One week Rome with side trips advice

[Cruiser1862]

Hello, been reading on this site for quite a while. Prior to Covid we planned a Med cruise. We now decided to just do a land tour in Italy. We’d like to stay in Rome (thank you to all that posted on the hotel thread as we found our hotel that way). We thought we’d take 2 bus tours out of the city, each for the day. One tour would be Pompeii, Amalfi and Positano. The other is Tuscany. 
 

We plan on April 30th-May 8th

 

Arrive 30th AM, easy day due to jet lag

May 1 & 2 explore Rome

May 3 Bus trip Pompeii- not sure which tour yet

May 4 Rome (5pm pasta class w/dinner)

May 5 Bus trip Tuscany (wine tasting and lunch)

May 6-7 Rome

May 8 home

Thoughts?

[cruisemom42]

Now you have the fun of all the planning ahead of you -- it will be great fun!

 

Have you been to Italy and/or to Rome before? That would influence what my suggestions might be.

 

Have you considered taking the fast train to Florence (for Tuscany) and getting your tour there? Probably a lot more reasonable than having someone drive you from Rome. It might also be worth considering spending one night in Florence to get a better "taste" of the region.

 

Same with Pompeii -- a fast train to Naples gets you there in just over an hour and you could meet a tour at the central train station OR make your own way to Pompeii via the local rail line and engage a guide there.

 

For Rome, remember that the Vatican is closed on Sundays and most museums are closed on Mondays. What things are on your wish list? Most people want to see the Colosseum; however, there are many different tours offered now. I'd start reading through some of the descriptions to decide what level of exploration is right -- e.g., do you want to see the underground area, and so on. 

 

Seeing the Sistine chapel requires a ticket for the Vatican Museums -- you definitely want to get this ahead of time and you do have to specify a date AND time to show up. Without pre-reservation, the lines get very, very long.

 

I always suggest taking a look at a guidebook like Rick Steves' Rome, which gives great ideas for do-it-yourself walks through the heart of the old city that include some of its most famous sites like Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Campo dei Fiori, etc.  Rome is really a city for walking.

 

Hopefully you picked a central hotel (if you read the thread....)  Let us know what other questions you might have.

 

[Cruiser1862]

Thank you so much for quickly responding. Interesting that you suggest getting a ride ourselves to the sites and getting tours from there. I’ll start looking into it. And maybe staying overnight. We can pack a change of clothes and basic toiletries in our backpack for ease. 
 

I have the Rick Steves book in my Amazon cart!  Was planning on ordering it this week. 
 

We do plan on the typical sites but my husband is more looking forward to walking, stopping to experience the various cafes and just being in Rome. We don’t have to “do it all” but do want to “experience” it all, if that makes sense.
 

I know I’ll have questions and appreciate the generousity of people here in answering our questions. 
 

 

[edinburgher]

15 hours ago, Cruiser1862 said:

Thoughts?

You might also want to consider a day trip to Tivoli.

[Cruiser1862]

On 11/5/2023 at 9:11 AM, edinburgher said:

You might also want to consider a day trip to Tivoli.

Thank you. Never considered it but just went and looked it up. Definitely on our list now. Looks like an easy direct train. Great suggestion!

[edinburgher]

40 minutes ago, Cruiser1862 said:

Great suggestion!

It is a favourite side trip for many and a shortish journey.

 

Thanks for appreciating  and acknowledging  the suggestion as not everyone does.😀

[Formerly known as Seabee]

Another recommendation for Tivoli.  Try to get to Villa d'est (right in town) and Hadrian's villa (a little more difficult to get to).

[cruisemom42]

17 hours ago, Cruiser1862 said:

Thank you. Never considered it but just went and looked it up. Definitely on our list now. Looks like an easy direct train. Great suggestion!

 

Just make sure you leave yourself enough time IN Rome as well!

 

At a bare minimum, I would recommend three days in Rome:

 

One day you can use to see the Vatican area (St. Peter's, the Sistine Chapel, Vatican museum, climbing the dome if you want, etc.).

 

One day to see the heavy hitters from ancient Rome: the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Circus Maximum and (if desired) the Baths of Caracalla and/or the Imperial Forums and Trajan's Column.

 

And one day to enjoy the Renaissance Baroque sites such as Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori, Spanish Steps, etc.  (And I'd have to stick the Pantheon -- an ancient Roman building that you must not miss -- with this group, just due to its location).

 

Of course there is much more than this to be seen, but spending three days will allow you to see a lot without rushing too much.

 

-- From a Rome lover who will be spending (another) week there later this month. 😂

[Cruiser1862]

We’re planning 4 days in Rome plus arrival day.  We’ll be there 10 days. 

[bison2013]

If you are going to travel to Naples for Pompeii, consider adding a ferry ride over to Capri. It is closer to a full day trip if you go from the ferry landing, then upwards (and back to the ferry terminal) so may not work with your timeline.

 

Like many on this board, one trip will whet the appetite for more time in the different regions so don't feel you need to see everything in one visit...