Can I ask for advice on Rome?

[TurningAmerican]

I know it's not AIBU but we go in three weeks, have organised nothing so really need the traffic of AIBU!

Basically we go beginning of May for 4 days - what shouldn't we miss whilst there and does anyone have any tips about tickets/where to eat etc?

Things we definately want to do are the coliseum, Vatican and sisteen chapel, maybe the catacombs?

Any advice much appreciated!

Not sure why the image isn’t loading.....

Here’s a link to the site, they even have a more casual sandal called Un Roam Step ... terrible pun I know, but they look good!

Omg the foooood!! Best thing about it!
Comfy shoes
Lots of walking
Look out for pickpockets

I cannot stress the need to have comfortable shoes!

Never go to eat on a main road, always down the side roads. Much better value and food.

The colosseum was amazing, by far the best. Trevi is beautiful but very packed. Stay away from the zoo unless you enjoy watching animals cramped into small places.

The forum is so good!

I too was underwhelmed by the Sistine chapel but the Vatican was incredible. Go to the top for the views!

Watch out for the scam artists. The worst are the Africans, they’ll push stuff on you and intimidate you and then call you a racist for not wanting it.

Also, don't miss Tivoli gardens - it's a day trip out of Rome but worth it.

A day trip to Copenhagen?

Gelateria fridgedarium (cannot remember spelling!)

Chocolate fondant ice cream. Heaven in a tub!

If you do go to the Vatican museum, don't try and find a short cut out. We ended up walking the whole circumference of Vatican City.

The Jewish quarter is beautiful and has great delis.

Really enjoyed the colosseum. We had no itinerary (got married in Rome and spent a few days afterwards in the city) and just wandered eating good food.

We're going for 3 days in May.
We've booked a couple of tours with www.theromanguy.com after watching Richard Ayoade's Travel Man. Other than that we're going to mooch around and be bit spontaneous.
I do want to go to Trevi Fountain just to say I've been!

If you're going to be there on a Friday then you can bok to go to the Vatican in the evening. Provided you don't make the mistake we did and get the first slot of the evening you won't need to queue and we found it not that busy.
It would be a shame to go to Rome and not see the Vatican - we didn't stay long as in and out in less than an hour but the most opulent interiors I have ever seen.

rookie do you mean the Vatican museum or St Peters' itself?

I am lucky, my son moved to Rome a couple of years ago so have been twice. We did the Colusseum night tour by Dark Rome- worth paying a bit extra to avoid queues and heat. Also its very atmospheric at night.
It is definitely worth booking vatican online and getting a jump the queue ticket - i thought the museums were amazing but agree with the others the sistine chapel was a bit of a scrum with loud security messages relayed over a tannoy at intervals. I used the metro which was easy and also buses and trams - much harder!! Timetables are scant/confusing even for my son whose Italian is Ok. Walked a lot! It is a lovely place. Oh yes, completely underwhelmed by the Trevi Fountain i’m afraid☹️

Aww I'm so excited now! Have a big holiday to USA planned for later in the year so haven't really put much thought into this trip - glad I asked on here, it's reignited my excitement 😁 I would like to see Sistine chapel, if it's crap I'll chalk it upto experience but I'll get the tickets online to make the queue more bareable!

I'm so jealous... if only for the food!
We went to an audience with the pope... very uplifting. Loved Vatican museum, coliseum etc
Walked all day
Used Uber in the evening to get back to hotel
It's quite a dirty city bc it's so busy so I'd recommend hand sanitiser
The tube is brilliant and so cheap, very well laid out and signposted
Google maps will be your friend but drains your battery so if you are with someone else take it in turns to use your phone

If you go to the Sistine Chapel, don't wail. You won't be able to levertate up and touch the ceiling, no matter how much you want to.

Just back - most things have been mentioned, but go to the Ara Pacis! It's amazing. Basilica San Clemente is quite interesting. There is a really lovely restaurant called Hostaria Antica (short taxi ride out of the centre of Rome) which does ancient Roman recipes - had a lovely meal here!

If you hire a car there is the equivalent of a congestion charge zone. The hire car company did not tell us and the signs were not obvious (or they may have been if you spoke Italian) the first we knew was 4 months after we got back we got a fine for each time we crossed into the zone on the same day (3 x 150) plus a handling charge from the hire company (3 x 50).

chester - the friday evening opening is not ST Peters - we didn't get there as the queues were too long in October.

Trevi fountain for absolute sure. I was more impressed with St. Peter's Basilica than the Sistine Chapel, but surely you can't go to Rome and not see the Vatican! The Colosseum and The Pantheon are also worth a visit. Obviously you HAVE to eat pizza and ice cream whilst you're there.

My only advice is that they have books which have a picture of the ruin, plus a plastic sheet that lays over it with what it would have looked like. We had great fun trying to line up the plastic with the ruin in real life.
@MrsTerryPratchett, that was my DSS's favourite thing that we brought home!

Yes and the newer ones have qr barcodes you can read via your phone to show the originals.

Going to Rome in July with my DSis. Will be her first time and my third. I cannot wait!
Agree with what has been said by PPs, regarding tours and the Vatican.
I’ve always worn sketchers go walks and have always been comfortable.
There are little drinking fountains dotted around the city which are so handy for filling up your drinks bottle.
I’m staying right near the Colosseum this time. Can’t wait for coffee in the sunshine

I'd recomend the Pantheon. The open sdome is wonderful. I found it more interesting than the Vatican (though all the restaurants in that square should be avoided unless you are a McD can. I like trevi, but get there early and be prepared for it to suddenly be there. No build up with lots of historical sights. That is true of a few sights in Rome

Oh this is perfect I'm going on July so I'm going to keep an eye on this thread

I thought the Bernini sculptures in the Villa Borghese were wonderful. You have to pre book - we didn't realise and bought tickets from an American lady whose teenagers had stayed in bed. More fool them.

Another for Ostia Antica if you have time - amazing and quiet.

We did a tour of the Vatican and the guide was an art history student. Made such a difference. Really amazing. Rather than just walking around she had pointed things out to us beforehand and it really made it come alive.