Rome

Mutant

Hello
We are going to rome for 8 days and just wanted to ask what are the best things to do and go see.

Is it worth booking the guided tours.

And what kind of money would a couple need for the eight days.

Thanking You

BetsyEllen

Ha I literally just posted in another thread about Rome so I'm just going to copy and paste some of what I said:

With regards to things to do, I am doing all the usual stuff such as Vatican, Colosseum etc...
One thing I was told about that I hadn't heard of was the Scavi Tour. It's basically an underground tour of the Vatican, where the tomb of St Peter is; only 200 people a day can go (there are 20,000+ visitors to the Vatican per day) so it's quite hard to get onto.
However as you aren't going until next year you are likely to get a place.
You have to email the Vatican office, tell them the dates you are going to be in Rome, what language you speak and they will then advise if you've been successful and give you your time and date for the visit. This is non negotiable, you get what you're given. You then pay just €13.00 each.

More details here: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/uffscavi/documents/rc_ic_uffscavi_doc_gen-information_20090216_en.html

If you have time you may want to take the train out to Pompeii to see the ruins there, which I am hoping to do.
It's a full day though so it depends on if you want to spend day outside of Rome

With regards to money, I am budgeting €100 per day (not including accommodation) for myself. I think that should be plenty.
I have already paid for my Vatican and Colosseum tours though (I booked the Colosseum directly with them, it was €25.00 - http://www.coopculture.it/)

killbillvol2

BetsyEllen wrote: »

Ha I literally just posted in another thread about Rome so I'm just going to copy and paste some of what I said:

With regards to things to do, I am doing all the usual stuff such as Vatican, Colosseum etc...
One thing I was told about that I hadn't heard of was the Scavi Tour. It's basically an underground tour of the Vatican, where the tomb of St Peter is; only 200 people a day can go (there are 20,000+ visitors to the Vatican per day) so it's quite hard to get onto.
However as you aren't going until next year you are likely to get a place.
You have to email the Vatican office, tell them the dates you are going to be in Rome, what language you speak and they will then advise if you've been successful and give you your time and date for the visit. This is non negotiable, you get what you're given. You then pay just €13.00 each.

More details here: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/uffscavi/documents/rc_ic_uffscavi_doc_gen-information_20090216_en.html

If you have time you may want to take the train out to Pompeii to see the ruins there, which I am hoping to do.
It's a full day though so it depends on if you want to spend day outside of Rome

With regards to money, I am budgeting €100 per day (not including accommodation) for myself. I think that should be plenty.
I have already paid for my Vatican and Colosseum tours though (I booked the Colosseum directly with them, it was €25.00 - http://www.coopculture.it/)

I wouldn't advise taking the train to Pompeii. It's a pain of a journey and you'll see perfectly good ruins at Ostia Antica only 30 minutes from Rome.

OP. Walk, walk, walk. Around every corner there's something new to see. And, whether you're religious or not, visit churches - they provide a lovely respite from the heat.

Rome is one of the few places where all the big name attractions are actually worth doing. Enjoy!

BetsyEllen

killbillvol2 wrote: »

I wouldn't advise taking the train to Pompeii. It's a pain of a journey and you'll see perfectly good ruins at Ostia Antica only 30 minutes from Rome.

OP. Walk, walk, walk. Around every corner there's something new to see. And, whether you're religious or not, visit churches - they provide a lovely respite from the heat.

Rome is one of the few places where all the big name attractions are actually worth doing. Enjoy!

Oh really? Did you not feel the journey was worth it?
I was keeping a day free to do this so would interested to hear more feedback, if it's not worth it I won't bother

Second Toughest in_the Freshers

if in Rome, live in the Roman Manor

killbillvol2

BetsyEllen wrote: »

Oh really? Did you not feel the journey was worth it?
I was keeping a day free to do this so would interested to hear more feedback, if it's not worth it I won't bother

Pompeii is well worth seeing, just not in a day trip from Rome. Apart from the round trip travel time (Rome-Naples-Pompeii-Naples Rome) you'll be rushing around to see even a fraction of the site all in the heat of the midday sun.

BetsyEllen

killbillvol2 wrote: »

Pompeii is well worth seeing, just not in a day trip from Rome. Apart from the round trip travel time (Rome-Naples-Pompeii-Naples Rome) you'll be rushing around to see even a fraction of the site all in the heat of the midday sun.

I might look into getting a cheap hotel for the night then - would really love to see it and would feel I've missed out if I was in Rome for a week and didn't go.

Thanks for the feedback.

Gatica

The Roman Forum and Appian Way were our highlights. Need a day for each of them. Got the bus out to the Appian Way and hired bikes there to cycle it. You can also cycle out towards some aqueducts (visible from the Ciampino airport bus route) where you'll find a few locals on their family day out.
The Roman Forum can be done after the Colosseum as that place is thronged and you wouldn't spend too much time there once you've seen it. The same ticket covers both places too.

Stephen15

Take a day trip to Napoli lovely city, you wont want have pizza again after visiting it that's how good they are.

Charizard

Romes on my bucket list, next year should tick it off, let us know how you got on, my sister said the same thing about Naples the pizza was out of this world

Go to Tivoli for a day. About 40km. The gardens, the palace of Hadrianus.

Go also to Ostia Antica.

Bomarzo - see monsters!!

Walk around Rome. Pantheon, Colloseo, Navona, Jewish Ghetto, Fountains.

huskerdu

Pompeii is fantastic but getting there by public transport from Rome makes it a very long day.
However, if you pay extra to book the fast train to Naples, it takes about an hour off the journey. Also book a seat on the train.
You do then have to walk across Naples train station and get the local train to Pompeii which is 30 minutes on the equivalent of the DART at rush hour.

The catacombs are worth a visit. Its fascinating and the tour is really informative.

BetsyEllen

OP I'm just popping back as I've been doing further research on Rome.

I've now put into my itinerary the Borghese Gallery as it sounds amazing. It has beautiful gardens around it where you can sit and enjoy the sun or hire a bike. You must book your tickets online in advance, the highest price is €15.00.
http://www.galleriaborghese.it/eng/museums.html

And I've now decided to take Pompeii out and save it for a future trip.
Instead I'm keeping a day clear for Ostia Antica, which some say is more enjoyable that Pompeii and a lot closer, max 40 mins on a train.
There's also a beach right next to it so if it's a nice day you can go for a swim

I plan on seeing the Capuchin Crypts which are open daily from 9am-7pm with little queues, admission is around €8 I think
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuchin_Crypt

Finally, I'm going on a 'Foodie Tour' of Trastevere as it's supposedly a beautiful neighbourhood to see which fantastic restaurants. It's €94 per person so may be a bit steep for 2 of you but there are also lower priced ones earlier on the day that also include the markets http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/rome/tours/twilight-trastevere/

You may already be in Rome now and not see this but thought I'd add onto the thread anyway as it may help other people planning a trip.