Pat_in_Mich

On the various travel boards and in the guidebooks there are lots of warnings about lines and crowds and recommendations to pre-book things, go early, etc. How much of this is applicable in March? I know that the Borghese must be booked in advance, but can we just go with the flow on the rest or is it still pretty crowded even in March? We will be there March 3-11.

Thanks!

Delaine

I have been in Rome in March, but slightly later in the month, as well as April on another occasion. There were plenty of people, but I didn't feel it was overcrowded. Similarly, I have been in Venice those times as well; the crowds then were nothing compared with the masses of people that were in Venice at the end of August last year.

I'm a planner so I would probably book things that were important to me, but you will probably be okay if you don't. The scavi tour at the Vatican must also be booked in advance, however, if you want to do that. I highly recommend the Borghese Gallery; it was stunning.

Byrd

We were in Rome in early March some years ago (2002, I think) and I don't remember crowds.

What I do remember, though, is that it snowed! We were told that it was the first snow in years, and even the Romans seemed excited.

It was fun, and we had a wonderful stay.

Byrd

annhig

as well as the Borghese [which as you say has to be pre-booked] you also need to pre-book the "scavi" tour under St. Peter's - you have about 90 mins going underneath the basilica and end up where the bones of st. Peter himself are allegedly interred. [I won't say what they are kept in, so as not to spoil it!].

it's very interesting, and even this atheist found it moving. You can also go straight into St. Peter's afterwards without having to go through the endless security queue which is a great advantage. if you're going to do it, you would need to e-mail the vatican straight away.

Here is the link to the webpage that gives you all the info, including the e-mail address you need.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/in...rmation_200902

apart from that, nothing you absolutely NEED to book, but you can save a lot of time when you are there by buying your ticket for the colosseum at the palatine or forum where the queues are much shorter; the ticket covers all 3.

J62

How crowded it is in March depends on the dates of Easter. The earliest date that Palm Sunday can be is around 3/15. For 2012, Easter is 4/8, so the week you'll be there is well before any crowds.

qwovadis

eurocheapo.com usually pretty good except for school holidays and easter. Was there in April not crowded.

zeppole

Hi,

I'm in Rome right now visiting and Romans tell me that these few weeks from mid-January to the end of February are about the only quiet weeks left. Roman tourism is year-round. A native urged me to make sure if I visit anything in the Vatican I only do it after 3pm. Don't go early in the morning.

if you are coming to Rome to really see things specifically -- like a particular painting, the interior of some famous church -- then you probably need a good strategy for dodging the tour groups and finding a quiet interlude to see what you came to see.

If you are coming to Rome for a more generalized wander through the grand eye-stopping monuments, and won't be looking for detail, relax. In fact, take one of those open-air bus tours and save your feet.

I'm surprised by how much English I hear all over the centro storico (although curiously, not in restaurants. Maybe I'm just picking different ones.)

Hope you get nice dry weather! It's much more enjoyable to be walking around Rome when its on the cool side, rather than when it is hot.

dutyfree

I work for the airlines and agree that there is no low season anymore for Rome. .Our flights are totally full now so expect alot of people when you are there.
The problem with March despite the actual Easter holiday is that most of the US colleges are out starting in March for their spring break.Alot of the cruises start up so even though Easter is early April this year you will still be waiting for things like the Vatican and other tourist sites. Have fun!
My favorite time for Rome is January and early February.

indy_dad

I appreciated the timing tips from www.roninrome.com. I've listed some other tips in my trip report.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...log-photos.cfm

If you aren't doing the Scavi Tour (say if you have kids like we did), I would recommend doing St. Peters early, have lunch and do the Vatican in the afternoon. That worked really well for us (details in trip report).

Have fun.

MissPrism

We went at that time of year last year. There were certainly tourists around but it wasn't very crowded. You could actually stand right up to the Trevi Fountain for example. Weather varied a lot from quite chilly to warm enough for British folk to remove their coats. We had one of Rome's famous downpours one day but just the one.I would also recommend the Scavi tour and we really enjoyed a visit to Ostia Antica http://www.ostia-antica.org/
On the way to the station, you could pop into the Protestant Cemetery. It's a beautiful peaceful place and many famous people are buried there including Keats