mbann

Good evening,

I would like some feedback on my itinerary for my visit to Rome this July.

A few things:
1) Travelers = me (29), wife (28), and my parents (both in late 50s). First time to Rome for all of us. My wife and I will arrive at FCO from Santorini at noon on Monday, July 6, while my parents will arrive from the U.S. at 11:00 AM on the same day.
2) We will have 6 nights/5 days and are not looking to cram too much into this time frame.
3) We enjoy history (especially ancient sights), art, and just trying to take in the culture of a location as much as possible.

Here is my current itinerary. I tried to create an itinerary that included some free time to just wander and explore some of the different areas of Rome.

Monday (7/6):
Arrive at Noon and travel to apartment on Via dei Banchi Nuovi. Relax and explore historic center (Pantheon, Piazza Navona, San Luigi dei Francesi, Campo de' Fiori, Trevi Fountain). Maybe take this free walking tour which starts at 5:30 (http://www.newromefreetour.com/packa...ome-free-tour/)

Tuesday (7/7):
- Forum, Palatine Hill, Colosseum

Wednesday (7/8):
- Vatican Museum (tour already booked for 8:30) - stay in museum after tour ends to explore other (hopefully less crowded) areas.
- Villa Borghese Gardens - maybe rent bikes and explore the park.

Thursday (7/9):
- St. Peter's Basilica then Scavi Tour at 11:00 (already booked)
- Castel Sant'Angelo

Friday (7/10):
- Day trip to Florence (Il Duomo, Accademia, and just exploring the city on foot) - train tickets already purchased. Would love to spend a few nights there, but that will have to wait for the next trip to Italy.

Saturday (7/11):
- Ostia Antica

Sunday (7/12):
- Wife and I leave for Paris on a noon flight, while parents take the train to Naples.

1) Would anybody recommend the Free Walking Tour? Also, I assume we would tip the guide. What is an appropriate tip for this type of tour?

2) Other places we would like to visit include the Capitoline Museums, Borghese Gallery, and Appia Antica. Any suggestions as to where any of these sights might fit into our current itinerary without trying to cram in too much?

3) What is the best order to visit the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill? I was thinking we could start with the Forum and Palatine Hill first thing in the morning and then end at the Colosseum. With this plan I would try to book the 12:20 Underground and Third Ring tour when the tickets go on sale this Sunday. Would that time frame work?

Any other ideas or suggestions for first time visitors to Rome?

Thank you all for your help.

bilboburgler

My view is that your parents may be jet lagged and would benefit from being out in the sun, your first day offers that but bear in mind you may have to cancel or that nothing goes into their brains and they feel the day was wasted.

What I would do is have a plan B with a focus on gardens for that first day.

Tuesday, include the Type Writer as a way of seeing the city from on high

AnQi

Your itinerary looks good to me. I think it is good that you choose to just walk around the city centre after your arrival. You can find a good place to eat and just relax. You can check out this travel guide https://www.bonappetour.com/blog/tra...vities-in-rome. They have an itinerary on must see attractions in Rome and where to eat.

1. For the free walking tour, you can try it out. For me, my friend and I find the place very easy to navigate around with just a simple old map as the attractions are within close vicinity to each other.

2. For me, I visited the colosseum in the late afternoon around 5 pm before its closing time. Although the queue was still very long, we got our tickets quite fast. We went to the Palastine hill after the Colosseum and then followed by the forum.

greg

2.) Where to fit Capitoline Museum? It is next to the Forum. Borghese Gallery? It is in the Borghese gardens where you will be on 7/8.

3.) Are you eating lunch on this day? The tour is 90 minutes and you need to be in the assembly area inside after exchanging your reservation confirmation at prebooked ticket window. You will be in Colosseum minimum 11:50-14:50 for the underground tour. If you want to also visit the general public accessible 1st and 2nd level, you either do it before the tour or after the tour. I arrived little bit earlier than the "required" 30 minutes before and toured the 1st and 2nd level before the tour. When you bring in your reservation confirmation, you get a general entrance ticket and a tour sticker. I don't know how it works if you try to pickup tickets at Forum or Palatine hill. I did Colosseum, then Palatine Hill, then Forum so I picked up the tour sticker and the ticket at the Colloseum ticket window.

Blueeyedcod

That blog site recommended in post # 2 has nothing new and the 'must sees' (all five of them) are the well-worn tourist path and easily found in any guide book. The link to where to eat in Rome takes you to an advertising space to link up with people who will have you eat in their home. Fine and dandy if that's your thing but if you want restaurant recommendations then I would use Elizabeth Minchilli.

http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/

Trevi Fountain is under restoration, no water, and lots of scaffold. The walkway to get close to the architecture of the fountain has been removed.

Don't tip anything for the 'free' walking tour. It is free. Tipping is not the custom in Italy so don't feel you are expected to tip *anywhere*.

Your trip (for me anyway) is way over-scheduled with tours booked or excursions planned every day except your arrival. I have no idea how you will fit in the Borghese Gallery or anything else. You need some down time to sit in a piazza and sip a beer.

Fedor

1) 5 euro or 10 euro per person would be appropriate, You may consider that normally a guide in Rome gain 133.00 euros for three working hours for a maximum of 20 people.And i would recommend to have the free tour because generally the guide is trying to sell other tours, so has to be good, fun and informative

2)I would recommend you to visit Galleria Borghese (make sure to have a reservation, otherwise you won't have the chance to visit it, as soon as possible: http://www.galleriaborghese.it/borghese/en/edefault.htm )
To visit Musei Capitolini you will spend at least 3 hours...I suppose it depends from you.
Via Appia Antica and Catacombs are pretty far from the very city center...I wouldn't miss Galleria Borghese if i were you, it is probably one of the most beautiful museum on the Earth.

3) Summer in Rome is very warm. the Archeological sites are in a valley, which is hotter than other places in Rome. The Palatine is a beautiful gardens (16/17 century) with ruins. From the Palatine you can access directly to the Roman Forum. And than, once you are outside of the Roman Forum Colosseum. The point is that you need, to see properly the three sites, at least 5 hours. The ticket last 2 days. Why don't you visit Colosseum, underground and 3rd tier one day and Palatine and Roman Forum the second? (consider that is not allowed to visit for exemple palatine and colosseum and another day the forum. You have only this 2 choises: palatine+forum and Colosseum or three sites together

mama_mia

I think it is a pretty nice itinerary.

Re Galleria Borghese: It is a beautiful museum and the timed entry helps keep down crowds. If you are a big fan of Bernini and Baroque sculpture, it is a wonderful choice.

However, it does require committing to a time and it might make your itinerary too rigid. With possibly hot, humid weather, you might want more flexibility.

The Capitoline Museums are undervalued in my opinion. If you have taken an Art History survey course, you will find familiar pieces there. But it does not draw the crowds of the Vatican Museums, which makes it a more pleasant experience.

If you have energy after Ostia Antica, you might stop in on your return or consider it as an alternative if the weather turns too hot or rainy for Ostia.

Also, for the Forum, I think this is one place where a tour can be of great value, since you will be trying to visualize a location that now lies partially in ruins. Also, there is little cover, so an early start is probably best here. However, if you decide to do the Colosseum Underground, it would probably be overkill and make for a long day.

ElendilPickle

>>1) Would anybody recommend the Free Walking Tour? Also, I assume we would tip the guide. What is an appropriate tip for this type of tour?<<

We took this tour in May and really enjoyed it. Our guide was very good - fun, informative, etc. - and he didn't try to sell us on any of the company's other tours. I had to drop out for a bathroom break before we reached the last stop, so I wasn't there at the end, but I'm pretty sure Mr. Pickle gave the guide at least 20 Euros for the two of us.

Lee Ann

annhig

I agree that you have paced yourselves quite well and may find that you have time to see other sites that you pass as you walk around.

one of my favourites is the Galleria Doria Pamphillij [entrance difficult to find on Via del Corso] ;

http://www.doriapamphilj.it/roma/en/

It is divided into two sections - the first being the family's living quarters where you learn where the term "nepotism" comes from [if you didn't already know!] and the second where the works of art are hung.

The joy of it is that there are usually very few people there, and there are some lovely works, though also some dross. And a very smart cafe on the ground floor.

kybourbon

>>>- St. Peter's Basilica then Scavi Tour at 11:00 (already booked)
- Castel Sant'Angelo<<<

I would reverse this. Visit Castel Sant'Angelo before your Scavi tour and then St. Peter's after. In the past, the Scavi tour exited into the secure area of St. Peter's. That way you can avoid going through security lines twice (access to the Scavi tour is outside the piazza on the left). That will allow you more time in St. Peter's if you decide to go up the the top.

I don't think you have time for much else. The heat will zap you midday and you will probably need a few breaks (perhaps back in the hotel room for a bit).

bvlenci

You've said that your main interest is ancient history, but you've skipped many of the best ancient museums and archaeoòogical sites.

I don't consider the Borghese Gallery the most beautiful museum even in Rome, but then I'm not a big fan of Bernini, or of Baroque art in general (although I do love Baroque music). Since you're interesting in ancient history, I think you might enjoy the National Roman Museum at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme more than the Borghese Gallery. It has a superb collection of ancient sculpture, as well as ancient mosaics, and even rare ancient frescoes from the Villa of Livia (wife of the Emperor Augustus). It also has ancient jewelry, glassware, household items, coins, and many other precious artifacts of ancient Rome.

The Museum of Etruscan Civilization at Villa Giulia, on the northern edge of the Villa Borghese park, is another treasure in Rome, almost totally overlooked by tourists.

The Baths of Caracalla are the best preserved ancient baths in Italy, and well worth the visit.

The Domus Romane, under Palazzo Valentini, has glass floors that allow you to see the remains of an upper-middle-class Roman House, with an excellent sound and light show that demonstrates what the house may have looked like in ancient times. I'm not a fan of sound-and-light shows, but this one is very well done.

The Case Romane on the Caelian Hill, under the church of SS Giovanni e Paolo, is a very interesting site, with Roman shops and dwellings. It's a very complex site, because there are centuries of different uses of the site on display. They do have some guided tours, and I would recommend taking one.

The Ara Pacis, the Altar of Peace commissioned by the Emperor Augustus, is in a controversial building designed by Richard Meier. (I think it's a splendid work, but my husband disagrees.)There are often excellent temporary art exhibits in the space; I once saw an excellent Chagall exhibit there.

Trajan's Market, across the Via dei Fori Imperiali from the Roman Forum, is worth visiting, even if just to see the ancient Via Biberatica, which can be accessed only from inside the site. This is an intact ancient Roman street, lined with ancient shops. You can see the grooves in the door sills where they fitted the shutters to close the shop at night; the last shutter swung on an axis (and you can see the hole it fit into), and served as a door. The shop owner bolted this from the inside and climbed a ladder to his quarters above the shop.

I agree with Annhig's recommendation of the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, another mostly ignored museum in Rome. However, given your interest in ancient history, some of the places I've mentioned might interest you more.

The "free" tours mentioned above most certainly expect a tip; it's how they get paid. Italians don't tip, but these tours are run by Americans for Americans. I don't think they push paid tours; some guides that used to hang around outside the Roman Forum gave free tours in the hopes of selling you paid tours, but that's a different operation, and I think the city has more or less ended it.

Brenkjtravel

Take advantage of the nights and just walk the city exploring. If your parents are tired from the day this will give you some alone time to see Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and of course spend a little time on The Spanish Steps with some gelato people watching. While all of the other historical sites are great I found that my favorite times in Rome were these night walks of the city, which is beautiful and very romantic. And in July the cooler nights will be a welcome change from the hot days.

Brenkjtravel

Ok, well it looks like Trevi Fountain maybe out, but still many great things to see walking the streets at night... maybe the The Mouth of Truth as well

mbann

Thank you all for the feedback and ideas. It is all very helpful.

Bvlenci - Thank you for the suggestions related to ancient sights and museums. A lot of those are already on my list, specifically the National Roman Museum, Baths of Caracalla, and the Ara Pacis. I will check out The Museum of Etruscan Civilization as well. Sounds like a great idea.

kybourbon - Castel Sant'Angelo, Scavi tour, then St. Peter's Basilica was an order I was also thinking of for that day. Thank you for also recommending that order. That is what we will do for that day.

A few other questions:
1) What tour options are available for the Forum? I would like to take the official tour, but it is my understanding that these are just offered on Saturdays. Is that correct? The plan would be to visit the Forum and Palatine Hill first thing in the morning on Tuesday 7/7. Would the audio guide be a good alternative if there is not a practical tour option?

2) What should we expect the queue to be like to climb to the top of St. Peter's Dome in the middle of the afternoon? We will visit St. Peter's after the Scavi tour on 7/9.

3) My wife and I fly out of FCO to Paris Orly at noon on Sunday 7/12. How early should we arrive at the airport? I was thinking three hours prior to departure, so around 9:00 AM. Would this be enough time for flights within the Schengen zone?

I have to say that prioritizing and narrowing down a list of sights we want to visit in Rome has been quite a challenge, albeit a fun challenge. Just means we will have to start planning for a return trip.

Thanks.

Blueeyedcod

Climbing the dome in the middle of July is a very bad idea.

There is the heat, confined space, hundreds of people, the heat, and the hundreds of stairs. If you want to see the view, do it first thing in the morning. It opens from 8.00am - if you can fit that in somewhere.

The audio guide for the Forum - which I have used - I wouldn't recommend as its hard to find the markers on the sites. The information itself is good but tracking down the markers - well good luck. A real life guide is the best option.

bvlenci

For an interEurope flight, getting to the airport 1 1/2 to 2 hours in advance would be sufficient.

I agree that the Roman Forum really is best seen with a good guide. If you have a particular interest in ancient history, this is the most important site in Rome. I think you should splurge here for a really good guide. I can highly recommend Daniela Hunt of www.rome-tours.com . She's a classics scholar who assists on archaelogical digs, and her knowledge ofancient Rome is formidable. If she's not available, as she often isn't, Context Travel is also excellent.

I should have mentioned in my earlier post that the Vatican Museums have two superb collections you shouldn't miss, and they're usually blessedly uncrowded: the Egyptian Collection and the Etruscan Collection.

bvlenci

For an interEurope flight, getting to the airport 1 1/2 to 2 hours in advance would be sufficient.

I agree that the Roman Forum really is best seen with a good guide. If you have a particular interest in ancient history, this is the most important site in Rome. I think you should splurge here for a really good guide. I can highly recommend Daniela Hunt of www.rome-tours.com . She's a classics scholar who assists on archaelogical digs, and her knowledge ofancient Rome is formidable. If she's not available, as she often isn't, Context Travel is also excellent.

I should have mentioned in my earlier post that the Vatican Museums have two superb collections you shouldn't miss, and they're usually blessedly uncrowded: the Egyptian Collection and the Etruscan Collection.

annhig

I should have mentioned in my earlier post that the Vatican Museums have two superb collections you shouldn't miss, and they're usually blessedly uncrowded: the Egyptian Collection and the Etruscan Collection.>>

lol, bvl, on our first visit to Rome our DD was desperate to see the Egyptian collection so we made a bee-line for there [or as much of one as the Easter crowds would allow] and then proceeded to get lost, so we saw it twice.

which was, for my taste, 1 ½ times too many.

jscarbary

We went to the Baths of Caracalla last time and it was incredible, the site is huge! Also loved Trajan's Market, it seemed like we were the only people there at the time. It is just amazing to consider that so many years ago there were people in the exact same place we were and were doing their daily shopping and just living like we do today but everything was so different then. Needless to say I was thrilled to be there.

The dome of St. Peter's gets very close as you get to the top. There was a girl when we were there who thought that she would be able to do it and was halfway up when she changed her mind. She stopped for a while and then tried again and never made it all the way up If you or anyone else is the slightest bit claustrophobic you may want to reconsider. If your not claustrophobic, the views are great. It will be warm in the dome though, we were there in April (it was in the mid 70s weatherwise) and it was warm just at the top.

You have a great itinerary for Rome, have a great trip!!!!

annhig

IMO it is worth going up just to the top of the lift level of St Peter's to see the mosaics around the dome in more detail [you can only see them from the floor otherwise which gives a very poor impression] the wonderful colours of the roof tiles, and the backs of the statues overlooking the piazza below - a whole new perspective.

And did you know that there are loos and a cafe up there? I didn't!