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

[ollienbertsmum]

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.

 

I agree, two hours is not enough - you need to choose either the Vatican Museum or taking in more of the sights in less detail. It is a pity, but Rome needs time. It is still one of my favourite cruise stops. Lucky you.

[VirtualRain]

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.

 

It's totally doable. Is that enough time to see it properly? If you're museum lovers... definitely not. However, if you just want to see some of the highlights, then absolutely you can do it in 2hrs.

 

On our first visit (documented in the original post), 2 hrs is about the time we spent on the Vatican grounds including the museum (the hall of maps is something else), Sistine chapel, the cupola at the top of St. Peter's and the main halls of St. Peter's. It was a good amount of time to see the highlights and get a feel for what it's all about.

 

Since we're not museum types, we probably won't go back to the Vatican museum. However, when we went back to Rome again this year, we did visit St. Peter's again, and spent a bit more time soaking in the devine atmosphere.

 

If you're museum lovers, you will want to spend more time but honestly, I would not recommend you try to do it during the day on any regular day. The only way to do it right in my opinion would be to catch it on a slow day, if there is such a thing, or perhaps first thing in the morning, or after hours. The rest of the time, you'll be packed in like cattle, and you will not enjoy the experience to the fullest. All I could think of after 30 minutes of being jostled around was "how do I get out of this place?!" They simply let way too many people in at one time. It's hard to appreciate ancient art and antiquities when you're fighting for room like on the floor of a rock concert. It's really not enjoyable and if you are a true museum buff then it would be even more grating to have to navigate the volume of people there.

Edited January 10, 2013 by VirtualRain

[Biz64]

Thanks so much for the info! We really are not museum people, just mainly want to see the Sistine Chapel and maybe walk the hall of maps. We probably will want to spend a little more time in the basilica and even the square outside. I cant believe you even climbed the capula in such a short amount of time! I think we are gonna try and plan for closer to 3 hours so I feel very optimistic after reading your post. We are hoping to pretty much go to all the places you visited except we will start at the Vatican. We are also gong to use Smart Cruise Tours for a private van do drive us there and back and to the different locations. I'm hoping this saves us some time too. Thank you again for your wonderful reviews!

[VirtualRain]

Have a great trip. I'll be interested in your own report on your day in Rome. Please share if you get a chance.

[cruisemom42]

If you're museum lovers, you will want to spend more time but honestly, I would not recommend you try to do it during the day on any regular day. The only way to do it right in my opinion would be to catch it on a slow day, if there is such a thing, or perhaps first thing in the morning, or after hours. The rest of the time, you'll be packed in like cattle, and you will not enjoy the experience to the fullest. All I could think of after 30 minutes of being jostled around was "how do I get out of this place?!" They simply let way too many people in at one time. It's hard to appreciate ancient art and antiquities when you're fighting for room like on the floor of a rock concert. It's really not enjoyable and if you are a true museum buff then it would be even more grating to have to navigate the volume of people there.

 

It's mainly the rooms along the path to the Sistine Chapel that get uncomfortably packed on most days. I've been in less frequented areas of the museum (e.g., the Etruscan Galleries) during "prime hours" and shared them with only a handful of others. Even the Roman galleries haven't seemed very crowded.

 

Unfortunately, most people (and guided tours) allow for only brief deviations from the Sistine path. And that can be very crowded indeed.

[Peteymil]

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 noticed the ship's excursions list a train ride into Rome, and also a motorcoach. Then you can diy. Does one have an advantage over the other (they are the same price and duration).

[CCJack]

excellent post ... thanks.

 

A couple questions....forgive me I have not been there, but this alternate group exit at the end of the sistine chapel.. Is this walking past people who have been waiting in line for 2 hours and somehow blending in with a group to get in the front of the line.?? This sounds more like cheating than a shortcut. Maybe I am missing something.

 

Also, I have not seen any posts about ticket costs for Vatican Museums, approximately how much are they?

 

thanks again for an excellent post.

[cruisemom42]

excellent post ... thanks.

 

A couple questions....forgive me I have not been there, but this alternate group exit at the end of the sistine chapel.. Is this walking past people who have been waiting in line for 2 hours and somehow blending in with a group to get in the front of the line.?? This sounds more like cheating than a shortcut. Maybe I am missing something.

 

Also, I have not seen any posts about ticket costs for Vatican Museums, approximately how much are they?

 

thanks again for an excellent post.

 

No, it's not that.

 

There are two doors in the back of the Sistine Chapel. As you are facing the back, the one to the right (often marked with a sign that says "Tour Groups Only") lets you take a shortcut. If you look at a map, you can see the location of the Sistine chapel is not far from the entrance to St. Peters. This lets you take the "direct" route.

 

If you choose not to do that, you will need to take the door to the left and walk all the way back to the entrance of the Vatican museum, where you came in. (About 20-25 minutes if you keep moving, longer if you get delayed due to crowds.) Then you'll need to walk outside AROUND the buildings that house the museum until you arrive at the entrance to St. Peter's.

 

So....it's not so much the line you're avoiding (although there is sometimes a line waiting for the security screen), it's the 45-minute or so walk. (Hence the term shortcut....)

 

As regards ticket prices, see the official Vatican museum site here, where you can look at the description of various tours and order tickets:

 

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html

Edited January 30, 2013 by cruisemom42

[bchebtrfly]

Thank you for this. We plan on doing very much the same thing in May. Swapping out the Vatican for a nice lunch though. :-) I was going to have us arriving into Roma Termini instead of Roma Ostiense. Is one better than the other? I have heard that Termini can be hard to navigate and I thought arriving into it might help us get our bearings a little better since we'll need to return from that station. Taking the metro to the Colosseo stop of course.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We did something similar in 2011, got on and off train at St. Peters, it was a Sunday so the museum was closed although the Pope was going to talk so the lines and security were long. We also included some time in the Jewish Ghetto and had time for a quick visit to scratch the surface of Rome. Plan to do this again in May with my daughter and parents with a couple of hours longer cruise stop.

 

We used the BIRG ticket and used it on the metro twice - being a Sunday and with the Pope talking Rome was packed as were the metro trains!!!

Edited January 31, 2013 by Julia’s Journey’s

[aniasaniaslady]

hi,thats sounds great,we,re going on our first cruise sept'13 to celebrate our 30th anniversary and rome is one of our ports of call.

[VirtualRain]

Thank you for this. We plan on doing very much the same thing in May. Swapping out the Vatican for a nice lunch though. :-) I was going to have us arriving into Roma Termini instead of Roma Ostiense. Is one better than the other? I have heard that Termini can be hard to navigate and I thought arriving into it might help us get our bearings a little better since we'll need to return from that station. Taking the metro to the Colosseo stop of course.

 

Termini is a large train station but fairly easy to navigate. I would get off the train at whatever station gets you closest to where you want to start your day. For us that was Ostiense as well.

 

On the return, As I mentioned in the original post, there is a benefit to returning via Termini in that you can pretty much guarantee a seat on the train. Getting on at Ostiense or San Pietro you may risk having standing room only.

[Sunsailor]

Hi Virtual rain,

I have recommended your post to some first timers who want to "do it themselves" in Rome on our CC roll call. I'm sure it will be immensely valuable. Great Job!

[Riggy84]

Thank you to the OP for this info!

Just last night my hubby went a little mad when i told him the cost of Rome In Limo! At least doing it this way will keep the costs down and probably make us both fitter!!

I have a few questions.

Our ship is in port 6am-7pm. If we go straight to the colosseum, is there a chance we will be hanging around waiting for it to open? I believe it opens at 8.30. Is it worth doing the Spanish steps and Trevi first and then head to the colosseum? If so, going by the OPs map he made, whats the best way to change the route? (Metro or walk? And which stops)

 

Also i noticed on poster saying they arrived at the Vatican way before their scheduled time and they were allowed in early. Does this happen often or do they tend to stick to the times on the ticket? I'm still unsure of the time to book, and don't want to rush OR hang about waiting either!

If we are a bit pushed for time in the museums, i don't mind rushing through it if it means i get back to the ship on time. And i will be happy if i see all of what the OP suggested in his 1st post!

 

Lastly, i hear they are a bit strict on what you wear. I will be ok in a long floaty dress with a t shirt covering my shoulder, but what do men wear that is comfortable in the peak of summer? Do they just have to keep knees covered or the whole of the leg?

 

Thanks in advance for everyones help.

[euro cruiser]

Our ship is in port 6am-7pm. If we go straight to the colosseum, is there a chance we will be hanging around waiting for it to open? I believe it opens at 8.30. Is it worth doing the Spanish steps and Trevi first and then head to the colosseum?

 

Lastly, i hear they are a bit strict on what you wear. I will be ok in a long floaty dress with a t shirt covering my shoulder, but what do men wear that is comfortable in the peak of summer? Do they just have to keep knees covered or the whole of the leg?

You won't be able to get there much before opening time, so don't worry about altering your route.

 

Realistically, the earliest train you can get on from Civitavecchia will be at 6:30 or 6:40 AM, which put you at Roma Ostiense between 7:40 - 8:00, and therefore at the Colosseum between 7:55 (very best case scenario) - 8:15 (more likely). It makes more sense to use those extra minutes to orient yourself and take in your surroundings rather than race across town and back.

 

As for dress at St. Peter's basilica, they are quite strict about knees and shoulders being covered. Men can get away with "manpris" that fully cover the knees but not shorts. The question is whether or not he is willing to risk being turned away; if seeing the basilica isn't a top priority and he's willing to miss it, he can try wearing shorts that hover around the knee.

[VirtualRain]

[quote name=Riggy84;37070671

 

Lastly' date=' i hear they are a bit strict on what you wear. I will be ok in a long floaty dress with a t shirt covering my shoulder, but what do men wear that is comfortable in the peak of summer? Do they just have to keep knees covered or the whole of the leg?

 

Thanks in advance for everyones help.[/quote]

 

I agree with EuroCruiser and would add that a pair of convertible pants with zip off legs is a great investment for men. I wear a pair of these on any travel day I might expect to visit a cathedral and just attach the pant legs when needed. They usually fold into a pocket or my GFs handbag the rest of the time.

[Englishbride]

Thanks for your comment on "doing" Rome. My friends are all doing an excursion but I wanted to do only the ancient sites, so right now am alone trying to figure out where and how to do it. Can you give me some info on where you caught what, and anything else that might be helpful for an enjoyable day seeing part of Rome? Am traveling on NCL Spirit out of Barcelona, June 4th.

[VirtualRain]

Can you give me some info on where you caught what, and anything else that might be helpful for an enjoyable day seeing part of Rome?

 

In addition to the info I posted at the start of this thread, I also have additional info in another thread that reviews how we spent our second trip to Rome visiting additional sights. It's here... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1733772

[tvetan]

I have been fortunate enough to go to Rome a couple of times. Pick two or three places. Enjoy them and know you can come back. An afternoon spent sitting on the Spanish Steps, lunch at a cafe by the Pantheon or a whole day at the Vatican, p.s. the cafe in the vatican museum - best coffee in Rome. A quick bite to eat standing up at a coffee shop with the locals, now you are experiencing Rome.

[bobpell]

Did the BIRG ticket allow you to take the express train ...1 hr to Roma Termini from the port or was that only for the milk run ?

Thanks

[euro cruiser]

Did the BIRG ticket allow you to take the express train ...1 hr to Roma Termini from the port or was that only for the milk run ?

Thanks

The BIRG is only good on the regional trains, not the IC or Freccia trains.

[walkforfun]

We will be arriving in Civitavecchia on May 22 and there will be three ships in port. How difficult will it be to purchase BIRG train tickets and to get on a train to Rome and then to return? It sounded easy in the review, but possible on a busy port day? We are a family of four wanting to do Rome on our own.

[euro cruiser]

There are days when there are more than three ships in port.

 

There were at least that many the last time I did this (July a few years ago) and we walked right up to the newsstand in the train station and got them (there was one person ahead of us). Of course, there is no way to predict what you might find.

[disneykins]

Just found this review. Great info. How many miles do you figure you covered? It looks like quite a hike, don't know if we're up to it. But it hits all the spots we want to see.

Thanks for spelling it all out so clearly.

 

Wonder if it would cut the walking if we got off the train at St. Peters metro and started at the Vatican, then the Colosseum and finish up with Trevi fountain and Spanish Steps before making our way to Termini?

 

Looks like Rome is the easiest city to do DIY on our itinerary. Amalfi coast, Florence and Messina are probably going to have to be guided bus or van tours.

 

Thanks for a great review.

Tony

[euro cruiser]

How many miles do you figure you covered? It looks like quite a hike, don't know if we're up to it. But it hits all the spots we want to see.

Virtual Rain's itinerary covers about 4 miles on foot, plus a couple of metro rides.