Advice for pre- and post-cruise, solo traveler.

[JennJ99738]

I am travelling by myself to Rome in August for a cruise on NCL Epic. I will be arriving in the mid-afternoon on Monday, August 5. The cruise leaves Civitavecchia on Wednesday August 7 and returns on Wednesday, August 14. The ports in Italy are Livorno (for Florence/Pisa), and Naples. I am flying out of Rome on Sunday August 18th.

I am considering staying in Rome from August 5-7 but don't know how, or even whether to, divide my time from the 14th to the 18th. I was considering either staying in Rome (perhaps a night in Vatican City to get to the sites early or the Friday night access on August 16) and even take the train back to Florence to spend more time there for 2 or 3 nights.

Does anyone have advice? Also, I was looking at the Nerva Boutique Hotel in Monti for the first couple days if that's in a good location (close to public transportation from the airport and to travel to Civitavecchia. It's around $120 per night with breakfast or 9 Hotel Cesari or Navona Gallery and Garden Suites. Or perhaps a better choice for around that price point? If you recommend I do travel to Florence, do you have a recommendation for area or hotel there that would be easily accessible to the Uffizi?

Obviously, above all, I want to make sure it's a safe(r) area for a single woman. I'm pretty street smart and am very aware of pickpocketers. Thank you for any advice you may have!

Jennifer

[Yakb0]

Finding a separate hotel closer to the Vatican isn't really necessary. It's easy to take the subway and then walk.

 

I would definitely take 2-3 days and visit Florence. I stayed in the hotel Degli Orafi, which is on the Arno, right between the Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi gallery.

 

Oh, and book your Vatican museum tickets now, they go very quickly, and you may have to shape your schedule around the one opening that's available.

[JennJ99738]

Thank you for the information.  I am now thinking of the first day and a half in Rome and then going straight from Civitavecchia to Florence from Wednesday until Friday late afternoon in time to go to the Vatican for the Friday night tours.  

 

The hotel you recommended looks great but priced a little higher than what I wanted to spend.  I'll book the refundable rate and then check to see if there are other hotels close by.  

 

 

[prish]

Here are a couple of suggestions for Florence, the first one may be a little more expensive but I believe they have smaller and cheaper rooms. The other two places should be around your budget. 

 

Atlantic Palace, near the station, with a pedestrian street close by with good restaurants and cafés.

https://www.atlanticpalace.it/en/

 

Tourist House Ghiberti, a small B&B near the Duomo on the second floor of an old building. Decent clean place at a reasonable price, but not many rooms, so you need to book fast.

https://www.touristhouseghiberti.com/

 

Relais Cavalcanti, run by two sisters, again one floor up from street level. 

http://www.relaiscavalcanti.com/?lang=en

 

You’re doing well to take the late evening Vatican tour, the crowds will be less for a better visit. 

 

Many hotels will help you with museum tickets, so do ask, but only pay the official price. 

 

Enjoy Italy, am sure you’ll go back again.. 

Edited June 26, 2019 by prish

[cruisemom42]

Hotel Nerva is in a good location, particularly for the ancient sites (Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus, Baths of Caracalla, etc.) . I've stayed there as a woman traveling alone; the hotel is family-run and service is very friendly.  The area is safe, although it can be a bit dark at night just along the narrow road where the hotel entrance is. (No worries though, I never felt unsafe.) .  If you get a little bit away from the Colosseum and into the Monti area, there are some good restaurants and it is less touristy.

 

Enjoy your time in Rome and feel free to ask if you have any specific questions.

[Host Bonjour]

Also traveled solo by train in Italy, visiting Rome (wasn’t alone in Florence) and other cities at different times, and I felt safe too, nighttime too which by the way I keep telling everyone, Castel Sant’ Angelo....so beautiful illuminated.  All of Rome is spectacular but this visual lingers on my brain 🙂 

 

So glad you’ll get to visit Florence too and I concur with previous posts, you’ll go back. I think I could be in Florence indefinitely....it was enchanting. 

 

Walk as much as you can! Have a great time. 

 

 

[JennJ99738]

Thanks for all the information!  I will stay in Rome the first two days before the cruise then go directly from the cruise to Florence and return to Rome on Friday late afternoon so I can go to the Vatican for the Friday night activities.  I think that's my itinerary right now!  

[sgregel]

On 6/28/2019 at 5:35 PM, cruisemom42 said:

Hotel Nerva is in a good location, particularly for the ancient sites (Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus, Baths of Caracalla, etc.) . I've stayed there as a woman traveling alone; the hotel is family-run and service is very friendly.  The area is safe, although it can be a bit dark at night just along the narrow road where the hotel entrance is. (No worries though, I never felt unsafe.) .  If you get a little bit away from the Colosseum and into the Monti area, there are some good restaurants and it is less touristy.

 

Enjoy your time in Rome and feel free to ask if you have any specific questions.

I am traveling solo on a cruise the week of Thanksgiving.  I'm flying into Rome a couple of days early and just starting my research for a hotel.  I'm a little nervous about being in the city alone.  Hotel Nerva looks perfect.  Thanks so much for your post.  It's at the top of my list.

Sandy

[cruisemom42]

11 hours ago, sgregel said:

I am traveling solo on a cruise the week of Thanksgiving.  I'm flying into Rome a couple of days early and just starting my research for a hotel.  I'm a little nervous about being in the city alone.  Hotel Nerva looks perfect.  Thanks so much for your post.  It's at the top of my list.

Sandy

 

That's one of my favorite times in Rome -- not so crowded then. Hopefully you will get the sunny with gorgeous azure skies November weather, and not the wet November weather. Either way, it's all good in Rome...  

 

When I first started traveling solo, I would often book a walking tour or two to help me get oriented to the city. You might want to do that. Some places offer a "Twilight Walk" through the center of Rome, and there are also some foodie walks that combine a bit of sightseeing/orientation with some opportunities to taste local food.

[sgregel]

21 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

That's one of my favorite times in Rome -- not so crowded then. Hopefully you will get the sunny with gorgeous azure skies November weather, and not the wet November weather. Either way, it's all good in Rome...  

 

When I first started traveling solo, I would often book a walking tour or two to help me get oriented to the city. You might want to do that. Some places offer a "Twilight Walk" through the center of Rome, and there are also some foodie walks that combine a bit of sightseeing/orientation with some opportunities to taste local food.

The walking tour sounds like a great idea!  I have only been to Rome once, and did a tour through ItalyTourSharing with some other cruisers.  We hit all of the main attractions, but I want to experience more of the city, particularly the food.  I'm excited!

Sandy

[tce40]

I need help deciding what to do for one day in Rome, Oct. 31st!  I'm landing about 8:30 am and have a car picking me up to take to hotel (Empire Palace).  I know I can't see a 10th of what I want to see but have decided a 3-hour (skip the line) tour at Vatican Museums was the must.  Then I was hoping before or after, I could get some sort of transport (even a golf cart) to take me around the area so that I can see as much as possible.  Can anyone help?  

[cruisemom42]

8 minutes ago, tce40 said:

I need help deciding what to do for one day in Rome, Oct. 31st!  I'm landing about 8:30 am and have a car picking me up to take to hotel (Empire Palace).  I know I can't see a 10th of what I want to see but have decided a 3-hour (skip the line) tour at Vatican Museums was the must.  Then I was hoping before or after, I could get some sort of transport (even a golf cart) to take me around the area so that I can see as much as possible.  Can anyone help?  

 

Well your hotel and the Vatican are quite a distance apart. What time is your Vatican tour and how are you planning to get there? What is it that you most want to see after (or before) that?

[tce40]

I haven't booked anything yet for the Vatican.  I was actually looking into the afternoon tour conducted by Context Travel ( that you recommended on an earlier thread).  I don't want to break the bank getting around but it's my first time to Rome and I could only manage the one day extra away from work (I'm pushing it with my transatlantic 🙂 and I want to see (even if just from a car/golf cart) as much as possible besides a Vatican tour.

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, tce40 said:

I haven't booked anything yet for the Vatican.  I was actually looking into the afternoon tour conducted by Context Travel ( that you recommended on an earlier thread).  I don't want to break the bank getting around but it's my first time to Rome and I could only manage the one day extra away from work (I'm pushing it with my transatlantic 🙂 and I want to see (even if just from a car/golf cart) as much as possible besides a Vatican tour.

 

If your flight arrives on time, you probably will not reach at your hotel until around 10:30 and the Vatican tour starts at 1:30 and lasts 4 hours. (You should plan to be there by 1pm, I'd think...)

 

How much stamina do you have?  Is it important to you to see the Colosseum (at least from the outside)? 

 

What I might suggest (with awareness that the sun set on October 31 is 5:06 pm...):  

 

It is about a 15-minute walk to the TERMINI metro station from your hotel. Drop your bags and do whatever you need to do at your hotel, then (with pre-google-mapped directions in hand and a good map) walk to Termini station and take the BLUE line metro in the direction of Laurentina. (You can purchase a ticket from a machine at the station. In fact, I'd purchase 2 tickets -- one for this ride and one for the return.)  Be sure to follow the signs for the metro, not the train station.

 

Get off at the second stop, which is COLOSSEO. The Colosseum will be right in front of you. Take a few minutes to walk around it and get some photos, as well as the Arch of Constantine. If you feel inclined, you can find a spot to look into the Roman Forum as well but with the current excavations for the new metro line going on, some of the view may still be blocked off. (It was last year when I was there.)

 

Go back to the metro station and get on the line (there is only one!) back to TERMINI. Then transfer to the RED line which will take you to the Vatican. Depending on your tour meeting spot, you'll get off at either CIPRO (for the Vatican museum) or OTTAVIANO (for St. Peters).  I'd plan to leave the vicinity of the Colosseum no later than 12:15. The total Metro ride should not take more than about 20 minutes, but you have to allow for transferring lines, etc. 

 

Meet Context Rome and do your tour. (Grab a pannini or slice of pizza to sustain you once you get to the vicinity of the Vatican and are sure you have the time.....)

 

At 5:30 when your tour ends, find the taxi rank just outside the colonnade around St. Peter's square. Ask the taxi driver to take you to the Pantheon. With luck you will get there with enough time to see the interior. (Closing time varies slightly by time of year but it should be open until around 6:30 pm). Admission is free and the line should not be long at that time of day. Note the taxi rank on the right-hand side, when you are facing the Pantheon -- you will use it later to get a taxi back to your hotel.

 

Walk a few blocks to Trevi Fountain -- it will be a good time of day to see it (lit up at night). Then walk back to the Pantheon and go to the other side for another couple of blocks, to see Piazza Navona. Look for somewhere pleasant just off the piazza near either place (Pantheon or Navona) to have a nice dinner. Take a taxi from beside the Pantheon back to your hotel.

 

I really think you will see more this way than on a golf cart tour but it's a lot of time on your feet, especially with jet lag. If you are worn out after your Vatican tour, skip Trevi and Navona, but do see the Pantheon and have dinner right there, then taxi back to your hotel. It's my favorite building and favorite piazza in Rome.

 

Also, in the morning you could ask your hotel to call a taxi which could take you by the Colosseum first for a photo op (while they wait) and then continue to the Vatican. It's out of the way in terms of direction but it's not going to break the bank and still cheaper than a golf cart tour...

 

 

 

 

 

[slidergirl]

The nighttime visits to the Vatican Museums is the best way to see the Museums.  No herds.  I was able to walk at my own pace.  There were times when I was the only person in a room - imagine being in the "Raphael Room" and having no one else around!  Got to the Sistine Chapel and there were maybe 30 of us in there - so empty and quiet.  

 

Now, if you use Cruisemom's directions to the Museums and get off the Metro at Cipro - here is where you need to get that piece of pizza before heading up to the Museums:  Bonci Pizzarium.  It's on Via della Meloria at the end of the Metro station.   Bonci makes amazing pizza al taglio in interesting combinations.  I always make a trip there to try a few pieces (you buy by size) and some arancini or supli.  From Pizzarium/Cipro, it's a 10 minute walk to the entrance to the Museums.  

 

P.S. Bonci has opened 2 shops in Chicago.  If you go to that website, www.bonciusa.com,  there are wonderful photos of some of the pizzas.  

Edited July 30, 2019 by slidergirl

[cruisemom42]

tce40, here's another thought:

 

You could leave the Colosseum until the next morning if you aren't departing too early for your ship. If you did that, I'd eat lunch on your arrival day around your hotel then take a taxi directly to the Vatican near your tour start point. 

 

Next morning early, take the metro to Colosseo as outlined above, then return to your hotel and depart for Civitavecchia. 

 

OR if you are able to fit in all of the above on Day 1, you could use your time early the next morning to walk a few blocks to the Church of Santa Maria dei Angeli e dei Martiri to see this magical church designed by Michelangelo in the ruins of the imperial Roman baths built by Diocletian. It opens early (7am).

Edited July 30, 2019 by cruisemom42

[tce40]

Thank you SO much for the suggestions!  I think waiting until the early morning to see the Colosseum is maybe the best idea as I don't think my transportation to the cruise port leaves the hotel until around 10:30, which would give me time in the morning.  I'm so excited as this is my first trip to Europe and since I was very young, I've always wanted to visit Rome.  I'm pretty sure I'll be back after this brief visit for a longer trip in the future.  🙂

Edited July 30, 2019 by tce40