What to do in Rome/Italy for a week?

[LB_NJ]

Just booked a TA cruise that ends in Rome.

 

Would like to stay in Italy/Europe for around 5 days to a week before we fly home.

 

Never been to Italy and do not speak Italian (or really anywhere else in Europe except England and Geneva).

 

Looking for help.

[CruiserBruce]

First of all, to stay in any medium to large city in Europe,  you don't need to speak the local language. Discussed here frequently. 

 

You could spend many days in Rome easily. But a good idea would be to spend 3 nights in Rome, then train to Florence for 2 or 3 nights.

[LB_NJ]

12 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

First of all, to stay in any medium to large city in Europe,  you don't need to speak the local language. Discussed here frequently. 

 

You could spend many days in Rome easily. But a good idea would be to spend 3 nights in Rome, then train to Florence for 2 or 3 nights.

 

What about Venice?  The cruise ship stops for a day in Florence for a day.

[marazul]

15 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

 

What about Venice?  The cruise ship stops for a day in Florence for a day.

You can spend 3 nights in Rome. Then train to Venice and spend 2 or 3 nights there.

You can fly back from Venice.

Edited November 21, 2022 by marazul

[cruisemom42]

Just to reassure you, I fully agree that you do not need to speak Italian to be able to enjoy sightseeing in Rome, Florence, Venice or any major tourist destination.  Having a few words can be useful, but mainly for establishing goodwill. 

 

I could easily spend 5, 7 or infinite days in Rome. Pre-COVID I generally spent 5-7 days there at least once a year and it is one of the easiest cities to find new, worthwhile things to do -- between world class museums, new ancient sites that are constantly opening or re-opening, good restaurants to try, and nearby day-trips, it is the perfect "city break" location.

 

That said, if you want to see a bit more of Italy, especially Venice, I think the idea of splitting your time with 3 days in Rome and 2 in Venice is good. Just make sure you're allowing enough time because traveling from place to place does eat up time. The fast train between Rome and Venice (an easy way to travel) takes about 4 hours, so if it were me, I'd try to spend the time as follows:

 

-- Full day in Rome (day you get off the ship)

-- Full day in Rome  (2nd day)

-- Almost another full day in Rome -- look at booking a train that leaves at maybe 3:30 pm (arriving 7:30 pm in Venice) or even 4:30 pm (arriving 8:30ish).

-- Full day in Venice

-- Full day in Venice

-- Depart morning of Day 6 after your cruise

 

 

Edited to add:  If you have to cut it down by a day, I'd say you were better served to eliminate one of the full days in Venice. Venice is atmospheric but small and there is much more to see and do in Rome.

 

Edited November 21, 2022 by cruisemom42

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, LB_NJ said:

 

What about Venice?  The cruise ship stops for a day in Florence for a day.

Yep...Venice would work.

 

And, just so you know, the ship docks in Livorno, 90 minutes away from Florence, each way. You might consider doing excursions to other locations from Livorno, and spend a couple of days actually in Florence on your land trip, knowing in advance you are doing your land trip.

[mapleleaves]

Go to your library and borrow a few travel books on Italy.  Read up on popular destinations and figure out what YOU want to see and do. We all have different interests (and budgets). Look at the maps to get idea of distances and travel times. 

Maybe there's enough in Rome to keep you busy for a week.  Make a list of the sites you'd lie to see to determine how much time you will need.  And if you'd like to visit Venice or somewhere else,  make another list to determine how much you'll need, plus the travel time.

Another consideration is your luggage.  Can you easily manage your luggage in order to get around train or bus stations?  Too much luggage MIGHT limit where to visit beyond Rome. Most cruisers tend to overpack. 

Also, are you planning to return to Italy at some point?  If so, no need to cram as much as possible into this visit and shortchange yourself.

Have fun with your research !

[LB_NJ]

Thanks to everyone for the insights.

[GreenFamily]

I would spend all 5 days in Rome. I am not an expert, but my parents lived in Rome. Here are some sights I think can’t be missed, excluding the top sights you already know about.

Inside St Peter’s Basilica!!!! 

Pantheon 

Church of San Pietro VIncoli

Mamertine Prison 

The Peace Altar 

The National Museum of Rome(includes three sights w/ticket)

Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls and the Abbey of the Three Fountains

Borghese Gallery inside Villa Borghese Park (hidden gem)

 

Look these up to see if they interest you, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by GreenFamily
Weird typing

[GreenFamily]

5 hours ago, GreenFamily said:

I would spend all 5 days in Rome. I am not an expert, but my parents lived in Rome. Here are some sights I think can’t be missed, excluding the top sights you already know about.

Inside St Peter’s Basilica!!!! 

Pantheon 

Church of San Pietro VIncoli

Mamertine Prison 

The Peace Altar 

The National Museum of Rome(includes three sights w/ticket)

Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls and the Abbey of the Three Fountains

Borghese Gallery inside Villa Borghese Park (hidden gem)

 

Look these up to see if they interest you, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I forgot to add the beautiful Santa Maria Maggiore. 

[GarCat88]

We just spent 8 wonderful days in Rome prior to our TA cruise.

There is so much to see. It was great having the 8 days so we didn’t have to rush around. 
We booked tours of the Colosseum and the Vatican.  The tours were fantastic!  
We also booked the hop-on-hop off bus for two days, highly recommend doing this. 
Language wasn’t a barrier at all. 
Rome is wonderful, I can’t wait to go back. 

 

[euro cruiser]

My first trip to Rome was my first trip to Italy.  I didn't speak a word of Italian at the time and I stayed for a month without scratching the surface of things to see and do.  

 

I would seriously consider spending the entire time in Rome, maybe doing a day trip from there (Florence or Naples/Pompei are easy to reach by high speed train for the day, without the need to pack up and change hotels).