Jump to content

Rome Review - How we covered all of Rome in a day on our own


VirtualRain
 Share

Recommended Posts

We recently spent a day in Rome from Civitavecchia (can anyone actually pronounce that?) and here's how you can easily avoid some lines and cover all the sights in a very effective and efficient way on your own.

 

Our plan was the result of the research here on this forum and from other sources, and so is nothing original, but it is a good validation that some of the advice I found was truly beneficial.

 

Getting to the train station

 

This is covered well elsewhere but it's worth a recap and a few special notes.

 

The ships dock in the Civitavecchia port which is extensive. Shuttle buses take you from your ship to the port entrance (near the castle). What was a bit confusing and annoying the day we got off our ship, was the fact that we were among the first off at 7:30 hoping to catch an 8AM train into Rome. However, at 7:30, the pier was a bit disorganized. There were several shuttle buses parked but it wasn't at all clear which one was leaving first. None of the bus drivers spoke a word of English and the only person on the pier from the cruise ship didn't really know what was going on either. Once a mass of people started to collect near the buses, one of them opened the door and let people aboard. Then we had to wait several minutes until the bus was full before it departed. All of this meant that we were dropped off at the port entrance about 7:55. According to my schedule there was a train to Rome at 7:59 and the next one wasn't until 8:40. I was obviously a bit concerned and annoyed that we would probably miss the 7:59 and end up on the 8:40. However, I had read that trains are notoriously late, so we double-timed it to the train station.

 

From the port entrance it's a short 10 minute walk along the water front to the Train Station (5 minutes if you walk fast). When you see a road angled upward to the left, take that to get to the trainstation at the top of the road.

 

Catching the train

 

The train trip to Rome is well covered in many places on this forum, which I can summarize as follows:

- Buy a BIRG ticket from the newsstand at the train terminal (or at a shop along the way). The ticket machines in the train station will have a line of people.

- Validate your ticket using the yellow ticket box or risk a fine

- Check the monitors for the next train leaving Civi for Rome Termini and what "Bin" or platform it's on

- Go to that platform using the undergound tunnel

- Wait on the platform in an area clear of crowds so you have a fighting chance of getting a seat

 

If you don't know what a BIRG ticket is, that's a Rome transit ticket that costs about 9-Euro and covers your travel for the day on trains, metro, and buses. You can search the forums or web for additional information on the BIRG ticket.

 

Check train times using the Trenitalia site

 

Use stations Civitavecchia and Roma Ostiense (one way) for the date and approx time you desire. You will see a time table that shows the trains and the length of journey. Don't bother to buy reserve tickets online - they only work on certain trains and the BIRG is a much cheaper and better way to go.

 

Some additional advice based on our experience:

In our case, we arrived at the train station at about 8AM after double-timing it from the port. When we arrived, a train was sitting on the near platfrom... we thought we were lucky having caught the 7:59 train before it departed. Without really thinking, we quickly purchased BIRG tickets and along with several others, tried to board it. However, the conductor realized we were tourists and didn't let us on. At first we were confused and annoyed, but that caused me to check the monitors. Of course the train to Rome was not leaving on platform 1, but platform 3 and it wasn't supposed to be here for another 5 minutes. So had we got on that train, we would have ended up going the completely wrong direction. The moral of the story is, no matter how pressed for time you are, take time to check the monitors and make sure you know what platform your train is on and when it's leaving.

 

Avoiding Lineups

 

There are three potential line ups you will want to avoid (thanks to others who've posted similar advice in the past - it saved us a ton of time!)...

 

1. Coliseum tickets: The line up for Coliseum tickets can wrap around the building. I can only imagine that by 10AM it can be an hour or more long. Don't waste time in this line. Buy your combo (forum/coliseum/palentine) ticket at the Palentine Hill ticket office which is half a block south of the Coliseum. There is absolutely no line up there.

2. Vatican Museum tickets: The line up for the Vatican museum tickets can wrap around the Vatican wall... Again, I can't imagine how long the wait in this line is, but I would guess an hour or more. Buy your Vatican Museum tickets in advance online. I suggest picking the 2PM time slot for the day you are in port based on my walking itinerary below. Print the voucher out and take it with you. Proceed right inside without waiting in line and save valueable time.

3. Entrance to St. Peter's Basilica: This line is to clear security for St. Peter's Basilica and it can wrap all the way around St. Peter's square. This line up is probably visible from space! Even if you don't plan on going to the Vatican Museum, but still want to see St. Peter's Basilica, I would recommend buying Vatican Museum tickets online, swallow the added cost, and in doing so, you bypass both the museum and the Basilica line. Enjoy the museum (or breeze through it if it has no interest to you) and when you get to the Sistine Chapel, use the group tour exit to land yourself in the Basilica secured area without having to wait in the security line (since you already cleared security to enter the museum). At the back end of the Sistine chapel, there is the regular tourist exit on the left and the group tour exit on the right (with your back to the altar). Take the right exit. If there is security there, just blend into one of the tour groups there to get through. You will decend a long stair case and end up at the Cupola ticket line (short) which you can join if that's on your todo list or go down to the Basilica from there.

 

Walking tour - the most efficient way to see all the sights

 

There are plenty of alternates to this, and you can obviously plot your own route, but this particular itinerary and route was planned with a lot of thought and consideration. The primary goal was to cover all the key sights in one day without killiing ourselves. It assumes you can get off the ship around 7:30AM and don't need to be back on board until around 8PM. You may need to cut or adjust accordingly if your ship's time in port is different.

 

Besides seeing everything easily in a full day, it has a few other side benefits:

- You won't be among the massive crowds that opt to visit the Vatican in the morning (although I'm not sure they are any better in the afternoon when several ships are in port on the same day)

- You will avoid some walking late in the hottest part of the day when you are most tired

- You will see all the sites that have opening hours while they are open

- You will be able to skip the least important sights at the end of the day if you're short on time

- You will have a seat on the train back to the port at the end of the day

 

My recommended route is shown on the attached map.

 

The blue line represents a rough walking route, red lines represent metro travel

 

I'm not going to explain what these points of interest are. They either need no explanation or Google and Wikipedia are your friends in that regard.

 

1. Start by getting off the train at Roma Ostiense station.

2. Walk to Paramide metro station through the tunnel and ride to the next station, Circo Massimo

3. Walk up the street and notice Palantine Hill on your left... mid-block buy your combo ticket at their ticket office (see avoiding lineups above)

4. Proceed to the Arch of Constantine and the Coliseum

5. Enter the Coliseum without waiting in line as you already have a ticket

6. Head to the Forum and explore that using your combo ticket

7. Leave the forum via the north west corner and come around a large building there to get an excellent vantage point of the forum from above at street level

8. Head out front of the giant white marble monument to Victor Emmanuel II

9. Proceed to the Pantheon by zig zagging up the streets

10. Enjoy the Pantheon (free)

11. Head to Piazza Navona for lunch. If you followed this itinerary so far, you will probably arive here around noon and you will want to leave here around 1:15 or 1:30. There are lots of sidewalk cafes, arts and craft vendors in the square, amazing architecture and a few beautiful fountains.

12. After lunch (around 1:15 to 1:30), cross the bridge towards the Supreme Court building and then pass by the Castle of St. Angelo

13. Head towards the Vatican, but before entering the main square, turn North and head around the wall to the Vatican Museum Entrance. With your pre-purchased ticket in-hand, proceed directly inside without waiting in line. If you follow this itinerary, buy tickets for 2PM.

14. Enjoy (or not) the extremely crowded museum and Sistine chapel (there are some stunning rooms but they are hard to appreciate in thick crowds). Exit through the group entrance (see Avoiding lineups above)

15. Head up the Cupola (top of the Basilica). You can pay either 7-Euro for an elevator ride part ways (and climb 350 stairs) or 5-Euro to climb all 550 stairs. It's probably worth the extra 2-Euro to save your energy.

16. After the Cupola, you will end up in St. Peter's Basilica (see Avoiding Lineups above).

17. Head out through St. Peter's square and the main gate of the Vatican but turn north again and retrace your earlier route but instead of going to the Museum Entrance continue north a few blocks to the metro station.

18. Use your BIRG ticket for the Metro and Watch out for pickpockets - this is where they like to operate

19. At this point it will probably be around 4PM. If you still have time left in your day (see below about calculating what time you need to leave Rome), take the train to Spagna and complete the rest of the itinerary outlined below. If you are short on time, you can simply skip one or both of the last two points of interest and continue on the metro to Termini to catch the train back to port.

19. Exit the metro at the Spanish Steps. Good designer shopping is in this area if you prefer and have time.

20. Work your way to the Trevi Fountain.

21. Get back on the metro at the nearest station and head to Termini

22. Exit the Metro at the Termini train station.

 

Calculating when you need to leave Rome

 

Be sure to work backwards from your required back on board time, subtracting 15-20 minutes for getting from the train to the ship and subtracting the duration of the train ride. Then I would pick the train leaving before the last one that meets your schedule needs. This gives you some added buffer in case the train is late or something else happens. Of course, if you get to Termini earlier than planned, just take the next scheduled train.

 

Example:

Back on board: 8PM

Train to ship: 20 min

Train Ride: 65 min

Leave Rome by: 6:35PM

Last train before this: 6:28PM

Train before that: 6:00PM <- Shoot for this train

 

Returning to the Port

 

At Roma Termini station, check the monitors for the next train to Civi or talk to the ticket agents in the station. Your BIRG ticket covers your return trip. It may be a 10-15min walk from the main terminal to your train platform so be prepared if you are trying to catch a train that is leaving in minutes or are cutting it close to your required departure time.

 

Check train times using the Trenitalia site

 

Use stations Roma Termini and Civitavecchia (one way) for the date and approx time you desire

 

You will see a time table that shows the trains and the length of journey

You should find that trains run about every half hour or so around the end of the day.

 

Summary

 

We had a fabulous day, saw everything we wanted to without being stressed, and did so without spending much money at all.

 

I hope this helps and saves you from feeling like you need to spend a lot of money on a private/ship tour in order to see and enjoy everything.

 

Our total cost for this day was:

BIRG: 9

Combo ticket: 12

Vatican ticket: 14 (purchased in advance)

Cupola ticket: 7

= Total: 42-Euro per person plus food/drinks

Edited by VirtualRain
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pictures in order of the walking tour itinerary I posted above...

 

p972709749-4.jpg

 

 

p768653874-4.jpg

 

The forum from the vantage point I mentioned in the walking tour...

 

p847711790-4.jpg

 

The monument to Victor Emmanuel II

 

p1013046413-4.jpg

 

 

The Pantheon...

 

p877045126-4.jpg

 

Piazza Navona...

 

p630534410-4.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tiber River and the Vatican City in the distance...

 

p628424925-4.jpg

 

Supreme Court of Rome...

 

p630935407-4.jpg

 

Gallery of Maps in the Vatican Museum...

 

p444683181-4.jpg

 

 

Sistine Chapel...

 

p383426289-4.jpg

 

View of St. Peter's Square and Central Rome from the Cupola...

(note the size of the line to get into the Basilica)

 

p150539397-4.jpg

 

Inside the Basilica...

 

p443207736-4.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great pictures, what kind of camera did you use?

 

The only thing I would quibble with in your write-up is suggesting going through the Vatican Museums in order to avoid the line for the basilica. The line at the basilica can be long but I've waited on it many times and it moves quickly; it would not be a time savings to go all the way through the museums just to avoid it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wonderful Review and Photos!!!

 

Your advice can also be useful for those that have more time in Rome too! I plan to save your info and put it into my file for my trip planning for next summer.

 

Thanks again. And your photos give some good angles I had not utilized last summer but will try to this coming summer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two points -

 

First of all, your topic header was wrong. You did not cover "all" of Rome in a day. You did not even cover a little bit of it. On one trip to Rome, my wife and I got on public transportation and spent half a day just riding around the city. We did it because she had a bad blister on her foot and could not walk but it was still a totally unplanned and enjoyable experience.

 

Second and more important, you were so busy trying to see "all" of Rome and keeping up with your schedule that you spent almost no time seeing anything in depth. By rushing about, you missed the essence of Rome.

 

Imagine trying to see all of New York City in a day. Well, you did the same thing in Rome.

 

I would prefer to pick one or 2 things that were of special interest to me (even if they were not #1 or #2 on the CC or TripAdvisor to-see list) and enjoying them instead of worrying if I was going to make it to the next site.

 

Just my opinion.

 

DON

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two points -

 

First of all, your topic header was wrong. You did not cover "all" of Rome in a day. You did not even cover a little bit of it. On one trip to Rome, my wife and I got on public transportation and spent half a day just riding around the city. We did it because she had a bad blister on her foot and could not walk but it was still a totally unplanned and enjoyable experience.

 

Second and more important, you were so busy trying to see "all" of Rome and keeping up with your schedule that you spent almost no time seeing anything in depth. By rushing about, you missed the essence of Rome.

 

Imagine trying to see all of New York City in a day. Well, you did the same thing in Rome.

 

I would prefer to pick one or 2 things that were of special interest to me (even if they were not #1 or #2 on the CC or TripAdvisor to-see list) and enjoying them instead of worrying if I was going to make it to the next site.

 

Just my opinion.

 

DON

 

Like most things what works well for one person might not for another person.

 

Personally I really appreciate the original poster taking the time to write a very thorough review and to share so many nice photos.

 

For some seeing a lot of sites works well in limited time.

 

For others they would rather see just a few sites.

 

Keith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can see from your EXIF data that you were using a Canon 7D :) I have the same camera. Which lens were you using? I need to get something more wide angled for my excursions. Fill me in if you get a chance.

 

Excellent review and photos.

 

Indeed... it is a Canon 7D and the lens that's on my camera most of the time is the Canon 17-55 f2.8 EFS IS lens. However, as you noted, in Rome, I also took along my Canon 10-22 ultra wide angle which came in handy for capturing many of the shots I posted.

 

The only thing I would quibble with in your write-up is suggesting going through the Vatican Museums in order to avoid the line for the basilica. The line at the basilica can be long but I've waited on it many times and it moves quickly; it would not be a time savings to go all the way through the museums just to avoid it.

 

Yeah, I only could guess at the length of time one would spend in the line for the Basilica... as you can see from my picture from the Cupola, it wrapped all the way around St. Peter's square. But I have to agree, if it moves quickly, and you otherwise have no interest in the museum, then my advice is off the mark.

 

Two points -

 

First of all, your topic header was wrong. You did not cover "all" of Rome in a day. You did not even cover a little bit of it. On one trip to Rome, my wife and I got on public transportation and spent half a day just riding around the city. We did it because she had a bad blister on her foot and could not walk but it was still a totally unplanned and enjoyable experience.

 

Second and more important, you were so busy trying to see "all" of Rome and keeping up with your schedule that you spent almost no time seeing anything in depth. By rushing about, you missed the essence of Rome.

 

Imagine trying to see all of New York City in a day. Well, you did the same thing in Rome.

 

I would prefer to pick one or 2 things that were of special interest to me (even if they were not #1 or #2 on the CC or TripAdvisor to-see list) and enjoying them instead of worrying if I was going to make it to the next site.

 

Just my opinion.

 

DON

 

Yeah, I certainly use the term "all of Rome" loosely, but it does cover most of the landmarks and sights that first time visitors to Rome would put on their to-do list. And of course, I agree that you don't see anything in depth, but that's almost the nature of cruising... visit a port each day and at best get a cursory experience to determine if it warrants going back to spend more time.

 

Rome is certainly one such city. We will be going back and will not go back when there are 5 ships and 15,000 tourists in town. That's the worst way to see Rome, really, whether you try to cover a lot of ground or just one or two things.

 

In fact, on a busy port day, I feel you're better off trying to see a lot of different things to get an overall feel and then come back when it's not so busy or in the off season to really explore what interests you most in more depth. For example, I'm not really a museum guy, but the Vatican Museum is amazing, yet when it's wall-to-wall people and you're being herded like cattle through there, it's no fun whether you choose to spend all day in there or just 1 hour. Frankly, on the day we were there, all we wanted to do was get out of there, and come back some other time when there were no crowds. But had we not experienced it briefly, we'd have no idea whether it was something we really wanted to explore further or not.

 

So I absolutely agree with you about wanting to see some thiings with more time, but this is a cruise forum where most people have a day to cover a lot of ground and not really a forum for how to spend a week in Rome - which is what would be required to do it right.

 

For the average cruiser, I suspect my advice and recommendations are probably very helpful... it was for me which is why I chose to share it in compiled form ;)

Edited by VirtualRain
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Virtual Rain should be commended for sharing his/her experience and putting together a great day where he/she hit many of the Rome Highlights. Yes, it sounds like a bit of a whirlwind and of course some sights were missed but with just one day and a desire to see as much as possible on a tight budget the poster accomplished his mission. To each his own. With these one day itineraries some want to just soak up the culture and maybe hit one or two sights, others want to run about see as much as they can. Just like some like the DIY option and others like the comfort and convenience of a small tour group and don't mind paying the cost. Virtual Rain gives some great tips for the DIY folks! Great pictures too!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great detailed info on getting from the ship to Rome and making it back to the ship ON TIME! We have cruised from Rome (Civitavecchia) twice spending several days in Rome each time. We were able to take our time and get the "essence of Rome." Our next cruise (Carnival Breeze) will visit Rome for one day (bummer) and I find this information very useful.

Trying to see so many things in Rome in one day is difficult and anyone can alter the OP's schedule to meet their own desires, but the shortcuts to getting passes and bypassing lines is very useful. I have read these same same shortcuts while researching prior trips, but it is still nice to have these points posted in a concise manner.

When planning our Europe cruises, I start a Word document for each of our ports and copy and paste any useful info related to those ports to the appropriate file for me to compile final plans from. This post will certainly be part of my Rome file.

Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two points -

 

First of all, your topic header was wrong. You did not cover "all" of Rome in a day. You did not even cover a little bit of it. On one trip to Rome, my wife and I got on public transportation and spent half a day just riding around the city. We did it because she had a bad blister on her foot and could not walk but it was still a totally unplanned and enjoyable experience.

 

Second and more important, you were so busy trying to see "all" of Rome and keeping up with your schedule that you spent almost no time seeing anything in depth. By rushing about, you missed the essence of Rome.

 

Imagine trying to see all of New York City in a day. Well, you did the same thing in Rome.

 

I would prefer to pick one or 2 things that were of special interest to me (even if they were not #1 or #2 on the CC or TripAdvisor to-see list) and enjoying them instead of worrying if I was going to make it to the next site.

 

Just my opinion.

 

DON

 

Really? The OP took some serious time & effort to post this. While attempting to see it "all" in a day might not suit everyone, for some, it's their one & only chance in Rome. I'm sure there are quite a few folks that will visit this board, & the Op's nicely detailed instructions, who are planning a once in a lifetime trip.

 

On our first Europe trip we suffered greatly from what I fondly call IMNBHA syndrome ( I may never be here again)... we may have overdone it that first time, but I would not change a thing:)

 

So, thanks again to the OP, & btw, fantastic photos, I wish I had bought a nicer camera before our last trip... but I'm sure enjoying your pictures!:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...