Welcome to Mumsnet's holiday forum. Discuss all international travel here, including both shorthaul and longhaul trips. Related topics: UK holidays & day trips, skiing, camping & campervans.
Welcome to Mumsnet's holiday forum. Discuss all international travel here, including both shorthaul and longhaul trips. Related topics: UK holidays & day trips, skiing, camping & campervans.
Holidays
Rome Short break where to stay!
Noeuf · 25/09/2021 20:31
Hi all so thinking three nights, kids all have SEND so can’t arrange care longer. Dh and I want to go Feb outside half term. Language not a problem, just the whole overwhelming stuff to see issue. Looks like Spanish steps or piazza navone (sp?) as a base but any ideas on getting around / seeing the Vatican - dh fixated on this for some reason. I hated Barcelona and in my head this is the same - we go, we miss the good bits, and we’ve just had a ‘meh’ stay.
PermanentTemporary · 26/09/2021 14:31
The Vatican is amazing. Its a tiny city state of its own and a pilgrimage site for Catholics worldwide. For a visit it's essentially a series of linked museums plus St Peter's Rome. The treasures inside are astounding. The Sistine Chapel might be the most famous.
Book everything major in Rome in advance - basically if you can book it, do - but in particularthe Vatican, it is unbelievably busy. A Vatican tour guide might be a good idea if you don't know too much about it.
My favourite sight in Rome was the Pantheon and in fact you don't have to book that. I found it utterly magical and mind-blowing. It's just there- this amazing complete Roman temple, just round a corner in a normal piazza.
hopeishere · 26/09/2021 14:32
@Noeuf
We booked it direct with the Vatican museum site I think.
m.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani-mobile/en/collezioni/musei/cappella-sistina/storia-cappella-sistina.html
Noeuf · 26/09/2021 15:07
Ok I’m sold on giving the Vatican a go. Looking forward to waking round a corner and seeing something amazing as well.
RampantIvy · 26/09/2021 15:40
After walking through all the dazzling galleries in the Vatican I found the Sistine Chapel dingy and underwhelming by comparison. Our experience was also spoiled by the sheer number of visitors as well.
My advice for Rome is to take comfortable walking shoes because you will do a lot of walking.
My favourite sights were the Parthenon and Palatine Hill.
Geamhradh · 26/09/2021 16:20
@AnnaMagnani
Vatican at the moment is A LOT less busy than usual so even during the day you may avoid the crush in the Sistine Chapel - I follow a tour guide who sends us pictures of the place looking bizarrely empty. We paid ££££ to go first thing in the morning and be the first arrivals, later in the day it was heaving but that was pre-Covid times.
Very much less busy. It was great
They are also very strict on masks and distancing and every monument has become one way traffic to keep distancing.
We went in at about 4pm iirc.
rookiemere · 26/09/2021 16:46
You could get a three day sight seeing bus pass www.bigbustours.com/en/rome/rome-tour-tickets-and-passes/rome-bus-tours?focus=top-filter-form%2F&qty%5Badult%5D=0&qty%5Bchild%5D=0 and that would help with getting round and seeing the main sights.
Something I loved when there was this church with three different floors from three different centuries www.rome.net/basilica-san-clemente.
If you've had enough sight seeing the Borghese gardens are lovely to relax in.
Noeuf · 26/09/2021 16:46
Ok I’m really excited now! Feel like I have a range of areas to try, couple of hotel recommendations and the vatican to book for Sunday morning. Need to know when he appears so the husband isn’t disappointed he’s staring at a ceiling instead 😂
Geamhradh · 26/09/2021 17:25
I'm going to be a damp squib wrt bus tours. You drive past things. You might be sitting downstairs, inside because there isn't room on the top deck. (transport currently running at 80% capacity iirc, being upped from 50% over the summer)
I haven't done a Rome one- but I've done London and Madrid and I find them a bit shit.
Rainbow0821 · 26/09/2021 17:27
A.Roma... it's out of the crowds which I enjoyed, lovely swimming pool and fabulous all inclusive buffet.
Noeuf · 26/09/2021 18:01
Oh no! I was thinking job done then off to a cafe for the rest of the time 😂
Is A Roma an hotel?
StMarysKettle · 26/09/2021 18:38
If you have time I also enjoyed the Baths of Caracalla. You can get a headset that gives you a virtual tour so that when you look at a room it's reconstructed in 3d - you're not just looking at the ruin.
Noeuf · 26/09/2021 19:10
Which one of these???
What are the Baths? To look round or get wet in?
minipie · 26/09/2021 19:48
Thanks all! Monti sounds like a reasonable area but I might have another look and see if I can find somewhere closer to the Pantheon
Also might have a look at hotels, we usually do air bnb but the idea of breakfast being provided and staff on hand in case we have any issues with the green pass etc is appealing!
Geamhradh · 26/09/2021 19:52
@Noeuf
What are the Baths? To look round or get wet in?
We just did the Musei Vaticani.
Noeuf · 26/09/2021 20:23
We just did the Musei Vaticani.
I’ve found a very interesting looking day tour of the coliseum pantheon and Vatican with a break to go off and get lunch. Kind of thinking I’d do that one day and then just faff around. Although just that as an option is good to know.
Noeuf · 26/09/2021 20:24
@minipie outside of season and especially by the station the hotels seem really affordable (obviously not all!)
Noeuf · 26/09/2021 20:46
Ah thank you. Really excited now. Would love to go sooner (used to just jump in planes/trains when single) but have to wait for dh holiday etc plus our anniversary. Cannot wait!
SarahBellam · 26/09/2021 20:51
We stayed here and would go back. It wasn't super fancy but it was charming and did a great breakfast. It's a 10 minute walk from the Coliseum, but really Rome is pretty compact and easy to get around. Because we were only there for two days we got one of those hop on/hop off tour bus tickets and that was perfect and gave us plenty of time for wandering. I wasn't expecting to like Rome as much as I did, but I really loved it. It was very beautiful.
https://book.bestwestern.it/EN/hotelinnRome98108.aspx?fromSpecialOffers=true&SOB=A11&arrivalDate=20211018&departureDate=20211019&adults%5b1%5d=1&child412%5b1%5d=0&child03%5b1%5d=0&DCBookingCode=EBS&as=true&roomrates=true#RoomRatesContent
Northernlurker · 26/09/2021 20:52
We stayed near the pantheon. Think it was called hotel mimosa. Defo not posh but clean and nice bathroom, had aircin and lovely breakfast and helpful staff, I was there with dd.
We liked the bus tour, we were there in July and frankly it was cool and a rest, we just rode round a couple of times, to see the city as much as the sights iyswim.
Sexnotgender · 26/09/2021 20:52
@Noeuf
We did an art and faith tour and it was amazing! A nun talked as through the various pieces throughout the Vatican. We turned up for the tour and she was from bloody Birmingham 😂 was hilarious.
She took us through St Peter’s Basilica and we heard the choir practicing for the Pope’s NY service as we there on 30th December, absolutely magical.
Gizmo98765 · 26/09/2021 20:55
We stayed at Campo dei Fiore. We went with the kids and booked a property from holiday lettings. It was fab very central and we could walk round most of the sights during the day and at night we walked almost everywhere except we had early morning slots for the Vatican and the Colosseum. So we got a taxi to both and we walked leisurely back.
Newnormal99 · 26/09/2021 20:59
Wherever you stay you should visit gelataria frigidarium at least once a day!
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