Rome

[smilesandsun]

Hi People,

We're (i'm) planning a quick trip to Rome, child free. Having never been before i'm looking for your highlights:

Where to stay
Where to eat
What are the must sees (only there 2 days)

thanks

The Coliseum ??
Apparently my friend who lives there says its lovely and his favourite Italian city.

St Peters.

Awesome. (and I don't do religion)

If you ask on MN Little Italy there is a poster in Rome.

thank you.

Any food venue suggestions?

Food:the old town- I know it is all old- but the old old town is the cheapest. If you are eating near any tourist attraction the price soars but most of all in Italy as a whole standing up in a cafe rather than sitting down will be half the price. Take a pair of v comfy shoes

Hi,
DH and I stayed in Rome for 5 days ( Monday to Friday ) in June a couple of years ago. I bought a few guide books like the AA Rome spiralguide, which also have good maps in them, along with the Top 10 places recommended to visit.
I got a lot of help, advice and tips from people on the Trip Advisor Rome forum, which helped to save money and avoid queues at some sites.

I booked tickets for the Vatican Museum ( for the Sistine Chapel ) online which saved a HUGE queue. We spent a whole day there, as the museums and art galleries are vast, but I would say that the highlights were the fabulous ceiling paintings by Michaelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, and climbing to the top of St Peter's dome, for amazing views.

We bought dual tickets for the Forum and Colosseum at the Forum ticket booth, which we did first in the morning before it got too hot as very little shade, then crossed the road to the Colosseum where we bypassed a very long queue. Beware of scammers trying to sell you fake tickets.

The Trevi Fountain is also an absolute MUST, and worth seeing in daylight and also when lit up at night. It gets very busy, so go early morning if possible, to avoid the crowds. It is a popular place for just hanging out in the evenings, sitting on the steps.

Another must - see is the Pantheon, with its central hole in the domed roof. We also went to Castile St Angelo,and spent a morning there. This is quite near the Vatican.

You need to study a map of Rome, which is not a large city, so you can plan where to go and what to see on the way, so you don't waste time.
We had two evening meals on the piazza next to the Pantheon, and also on Piazza Navona, and Piazza Campo De Fiori, which was next to our lovely hotel.

It is best to stay somewhere central, so you can walk easily to see sights, rather than being at one end of Rome. Accommodation will depend on how much you wish to spend. I chose our hotel ( Hotel Campo De Fiori ) after reading very good reviews on TA. The rooftop terrace views are fab. You can watch the sunset over St Peters Dome in the distance.
You can read my review here.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d208552-r33014124-Hotel_Campo_De_Fiori-Rome_Lazio.html

Regarding food - we just ate wherever we ended up! We did not need to book, all the restaurants had tables outside on the piazzas, and are keen for custom.
I took some dresses and shoes/ clothes for the evenings, and didn't wear any of them, as we did not return to the hotel until very late at night.
I thought we would return for a shower, change etc before going out for dinner, but in the end there was no need to dress more smartly, and would have meant more walking on tired feet!

Oh you will love it !!!

I got proposed to at the Trevi Fountain in the pouring rain huddled under an umbrella sooooo romantic !!!

St peters square and the colosseum are the two main attractions . When you go to the colosseum there will be people doing tours called "romaround" you pay them and they take you a guided tour of the colosseum and the surrounding ancient roman ruins its a brill tour I would definitely recommend it ! As a history graduate I appreciated the history lesson !!

As for eating we also just ate were we ended up , but there is a wee pizzeria behind the colosseum with tables outside we ate there and it was gorgeous you are literally right beside the colosseum !!

I would recommend you stay inside re city , we stayed outside the city and travelled in so we missed out on seeing everything lit up !

Hope this has helped ... Have fun !!

It is wonderful throughout, you will have a fabulous time whatever you do as long as you take good walking shoes.
I reckon it's impossible to eat badly as long as you don't go into anywhere with a laminated menu translated into 10 languages outside. Agree that Campo de Fiori is a particularly nice place to eat in the evenings though. We stayed just off Piazza Navona, which was excellent location but £££.

Second the advice to get your Colliseum tickets from the booth in the Forum.

Would agree with Figgygirl's sightseeing tips. I would also recommend going in August as that is very much the low season for Rome. We went the 2nd week and the queues weren't bad at all. The only downside is that loads of the Romans are on holiday so substantial numbers of shops/restaurants/supermarkets (particularly on the outer edges) are closed until September. Still plenty of choice if you stick to the centre/old town. The benefit is then if you are just there for a couple of days you can see the main sights when they aren't as busy and then go back at any time of the year to see the other sights that don't feature so heavily on the cruise/guided tour itineraries.

Tip - don't sit on the floor in the Pantheon.

i do love the piazza navona, lovely place to sit and people watch, the chocolate tartufo at tre scalini is great, there is a really simple pizza place behind the square- da bafetto, great shopping street that winds up from p.navona-via del governo vecchio- lots of little boutique
just a start

Hotel cosmopolita. Right in the centre. 5 mins walk from the forum and colloseum. 7 or 8 minutes to Trevi Fountain. 10 minutes to Spanish steps.
We walked everywhere from this hotel, including Vatican city which was about half an hour walking along the busy main road, but we came back along cobbled alleyways via Pizza Navonna and the parthenon.
Lovely hotel. Nice breakfast.
Got the train from the airport to the centre of Rome. 11 euros I think, 2 years ago, but got a minibus back to the airport, booked direct with hotel reception which I think was about 15 euros each.
Rome is fab!

I live in Rome and not great re hotel knowledge as not used them personally however I think B&Bs can be better value than hotels here from what I have heard unless you splash out for a hotel. There are a few B&B sites you can google and you have a good chance of finding something really central in a lovely old Roman building.
Re what to see in 2 days I would do the Colosseum and Forum very early as its starting to get hot now - book tickets in advance to avoid queues then do the Vatican and sistine chapel in the afternoon - again booking tickets in advance. Then the other day I would do the old piazzas in the centre which are all walking distance from each other. So do Piazza del Popolo, walk down to the Piazza di Spagna and Spanish Steps, then the Trevi Fountain, Piazza della Rotonda where the Pantheon is, Piazza Navona and Campo dei Fiori. Enjoy.