This is first trip, actually a cruise in July. I wanted to know are places of interest in Rome really that far away from each other? Reading messages on this site all seem to state the distances are farand hard to reach.. If we stay in Hotel in Rome for instance, are the Vatican etc. within walking distance? I will be researching Rome so any help will be appreciated.
Thanks!

Rome is small and things are close together. We took a cab to the Vatican (that is sort of the most "out of the way&quot only because we were tight on time for a tour. Really, everything else is walkable assuming you are a fairly good walker.

For better advice, it might be useful to know if you are talking about (only a "port stop" (at Civitavecchia) - - or staying several days before or after the cruise. If it is your arrival in rome, I would advise a minimum of three nights there before embarking on the cruise.

Best wishes,

Rex

p.s. If you are planning to post additional questions about other cities you plan to visit on your cruise, it is common etiquette here to mention the destination in the message header (title) of your post.

Things are mostly close together. The Vatican is the furthest from the old Rome area, but not that far eaither.

Get a map, mark the sights that you want to see, and plot you route. You will see that most everything is near.

Depending on where your hotel is, it may take a while to get to the start of your days activities, so taxis can be handy. Even though things are close together, there is still a lot of walking seeing the sights. Usually, I ended up taking a taxi back to the hotel.

When I went, it took a 25 minute walk to get to the Coloseum. After that, everything was one sight after another.

We stayed in Trastevere which is the "old" part of Rome near the Tiber River. We took cab rides from there to the Vatican, the Borghese Gallery and Stazione Termini and each cost about 10-14 Euros each way (for three of us). We walked everywhere else.

Rule of Roma cab use: don't get in one that does not have a meter in it...those are "independent" drivers and usually cost 2-3x what we paid.

At the end of the day, cab rides from the Vatican usually involve a long wait in a line of cranky tourists. Walk a bit and then catch a cab from a marked taxi stand.

It depends on how much walking you're used to doing. To me most everything you want to see in Rome - including the Vatican from the centro hisotrico is an easy walk (about 20 minutes) - but if you're someone that thinks more than 5/6 blocks is a long way to walk you'll probably need to use a lot of cabs.

As I recall most of the touisty stuff in Rome is within a triangle from Termini train station to the Vatican and back to the colliseum. I think it is no more than a couple of miles on each leg of the triangle, maybe two and a half.

The catacoms and the Borghese gallarys are outside the triangle but you will find a lot to look at inside the triangle.. Piaza Narvona, Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, the forum and of course the coliseum and St Peters and Vatican City.

Most of the more popular sights are within 'walking distance', that may be a pretty far haul. For July, you will want a couple of waters during the day. Common sense says to take very comfortable 'athletic' shoes.

When you look at your attractions on the map, walking will probably make the most sense. Our only Rome taxi was from the train station to the hotel.

I rarely see references to Castel Sant' Angelo among the sites of Rome. Can one tour it? I'm not sure what to expect, but it was an intriguing part of Angels and Demons, tho I'm not an afficianado of the books.

If you stay within Old Rome (Centro Storico) you should be able to walk to a lot of sights. Case in point, I stayed at Hotel Genio on Via Zanardelli and was two blocks from Piazza Navona, 3 minutes walking distance from Pantheon, 10 minutes to Vatican, 15-20 minutes to Roman Forum/Colosseum, about 15-20 minutes Spanish Steps. I did take a taxi to train station Termini only because we had luggage. We are talking November weather, rainy some times, in the upper 50's most days, no crowds, cheaper flights. Perfect time if you ask me. By the way, Hotel Genio has gone up in a price, I wouldn't recommend to pay the current rates. I would consider Hotel Nazionale and Hotel Traiano. If you are limited by time you need to pin down what sights are a must for you and then go or a nearby hotel, specially in July. DO NOT take a hotel without A/C; again do not even consider a hotel without A/C for July in Rome.

JeanneB, Yes you can tour the Castel Sant' Angelo. The outside is by far more impressve than the inside. There is a cafe near the top that has a nice view.

1323,

Here's a trip report from my summer week (not enough!) in Rome. I hope it gives some insights on walkability (we stayed close to Campo dei Fiori). It also has a brief mention of the Castle St. Angelo tour.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34438906

I've now read several reports about Castel Sant' Angelo and am becoming, shall we say, "less intrigued". Sounds like I should just enjoy it from the outside and continue imagining all the mysteries within.

JeanneB: I don't know how this will affect your decision about Castel Sant'Angelo, but in over 30 years of going to Rome almost annually, I've never set foot in the place. Nor do I intend to in the future.

Yes, that's definitely the impression I'm getting. It has no amenities for tourists...no signs, no guides, nothing explaining the history. Kind of a shame given what those wall have seen.

Time better spent elsewhere. Thx.

Rex:
Thanks,for info I should have mentioned it wasn't only a port stop but 2 days before meeting the ship. Any suggestions for Hotel in rome???
Thanks.....

JeanneB, we explored the Castel Sant'Angelo and while it is true that we could have used more information, it was still interesting. There are some furnished rooms where the Popes stayed while hiding out from the Vatican, if I recall, and there is a space where they hold temporary exhibitions. The main draw was the building itself, walking up the long ramp around it, coming upon piles of cannon balls, looking out at Rome through the battlements.

While we did not take a tour of Castel Sant'Angelo, and I don't know if one is available in spite of the incredible layers of history this place encompasses, I would not have missed the panoramic view of Rome and of Vatican City from the top, under the massive statue of the Arcangel, for anything. (Puccini fans will note this is the site of Act 3 of Tosca & may find that of interest.) We were there in the afternoon, but I've heard the view at sunset is particularly spectacular.

From the sublime to the ....well, you know...! I also found the free rest room at the bottom of the circular climb spotless....it is located shortly after you begin the walk up to the left after you enter. It is ON the left.

In the interest of a little more clarity....when you enter the Castel Sant'Angelo, you go RIGHT up a circular ramp. If memory serves, after you make your first turn toward the left, the door to the public rest room (a single room) is ON the left.

eliztrv,

Always good intormation to know.