What to do in Rome other than exploring churches, sculptures, fountains and art.

[Sunset329]

We are rookies to Europe. We have been to Barcelona (loved the evening entertainment and restaurants) and will explore London in September. We cruised to the South Pacific in April (loved the water and scenery). In April of 2025, we will be in Rome. Obviously, we will explore all the known attractions. Other than exploring the ancient sights, churches, sculptures, fountains and art, what else should we do in Rome? 

[nadeki]

We found a local restaurant and took a pasta making class. This was exactly what we needed after three weeks of buildings and history. 

[nadeki]

28 minutes ago, Sunset329 said:

We are rookies to Europe. We have been to Barcelona (loved the evening entertainment and restaurants) and will explore London in September. We cruised to the South Pacific in April (loved the water and scenery). In April of 2025, we will be in Rome. Obviously, we will explore all the known attractions. Other than exploring the ancient sights, churches, sculptures, fountains and art, what else should we do in Rome? 

The night golf cart tour is fun. 
 

you can try to get tickets to see the underground of the Vatican. A limited number of people are allowed in each day. This goes through the Scavi group. The process is not easy but with it. 
 

And if you are there on the correct day you can see the pope speak. 

[carlmm]

Eat, drink and enjoy the Italian life 😉

 

How long will you be in Rome? You can easily spend a couple of weeks there without seeing all the sights from all the centuries.

[schmoopie17]

We were in Rome pre-cruise for a couple days in 2022. Since we're not into history, museums, art, etc., here's what we did:

 

Ate

Drank

Walked around

Repeated the first three

 

We had a great time.

 

We're back in Rome pre-cruise again in September. Guess what we'll be doing (again).

[euro cruiser]

My first thoughts have already been taken (eat and drink), so here's an more off the wall suggestion; rent a boat at Villa Borghese and paddle around.

 

Laghetto di Villa Borghese Boat rental | Turismo Roma

 

[Sunset329]

1 hour ago, carlmm said:

Eat, drink and enjoy the Italian life 😉

 

How long will you be in Rome? You can easily spend a couple of weeks there without seeing all the sights from all the centuries.

We are trying to decide how long we want to stay in Rome. We currently have hotel reservations at Hotel Smeraldo for three nights. We are wondering if we should stay longer.

[carlmm]

1 hour ago, Sunset329 said:

We are trying to decide how long we want to stay in Rome. We currently have hotel reservations at Hotel Smeraldo for three nights. We are wondering if we should stay longer.

The longer, the better 😉

A minimum suggestion would be one more night to have one full day each for the Vatican, the combination of Forum, Palatin and Colosseum, and a small insight into the Baroque splendours.

 

Your hotel choice is at a great location. You can walk easily to most of the sights. It is also a good starting point in the evenings. One more suggestion is to dine every night in a different neighbourhood, eg. Campo de Fiori, Trastevere, Ghetto, Pantheon, Monti ....

[lynncarol]

My husband and I love Rome and have been there 4 times now, spending 4-6 days each time. If you want something unusual, visit the Capuchin Crypt, where the chapels are decorated by human bones and skulls...even to the light fixtures. i guarantee that you won't see that very many places. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

My favorite thing we did while staying in Rome was our day trip to Tuscany. It was so relaxing, the views were absolutely stunning and the wine was good!  
 

We also enjoyed our catacombs and crypts tour, shopping, and eating. Not to mention just walking around enjoying their beautiful architecture and people watching. 

[sushraya]

We've been to Rome a few times and have seen the main sights.   I love going back to the Pantheon but now, this needs a ticket.  So, not sure if we'll go again this time.

 

I found a night time bike ride around Rome that I am thinking we might try.  We did a similar one in Paris and absolutely loved it!    Another alternative is a cooking class.

[FreestyleNovice]

Shop, eat, enjoy life. Download one of those stand-up scooter apps and roam the city after dinner, when the tourism settles a bit.. 

[Hlitner]

We do not tire of Rome (been there about 2 dozen times) but understand that it all comes down to personal likes.  Yes, we have seen all the usual sites (and many that are not usual) but none of that qualified as our best day in Rome.  So, what was our best, most fun day?  It happened by accident and with no planning (some of our best experiences have happened without any planning).  We left our hotel, on a gorgeous summer day, and decided to walk over to the Piazza Navona (one of our favorite places) for a cappuccino.  Sat down, about 10:30 at one of the cafes that had a view of the piazza and "Four Rivers Fountain."  After nursing the drink, for about an hour, we were really enjoying the people watching (you can guess where tour groups come from by the way folks dress).  Ordered another cappuccino and enjoyed more people watching.  Around 12:30, we decided to order some lunch and wine, and kept enjoying all the people watching and chatting with some folks at a nearby table.  Finally, about 3:30 we decided it was time to move on:)   The "People Watching" and atmosphere made it our favorite day in Rome.  Go figure.

 

By the way, if one were to tire of the Piazza Navona, walk a few blocks to the Campo de Fiori and start all over again :).  Lots to love about Rome.

 

Hank

[FreestyleNovice]

16 hours ago, Hlitner said:

..

 

Ordered another cappuccino and enjoyed more people watching. 

 

..

 

I hope you didn't ordered that second cappuccino after 11am! 

 

Rome (and Italy) is great!