Rome - must sees/dos etc . Please help me with a plan.

[MarciaBlaine]

Off for a week Autumn half term. Lonely planet guide gives suggestions: day at Vatican, day at Colosseum/Forum etc/ day st Appian way with catacombs etc. I read about Ostia Antica which sounds fab and am debating whether to do the trip to Pompeii.

I'm getting on a bit though and dd (13) is not a fan of getting up early. So I want to make a plan to squeeze in the must sees without having to rush around like blue arse flies all week. I am happy to pre-book slots for things to avoid queuing. Not sure how busy it will be end Oct/beginning Nov. I am aware that Nov 1st is a BH/religious holiday.

Sorry can't offer any advice but also visiting Rome at the same time with a 13 year old so very interested to read any replies.

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Pompeii would be a very long day trip. There is plenty to see in Rome itself. The Colosseum and Palatine will take one day. Vatican another. Various museums of antiquaties.

Baths of Caracalla are worth a stop on the way to the Appian Way.

I went last year end of October and it wasn't too busy, queued for about 10 mins for the colosseum.

I've done the Pompeii trip from Rome, whilst if was very interesting it was a very early start and a long day, in hindsight I wish I'd spend another full day in Rome

The Vatican & museum is definitely worth visiting - pre book your tickets so you don't have to queue :)

Watching for tips... We'll be there first week of November too!

We went in the Easter holidays (not actually Easter) and it was amazing. Lots of queues everywhere though.

You can't go to Rome and not see the colosseum. Pre book tickets so avoid quite so long a queue. We found the audio very difficult to hear so abandoned it and used a guide book (bought there) instead. It has pictures of the site as now and then acetate overlays so you can see how it used to look. The forum is included in the ticket.

If I had my time again I'd give The Vatican a miss. It was heaving. Like being on a Japanese commuter train in rush hour being carried along on a tide of humanity. The Sistine chapel would be lovely if it wasn't for the guards yelling hush and no photo constantly. I'd focus on St Peters and go into the catacombs and onto the roof. You can get a coffee at the top. There are a LOT of stairs though, even if you get the lift.

We liked Trastevere best. That was where we stayed. It felt a little more 'normal' and had lovely bars and restaurants.

Pre book the Colosseum tickets through their website, it'll save on queuing. Also, buy tickets for the third level and underground tour, it's amazing. You can't take large rucksacks, filled water bottles of aerosols in either.
With the Vatican- prebook the tickets too.
I wouldn't bother using the sight seeing buses as Rome traffic is a nightmare. Their metro only has two lines and it's so easy to use.

Go on trip advisor re advice about booking the third level. You have to be very organised to book!

Rome is the only city I've been to that I actually booked tickets through a company with. There's just so much to do and the queues can be insane!

I booked tours called Skip the line tours (not the name of the company) and it was brill. Well worth the money!

I did a brilliant 3 hour walking trip that took in lots of the main attractions. Also Colosseum and Roman Forum. Then the Vatican. The artwork was mind-blowing!

Go to the colessium and Vatican at 4.30 in the afternoon.

We did this and all the wueues that are bussed in had gone for the day and we sued for 15 minutes

Even then people were buying tickets to jump the queue but didn't get inside any quicker

We stayed in the Italian quarter and walked everywhere but the buses are good and I think you can get a weekly ticket

www.daenzoal29.com/ Best meal all week, we could only get in at lunch time by getting there early. It's a fab place to eat with all the Romans also eating here. Book ahead now if you fancy eating there in the evening

Ooh interested in the underground tour. Hadn't read about that. Maybe we should have a mini MN meetup ;-)

As already advised pre-book tickets for the Vatican and the Colosseum (also include the forum - which is just fab - still overwhelms me this is central Rome!. Don't miss the Pantheon - an amazing building and free! Walk everywhere - all of Rome is amazing. Even tiny little churches have Caravagios on the wall! Walk around Campo Di Fiore and Piazza Navonna etc - but don't miss a walk along the river - usually deserted! We usually take the little bus (from I think outside the hospital around Trastervere ) to take us up the hill for the cannon firing at 12 - then lunch at a nearby cute cafe and walk back down!

I wouldn't go to Pompeii - its a long way and Rome has plenty. Watch the film 'La Grande Bellizza' and go to the same places (I have mentioned a few!). There is also a grand old palace (still privately owned) in the centre (can't remember the name) - but it has (amongst some things) the Valezquez portrait of Pope Innocent X - usually pretty empty too!

Eat, drink and have fun (recommend Da Francesco - full of locals - and great food at a reasonable price! Also Da Benito (Travestere/Ghetto - hope its still open?) and Cacio e Pepe for an amazing meal - all recommended by Romans and none have disappointed ever. I want to go back now! However this may not be what a 13 year old wants to do!!

I have been nearly seduced by these all in cards. But I worked out dd gets in to colosseum etc for free anyhow. A transport card is 24 euros for the week. Colosseum 12 Euros per adult, Vatican museums 32 euros with tour and booked slot. Villa Borghese seems to be the other big one you should prebook....

We are going to Rome soon, we want to stick to a theme "Underground Rome" besides the main attractions, to keep it simple for the kids (7&12).

Some things on our list:

• Città dell'acqua (City of Water)... Near Trevi Fountain
• Palazzo Valentini ... looks great!!
• Basilica di San Clemente- looks intresting and we can see the diffrent layers.

Bumping for more top tips. I am thinking Ostia Antica and skipping Pompeii now. I've been before and it was fascinating but I fear the early start and long trip might be a bit much.

There is also the Portus site near the airport which was the port of ancient Rome. Not sure how accessible it is by public transport though.

We r going to Rome too, then travelling by train to Sorrento. We are planning Coluseum and Vatican (I think?!) Although after comments above not sure whether to pay for Vatican museums now or not and just do the free Basilica.

We went for 2 days last October half term, staying near the Colosseum. We walked everywhere - had wondered about a sightseeing bus, but the best parts of Rome aren't accessible by bus! We ended up not going in anything much!! We just enjoyed walking and seeing all the ruins we passed. We loved seeing the cats at the Torre Argentina cat sanctuary. Contemplated going to the Colosseum after dark, but ran out of time.
I will say do your homework on places to eat. We felt we didn't do that well - had mediocre food at high prices. Another time I'd like to go to Ostia. We went on to Naples and did Pompeii from there - loved it.