Rome - tour guide or on your own??

[mringenoldus]

After reading so many positive comments about him, I have been in touch with Stefano of Rome Cabs to inquire about the tour he offers next October. My daughter recently visited Rome and said the itinerary does show the highlights of the city.

 

We are 3 middle aged women who are in average states of physical fitness. Would we be advised to take the train into Rome and tour on our own using the Rick Steve's book) or should we book with a highly recommended guide?

 

This would seem a no-brainer except the day will cost us a bit over $400 plus admissions with the guide.

 

Experienced Med cruisers, please help!!

[ajpack]

I would book with a tour guide. You will see so much more, considering you are there for a few hours, you really want to see as much as you can.

[Susan-M]

I agree that a tour guide might be the way to go. We did it on our own via train... and I've included the excerpt from my review below as it was a very successful day - we saw all that we had hoped to and enjoyed exploring Rome on our own. However, it required a lot of walking and sometimes at a rather fast pace to do it. My husband is a runner (I'm not) but even he questioned our pace at times...I had set the itinerary for each day's sightseeing:)

Based on your cruise itinerary and the fact that you will probably be weary from stops in ports every day leading up to this one, I think if 3 of you share the cost of a guide, you'll find it worthwhile. All of the people that we talked to on our cruise who had taken private tours were really happy with them. Enjoy your cruise!

 

From my review of our 9/19/05 cruise:

Civitavecchia 7 am-7pm

An early start today, in order to catch the 7:30 shuttle out of the port to make the 8:12 train into Rome. An easy 10-15 minute walk to the train station, purchased our tickets (9E ea. which included return trip, plus subways & buses in Rome). Be sure to validate your ticket - fines of 25E were given to people who had not done so!

 

Arrived in Rome Termini by 9:30 and caught the subway (Line B Colosseo stop) to the Colosseum. We viewed it from the outside (you can see in through the many gates) and a quick stop at the Forum before heading back to the subway to head to the Vatican (Line B to Termini then Line A, Ottaviano or Musei Vaticani stop) for our 12 pm Guided Tour of the museum & Sistine Chapel http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...zi_Visite.html We really enjoyed the tour and having the highlights pointed out to us....the treasures in the museum, as well as the buildings themselves, are unbelievably beautiful. From the museum, we continued on through the Sistine Chapel and directly into St. Peter’s Basilica (bypassing the long line outside) and once again, we were in awe of the size and beauty of this church.

It was almost 3 pm and with an hour left, we were able to walk to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, via Piazza Navona...with very brief stops at each as we wanted to get to Barberini Subway stop by 4 pm. to get back to Termini for our 4:35 pm train to Civitivacchia. We needed about 15 minutes at the terminal to find and walk to the track that our train to Civitivacchia was on (#27) ... be sure to look at Departures and not Arrivals on the board. (It was a long walk within the terminal to get to the gate!)

The trains were very prompt and easy to use - subways were also easy to use, but traffic was extremely heavy, so had to abort using the one bus that we tried after sitting on it through 4 traffic light changes, without moving an inch.

Arrived in Civitavecchia at 5:50 & walked back to port to catch the last shuttle at 6:00 (which waited until 6:15 for late arrivals). Loved Rome and must go back for a longer stay....so much to see!

Train schedules: http://www.trenitalia.it/en/index.html

[mringenoldus]

Thanks to you both. I had read your excursion itinerary previous to posting and really appreciated the information.

 

One of our group has a bit of trouble with extensive walking/foot pain. That was one of the reasons I was considering Stefano.

 

Could you look over his plans and tell me if they would be good? (Sorry - it's a pretty extensive list!) Thanks!!

 

> >Hello Maureen,

> > I assume it will be a shore excursion.

> > The standard tour I provide in Rome is designed to cover the city

> > major sites in one day. Additional off the beaten path tours can be

> > arranged upon request of the client.

> > Pick up at the pier at 08,00 AM and Return Depending on your all aboard.

> > Usually I leave Rome at 04:30PM in order to be at the ship by 06:00PM.

> > There will be a card with your surname on the windscreen.

> > We'll drive in a smooth motorway trough the country and see the Etruscan

> >Landscapes.

> > It will take approx. one hour and ten minutes to get to Rome.

> > We will enter Rome and make our first stop at the St Paul Outside the

> > Wall church, where Apostle Paul is buried.

> > The drive will continue along Ostiense Road and arrive at the

> > Pyramid built for Caius Cestio .At this

> > stage of the tour we will be inside the ancient Roman Wall built by

> > Emperor Aureliano.

> > We will then arrive at the Circus Maximus, the large ancient stadium for

> > chariot races. Behind the stadium you

> > will see the Palatine Hill where the villas and the domus of the

> > emperors were built. At this point you will

> > be able to see the Arch of Constantine and the Coloseum. We will stop

> > here, and you will be able to visit the Colosseum and the Roman Forum on

> > your own if you wish. In order to avoid lengthy, and time consuming

> > queues, I will obtain the entry tickets in advance as a complimentary

> > service for my clients. The fees for the entry tickets will be added to

> > the final bill (the Colosseum charges 10 Euros per ticket).

> >

> > Following the Colosseum, we will stop at the Piazza Venezia where you

> > will see the Vittorio Emanuele Monument, dedicated to the first king of

> > Italy.

> > Now will be the time to visit the Vatican Museum where you will be able

> > to admire the vast collection of masterpieces, including the Raphael

> > Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. Admission to the Museum is 12 Euros per

> >person.

> > If you wish to have a tour guide in the

> > Vatican Museum I can book one at a price of 50 Euros per hour.

> > It will take two hours to visit the Museum,The Sixtine Chapel and The

> >Basilica.

> > Upon exiting the museum, you will be in St Peter's Square from

> > where you will be able to visit the inside of St. Peter's Basilica.

> > Our next destination will be the Pantheon, once the temple of all Roman

> > gods, then a church and burial place for kings and artists (Raphael).

> > Near by are the piazzas and fountains that are famous in Rome. Our

> > first stop will be Piazza Navona.

> > Trevi fountain will follow. Here you can toss a coin in the fountain to

> > ensure a return visit to Italy.

> > Finally, you can rest and have a seat on the Spanish Steps.

> > Please note that the order in which we will visit the sites may vary

> > pending traffic conditions or other third party act. The tour can be

> > altered to personalize your desires. Additional costs for entry tickets

> > are not included in the tour fee, and the costs for entry tickets

> > purchased in advance will be added to the final bill. The fees for the

> >tours

> > include tolls and parking, and are required in Euro funds.

> > Kindly dress appropriately in order to be able to enter a church.

> > The fee for the tour will be 380 Euros.

[Susan-M]

Sounds great to me! I know some people 'team up' with others on their cruise to keep the cost down, but I don't think you can do much better than the price he quoted when you break it down per person, and it will be nice to only have to accommodate your own wishes. Some people like to shop or have a leisurely lunch but if your priorities are sightseeing (as mine are) then this sounds perfect. He doesn't mention lunch, so time will probably allow for a slice or pizza or sandwich on the run.

 

Just a suggestion for the Vatican guide...I would ask Stefano if you can book one just for an hour, to see the museum highlights. Guides aren't allowed to go into the Sistine chapel, and if he/she stays with you for two hours, would meet you afterwards to do St. Peter's, which will probably be quite rushed anyways if they are fitting it all into two hours. Instead, if they show you the highlights of the museum, they will leave you where you enter the Sistine, from which you can then go directly into St. Peters to view on your own, and meet Stefano outside. If a one hour tour isn't an option, then I might consider the Vatican's individual guided tour, but this doesn't come without it's own problems which may not make the cost savings worthwhile (if you like, I can fill you in on this.) I see my link above didn't work, so am including one that does: http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Servizi_Visite.html

[mringenoldus]

Thanks! I have emailed Stefano to book. I think it will be a great day. I've asked him to include things that are important sights and also a few he may feel people miss as they are off the beaten path.

 

I will look into the Vatican tour info. You've been a great help!

[Susan-M]

Glad to be of help....just returning the favour that so many posters did for me last year when I was making plans.

I think your day in Rome will be a highlight of your trip!

[mringenoldus]

I agree. Thanks!