3 Pre-Cruise Nights in Rome

[cadburysmom]

As far as tours in Rome, check out Icon Tours www.icontours.com Small groups(ours had 8) with wonderful guides. Our tour of Colosseum and Forum was excellent.

 

Our other favorite was one I booked for my 13 yr old son but all the adults in the group enjoyed it just as much...Dark Rome Ghosts, Legends and Mysteries of Rome Walking Tour. Great stuff. Our guide, Roberto, didn't hold back. Not like the cheesy, hokey ghost tours here in the States. Very interesting tales of horrific crimes and such. And being there at night made it all the more wonderfully spooky. One couple had to leave as it was a little too much for some and I questioned letting my son hear more but it was true history and SO interesting. What a great night out!

 

http://www.darkrome.com/legends_and_mysteries_of_rome.aspx?id=5

[pete_coach]

Lots of great suggestions and why shouldn't I have some too LOL.

First, hotels, there are many many hotels and most are very good. For a short stay, location is everything. I agree with those saying to stay in the Pantheon area. I will go one step more and say., try and stay either in Piazza Navonna or, my first choice Piazza Campo di Fiorio. De Fiorio is a vibrant market by day and a fabulous restaurant are at night. A wonderful hotel there is my favorite in Rome, The Hotel Campo de Fiorio http://www.hotelcampodefiori.com/inglese/hotel.htm The hotel is fantastic and it is located in the very middle of everything. You can easily walk to all the sites.

The best deal we found and we had a great time too was the free walking tour. Free is always good (a small tip is appreciated of course)The guides were informative, friendly and funny. Our guide stayed with us and showed us a fantastic little tratorria were we went for dinner and drinks after the tour.

http://www.romefreetour.com/

http://www.newromefreetour.com/nrft/homepage.html

[tobes]

After reading these boards mutliple times, I have decided that there are more tour companies in Rome than any other place I have been in the world. The problem for me is that most of them are great if you are a group of 6 or 8. I am a group of one! so the prices are not affordable. What do you all recommend for those of us who travel solo?

[euro cruiser]

After reading these boards mutliple times, I have decided that there are more tour companies in Rome than any other place I have been in the world. The problem for me is that most of them are great if you are a group of 6 or 8. I am a group of one! so the prices are not affordable. What do you all recommend for those of us who travel solo?

Many of the services recommended do not require you to come as a group, they will make up a group with other travelers. Both Icon and Context Rome, which have already been noted, do this. Most others do as well.

[texancruzer]

In Rome, the first one that comes to mind is Angel Tours. They do group tours of the Vatican (museums, Chapel and Basilica) in groups of 12 -15 and you can join the group as a single......

 

they also do free (yep free) Pantheon tours on certain evenings, don't recall right off which ones...... anybody can join in on that one too.

 

Just do a web search for "Angel Tours Rome"

 

Now, in Naples area APTours will take your name, date you'll be there and times and if they can put a group tour together you can join that as a single too........

 

Just do a web search for APTours.

 

Hope this helps

[azlove2cruise]

Lots of great suggestions and why shouldn't I have some too LOL.

First, hotels, there are many many hotels and most are very good. For a short stay, location is everything. I agree with those saying to stay in the Pantheon area. I will go one step more and say., try and stay either in Piazza Navonna or, my first choice Piazza Campo di Fiorio. De Fiorio is a vibrant market by day and a fabulous restaurant are at night. A wonderful hotel there is my favorite in Rome, The Hotel Campo de Fiorio http://www.hotelcampodefiori.com/inglese/hotel.htm The hotel is fantastic and it is located in the very middle of everything. You can easily walk to all the sites.

The best deal we found and we had a great time too was the free walking tour. Free is always good (a small tip is appreciated of course)The guides were informative, friendly and funny. Our guide stayed with us and showed us a fantastic little tratorria were we went for dinner and drinks after the tour.

http://www.romefreetour.com/

http://www.newromefreetour.com/nrft/homepage.html

 

Great hotel suggestion! The photos are gorgeous! It's a bit pricey, but maybe with the free tours, it would help a little bit...I didn't even know they had free tours. Wonder why they do that?

[azlove2cruise]

OK...I posted this message last year while I was in the early stages of planning. I figured I would post what I now plan to do to see what you guys think:

 

Sunday AM Arrival - RIL xfer from airport to hotel (Rome Cavalieri). Shower, maybe nap, maybe not. We're coming from PHX, so super long flight.

 

Sunday PM - RIL evening tour (3 hours). I want to see the sights right away and at night sounds really cool. Includes transporatation from the hotel.

 

Monday - Full Day Tour with RIL (Forum, Pantheon, Colosseum, Appian Way, etc. etc...EXCEPT Vatican). Includes transporatation to and from the hotel, but no guide, just the driver (although I'm thinking about a guide for the Colosseum at 150 EU through RIL. Thought process here without the Vatican is to take advantage of the fact that we have more than 1 day in Rome. And, if we have to pay an additional 200EU for the Vatican guide, I found another tour (see below) that includes early access, tickets, and a guide. Otherwise, we would certainly squeeze it in all in one day. Any other ideas on what we should ask RIL to take us to see? I read something about a "key hole", for instance.

 

Tuesday - AM Walks of Italy Pristine Sistine tour (3.5 hrs), walk around, eat lunch for 2-3 hours, then PM Walks of Italy Crypts and Bones and Catacombs tour (3.5 hrs). Includes tickets and a guide, but no transportation. So, we will need to taxi to the Vatican and taxi back to the hotel after our crypts tour. Why aren't we using RIL? I found these 2 tours, and they sounded really nice. The Pristine Sistine in particular gets you in the doors 1 hr before the crowds and the tour group is no larger than 12 people. They include the tour guide and skip the line tickets. The crypts and bones and catacombs includes yet another catacomb, yes, but it also takes you to see the Capuchin crypt made of human bones and a multli-layer basilica. Now, this tour company requires full payment by CC in advance...unlike RIL, so that's a bit of a bummer.

 

Wednesday - RIL xfer to the cruiseship. What time do you recommend we leave Rome for the ship?

[euro cruiser]

Wow! At those prices they better be providing a PhD. in each subject area just for your party.

 

I'm at a loss to understand why you'd need a driver (except to go back and forth from your hotel, which is a bit out of town) to cover a two mile area in the historical center. I understand why people go that route when on a port day, but when you are already in town? Taxis are readily available and you could take a dozen or more trips by cab for the cost of a driver for the day.

[azlove2cruise]

Wow! At those prices they better be providing a PhD. in each subject area just for your party.

 

 

No kidding! And, I'm going with my dad who is a West Point grad and whip smart. Nothing gets past him. Our driver/tour guides better know what they're talking about or he'll have his way with them! In all seriousness, though, I have to admit, I was confused about the RIL model at first, second, and third pass through these boards. But, the majority of folks, even if not on just a 1 day port stop, still rave about using them for multiple days. Once I did realize that you don't get a guide, and that you get a car or mini van(albeit a nice clean one) with a driver that can't go into the sites with you, I did start to second guess my decision to use them. Am I just being shuttled around? But, ultimately, I was swayed by the multiple posts from people using them not just for a one day see-it-all now tour, but from others who used them for multiple days while in Rome...just like us. But, I am only using them for the night tour when we first get in, and the full day tour the next day, sans the Vatican. Apparently, the drivers do give you a ton of information, and it's a way to save on cost if you don't feel you need a guide. We are a party of 5, so the cost is a little easier to bear. And, for us, I think I like the idea of using RIL, and knowing that we are in good hands. Our Vatican and Crypt tour is just a tour with a tour guide...no driver. So, I'll get to experience the taxi-thing then. And hopefully their guides are top notch!

[texancruzer]

Wowza..... no offense but you are kinda wasting money here. Rome is so compact that most sights (almost all) are easily walked when you have so much time.

 

In fact, that is really the best part. Walking, I mean. You never know what is around the next corner...... a neat fountain tucked in a corner, an interesting obelisk in a small piazza, etc etc. With a driver (no guide) you are pretty much just getting driven from point a to point b and usually the van won't get right up close anyway. Much of Rome is pedestrian only. As for drivers giving lots of info - well hmmmm not really.

 

I would second euro cruisers sentiment. Taxis are plentiful and would be a lot cheaper IF you found you needed to NOT walk. For instance, we took one from the Vatican to the Coliseum on our first trip. But the Pantheon, Piazza Navonna, Trevi, Coliseum/Forum, Campo di Fiori and even the Vatican are easily walked from one to the other........

 

Save your $$$ for guides ONCE inside.

 

NOW, the Pristine Sistine sounds great ! as does the crypts tour.

 

We always head for the port @ 11:00 - 11:30 am and have always had a real quick check in and get on real fast !

 

PS: Don't nap...... try to get on Europe time immediately. Stroll ! Even Rick Steves says that jet lag hates exercise ! and to get your clock on local time asap. Hit the hay early tho...... say 9:00 pm or shortly after, get a good nights sleep and you will be surprised how you will be ready to go the next morning....