Colosseum visit - Rome

[Jo and Rob]

We are still investigating what to do in Rome. Having researched the classical Rome with lunch we decided it was not going to give us long enough at our favourite sights so now we are considering "Glories of Gladiators CV83". Has anyone done this excursion with Celebrity?

 

If not, have you ever been inside the Colosseum? What were your impressions? Our 9 year old son is really keen on visiting the Colosseum and the previous trip we were considering was only allocating 15 minutes for photographs! CV83 takes you inside the Colosseum for a guided tour which I think is what we would prefer to do.

 

After visiting the Roman Forum we have free time (2.5 hours) at Piazza Navona. Does anyone know if we would be able to do the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps from here? How long would that take? We need to fit in lunch somewhere, and could do with a break no doubt.

 

Advice please!

[teacherman]

I would definitely do the Colosseum, as it is one of the true icons of Rome. We did it on our own using Rick Steve's Rome Guidebook. If you have your tickets either ahead of time, through a tour group, or buying them at the Palantine Hill (10 minute walk), you can just by-pass the long lines which are buying tickets. 20 to 30 minutes is enough, in MHO. You can walk from Piazza Navona to Trevi Fountain in about 10-15 minutes. If I were skipping anything, it would be the Spanish Steps. It is kind of "out of the way" and was a big disappointment to us after all we had heard about it. These are just my opinions. Also, near Trevi Fountain/Navona area is the Pantheon, one of the truly great engineering feats (in MHO). Rome really deserves 2 or 3 days by itself.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Rome is a great place for kids and if you can do an excursion that includes the Colluseum and the Vatican that would be the two must sees IMO. I did Rome with my son at age 15 and he loved climbing to the top of the Vatican and a kid would really like the Catacombs and also exploring the Colluseum. Quite frankly you can do these on your own also. I think tours are a bit boring for a 9 year old but if there is time to explore than the tour will be worthwhile. If it is just photo ops- don't do it.

 

I have to say that the one tour your 9 year old will love (if you can get them out of the Fun Factory) is the Cinque Terre. That would be much more enjoyable for him than Florence when you stop in Livorno. It really is a great excursion.

[chipmaster]

FWIW my kids loved the Colosseum, Pantheon. They found the huge crowds at Trive interesting. The whole Vatican and Sistine chapel was just one long crazy walk but the zoo and guards they found entertaining in the chapel.

 

I'd recommend you price out and look at tourshare or private tour. From port its a long day and I found Rome was one place where it make sense to avoid the "bus" tours.

[6rugrats]

We took three children to Rome for a land vacation this year and hired a private guide. She was wonderful. Her name is Sonia Tavoletta and she can be reached at soniatav@alice.it. We did an archeological tour with her that included the Colosseum, and one another day of the Vatican. She charged 50 Euros per hour which was incredibly reasonable.

 

The tours were tailored to our interests, and even the youngest enjoyed them. Try sending her an email, tell her what you would like to do, and get some suggestions. I would highly recommend Sonia as an excellent tour guide.

[euro cruiser]

If not, have you ever been inside the Colosseum? What were your impressions? Our 9 year old son is really keen on visiting the Colosseum and the previous trip we were considering was only allocating 15 minutes for photographs! CV83 takes you inside the Colosseum for a guided tour which I think is what we would prefer to do..

While the outside of the Colosseum is pretty impressive, it's the inside where you really get a sense of the place and its history.

 

After visiting the Roman Forum we have free time (2.5 hours) at Piazza Navona. Does anyone know if we would be able to do the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps from here? How long would that take? We need to fit in lunch somewhere, and could do with a break no doubt.

Is there something between the Forum and Piazza Navona on this tour? If not, I'd leave the tour at the Forum and walk to Trevi from there (it's just over a half mile from the Septimus Severus exit of the Forum to Trevi.

 

From the Trevi fountain you can walk along the pedestrian path (well signed) to Piazza Navona to meet your group. Along the way you'll pass the Pantheon, one of the key sites of Rome. On foot from Trevi to Navona is another 6/10ths of a mile.

[pspercy]

A related subject, I was looking at advance purchase of tickets to the Vatican, Colosseum etc. Seems like there's Italian versions of Ticketmaster in operation, one place quotes Colosseum for EU13.5, (Omniticket, seems the lowest), others quote EU22.00 and so on.

I wonder who is the genuinely lowest.

[kazu]

A related subject, I was looking at advance purchase of tickets to the Vatican, Colosseum etc. Seems like there's Italian versions of Ticketmaster in operation, one place quotes Colosseum for EU13.5, (Omniticket, seems the lowest), others quote EU22.00 and so on.

I wonder who is the genuinely lowest.

 

Depending upon how long you are in Rome and how many sites you plan on seeing, you could purchase a Roma pass. Will get you in to two sites free (and avoid the lineups) and discounts on the rest

[cruisemom42]

A related subject, I was looking at advance purchase of tickets to the Vatican, Colosseum etc. Seems like there's Italian versions of Ticketmaster in operation, one place quotes Colosseum for EU13.5, (Omniticket, seems the lowest), others quote EU22.00 and so on.

I wonder who is the genuinely lowest.

 

All of the sites are going to add a service charge; some charge more than others.

 

There's really no need to buy the Colosseum tickets in advance; you can purchase them at the (very) nearby Palatine Hill ticket office where there is never a crowd.

 

As for the Vatican, I would go straight to the source -- the official website of the Vatican Museum. There is a service charge but it is minimal and this is one place where waiting in line is a big disadvantage. You do have to choose a date and a time when making reservations this way.

[2theship]

Going back to the OP's question, it's an easy walk from Piazza Navona to the Trevi Fountain. Rather than visit the Spanish Steps, I'd personally use the time to visit the Pantheon, which is between Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain. There's no admission fee so even if you can only spend a few minutes, it's worth the investment of time.

[6rugrats]

Going back to the OP's question, it's an easy walk from Piazza Navona to the Trevi Fountain. Rather than visit the Spanish Steps,

But then you would miss out on the fun of having men trying to shove roses into your hands and then demanding money, and also watching the young women, trying to pass for old ladies begging on the steps!