travelfridge2

My friend and I (two 29 year old women) are arriving in Rome on the morning of Sunday April 3rd. We leave Rome at noon on Sunday April 10th.
I am desperately trying to plan two things right now
1. How to break up our time in Rome. We want to take a 2-3 day trip south of Rome.
Originally I was thinking Sun, Mon in Rome, then tues-thurs gone, then Fri-Sun back in Rome. But with so many places closed in Rome on Monday does it makes sense to spend Sunday in Rome, then Mon - Weds gone, then Thurs-Sun back in Rome? Please advise! We are thinking of going south to Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast or Capri.

2. Where should we stay in Rome. We are looking for inexpensive (hopefully less than $175 a night split between us. We care much more about location than luxury. We would love to be within walking distance of as many places as possible. I also have a sister who is doing study abroad in Rome and is staying on Aventius Hill.

Thank you so much. I am reading lots of websites and books but Rome is huge and I dont know where to start!

Jessica

kybourbon

I would head on south and spend the first few days on the Amalfi coast and end the trip in Rome.

k9korps

I'm in agreement in with ky. I understand the concept of "breaking up" the stay in Rome, but consider that you really only have 6 days. Do you really want to spend 2 of them traveling back and forth from some place like the Amalfi?

Arrive at one place. See it. Go do the other one, and then leave from there.

Zerlina

Consider whether you really want to take two-three days to go south of Rome. It's possible to visit Pompeii and the National Archeological Museum in Naples (closed Tuesday) on a day trip or to add a day for the Amalfi Coast, but the Amalfi Coast is not really at its best in early April and should only be visited on a beautiful day. So tying yourself to an immediate trip south may not be the best idea.

Use www.venere.com to look for accommodation. You can enter your dates, budget (125 Euro) and the preferred area. The most central are Pantheon, Navona and Trevi, but they are also the priciest. The cheaper alternatives are Repubblica-Termini and Esquilino-Termini, which are fairly charmless but have good transport connections.

sarge56

I think you will be sorry you spent so much time traveling outside of Rome.

Please reconsider doing those other places on a subsequent trip. And spend all your time in Rome.

I'm not sure what you see as closed in Rome on Monday, but there is far more open than closed.

If you have to take a trip out of town, make it someplace close (no more than 90 mts from Rome) and only a couple of days.

Just my opinion. But I leave for my third trip to Italy in five weeks (I'll be in Rome when you are, leaving the 4th) and I think Rome has so much to offer that even four weeks there would not be enough.

Have a great time!

Delaine

You might have to take a chance with the weather if you really want to go to the Amalfi Coast. However, I was there in mid-march, and the weather was spectacular -- cool, clear and sunny.

MyDreamTrip

I agree... There is so much to see and experience in Rome, you may not want to leave!
As far as accommodations - we stayed at the Albergo Cesari this past Sept. As far as location, it's ideal. We walked to everything - of the major sight, the Trevi fountain and Pantheon are a 5 min walk. The Coliseum is a bit further but we still walked that - with our 7 and 3 year olds in tow! The rooms were nice enough, nothing spectacular, but the hotel had a wonderful rooftop terrace where we had breakfast every morning. It also functions as a bar at night.

Have a wonderful trip!

travelfridge2

So does this make more sense:

Sunday April 3 - arrive 9am, go to hotel.
** want to try and catch a soccer game that afternoon
Monday - Colosseum, Palentine Hill, Forum
Tuesday - Possible day trip to Naples/Pompeii
Wednesday - Vatican and museums, St Peters
Thursday - Borghese gallery, National Museum of Rome
Friday - Day trip to Tivoli
Saturday - remaining sites
Sunday - Leave at noon

At night and on the less busy days try to see Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Trastevere, Campo di Fiori, etc.....

travelfridge2

Shoot - Pantheon would fit in there as well

cathies

Pompeii would be a huge day trip from Rome and you will probably still be quite jetlagged. You could consider Ostia Antica instead as it's much closer.

"Ostia Antica was ancient Rome’s port city. Today you can explore the archaeological park that stretches over an area of about 10,000 acres. You’ll walk along the streets the ancient Romans walked, and still see the grooves in the road from the carts and carriages they used. You can also see examples of excellently preserved mosaics and ancient baths, shops and temples."

On Monday go to the Forum or Palatine Hill first and buy the combo ticket for all 3 sites. Then when you get to the Colosseum keep to the left of the huge queue of people waiting in line to purchase tickets. You will go straight to the bag check and then straight in. If you have ipods then before you leave home download Rick Steves podcasts (they are free) and listen to them as you wanted around the sites. He's a bit corny sometimes but the information is still useful.

Monasteries offer clean, comfortable, inexpensive in Rome. You could easily find one near your sister.

You will probably end up seeing things like the Trevi Founatain etc as you pass them on the way to other places on your list.

suze

I'm no expert on Rome but a couple suggestions. I would not try and do 2 "day trips" when you only have 7 days total. I would not go to an event on the same day your arrive Europe (assuming you have arrived off an overnight flight?).

charnees

Try staying in an apartment. You have more room and a fridge and kitchenette which can be handy. Sleepinitaly.com has tons of them in all the central neighborhoods. They tend to be less expensive than hotels. Some things to be aware of: many apartments are in buildings without elevators and if you are willing to climb some stairs, you save money by going for those places. But be aware the first floor in Europe is what we call the second floor in the US. So you'll climb an extra flight of stairs.

If you are going in April of this year you should get busy finding accommodations. Many will already be booked up by now.

Leely2

Contact realrome.com and see what they have available for your dates. My sister and I stayed in one of the (itsy bitsy but well located and cozy) studios on via dei Cappellari near Campo dei Fiori a few years ago. Cheap, good value.

Your revised itinerary looks very doable and you will probably be able to squeeze in more sights just through your wanderings. Another quite different day trip that people seem to take (I've never been), if you want the hill town experience, is Orvieto.

I'll be in Rome--my favorite city--with two friends around the same time as you. We're also debating various day trips.

Have a great time!

wrenwood

We are not "city people" but Rome is different. At first we planned 3 days there, then it grew to 5 days. We would certainly go back, Rome is enchanting.

Personally I wouldn't try to add the Amalfi coast as I think it demands several days. But I think you could certainly take a day trip to Pompeii, it was amazing.

We LOVED our apartment near Campo de Fiori ~ walked to dinner every night, and walked to Palatine Hill/Roman Forum/Coliseum one day for our tour, and the Vatican another day for our tour. (Borghese would be a little too far) Great location.

http://www.dolceroma.it/campo-fiori.htm

Have a great time!!!!!!!