Suggestion on what to do in Rome for the day??

[Kiwi_cruiser]

We are going to Rome (Civitavecchia) on the Emerald Princess in October 2016.

 

Last year we went to Rome on a cruise (again on the Emerald Princess in September 2015) and when we were there we did lot of the tourist things, like we went and saw the Colosseum, Tevi Fountain, and went for a walk around St Peter' Basilica square (did not go in mind you) etc..

 

We just saw the outside of the Colosseum (we walked around it!) and I was wondering is it worth going to have a look inside??

 

I am think about trying to get inside the Colosseum, but I have heard some story’s (good & bad) about getting in etc.., so i am not too sure, if I should just wait and do the inside a another time.

 

They were doing restore work on the Tevi Fountain when we were there, does anyone know if they have completed it yet??

 

Apart from those sights is there anything else to see or do in Rome??

 

Any ideas / advise / suggestions are very welcome :)

[cruisemom42]

Oh my goodness, there are so many things to do in Rome that I'm not sure where to start...!

 

You can buy a ticket to tour inside the Colosseum, and the same ticket will also get you into the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill (where the emperors lived, previously home to Rome's Republican elite like Cicero).

 

You can visit the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel. (Purchase a ticket directly through the Vatican and your wait to get in will be minimal.)

 

If you like Renaissance/Baroque art in a posh setting, there is the Borghese Gallery, and then you can stroll in the lovely Borghese gardens. Or you can see a similar amount of masterpieces (and get a peek at how the 'other half' lived) by visiting the Galleria Doria Pamphilj.

 

You can see some of the most well preserved Roman baths by visiting the Baths of Caracalla. Or check out some of the best sculpture and art from ancient Rome at the Capitoline Museum.

 

You can wonder at the nearly 2,000 year old Pantheon, which still has the world's largest unsupported concrete dome, then have a gelato at one of three iconic gelaterias nearby, or an iced coffee at one of the two famous rival coffee bars Caffe Sant' Eustacchio and Tazza d'Oro, or sit down on Piazza Navona with a glass of wine and do some people-watching.

 

Yes Trevi Fountain's restoration is completed. And Rome has dozens of other beautiful fountains. Not to mention the hundreds of churches with masterworks of art inside.

 

I could go on, but....you get the idea.

 

The idea is to do a little research and see what appeals most to you. Rome has more than enough things to keep a visitor busy for weeks, let alone a day or two.

[Beanb41]

How you spend your time in Rome is going to depend upon how much time you have. Allow 5 hours to get from the ship to Rome via the train and return. On the basis that you probably have around 10 hours in total in port that leaves you about 5 hours in Rome itself. The Vatican Museums are going to take around 3 hours, the Collesseum a minimum of an hour and the Palatine Hill and forum around 2 hours closer to three. Walking from Spanish Steps (Accessible by metro) to Trevis and Pantheon around an hour and a half.

So it is impossible to achieve even the most basics in a day.

My suggestion is to catch the train to Rome, then the metro to Spanish Steps. Walk to Trevis fountain and the Pantheon. Walk to Colleseum and do a self guided tour of the Colleseum and if time permits a quick walk through the Forum. Catch the Metro back to Terminii for the train back to Civitivecchia. Train tickets and entry into the Collesseum can be purchased on line. Metro tickets can be purchased from machines at Terminii. Purchase all the Metro tickets you need for the day in one hit. Saves time.

Be aware on the metro of pickpockerts they are rife. If you find yourself bustled by up to three teenagers / eearly twenties men and women the chances are they are pickpockets so be aware. Young women with babes in arms are also pickpockets. In short if you feel you are being bustled threat it as a pickpocket attempt. We got "attacked" three times in two days on the metro. Fortunately we were prepared.

[cruisemom42]

My suggestion is to catch the train to Rome, then the metro to Spanish Steps. Walk to Trevis fountain and the Pantheon. Walk to Colleseum and do a self guided tour of the Colleseum and if time permits a quick walk through the Forum. Catch the Metro back to Terminii for the train back to Civitivecchia. Train tickets and entry into the Collesseum can be purchased on line. Metro tickets can be purchased from machines at Terminii. Purchase all the Metro tickets you need for the day in one hit. Saves time.

Be aware on the metro of pickpockerts they are rife. If you find yourself bustled by up to three teenagers / eearly twenties men and women the chances are they are pickpockets so be aware. Young women with babes in arms are also pickpockets. In short if you feel you are being bustled threat it as a pickpocket attempt. We got "attacked" three times in two days on the metro. Fortunately we were prepared.

 

We don't know if this is what the OP wants to do. But if it is, there is a more efficient way to accomplish this day.

 

First -- don't buy your train ticket in advance. There's no need; almost all of the trains that go to and from Rome and Civi are 'regionale' trains -- they do not sell out and there are no seat assignments.

 

Waiting to buy your ticket enables you to take advantage of the special BIRG ticket -- for 12 euro you get roundtrip train fare to/from Rome, and you ALSO get free unlimited use of the metro and bus system while in Rome. This eliminates the need to get separate metro tickets.

 

Second, I'd advise a different path for efficiency to see the sites you mention. Get off the train at Ostiense station (saving time), and transfer to the adjacent metro line which will quickly take you to the Colosseum (Colosseo stop) -- you can spend as much time as you've allotted here, then walk by the Pantheon (great places to grab a lunch near here, including a good salumeria (deli) in the Pantheon piazza. Walk past Trevi Fountain and end at the Spanish Steps. Catch the metro right here to Termini, where you can get the regional train back to Civi.

[wheezedr]

We don't know if this is what the OP wants to do. But if it is, there is a more efficient way to accomplish this day.

 

First -- don't buy your train ticket in advance. There's no need; almost all of the trains that go to and from Rome and Civi are 'regionale' trains -- they do not sell out and there are no seat assignments.

 

Waiting to buy your ticket enables you to take advantage of the special BIRG ticket -- for 12 euro you get roundtrip train fare to/from Rome, and you ALSO get free unlimited use of the metro and bus system while in Rome. This eliminates the need to get separate metro tickets.

 

Second, I'd advise a different path for efficiency to see the sites you mention. Get off the train at Ostiense station (saving time), and transfer to the adjacent metro line which will quickly take you to the Colosseum (Colosseo stop) -- you can spend as much time as you've allotted here, then walk by the Pantheon (great places to grab a lunch near here, including a good salumeria (deli) in the Pantheon piazza. Walk past Trevi Fountain and end at the Spanish Steps. Catch the metro right here to Termini, where you can get the regional train back to Civi.

A perfect plan which I executed last month with one possible change. If you intend to see all three of the major sites in ancient Rome, the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill then I would get off the Metro one stop earlier at Circo Maximo and take the short walk to the Palatine Hill entrance. The upside is that this entrance is quicker and also on the upside of the hill so ultimately less climbing . You see the Palatine first and then exit directly into the Forum. From the Forum there is a lower exit only gate which would then put you at the Colosseum. The ticket to enter is one price for all three sites. If only the Colosseum interests you then getting off at Colosseo is the logical stop.

[slidergirl]

We don't know if this is what the OP wants to do. But if it is, there is a more efficient way to accomplish this day.

 

First -- don't buy your train ticket in advance. There's no need; almost all of the trains that go to and from Rome and Civi are 'regionale' trains -- they do not sell out and there are no seat assignments.

 

Waiting to buy your ticket enables you to take advantage of the special BIRG ticket -- for 12 euro you get roundtrip train fare to/from Rome, and you ALSO get free unlimited use of the metro and bus system while in Rome. This eliminates the need to get separate metro tickets.

 

Second, I'd advise a different path for efficiency to see the sites you mention. Get off the train at Ostiense station (saving time), and transfer to the adjacent metro line which will quickly take you to the Colosseum (Colosseo stop) -- you can spend as much time as you've allotted here, then walk by the Pantheon (great places to grab a lunch near here, including a good salumeria (deli) in the Pantheon piazza. Walk past Trevi Fountain and end at the Spanish Steps. Catch the metro right here to Termini, where you can get the regional train back to Civi.

 

Regarding the salumeria: is the one you are referring to across from the fountain (if you face away from the Pantheon, it is on the left side of the fountain). Good pastries there, too! And, good sandwiches... Don't forget stopping at Tazza d' Oro and grabbing a granita (don't forget the whip cream!!) - a great way to cool down.

[Beanb41]

I was unaware of the BIRG and it seems great value from what I have seen on the website. A link is below

 

http://www.atac.roma.it/page.asp?p=229

[2specialkidsforme]

I took a Segway tour of the Borghese Gardens - loved it!!!!

[cruisemom42]

Regarding the salumeria: is the one you are referring to across from the fountain (if you face away from the Pantheon, it is on the left side of the fountain). Good pastries there, too! And, good sandwiches... Don't forget stopping at Tazza d' Oro and grabbing a granita (don't forget the whip cream!!) - a great way to cool down.

 

Yes, it's the Antica Salumeria, just where you describe it. (Although it's not that antique -- I don't recall it being there the first couple of times I stayed at the Albergo del Senato....)

 

As for the granita, great minds think alike -- see the section below from my earlier post in this thread:

 

You can wonder at the nearly 2,000 year old Pantheon, which still has the world's largest unsupported concrete dome, then have a gelato at one of three iconic gelaterias nearby, or an iced coffee at one of the two famous rival coffee bars Caffe Sant' Eustacchio and Tazza d'Oro, or sit down on Piazza Navona with a glass of wine and do some people-watching.

 

I could go on, but....you get the idea.

 

I know you're a Tazza d'Oro fan, but I like Sant' Eustacchio too -- the coffee tastes more like the delicious espresso I enjoy in Naples.

[Hlitner]

Regarding the Trevi Fountain, all the work has been completed and it is gloriously clean :). The bad news is that in mid-April (when we were last in Rome) they had blocked off about half the Spanish Steps for what appeared to be major renovations.

 

Hank

[slidergirl]

Yes, it's the Antica Salumeria, just where you describe it. (Although it's not that antique -- I don't recall it being there the first couple of times I stayed at the Albergo del Senato....)

 

As for the granita, great minds think alike -- see the section below from my earlier post in this thread:

 

 

 

I know you're a Tazza d'Oro fan, but I like Sant' Eustacchio too -- the coffee tastes more like the delicious espresso I enjoy in Naples.

 

My brain thinks "iced coffee" and "granita" are two different things. I can get iced coffee at Starbucks, but I will only buy granita at Tazza. The granita at Sant' Eustacchio was too sweet for me. But, then, I take my espresso "naked", just like I take my tea ;) Across from Tazza is an amazing candy/gelato store. Never had their gelato, but I have bought a bunch of their candies. I brought home a selection for my co-workers. But, I ate a lot by myself!

[Chairsin]

I was just in Rome two weeks ago and yes, Spanish Steps are still under renovation and closed off.

[TAC1582]

I found the Colosseum more impressive than I expected. Read on line about getting tickets. There can be a ridiculously long line of people waiting in line because they did not do a little research and find that it is totally unnecessary.

 

But going inside St. Peters is highly recommended. Again, do your research to avoid the lines (book a tour, get there early). But it is such an amazing building. If you are physically up to it, you can take the elevator up to the roof level (extra fee, not too bad) and then climb up to the top of dome for an incredible view. Plus the view inside from the roof level is amazing and the view of the inside of the dome is cool.

 

To top it all off, there is a gift shop and cafe on the roof of St Peters. Who would have thought. We were buying some post cards at the gift shop there and after paying I was waiting for my receipt. In Italy, all shops are required to give you a receipt for every purchase so I got used to getting them for every little thing. The cashier however was not providing one so I asked her if she had to give me a receipt since it was required in Italy. She looked at me with a sly grin and said "you're not in Italy". Palm to forehead "doh!"

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Thank You everyone for your information and replays very helpful :)