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!

I love Rome it's my favourite city.

Seriously make sure you have the most comfortable footwear possible, I wore Sketchers go walk during the day and cushioned soft sandals in the evening. The metro is easy to use as it is only has 3 lines but as pp you can easily walk most of the way around.

When looking for places to eat we wondered down the side streets and went to trattorias that had a mix of locals and tourists dining there. Like any tourist city avoid eating in the popular areas like Piazza Narvonna unless you want to pay a premium.

Don't let any street sellers give you small free gifts and be bold about saying no to beggars and the sellers that try to aggressively sell you roses, selfie sticks or water (there are lots of perfectly safe water fountains in the street that you can drink from and refill a bottle from).

Enjoy

Nicest restaurant in Rome is Il Chianti, not far from trevi fountain, I tell everyone I know who goes to Rome to eat here and no one has been disappointed!

@honeyroar - We divided our days up like you did!

The Roman Forum is amazing, we preferred that to The Coluseum.

We were there in August so went out early in the morning, returned home early to mid afternoon, and then headed out every evening for an ice cream and a wander. Trastavere is lovely in the evenings. Public transport is good if you get a tourist ticket.

As others have said we didn't bother with the Cistene Chapel - DH. and I had been before anyway - we just viewed St Peters and enjoyed wandering around the Square.

Our teenagers were surprisingly impressed with Rome!

Rufus - it's about 12 yrs since I was last there, and I believe there have been a lot of renovations since! So quite prepared too accept that my view of it may be out of date now! I am off to Rome on 30th so might just drop by for another look! Just bought on line tickets for domus aurea which also looks interesting. (Sorry I am rubbish at technology so not sure how to do that thing where I put your name in bold at the beginning)

We were in Rome last August and stayed in a lovely boutique hotel in Via Magutta by the Spanish Steps. It’s a beautiful city. The Colosseum is a must see and you should seriously consider paying extra to be able to walk on the arena floor – a fantastic atmosphere which I didn’t feel anywhere else in the Colosseum, and the underground area where the animals, slaves and gladiators where kept prior to their fights. There is even a reconstruction of the mechanical lifts which moved the animals from underground into the arena. The third tier is also open, this is the up most level and where the women and slaves sat. I also really enjoyed our tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s. The guided tours get in before the general public so for the first part of the tour you’re not crowded. That changes when you reach the Sistine Chapel but the Sistine Chapel is definitely a must see. I’d also second the Pantheon and Piazza Navona which is nearby. In the unlikely case that you can’t think of anything to do at night, I suggest the area around Castel Sant’Angelo which has lots of open air restaurants on the banks of the River Tiber. We ate at Gregory’s jazz club – live mellow jazz in the open air plus good food all on a warm Rome evening. It was an excellent way to spend an evening. Finally, if by some chance you see everything on your “to do” list, you can take the train to Florence and spend the day there. The fast train takes about 2 ½ hours and Italian train fares are far cheaper than UK train fares. In Florence you can tour the Uffizzi Galleries, Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo in one day. You'll have a great time in Rome.

Also just come back from Rome with three children aged 10,8 and 4. Ostia Antica was our favourite thing- amazing huge ruined Roman city, no tourists, children allowed to run wild- we all loved it. Only 20mins from Rome on the train.

We saw everything... the colluseium, the forum, st Pete's bascill, the Vatican, the trevi fountain and the pantheon. We popped into little churches as we noticed them and saw amazing ceilings and glass. Many were off the beaten track and fantastic. We also went up to tivoli and we did a day trip to Pompeii which was a fair train journey but we saw a bit of Naples and then onto pompeii which was the highlight of thr entire holiday for me. Loved it but glad we saw as much as we could as then we all had kids etc and holidays don't happen the same

I have yet to visit Rome, but take heart, it is on the list!

One thing I will say about many places I have visited is.... if there is a queue, line whatever, I will not go in or wait in line. I don't have the patience or the time to do that and be surrounded with thousands of others, plus the scam artists that abound at such places either!

I think looking at things from the outside is often just as good, take a pic, and look at the interior online. Saves all the hassle. I know I might come across as flaky or something, but it works for me! I was there wasn't I?

OP I hope you have a terrific time in Rome. Enjoy.

The Vatican is over-rated and you will queue for hours to get in. St Peters is beautiful but queues also awful.

I'd duck out of a lot of the tourist trap stuff, maybe make an exception for the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps.

Best bit of Rome for me is the squares: Campo di Fiori is a must. There's also a beautiful square called Largo de Argentina (I think) which also has a cat sanctuary in the corner of it -- it has all these lovely ruins squirming with tons and tons of cats.

Via Del Corso good for cheapish but decent shopping -- nice leather stuff. Via Condotti is where all the designers stuff is but eye-watering prices.

Go to the Vatican early morning, and if you can afford it do a tour as it’s much better and easier to understand what you are looking at. Colosseum very early morning and pre book tickets then walk through Roman Forum. Trevi fountain at night. Wander Monti district. Wander Trastevere district. Sunset walk up Giacomo hill for the views. Lots of gelato and paninis!

Couldn’t disagree more regarding duck out of the tourist stuff. I found the Vatican incredible and I say that as an atheist. I found the Colosseum breathtaking. But I planned carefully and did both early.

Having said all that, I find shopping on holiday pretty dull and a waste of precious exploring and sightseeing time whereas some never do a trip without it, so different strokes etc.

The Vatican is a unique place and a must-see but it's spoilt by greedy management letting too many people in. I'd happily go back but next time I'd get there at least an hour before it opens (and I think even buying tickets beforehand means you still have to queue).

A complete Romanophile here - too many trips to Rome to count, and I still haven't seen everything! The first thing I do, every time, is to go straight to the Pantheon - it completely blows me away. My favourite places include: Ara Pacis, Jewish Quarter, Domus Aureus, San Paolo fuori le Mura, Via Appia Antica, Ostia Antica, the museum on the Capitoline, Trajan's Column and market, the basilicas on the Aventine, (Santa Sabina), overlooking the Circus Maximus. The hill made completely of discarded pottery (Monte Testaccio) is also fascinating. I also frequently take the train from Rome to Naples and then on to Paestum - the MOST stunning Greek temples imaginable, and an easy day trip. I'm still exploring the Renaissance monuments-so much to see! To save cash, I generally shop for bread, cheese and fruit in the markets, rather than frequenting expensive restaurants, and never eat anywhere on a main road - workers' cafes down side streets are the best bet. I second the warnings about pickpockets - they are unbelievably blatant - always carry your precious things close to your body/under clothing. Learning a little Italian is very helpful too.

D'oh ...Domus Aurea ...

Go to the Sistene and scream at it

Ha ha at screaming at the ceiling - I actually would say visit the Vatican if it is your first trip - it is worth seeing & worth a day - but definitely the Pantheon , that was the one thing which made me absolutely stop and think & it is a memorable thing to see & it won't take a day to do. Yep the coliseum , the forum yes if you have time - but that is a fairly packed schedule for 4 days if you want some just walking around type time . Oh and also the Castel Saint Angelo which has a lovely terrace for tea or a drink afterwards. The trevi fountain - depending on were you are staying , you can probably just walk along in the evening and have an ice cream or something and look at it. It doesn't need a half day of the schedule. I hope you have a fantastic time.

Oh yes the Pantheon

An unexpected highlight for us, and directly across from it is a restaurant which which we sat outside with a snack

We were only popping there on our way to dinner...but it was lovely

AND IGNORE FLOWERS

DO NOT YELL IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL...YOU WILL NEVER BE SEEN AGAIN

Rufus I think flowers was referring to a very amusing recent thread where the OP was so overcome by the beauty of the ceiling that she screamed, orgasmically. So it was a joke!

Yes I was referring to that thread. One of my favourites on here :). From what I remember the screaming wasn't confined to the Sistene, she also screamed in delight at art exhibits and museums in the UK too.

Sorry flowers I missed your joke completely

Yep she was serial shrieker wasn't she? Brilliant thread though

Borghese gardens are wonderful. And you can hire a cycle/rickshaw thing and hurtle round them like a loon

As others have said, ignore the street sellers. Don't give them eye contact, don't tell them that you don't want anything (they'll take any reaction, even negative as you saying that you do want something), and absolutely don't accept any "free" gifts or flowers.