Rome excursions

[happy v]

21 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Thank you Damian. 

He seems to want to do the proper tourist bit with an eye on returning at a later date for a long weekend to explore Rome properly. 

Civitavecchia sounds perfect for us, we will give it a go when we visit. 

Andy 

Andy I will look out for a gent on his own. If he is on my coach I will try and start a conversation (I'm from the north it's natural for us to talk to strangers!). Then if he needs pointing in the right direction I can do so. Though as I said the maps are good and there are signs on most junctions to follow.

[AndyMichelle]

4 minutes ago, happy v said:

Andy I will look out for a gent on his own. If he is on my coach I will try and start a conversation (I'm from the north it's natural for us to talk to strangers!). Then if he needs pointing in the right direction I can do so. Though as I said the maps are good and there are signs on most junctions to follow.

Oh bless you, thank you. 

He is a little tubby fella with glasses called Brian. 

He won't want to be a burden, so please don't be offended if he is not too chatty, but he will appreciate your kindness. 

He is quite techy for an old un, so he will have an app for everything, so I'm sure he will be OK. 

Andy 

[happy v]

21 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Oh bless you, thank you. 

He is a little tubby fella with glasses called Brian. 

He won't want to be a burden, so please don't be offended if he is not too chatty, but he will appreciate your kindness. 

He is quite techy for an old un, so he will have an app for everything, so I'm sure he will be OK. 

Andy 

In that case he'll manage better than me.

He will be one of the people walking around following their phone. We only do that when our Granddaughter is with us......she's 11.🙂

[brian1]

I must add that doing both the Coloseum and the Cistene chapel in 1 day could be a mission.They are different sides of the river.Even though you skip the line at the chapel,you have to fight your way thru numerous antirooms full of art and frescos before reaching the chapel itself.St Peters next door shouldn't be missed either especially the walk up inside the dome.We used the Metro system to get around with a 1 day pass.If he is going to come back for a weekend,perhaps concentrate on that area.We never used them in Rome,but do now everywhere we go , HOHO buses are a good option also.Bottom line,Rome requires lots of homework and planning in advance,cheers,Brian.

[emam]

Personally I wouldn't recommend going to Rome on your own, too many things to go wrong. There was demonstrations on when we went and the bus had to keep going in a different direction as he couldn't get through the streets. However I 'm sure you know all the stories.

 

What I would recommend is that he takes the Horizon newsletter with him, which can be used to show someone where he wants to be in case of language difficulties. Also if he has any problems it has the ships number on. I don't know but phoning them might make a difference to just not arriving back.

[AndyMichelle]

9 hours ago, emam said:

Personally I wouldn't recommend going to Rome on your own, too many things to go wrong. There was demonstrations on when we went and the bus had to keep going in a different direction as he couldn't get through the streets. However I 'm sure you know all the stories.

 

What I would recommend is that he takes the Horizon newsletter with him, which can be used to show someone where he wants to be in case of language difficulties. Also if he has any problems it has the ships number on. I don't know but phoning them might make a difference to just not arriving back.

Sound advice, thank you. 

The Horizon is a good shout. 

I have passed on all the advice from you lovely people and he has now booked the P&O excursion. 

Andy 

[AndyMichelle]

10 hours ago, brian1 said:

I must add that doing both the Coloseum and the Cistene chapel in 1 day could be a mission.They are different sides of the river.Even though you skip the line at the chapel,you have to fight your way thru numerous antirooms full of art and frescos before reaching the chapel itself.St Peters next door shouldn't be missed either especially the walk up inside the dome.We used the Metro system to get around with a 1 day pass.If he is going to come back for a weekend,perhaps concentrate on that area.We never used them in Rome,but do now everywhere we go , HOHO buses are a good option also.Bottom line,Rome requires lots of homework and planning in advance,cheers,Brian.

Thanks Brian. 

That's my worry that he will try to do too much in 1 day, hence encouraging him to go back. 

Andy 

[brian1]

13 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Thanks Brian. 

That's my worry that he will try to do too much in 1 day, hence encouraging him to go back. 

Andy 

No worries,I'm the same,must be a Brian thing.

[kruzseeka]

15 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Thanks Brian. 

That's my worry that he will try to do too much in 1 day, hence encouraging him to go back. 

Andy 

 

We did the Rome on Your Own trip last year and were dropped near the Forum (apparently the city authorities keep changing the area for tour coaches - we've been dropped in 4 different places over the years).  If he's doing that trip not a guided one, please impression him to check with the tour guide to pin point exactly where they are on the map and mark it before he is left to his own devices.  We're pretty familiar with the main tourist sites around Rome but referred to that map a lot to get our bearings when we arrived and to get back for the return.  

Last year it was very near the far side of the Forum (on the opposite side from where the main road runs).  We tracked down to the bottom where the Circus Maximus is and walked along there to the Colosseum. 

If he intends to 'do' the Forum and Colosseum there is a lot to see and i agree with Brian1 to try to pull in St Mark's which is over the other side of the river, it's quite a haul.  We made it as far as Piazza Navona and the Pantheon but headed back after that - with a couple of leisurely stops for refreshments (but we didn't go inside either the Forum or Colosseum as we'd done them previously - it was just a stroll around absorbing the city which we love.) 

The Hoho would be a good option if he wants to see more - but again i agree very much thats it's a city which you have to determine your objectives for the day, plan a route and not try to do too much before you start.  It can be quite exhausting!  

Hope he enjoys Rome as much as we do.

 

[AndyMichelle]

2 minutes ago, kruzseeka said:

 

We did the Rome on Your Own trip last year and were dropped near the Forum (apparently the city authorities keep changing the area for tour coaches - we've been dropped in 4 different places over the years).  If he's doing that trip not a guided one, please impression him to check with the tour guide to pin point exactly where they are on the map and mark it before he is left to his own devices.  We're pretty familiar with the main tourist sites around Rome but referred to that map a lot to get our bearings when we arrived and to get back for the return.  

Last year it was very near the far side of the Forum (on the opposite side from where the main road runs).  We tracked down to the bottom where the Circus Maximus is and walked along there to the Colosseum. 

If he intends to 'do' the Forum and Colosseum there is a lot to see and i agree with Brian1 to try to pull in St Mark's which is over the other side of the river, it's quite a haul.  We made it as far as Piazza Navona and the Pantheon but headed back after that - with a couple of leisurely stops for refreshments (but we didn't go inside either the Forum or Colosseum as we'd done them previously - it was just a stroll around absorbing the city which we love.) 

The Hoho would be a good option if he wants to see more - but again i agree very much thats it's a city which you have to determine your objectives for the day, plan a route and not try to do too much before you start.  It can be quite exhausting!  

Hope he enjoys Rome as much as we do.

 

Thank you, good advice about marking the map as he won't listen or take anything in. 

I make him sound like a right miserable old git, he is not really, he just likes to do things his way and not burden anybody else. He is a lovely man wirh a heart of gold, just a stubborn old git. 😊

Andy 

[Host Sharon]

Try here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/464-italy-ports/

[davemorton]

If he is tech confident like you say, a useful app can be a 'park your car' where you set it when you get of at the drop off point as if you had parked your car there, then when you want to return, it gives you directions to your 'car'. 

[AndyMichelle]

22 minutes ago, davemorton said:

If he is tech confident like you say, a useful app can be a 'park your car' where you set it when you get of at the drop off point as if you had parked your car there, then when you want to return, it gives you directions to your 'car'. 

Excellent suggestion Dave, thank you. 

Andy 

[happy v]

11 hours ago, kruzseeka said:

 

We did the Rome on Your Own trip last year and were dropped near the Forum (apparently the city authorities keep changing the area for tour coaches - we've been dropped in 4 different places over the years).  If he's doing that trip not a guided one, please impression him to check with the tour guide to pin point exactly where they are on the map and mark it before he is left to his own devices.  We're pretty familiar with the main tourist sites around Rome but referred to that map a lot to get our bearings when we arrived and to get back for the return.  

Last year it was very near the far side of the Forum (on the opposite side from where the main road runs).  We tracked down to the bottom where the Circus Maximus is and walked along there to the Colosseum. 

If he intends to 'do' the Forum and Colosseum there is a lot to see and i agree with Brian1 to try to pull in St Mark's which is over the other side of the river, it's quite a haul.  We made it as far as Piazza Navona and the Pantheon but headed back after that - with a couple of leisurely stops for refreshments (but we didn't go inside either the Forum or Colosseum as we'd done them previously - it was just a stroll around absorbing the city which we love.) 

The Hoho would be a good option if he wants to see more - but again i agree very much thats it's a city which you have to determine your objectives for the day, plan a route and not try to do too much before you start.  It can be quite exhausting!  

Hope he enjoys Rome as much as we do.

 

Kruzseeka, can I ask you how you found the amount of time you had? When we were younger we have waked the length and breadth of Rome no problem. However we find we can't keep going all day now and are wondering if will will manage the five and a half to six hours. My intention is to walk up to the Villa Borghese spend more time in the gardens than the buildings. Then bimble back taking in favourite sites on the way. Stop for lunch, and ice cream. In your opinion do you think this will fill in all of the time. 

Edited October 6, 2019 by happy v

[kruzseeka]

31 minutes ago, happy v said:

Kruzseeka, can I ask you how you found the amount of time you had? When we were younger we have waked the length and breadth of Rome no problem. However we find we can't keep going all day now and are wondering if will will manage the five and a half to six hours. My intention is to walk up to the Villa Borghese spend more time in the gardens than the buildings. Then bimble back taking in favourite sites on the way. Stop for lunch, and ice cream. In your opinion do you think this will fill in all of the time. 

 

Hi happy v,  I had the same concern about whether we would find it rather too long to just wander.  Like you we've pounded the streets in the past and actually been surprised by how much we pulled in given the spread of sites across the city.  This time, we had no fixed plan but a determination not to try to do too much.  With a leisurely coffee stop then light lunch we found we filled the time quite well - perhaps half an hour less would have suited but I'd prefer the time was a little longer than we needed than feel rushed. 

You have a focus and having looked at the map, you have a reasonable walk to the Villa Borghese and perhaps a fair bit to see there so given a refreshment stop or two I think that may work well.  The Pantheon is more or less on the way back (if you have the same drop off we had) so a little detour soon fills another half hour or so. I must say I'd walked enough by the time we were due to leave!

I'd be really interested to hear of your experience visiting the Villa Borghese.  Rome is on our itinerary next year and as we've never been, it would be something new for us to do.  

Hope it works out well for you and you have a great trip.  

[happy v]

53 minutes ago, kruzseeka said:

 

Hi happy v,  I had the same concern about whether we would find it rather too long to just wander.  Like you we've pounded the streets in the past and actually been surprised by how much we pulled in given the spread of sites across the city.  This time, we had no fixed plan but a determination not to try to do too much.  With a leisurely coffee stop then light lunch we found we filled the time quite well - perhaps half an hour less would have suited but I'd prefer the time was a little longer than we needed than feel rushed. 

You have a focus and having looked at the map, you have a reasonable walk to the Villa Borghese and perhaps a fair bit to see there so given a refreshment stop or two I think that may work well.  The Pantheon is more or less on the way back (if you have the same drop off we had) so a little detour soon fills another half hour or so. I must say I'd walked enough by the time we were due to leave!

I'd be really interested to hear of your experience visiting the Villa Borghese.  Rome is on our itinerary next year and as we've never been, it would be something new for us to do.  

Hope it works out well for you and you have a great trip.  

Thanks, I think I've got the timing right, especially as I'll be back at the meeting point at least 1/2 hour before I have to. The excursion booklet gives the drop off point as Forum, Colosseum, or that general area depending on parking conditions.

The Borghese Villa and gardens are the last main area in Rome I would like to see. Having said that I agree just to walk around is fascinating. We have found buildings which would be a major attraction in another place and yet they are not even mentioned on the map.

[brian1]

One last thing I've remembered.The Sistene chapel is closed every Sunday except the last and even then it's only half day.We found this out to our detriment years ago when we stayed there August BH weekend.The lines on that Sunday went round 4 blocks.Years later we deliberately booked a 4hr layover with Alitalia on the way to Calabria,just to see what we missed,lol.