Giftnurse

My husband and I are going to Rome for a cruise in late Oct. I booked the air allowing for one day before the cruise in case of glitches, and allowed for 3 nights after to see Rome. Today, the 'glitch' occured, and Alitalia cancelled our non-stop flights. We rebooked a day earlier for departure, and a day later for return. Now, we are arriving Rome at 8AM, 10/22, and our cruise departs at 6pm 10/24. I don't want to tour Rome at this time, since I had booked 3 nights after the cruise for that purpose, and have made reservations at the Spanish steps Intercontinental. Due to the changes, I think we'll book a room at the airport the last night to avoid the morning hassle for our 10AM flight. So the end is ok, except for booking one more night.
Where I really need help is the front end. Do we have time to go north...maybe Venice or Florence? I've been told about Ryan Air, and we can get to Venice for about $100 RT, 2 tickets. The negative is that we arrive at 8AM and the next Ryan flight isn't till 5:25 PM, AND it's from Ciampino, not Fiumicino. Nor have I figured out how to get from one airport to the other.
The train is much more expensive, would cost us about $400 RT to Venice. I'm open to any ideas...other places, etc. I'd rather not spend a huge amount, after the cruise, excursions, and Rome hotel costs. Also, can't seem to find an affordable method to get to the port other than the train. Would love your comments, I've been lurking and this seems to be a great board! Sorry so windy...

bozama

I am not sure where you are flying in from, but frankly the first day or so is a write off for me, JET LAG.. You don't want to ruin your expensive cruise by being too tired,, so I would just take it easy.. frankly its not like you are going to be able to see all of Rome in three days, so yes, take time to see something on first day..
A nice walk, maybe the Forum? Its good to stay outside in the light for first day or two to reset body clock.
Your Venice trip sounds very tiring, arriving after a trans Alantic flight then waiting around an airport for hours,, not fun. Why not see Rome on first two days, and do Venice after cruise?

Giftnurse

Thanks for your reply. I totally understand what you are saying, but the problem is, we're flying from Chicago to Rome on the 21st now, returning on the 7th of Nov. The cruise is 10 days, on the 24th thru Monday am, the 3rd of Nov. I already booked the 3rd, 4th and 6th of Nov at the Intercontinental, and did it through Priceline, so it can't be changed. Originally, we would have arrive on the 23rd, and planned to take it easy just doing a bus tour of Rome. Suddenly, I'm faced with 2 full and maybe a few hours of the 3rd day, before the cruise. Everyone says Don't go to sleep, so that was the reason for the bus tour. Does this make sense?

BarbaraJ

Florence would be doable by train for a long day. I believe Pompeii would be as well. Or think about visiting Ostia Antica, the old Roman port that has been excavated. You can do it on your own or do a tour. We booked through Context Rome and would highly recommend them.

BarbaraJ

Although you seem against doing so, you could spend an entire 5 days in Rome. We've been twice, for a total of 8 days and feel as if we've only scratched the surface.

WVMountaineerinTX

Rome to Venice is a five hour drive and its about a 2 and 1/2 hour drive to Florence.

Have been to rome three times and will eb there again in October.

One stay was for ten days and trust me you cannot see it all in two full days.

May I suggest that you forget about Venice or Florence and relax and focus on Rome.

IMHO the following are must sees and will take your two days...

1. Roman forum...walk where the Ceasars walked!

2. Baths of Caricala

3. Pantheon

4. Vatican including museum and Sistine Chapel tour

5. Spanish steps

6. Trevi Fountain

7. Mammertine Prison

8. Wander Trestavere

Enjoy!

knickerbocker

Giftnurse,

Just do some of the things on your extra day in Rome that you would have done at the end of your trip. Trying to do Venezia or Firenze on that particular day won't do you or any experiences of either any good. In fact, for this trip, forget Venice altogether as there really isn't a practical way for you to get from Rome to there and back again and do anything of consequence in the middle. Rome-Florence-Rome as has already been pointed out would make for a long day which you might, however, consider for the back end of your stay if you really want to.

The best way to do Italy is open-jaw: fly into Milan or Venice and train it south to depart from Rome or vice versa. Saves you backtracking.

zeppole

Giftnurse,

Sounds to me like you're the kind of person for whom sitting around is a nightmare! You definitely don't want to be in Rome on your own, planetary capital of enjoying sitting around.

How about taking the train to Florence (Italians call it Firenze)? It's 90 minutes each way. And when you get off the train, it's a quick walk to the heart of the historic Renaissance city.

Were it me, I'd just go for lunch and stick my head inside the Duomo and the Bapistery, wander around a bit and call it a day.

I wouldn't fly to Venice because it's not easy to get to and from airport.

Another possibility is to go to Orvieto for lunch and see the cathedral there. One hour by train.

Or maybe to kick off your cruise, go to Ostia Antica, the ancient port city of Roma, and see the abandoned ancient city there. That's about 40 minutes outside of Roma.

I would play it by ear. You might decided when you get to Roma that it's so enjoyable to you, you just enjoy strolling around.

By the way, I always take a nap as soon as I can after a transatlantic flight. Don't be afraid to do so despite what "everybody" says.

floydvic

I spent three days in Rome and didn't even see all the "A" attractions. You aren't going to have any trouble using the extra time in Rome and I suspect you will be satisfied if you take that course of action. However, if you like, you could do a day tour outside Rome, say to Tuscany (or even a day trip to Florence) or to Pompeii.

kelliebellie

Okay, I think this might work for you.

I checked AutoEurope for car rentals. I checked both the USA and United Kingdom sites (click on the words "United States" at the top to change). You can book under any countries site, since they allow you to put in your US address when you finalize the booking. The UK site was about half the price as the US site.

Anyway, you can pick up the car at the airport when you arrive and then take off for parts unknown. You can go to Venice, Florence, Pompeii, Sorrento, etc.

Then on your way back you can drop the car at either the train station or at one of many many city offices, one of which must be close to the port.

The cost for a two day manual rental from the UK site was about $120. It is more for an automatic. Try the Ireland and Canada AutoEurope sites for rates too.

I understand your hesitation to hunker down in Rome when you are just going to be going back there. If you've never been to Venice, it would be worth it to go. It is my favorite city in the world. I haven't been to Florence, but it is supposedly lovely. We took a day trip from Rome to Pompeii and Sorrento. That was great. Sorrento is just gorgeous.

I would definitely stay out of Rome itself with the rental car. It is CRAZY to drive there. But I would assume the countryside is fine. We drove all over France and Spain with no problems.

sherhatfield

Why not plan to just relax your first day? By the time you go thru customs and get into the city, you can check in to your hotel and then just take a leisurely walk - maybe over to Trastevere? Have a long lunch somewhere, nap in the afternoon if you are jet lagged, then have a nice dinner that night. Just enjoy being in Rome and starting your vacation!

The next day, if you don't want to stay in Rome, take the train to Florence or Orvieto and spend the day. Head back to Rome whenever you are ready. I wouldn't worry about having set plans, just play it by ear. The morning of your cruise, perhaps get up early and check out the city before it is inundated with people. Grab a coffee and/or breakfast. Maybe do a little shopping for souvenirs so you don't have to worry about it later.

The cruise departs at 6pm, but what time can you start boarding? I would think that you would plan to leave your hotel around noon anyway but I have only taken one cruise and it was a long time ago.

italiannotebook

A lifetime isn't enough to see even the basics in Rome, so don't worry about having too much time here. Enjoy the 22nd in the city, after your nap! If you are anxious to go somewhere else, then a quick day trip on the 1 1/2 train to Florence on the 23rd will give you a sense of having seen something else. Enjoy your morning cappucino on the 24th; the afternoon you'll spend in getting to the port. Stay near Pzza Navona those first few days and you'll get a completely different feel of Rome. I went to Civitavecchia from Rome yesterday on the train; a piece of cake, but pack lightly since there are stairs to climb in order to connect. The alternative of a private car is pricey!