Rome on our own

[simbac]

We would like to take the cruise line bus to Rome and then see Rome on our own. It is a 10 hour excursion which includes the 90 minute bus ride each way. I think the bus drops us off somewhere close to Trevi Fountain. We would like to see the Colosseum (inside), Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Vatican (Sistine Chapel). We realize this might be alot, but is this doable? If yes, should we buy tickets on-line before we leave? Any suggestions or recommendations including transportation to and from the Vatican would be appreciated. Thanks

[D4]

It is doable, but it will be a very busy day. You'll need to keep moving. You could easily spend a half day at the Vatican Museums and a half day at the Colosseum/Roman Forum.

 

Yes, you should definitely purchase tickets for the Vatican Museums in advance to avoid waiting in line for hours. I'd just take a taxi to the Vatican.

 

However, have you considered doing a private tour? It is expensive for a couple, but you might find people on your roll call to share the cost. The benefits are huge - you get to pick what you want to do/see and don't have to wait for your 45-50 other people at each stop.

 

We use RomeCabs for all our Rome transfers. I definitely recommend them for a port visit.

[euro cruiser]

If you start at the Trevi Fountain, you can easily walk from there to the Pantheon along the pedestrian path (about 4/10ths of a mile).

 

From the Pantheon, retrace your steps as far back as Via del Corso, where you can get the #85 bus; from the stop at the corner of Via del Caravita (the stop is called Corso/Minghetti). Get off at the third stop (Fori Imperiali), the entrance to the forum will be just behind the stop a few steps.

 

At this entrance you can buy your ticket for the Forum & Colosseum (it's a combination ticket) without a line. Enter the Forum here and, when you are ready, exit at the Colosseum. You can bypass the ticket line and go right into the Colosseum with your ticket.

 

When you leave the Colosseum you have a couple of choices by mass transit to get to the Vatican. The fastest option, if time is of the essence, is a taxi. There is a taxi stand in front of the metro station on Via dei Fori Imperiali.

 

If you want to take mass transit, you can get on the metro at the Colosseum, take it to Termini and switch trains, then get off at Ottaviano/San Pietro and walk about a third of a mile to the Vatican Museums entrance. Alternately, you could take the #3 tram (the stop is across the street from the Colosseum on the eastern end of the building) in the direction of Thorvaldsen. Get off the tram at the thrid stop, Manzoni, and get on the metro there (direction Battistini) to Ottaviano. This second method is actually faster than changing metro lines at Termini.

 

From the Vatican Museums, the easiest way back again is a taxi. If you exit from the Vatican Museums where you went in there is a taxi rank right there. If you exit via St. Peter's basilica, there is a rank at the edge of Piazza San Pietro near the top of Via della Conciliazione.

 

Using mass transit from the Vatican area, go back to the metro at Ottaviano and take the train (direction Anagnina) for four stops, getting off at Barberini/Fontana Trevi.

[cleobella]

We were going to do Rome on our own and then changed our plan and signed on with a shared private tour. This turned out to be a great decision for us because we never would have seen so much on our own and because there were just 3 other couples sharing the tour with us we were able to flex the day to our own agendas. We went with Share a Shore Excursion in Italy-you can connect with others who will share a private tour with you. The driver was excellent-he was a local person and kept us entertained. He really knew his way around. We were able to go inside the Colosseum (he got us right in-no long line wait), the Pantheon, and spent 2.5 hours inside the Vatican Museum (again no wait), Sistine Chapel and St Peters. We also saw St Peter in Chains Church (at the request of one of our group), the Arch, drove by the forum, Circus Maximus, various squares, and spent some time at the Fountain of Trevi. The guide took as to a local pizzeria for lunch and ensured we got quick service so we could maximize our time touring. Maybe next time we'll try it on our own but for the first visit, with limited time, this was just great!

[aloisia]

We were going to do Rome on our own and then changed our plan and signed on with a shared private tour. This turned out to be a great decision for us because we never would have seen so much on our own and because there were just 3 other couples sharing the tour with us we were able to flex the day to our own agendas. We went with Share a Shore Excursion in Italy-you can connect with others who will share a private tour with you. The driver was excellent-he was a local person and kept us entertained. He really knew his way around. We were able to go inside the Colosseum (he got us right in-no long line wait), the Pantheon, and spent 2.5 hours inside the Vatican Museum (again no wait), Sistine Chapel and St Peters. We also saw St Peter in Chains Church (at the request of one of our group), the Arch, drove by the forum, Circus Maximus, various squares, and spent some time at the Fountain of Trevi. The guide took as to a local pizzeria for lunch and ensured we got quick service so we could maximize our time touring. Maybe next time we'll try it on our own but for the first visit, with limited time, this was just great!

I'm happy reading your post... we are booked with the same company & your day sounds perfect! Thanks for posting.

[bonsai3s]

We would like to take the cruise line bus to Rome and then see Rome on our own. It is a 10 hour excursion which includes the 90 minute bus ride each way. I think the bus drops us off somewhere close to Trevi Fountain. We would like to see the Colosseum (inside), Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Vatican (Sistine Chapel). We realize this might be alot, but is this doable? If yes, should we buy tickets on-line before we leave? Any suggestions or recommendations including transportation to and from the Vatican would be appreciated. Thanks

 

Yes! you can do it. You can even do it using the local train...its easy.

 

* Get off the ship as early as possible.

* Outside the ship, there will be free shuttles to the port gate. It is approximately a 10 minute ride.

* Just outside the gate is Civitavecchia. If you turn right, it is another 10 minute or 4 short blocks walk to the train station.

* You can purchase your roundtrip ticket at the tobacco stand or store outside the gate. They know when the ship's there so they are open early for business. Purchase the BIRG ticket, only 9.20E roundtrip, that will also allow you the use of the subway in Rome in the event you get tired of walking. (Someone posted that you can save 20cents if you purchase the ticket at the train station.)

* Make sure to validate your train ticket (yellow machines) before boarding the train.

* It will take approximately 45 to 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to Rome. Just depends if you get the express or the one that stops at every town. The train ride is scenic.

* Get off the San Pietro or St. Peter's stop. The massive dome of St. Peter's Basilica is visible from the train station...look up and walk towards it. Only a few short blocks and you'll be in the middle of the square.

* If you plan on visiting the Vatican Museum...this may take much of your time so it is important to decided beforehand on much you want to see.

* If you decide to visit St. Peter's Basilica and bypass the Vatican Museum...you'll be able to see most of the sights and make it back on the ship on time.

* After a visit inside St. Peter's Basilica (you could easily spend half a day there so watch your time), walk to the Castel D' Angelo, cross the Tiber River to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, then the Trevi Fountain. All within easy walking distance.

* If you get tired, use your BIRG ticket for the subway and visit the Colosseum and/or the Spanish Steps. Walking to both is too far.

* Take the subway to the main train terminal...Roma Termini...and take the train back to Civitavecchia. Note: There is a long walk to the correct train platform for Civitavecchia so give yourself plenty of time. It is important that you bring a good map, plan well, and watch your time.

 

So many things to see in such a short period of time...but doable. We've done it three times...simply memorable...:) I'm sure someone else will post additional information that I missed...like watching out for gypsies and pickpockets...etc.

[chipmaster]

For those with a sense of adventure, lots of energy and phsically fit enough.. no problem. It will as another mentioned a busy day. I would recommend you research carefully and see about timing for the Vatican as tickets and line there can be several hours long during peak time.

 

As another person mentioned private tour share can get you this same experience for about 150 euros/person or about.

 

Good luck,

 

We would like to take the cruise line bus to Rome and then see Rome on our own. It is a 10 hour excursion which includes the 90 minute bus ride each way. I think the bus drops us off somewhere close to Trevi Fountain. We would like to see the Colosseum (inside), Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Vatican (Sistine Chapel). We realize this might be alot, but is this doable? If yes, should we buy tickets on-line before we leave? Any suggestions or recommendations including transportation to and from the Vatican would be appreciated. Thanks

[gb270]

We had our first visit to Rome last summer and after looking at lots of different options we also used share a shore excursion . Having not taken a private tour before I was a little apprehensive , however it turned out to be one of the highlights of our holiday.

Our driver was fantastic and as others have said it is a very full on day but well worth the money.

 

There are many places you can do DIY , and many do Rome on their own but for us we would choose share a shore every time.

[simbac]

Thanks for all the suggestions :). The private tour sounds tempting. Still have some time to figure it out. Thanks again

[snoopy36]

I am having the same problem I'm thinking of doing the hop on hop off open top bus in Rome anyone used this before ?

[agabbymama]

I am having the same problem I'm thinking of doing the hop on hop off open top bus in Rome anyone used this before ?

 

My husband and I drove all around Italy in 1998 before HO HO buses and so many touring opportunities. Every time I asked about a tour, I was told we should have booked from home, nothing available last minute on the spot. So we walked and walked and walked some more, really DIY.

 

My friend and I (both somewhat mobility impaired) did a Med cruise leaving from Civitavecchia so we did 3 days pre-cruise in Rome. I purchased a 48 hr pass on viator dot com in U.S. $ before we ever left home, so knew the exact price we were paying. We had a printed voucher that the tour guide exchanged for our tickets. We did the Northern sector (Trevi, Spanish Steps, Pantheon) on day 1, after seeing what we wanted we boarded the bus and just rode through the Southern route. Then the 2nd day boarded the bus and rode through the Northern route and got off at the Colliseum to do the Southern sector (Colliseum, Forum, Circus Maximus), then back on the bus and back to the Vatican. Both days started in front of the Vatican. The buses can't get right to the site, but they do get you close. It does save a lot of walking. We usually left the hotel around 8:00 am and returned at 6:00 pm.

 

Not everyone likes the HO HO buses, but I've used them in San Francisco, Sydney, Melbourne, New York City, Paris and Rome and really like them for a quick overview of the city.

[simbac]

Thanks for all the info. We are sailing on the Carnival Breeze in June and have received quite a bit of OBC due to price drops. Are any of the ship's tours as good as doing it on our own? Each tour we look at seems to be missing one of the things we want to do.

[D4]

IMO the biggest negative thing about ship tours is you're usually with a motorcoach full of people. The logistics of everyone getting on and off the bus and touring as a large group wastes a lot of precious time. There are also usually a couple people that the group has to wait on.

 

You also don't get the flexibility to arrange your day according to what you like the most when on a ship tour. They have already decided how long you'll be at each stop.

 

Where are your other ports? Taking a ship tour (and using your OBC) at other ports might not be so bad. Rome is so wonderful I'd want to maximize my enjoyment of it which to me would mean taking a private tour. (Actually Rome is our favorite city and we spend weeks there at a time.)