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

[VirtualRain]

VirtualRain - thanks for sharing your tips and photos. The pictures are gorgeous!

 

Thanks. I'm going back to Rome in Oct. and will spend a couple of nights pre-cruise... so I'm hoping to get some nice evening shots of the many monuments to add to my collection :D

[miri18]

thanks sooo much for giving us your tour of Rome- we will b traveling in early Dec flying into venice and cruising ports back to the states on crown princess-20 days-your info has been great planning our trip- was wondering about the weather u encounted -thanks

 

Miriam Domash

[Buranogal]

seems somethings gone wrong here?? Would be so kind to tell me how to look up Athens board re DIY. I know Im a computer dummy sorry thamks heaps[

 

 

 

quote=cruisemom42;34342440]For the train, see eurocruiser's post above. It is doable as long as your luggage is manageable -- probably not more than a medium suitcase (24" to 25") and one backpack or carry-on that can be actually carried. You'll have to get the luggage onto and off the train on your own. The metro will also be fine but perhaps crowded.

 

I've done Athens on my own several times. IMO the only concern would be if there is a transportation strike during your visit. These seem to be less frequent now than last year. I don't think many people who say it is unsafe have actually done it. They are just pushing their favorite taxi or driver service. :rolleyes:

 

There is a ton of info on the Athens board on DIY, including a very recent post from someone detailing how they did it step by step.

[euro cruiser]

I provided a link to the Greece board for you in post #122 of this thread.

[VirtualRain]

thanks sooo much for giving us your tour of Rome- we will b traveling in early Dec flying into venice and cruising ports back to the states on crown princess-20 days-your info has been great planning our trip- was wondering about the weather u encounted -thanks

 

Miriam Domash

 

When I was there in Oct. it had rained in the early morning hours but turned out to be a very nice day.

[jb12]

This should be renamed into Rome in one day tour guide. So much info. It'll take more than a day just to see pix and read comments.

[canadagiveaways]

By far the best photos I've seen in a review on cruise critic!! Can I just steal them and pretend I took them :) jk....I did buy a new camera for my trip just not nearly as good as yours.

 

Thanks for the tips - we'll be doing a similar itinerary in september (without colosseum, moving spanish steps/trevi to morning) so this helps!

[Pushka]

Just re reading this thread after our day in Rome in July. While we did the ships train into St Pietro which was a little cheat, we toured the rest of Rome DIY. We had tickets for the Vatican for 10am which we made in time. The museums were a little crowded but in some rooms we were the only ones there. We did the quick trip to the Sistine Chapel but still toured the Borgia apartment which was a must for me. At the Sistine Chapel we took the tour exit on the right, we still had our RCI train sticker so maybe that helped. That was the best decision! Down the stairs and virtually no line to get into the Basilica. We were blown away! We aren't Catholic, not even religious but we were in awe!

 

Next, a $12 taxi to Colosseum. We had tickets online so straight to the front of the HUGE line. Then we walked along the forum area then grabbed a luscious nectarine along the way to near the Pantheon. Had lunch, pizza, then onto the Pantheon. Then Trevi fountain. Gelato. Then back to the station.

So we did a semi DIY and had an amazing day. And feel we captured some of the spirit of Rome.

[VirtualRain]

This should be renamed into Rome in one day tour guide. So much info. It'll take more than a day just to see pix and read comments.

 

By far the best photos I've seen in a review on cruise critic!! Can I just steal them and pretend I took them :) jk....I did buy a new camera for my trip just not nearly as good as yours.

 

Thanks for the tips - we'll be doing a similar itinerary in september (without colosseum, moving spanish steps/trevi to morning) so this helps!

 

Thanks! It's the least I could give back to this community after all I learned here. :)

[Margarita Jane]

I saw your post on Naples and the Hertz car rental locations...the Hertz site shows a location at Naples Harbour Via Marina. The google map does not show it that close to the cruise ship terminal. There is another Hertz location that some say is right at the cruise ship terminal. It is called Mergellina Railway Station and says it is located inside the harbor at Naples. Do you know which location you used for your car rental?

 

Thanks -

 

~ Jane

[VirtualRain]

I saw your post on Naples and the Hertz car rental locations...the Hertz site shows a location at Naples Harbour Via Marina. The google map does not show it that close to the cruise ship terminal. There is another Hertz location that some say is right at the cruise ship terminal. It is called Mergellina Railway Station and says it is located inside the harbor at Naples. Do you know which location you used for your car rental?

 

Thanks -

 

~ Jane

 

I'll answer in that Naples thread for the benefit of future folks... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1515397

[carumba7]

So, when you say you did a little cheat. What does that mean? Did they question when you left the group? Which one did you do?

[Pushka]

My cheat is that I didn't use the public train but the ships train. So I didn't really do a complete DIY like Virtual Rain. Once the train gets to St Pietro station then you are on your own for the day. And then you regroup when time to go back.

[KristinTravels]

My cheat is that I didn't use the public train but the ships train. So I didn't really do a complete DIY like Virtual Rain. Once the train gets to St Pietro station then you are on your own for the day. And then you regroup when time to go back.

 

I was thinking about this too. Is it actually a seperate train? or is it just a private car on the train for the cruise passangers?

 

Would like to hear more about this experience. TIA!

[Pushka]

Hi there. It is a separate train. It has several carriages and each cruise line has a separate carriage. There were four cruise lines in Rome that day. A bus takes to from the ship to the train which is on a line separate to the public line and you travel very slowly for about five minutes. Then you pull into but don't stop at Civitavecchia station and then you travel very fast. We arrived into St P station at 9.25. Very comfortable seats and air conditioned. Very easy to have a nap on the way back. :)

[JLC@SD]

Thanks! It's the least I could give back to this community after all I learned here. :)

Thanks for an informative schedule ....for those interested in seeing Rome's sites the way you did.

[VirtualRain]

Thanks for an informative schedule ....for those interested in seeing Rome's sites the way you did.

 

Yeah, thanks. Hopefully it's helpful even if you don't plan on seeing things the way we did...

 

One thing I found missing when I was planning my day in Rome was a good map of where all the key monuments and sights were... so I could begin to try and figure out an effective way to visit them... and what else I could see in addition to my top priorities, without going too far out of my way. Never mind, how to factor public transportation efficiently into the plan.

 

Google maps is not particularly helpful, I find, in planning a sight seeing walking tour. It's good with specific addresses but terrible with monuments and sights. As you can see from my rather crude attempt to plot my path on a Google Map in the early part of this thread... it's terrible. Alas, there's nothing quite like a good old-fashioned tourist map. Unfortunately, those are increasingly difficult to find these days. :o If anyone has found a good one of Rome, please share.

[KristinTravels]

I would love to know of a good map online as well!

[Pushka]

I have an iPhone and found some good and free tourist books with maps that could be zoomed, in the app store. I'm sure android stores would have the same.

[KristinTravels]

It looks like you can't edit posts after a short time... what a mess.

 

Anyway, here's the map... (click for full size)

 

 

This map just went into the planning binder for my cruise! Thank you!

[taznremmy]

I'm spending 4 pre-cruise days in Rome at the end of October and I am so glad I found your post. What a wealth of information and awesome pictures too! Yes, I read the entire thread, and for the record, in my mind, you are the "handsome dude" in the photos you posted :D.

 

Worth mentioning - I came across tripomatic dot com which was helpful in planning where to go. It has a map feature that allows you to plot and print your own route. Fun to play with. Thanks to everyone for all the great information on this thread.

[KCcruisin07]

Loved the plan and the wealth of information about Rome DIY in a Day. The pictures were awesome, and the map is helpful too.

It's obvious that you did a lot of research to develop your plan.

[VirtualRain]

Thanks!

 

For those interested in what I did on my 2nd trip to Rome, I've posted another thread with details on our pre-cruise stay in Rome this year...

 

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1733772

Edited November 6, 2012 by VirtualRain

[Biz64]

Hi we are planning to do the vatican museum and st peter's in may. Just wanted to know for the people who did the same how, how long does it take to go through it? Would 2 hours be doable? I'm planing to take the short cut in the Sistine Chapel.

[KristinTravels]

Two hours is not enough. That would be like doing a drive through version of the museum. Plus you need to account for crowds.

 

There will be lots and lots of people there, it not only makes it difficult to see items which slows you down to see items. the Vatican museums were not built to process thousands of people a day but yet it does.

 

We did the vatican museums in 3 hours, was in the sistine chapel for probably 10 minutes at most of that time and didn't make it to St. Peter's Cathedral before having to meet up again with the cruise transfer group. We also had a private guide to take us through.

 

I would give yourself 3.5-4 hours if you want to have a good time and actually see and appreciate the musuems.