Spending a day in Rome - advice on how to walk the city for things we want to see?

[Kidsoftheseas]

We will spend a day in Rome prior to our cruise. We want to leave the Vatican for the ship port day but would like to tour other sights in Rome on the day we have there. We would like to see the Colosseum, trevi fountain, spanish steps and maybe St Peters. We are staying near Roma Termini so will start from there.

 

How would you advice for us to structure the day, and where should we look for information? What is the best way to do it? Should we just pick a map and map out the sights? Walk? Do underground? Hire a guide? (last resort as we would like to save the $$ unless it truly makes a HUGE difference)

 

Please give advice!

[adanaccruisers]

We will spend a day in Rome prior to our cruise. We want to leave the Vatican for the ship port day but would like to tour other sights in Rome on the day we have there. We would like to see the Colosseum, trevi fountain, spanish steps and maybe St Peters. We are staying near Roma Termini so will start from there.

 

How would you advice for us to structure the day, and where should we look for information? What is the best way to do it? Should we just pick a map and map out the sights? Walk? Do underground? Hire a guide? (last resort as we would like to save the $$ unless it truly makes a HUGE difference)

 

Please give advice!

 

 

For a one day tour I would suggest the HOHO buses (Hop on Hop off). You travel past all the major sites and can get on and off wherever you want. Check out their websites. Their are different ones to choose from and can compare. Good Luck!

[slidergirl]

I really wouldn't do the HoHo - you get bogged down in traffic. It's pretty easy to walk and take busses to get where you want to go. Cruisemom42 has had lots of posts here on DIY in Rome. But, just so you know, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps are all within a very short walk of each other.

Just take a look at some of the threads already started here on the forum and you'll find a plethora of information. I think walking is the best way to see Rome. You'll see more than getting in a vehicle and popping out at a "sight". For me, part of the thrill of visiting a new city is to wander in it; you get the sounds and sights of it, not just the tourist highlights. Yes, I can do that in a day ;)

[euro cruiser]

I don't find the HOHO buses particularly good for Rome; old, narrow streets mean that the buses can't get very close to many of the places people want to be.

 

If you are physically able to do some walking and comfortable using the occasional public bus or subway, you can have a great day and fit in everything you want to see. For what you would pay for two HOHO bus tickets you could afford to take taxis across town and back.

 

You haven't told us what time of year, but if you will be in Rome during the summer months, it's a good idea to see the Colosseum early in the day or late in the afternoon, avoiding the midday heat.

[euro cruiser]

If you start with the Colosseum, you can walk from Termini (one mile, downhill) or take the metro. To avoid the lines to purchase tickets at the Colosseum you can stop at the Forum ticket office (if you walk you'll pretty much pass right by it) and get your tickets there. If you are interested in the Forum, you could walk through it either before or after the Colosseum.

 

From the Colosseum you can walk to the Trevi Fountain (one mile, flat) or take any of several buses from the stop in front of the Colosseo metro station. The buses stop on Via del Corso, two short blocks from the fountain.

 

From Trevi to the Spanish Steps is less than a half mile.

 

From the Spanish Steps to the Vatican area you can use the metro, followed by a half mile walk to St. Peter's.

 

Alternately ...

 

Colosseum, followed by Pantheon, then Piazza Navona, then a bus to St. Peter's. After St. Peter's, metro to Spanish Steps, walk to Trevi, metro back to Termini.

[cruisemom42]

You are traveling with young kids, yes? And grandparents?

 

Are you planning to do this with them, without them, with them for part of the day? And what's your situation vis-a-vis strollers, etc?

 

If you're thinking of bringing everyone and it's a hot summer day, I suggest you take advantage of the Roman "siesta". You might do something like this:

 

Visit the Colosseum first and early (while everyone is fresh), as it's something kids usually enjoy. From Termini hotels it's pretty easy to just take the metro to the Colosseo stop, unless you feel like strolling. However, if you're using stroller, it can be a bit more of a pain -- cannot count on elevators or escalators working at metro stops, unfortunately.

 

After the Colosseum, walk to Trevi fountain (a fairly pleasant walk past the Forum, Victor Emanuel monument, etc.). Trevi is an ideal place to grab a gelato. (Just watch for pickpockets; they love the busy crowds around the fountain and they look for people who look distracted -- e.g., watching kids, ordering gelato, taking photos, etc.)

 

You can then stroll by the Spanish Steps en route back to your hotel at Termini. (There's a metro entrance right at the foot of the Steps if you feel inclined to try the Metro back to Termini).

 

Now -- grab some lunch either at a restaurant near your hotel or get some food and take it back to your room (depending on everyone's wishes, mood, crankiness level). Eat. Go back to your room and rest for a bit.

 

After a break (and after the heat of the day), consider going back out -- either with or without kids and grandparents. You could get a taxi to St. Peters -- maybe around 3:30 or 4:00 -- and see it briefly. Then, when it's a bit cooler, and if you're rested, take a nice long stroll across the bridge and into Piazza Navona; this area is nice in the early evening. If you are all together, you can find somewhere to have dinner. Many restaurants do not open until at least 7pm, but in this area you should be able to find something open.

 

Walk to the piazza in front of the Pantheon -- this is also beautiful in the evening and it's just a few blocks from Navona. Then, get a cab from the rank beside the Pantheon back to your hotel. If you left kids + grandparents at the hotel, you can skip dinner in Navona and go out when you get back to somewhere near your hotel.

 

(And count me as x3 to avoid the HOHO if you can walk.)

[CathyCruises]

Personally, I would just do St. Peter's on the Vatican port day--certainly you wll have plenty of time to do the museums and the basilica then. That will free you up to spend your day in the historic center and not feel rushed!!!

[Kidsoftheseas]

thank you for all this wonderful information so far!! This is amazing.

 

Cruisemom, yes I'm the one with 2 kids and grandparents :)

 

And its coming up really soon - we will be there on a Sunday, last sunday of april, so we are talking weeks here.

 

We want to see what we can on the day we are there, and then on the port day it will just be us (grandparents and kids will stay onboard - that's what they have decided) and we will come in and see the Vatican that day.

 

But on the day we are all in Rome we would love to walk around and see what we can. Weather in end of April hopefully shouldn't be TOO crazy yet...

[Kidsoftheseas]

PS, we did get the mclaren double stroller to have with us for the trip, but will of course always have an option to leave it in hotel if its not a good idea to take it out

[VirtualRain]

We will spend a day in Rome prior to our cruise. We want to leave the Vatican for the ship port day but would like to tour other sights in Rome on the day we have there. We would like to see the Colosseum, trevi fountain, spanish steps and maybe St Peters. We are staying near Roma Termini so will start from there.

 

How would you advice for us to structure the day, and where should we look for information? What is the best way to do it? Should we just pick a map and map out the sights? Walk? Do underground? Hire a guide? (last resort as we would like to save the $$ unless it truly makes a HUGE difference)

 

Please give advice!

 

Here are a couple of walking itineraries with Maps etc that I prepared based on our last two visits to Rome... You should be able to modify easily to your own needs.

 

Day 1 DIY Rome

 

Day 2 DIY Rome

[D4]

When you say you have a day in Rome before the cruise, is that a full day? (By that I mean waking up in Rome and having the entire day to site-see as opposed to arriving in Rome from somewhere else and only having a partial day plus possibility of dealing with jet lag.) I think the answer to that has a huge influence on what you can do.

 

We spent almost 3 weeks in Rome at the same time as you during 2010 and again in 2011. In 2010, the last week in April was very hot -- we couldn't even sleep without the hotel a/c. Then the first week in May was a little cool.

 

In 2011, it rained a lot during the last week in April.

[D4]

When you say you have a day in Rome before the cruise, is that a full day? (By that I mean waking up in Rome and having the entire day to site-see as opposed to arriving in Rome from somewhere else and only having a partial day plus possibility of dealing with jet lag.) I think the answer to that has a huge influence on what you can do.

 

We spent almost 3 weeks in Rome at the same time as you during 2010 and again in 2011. In 2010, the last week in April was very hot -- we couldn't even sleep without the hotel a/c. Then the first week in May was a little cool.

 

In 2011, it rained a lot during the last week in April.

 

I hope you have great weather.

[Instyle40]

I will be in Rome for the first time on May 18. I will be traveling from a cruise. What is the best way to see most of the attractions without missing the boat. It's is my first solo trip so nervous about doing Rome on my own.

I have a reserved a private car service to transfer from the boat into Rome, then reserved a guide to meet me to spend the day with me and skimp the line to attractions. This is all very EXPENSIVE for one day.

Should I keep the car, guide, or DIY?

[VirtualRain]

I will be in Rome for the first time on May 18. I will be traveling from a cruise. What is the best way to see most of the attractions without missing the boat. It's is my first solo trip so nervous about doing Rome on my own.

I have a reserved a private car service to transfer from the boat into Rome, then reserved a guide to meet me to spend the day with me and skimp the line to attractions. This is all very EXPENSIVE for one day.

Should I keep the car, guide, or DIY?

 

I would suggest you read my DIY I linked above in post #10 and if that sounds good to you, ditch the ride/guide. ;)

[D4]

I will be in Rome for the first time on May 18. I will be traveling from a cruise. What is the best way to see most of the attractions without missing the boat. It's is my first solo trip so nervous about doing Rome on my own.

I have a reserved a private car service to transfer from the boat into Rome, then reserved a guide to meet me to spend the day with me and skimp the line to attractions. This is all very EXPENSIVE for one day.

Should I keep the car, guide, or DIY?

 

Is the private car service also driving you around all day? Did you book the guide through them? Many drivers share a lot of information which is enough for lots of people but they can't go into any sites with you. You probably don't need a guide unless you want somebody to give detailed explanations of what you're seeing while you're seeing it.

 

Since you're alone and nervous about missing the ship, I think the best option for you would be a private driver, but I also recommend finding others on your roll call to share the cost.

 

DIY isn't for everyone. It takes a lot of research and planning.

[markpghpa]

Following is a link to a Cruise Critic message that discusses how to do Rome in 1 day. Since you will already be in Rome, you can skip the part of getting off the boat and taking the train to Rome. Instead, you can start at Rome Ostiense (one of the 3 train stations in Rome)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1518706&referrerid=616284

 

Hope this helps,

Mark

[D4]

When you say you have a day in Rome before the cruise, is that a full day? (By that I mean waking up in Rome and having the entire day to site-see as opposed to arriving in Rome from somewhere else and only having a partial day plus possibility of dealing with jet lag.) I think the answer to that has a huge influence on what you can do.l.

 

I saw on a different post that your flight is supposed to arrive at 7am. Even if your flight is on time, you probably won't get to your hotel until 9:00ish. IMO, that really only gives you a partial day in Rome, especially since you have 2 little kids. I suggest trying to see some things as a group and then you return to the hotel with the kids to rest. Your parents should try to see as much as possible since they aren't returning to Rome on the port day.

 

Don't underestimate how worn out you'll all be unless you fly first class or all 6 of you are able to sleep well on the long flight.