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

[VirtualRain]

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

 

Thanks.

 

If you consider that St. Peter's, the Coliseum, and Spanish Steps (& Trevi Fountain) are roughly three points of a triangle, it doesn't matter what order you do them in, you're going to cover roughly the same amount of ground. However, as I stated in my original post, the order I propose has a couple advantages including leveraging the metro at the end of the day when you will appreciate it the most.

 

BTW, you can do all those other ports on your own as well by train or renting a car. Searching will reveal a few reports similar to this one from me and others. I never take tours.

[Girr]

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

Keep in mind if you're there during the summer it's hot! As already mentioned this "hike" is around four miles. A taxi cab between these points runs around ten euros--sometimes money well spend IMO :)

 

Barbara

[disneykins]

Thanks, virtual rain and euro cruiser, great info.

 

Metro at the end of the day does sound good. What about lines? If we did the Vatican first would we have less crowds or is it pretty busy all day?

 

4 miles of walking sounds manageable.

 

We always DIY but Amalfi coast, I don't want to drive, just enjoy it. And Florence we might take the train and find our own way once we get there.

 

Thanks again,

Tony

[nunuc2000]

Great advice and very clear walking map and details on all the info - it almost sounds like an itinerary for The Amazing Race! :D I think it would be great for someone who wants to pack it in with only one day to do it all - we were fortunate to spend 5 days in Rome prior to taking the train to Venice to meet up with our cruise last fall, but if we only had a day, a lot of what you've detailed would be on our itinerary! Well done!

 

However... I have to ask one question... you took a picture inside the Sistine Chapel? Big NO-NO! You're lucky you weren't caught. Tsk tsk.

[flyingboy]

However... I have to ask one question... you took a picture inside the Sistine Chapel? Big NO-NO! You're lucky you weren't caught. Tsk tsk.

What they dont like are professional photos using tripods etc.It is really difficult to police the photo thing and who really cares. The only reason to not allow photos is the decrease in postcard and souvenier sales and if you think about the value of the treasures in the museum the concept is ludicrous.

[VirtualRain]

What they dont like are professional photos using tripods etc.It is really difficult to police the photo thing and who really cares. The only reason to not allow photos is the decrease in postcard and souvenier sales and if you think about the value of the treasures in the museum the concept is ludicrous.

 

You're absolutely right, dozens of people were taking photos despite several being told not to by the guards. And the photography ban is all about protecting revenues... But interestingly, it's a Japanese TV network that owns the rights for all publication of the Sistine Chapel artwork. They paid for a portion of the restoration in return for all publication rights.

 

I'm always respectful of no flash photography (that's what a high ISO sensor is for) and also generally follow the rules where no photography is allowed... but I have been known to take a discretionary photo here or there where none are usually permitted ;)

[VirtualRain]

Thanks, virtual rain and euro cruiser, great info.

 

Metro at the end of the day does sound good. What about lines? If we did the Vatican first would we have less crowds or is it pretty busy all day?

 

4 miles of walking sounds manageable.

 

We always DIY but Amalfi coast, I don't want to drive, just enjoy it. And Florence we might take the train and find our own way once we get there.

 

Thanks again,

Tony

 

In terms of lines, I offer a few tips in the original post on avoiding lines which are pretty much common knowledge around here... eg. buy your Coliseum and Forum combo ticket at Palatine Hill and if you visit the Vatican Museum, buy your ticket online in advance and use that to skip the line for St. Peters.

 

My understanding is that a lot of people aim to do St. Peter's first thing in the morning. In fact, on my port day in Rome, there was a mass exodus off the train at the San Pietro station. A relative few people remained on board to Ostiense. So unless you're among the first tourists on the Vatican grounds, I suspect the line ups there are always significant. Having said that, the line for St. Peter's is a security line and does tend to move fairly quickly.

Edited May 30, 2013 by VirtualRain

[lavalleem]

VirtualRain your DIY posts for Rome, Istanbul, Athens, Mykonos and Santorini are a delight. They are just the tool I need for my trip in 10 days!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[VirtualRain]

VirtualRain your DIY posts for Rome, Istanbul, Athens, Mykonos and Santorini are a delight. They are just the tool I need for my trip in 10 days!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Thanks... I'm glad you're finding them useful.

[ROCK217]

WOW! Awesome information. We are cruising in early August, and I had decided in order to save a little money - that Rome would be one of the ports that we do on our own - kind of like an episode right off of the TV show "Amazing Race". I loved your review and am now going to find your other reviews as well! {I have printed this one off to add to my other trip documents. You have done all the homework and been so kind as to lump it all together in one post! Thank you very much!!!

Brenda

[cdwolf85]

Thanks again for all of your posts! We are doing a 6 night princess cruise september 3rd and have found that we will be following your post very close in Rome and Santorini, and the one in Mykonos gave us some good ideas as well! I am always looking back at your pictures to get excited for all of our destinations!

 

 

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[VirtualRain]

WOW! Awesome information. We are cruising in early August, and I had decided in order to save a little money - that Rome would be one of the ports that we do on our own - kind of like an episode right off of the TV show "Amazing Race". I loved your review and am now going to find your other reviews as well! {I have printed this one off to add to my other trip documents. You have done all the homework and been so kind as to lump it all together in one post! Thank you very much!!!

Brenda

 

Thanks again for all of your posts! We are doing a 6 night princess cruise september 3rd and have found that we will be following your post very close in Rome and Santorini, and the one in Mykonos gave us some good ideas as well! I am always looking back at your pictures to get excited for all of our destinations!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Thanks for the kind words. Glad it may be useful.

[fuzzywuzzy]

However... I have to ask one question... you took a picture inside the Sistine Chapel? Big NO-NO! You're lucky you weren't caught. Tsk tsk.

What they dont like are professional photos using tripods etc.It is really difficult to police the photo thing and who really cares. The only reason to not allow photos is the decrease in postcard and souvenier sales and if you think about the value of the treasures in the museum the concept is ludicrous.

 

Your own photos don't do it justice anyway I'm sure. We were there last year. Awesome. But too many people jammed in. The guards were yelling. .."NO PHOTOS"! Lol. We were lucky enough to find a seat and just sat to take it all in.

[TSUmom]

Thank you for this informative review. Although we have a long time before we get to be in Rome it will come in handy in my planning. We will be spending two days pre-cruise and are staying at the Albergo Cesari which I understand is close to everything so I will somehow take your tour and break it into 2 wonderful days. Thank you

[disneykins]

Read this thread a while ago before planning my day in Rome and thought I'd come back and re-read it to see if I missed anything. Turns out I should have just printed your page 1 because that's exactly the trip I'm planning.

 

One question, if we book the Vatican museum ticket online for 2 pm and don't get there until 3:30 for whatever reason, will they still honour it? Likewise if we got there at 1, would they let us in or would we just shuffle our schedule to be there at 2? Also when it says 2pm does that mean people with 2pm tickets start lining up at 1:30 to be the first in at 2? I know that's more than 1 question. lol.

 

Thanks again for your great info.

 

Tony and Debbie.

[fuzzywuzzy]

Read this thread a while ago before planning my day in Rome and thought I'd come back and re-read it to see if I missed anything. Turns out I should have just printed your page 1 because that's exactly the trip I'm planning.

 

One question, if we book the Vatican museum ticket online for 2 pm and don't get there until 3:30 for whatever reason, will they still honour it? Likewise if we got there at 1, would they let us in or would we just shuffle our schedule to be there at 2? Also when it says 2pm does that mean people with 2pm tickets start lining up at 1:30 to be the first in at 2? I know that's more than 1 question. lol.

 

Thanks again for your great info.

 

Tony and Debbie.

 

The whole idea for a reservation is so that you don't have to wait in the huge lineup to get in. We arrived somewhat earlier than our time reservation and the guard would not let us in. We went for a delicious cafe con leche at an outside cafe.

 

They call out the time then you just walk in. There was a long lineup for those without reservations.

[disneykins]

But what happens if you're late? Do they still let you in?

 

Thanks,

Tony

[fuzzywuzzy]

But what happens if you're late? Do they still let you in?

 

Thanks,

Tony

 

Not sure. I guess it depends how late you are. I imagine they tell you to go to the back of the line.

I would try to make it there on time if at all possible.

[Tansy Mews]

Thank you. Very useful.

 

Frances

[Riggy84]

We were an hour early. They just scanned our tickets and sent us through. They didn't even bat an eyelid!

[fuzzywuzzy]

We were an hour early. They just scanned our tickets and sent us through. They didn't even bat an eyelid!

 

Maybe it depends how busy they are. We were early and they did NOT let us in. We went to find an outside cafe which was fine and I had the best cafe con leche ever !!

 

But once inside, it seems like there were still crowds and crowds of people. I think we picked a bad day because it was the weekend and there were many cruiseships in port. The walk down the long corridor to the Sistine Chapel was a bit claustrophobic as you could hardly move for people shuffling along. But the corridor is breathtakingly beautiful!! So that helps make up for it.

Of course once inside the Sistine Chapel it was worth it. We sat down and didn't budge for half an hour - just sat and marvelled. (If you are lucky to find a seat). Somebody got up just as we walked by and we sat down quickly.

[Gigi04]

Inside St. Peter's Basilica...

 

 

 

Spanish Steps...

 

 

Trevi Fountain...

 

Thanks for sharing the great info and pictures! I am so excited to get there!

[Gigi04]

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

 

Lost again! You posted some DIY for Athens, Santorini, Korfu. Can you link or post again?Thanks, p

[dreamer807]

Look in the "Port" section.

 

 

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[VirtualRain]

Lost again! You posted some DIY for Athens, Santorini, Korfu. Can you link or post again?Thanks, p

 

If you just Google "virtualrain DIY" you'll find links to all my port reports ;)