced roses on me. i didnt want them at all cos we were leaving that day and had no where to put them! anyways he shoved them on me i said no politely and he said "from me, god bless you" so i walked off with them, looking for somewhere to dump them really and he followed us for ages! we looked back and he was doing same to another couple so we decided to leg it and he ran after us! i tried to hand him back the flowers but he wouldnt take them all he wanted was money!! we gave him a few euro just to get rid of him and cos i was getting quite scared of him now following us!

not to put a dampner on the city cos it really is a great place and i would go back there in a flash but just beware, they can make you feel really intimidated so just try to avoid them if you can!

tipperaryboy

Beware that there is a lot of people trying to force money from tourists in Rome avoid:
> Tour guides at the Vatican entrance queque they claim to have a way to skip the wait and go straight in and they will overcharge.Most of them are not genuine proper guides.Ignore them.
>People dressed up in gladitor costumes etc they will do there best to persuade you to take a photo with them and then demaned money.
>Street sellers shoving flowers and souvenirs.
>Waiters standing outside restraunts telling every tourist passing by that there restaurants are the best.

TIP
Avoid touristy restaurants typical signs are of lots of foreigners in the vincinty and a menu of typical italian style dishes that everyone everywhere knows.

DO0GLE

Planning on visiting Rome in the coming months. Looking for recommendations on how many nights would be sufficient to see all the sites?

Would appreciate suggestions on this before booking accommodation.

tipperaryboy

DO0GLE wrote: »

Planning on visiting Rome in the coming months. Looking for recommendations on how many nights would be sufficient to see all the sites?

Would appreciate suggestions on this before booking accommodation.

I would advise you to stay three nights minimum,taking account for time to get your bearings and visting the vatican would take up most of the day..and you also want time to fit in the other highlights.

TeenageKicks1

Hello

Can anyone give me the link where I can pre book tickets to the Vatican please. Going in June and do not want to queue in the hot weather,

Thanks in advance

TeenageKicks1

Hello

Heading to Rome soon, does anyone have a link to the website where I can pre book tickets to the Vatican

cheers

Mr. Presentable

http://www.rome-museum.com/vatican2ind.php

A good site for info is

www.roninrome.com

doctor evil

Heading there in July folks

What things are there to do? Is it an easy enough place to get around. Are there any good markets there and the like.

Cheers

PS I want to see loads of architecture/museums

stripysocks85

You'll see loads of architecture & museums - just wander around. They have a good metro system but it's really easy to walk around. We picked up a street map in the hotel and it had al the landmarks marked on it; collosseum, Trevi fountain, Spanish steps etc. Beautiful city. Got metro to see St. Peters Basilica & the Vatican. GO EARLY! Lots of people = lots of queues!