Hi, I can't answer your question about Borghese because I used my passes to get my "free" tickets. While I had to pay cash at the Palatine entrance, I don't know if this is the norm or whether the machines were down. I'm pretty sure that Vatican Museums is cash only (but the cafeteria takes cc).

I think that you should get some cash if you can, as you don't want to go somewhere and stand in line and be told that you can't use your cc.

111op, www.mappy.com says walking from the Ponte Sisto to the Palatino takes 26 minutes. Maybe you were slowed down by your parents. Though I'm sure there are also many interesting stops along the way.

Being less interested in shopping, I think the Hotel Ponte Sisto is in a very good location. I like staying in the Piazza Navona/Campo dei Fiori/Pantheon area and walking to the sights. There's so much to enjoy along the way. I've never taken the subway in Rome and only taken the bus a time or two.

Hi, yeah, we did stop some plus we took some photos near Circo Massimo. I don't know how mappy.com calculates walking times, but 26 minutes is a fairly vigorous walk -- especially when you add to that the walking you have to do for the ancient Roman ruins (Palatine + Fora + Colosseum).

Actually for people watching I think Il Tridente is pretty interesting. I was surprised by how lively Piazza del Popolo was. That whole area and Spanish steps are good for shopping but also for just being out with the crowds.

Anyway, Ponte Sisto really is fine.

To each his own, of course, but I personally would not want to stay in the Spanish Steps area.

For those reading this, though, I would emphasize that Largo Argentina, a few minutes' walk from the Ponte Sisto, is one of the major public transportation hubs in Rome, with buses that will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go.
The No. 87 goes every 10 minutes to the Colosseum, pretty darned close to the entrance to the Palatine.

Personally I think Largo Argentina is still a good 10 minute walk from the hotel. Maybe it's faster if you cut through some small streets, but if you follow the Tiber to that big street (I forget what it's called -- Arenuela or something like that) and then go up, I think a lesiurely walk will take about 10 minutes.

Anyway, obviously everyone has different considerations.

This reminds me of a conversation I overheard at the hotel. Some woman was asking reception how far Piazza Venezia was. The reply was 10 minutes. Then the woman asked if the buses were wheelchair accessible. I was thinking about this and shaking my head.

The thing is -- there's a lot of walking in Rome. As I said, 10-15 minutes may not seem like much initially, but remember that we were out until 11 pm practically every night. Every 10-15 minutes adds up.

Still this shouldn't be interpreted as a criticism of the hotel. I realize that part of this is just how Rome is laid out (and my relative infamiliarity). When we were in Paris, we used the Metro a lot, and the Tuileries stop was maybe a 2-3 minute walk from our hotel.

Without a doubt, the Metro system in Paris is much denser than the one in Rome. But in Paris they don't find 2000-year-old archeological remains every time they dig a hole...

I was simply pointing out that you could have reduced your 35-40 minute walk to the Palatine to a lot less than that - and walking along the Lungotevere and Via Arenula is definitely not the shortest distance between two points!

My experience - and I have stayed in both - is that the Campo/Pantheon area is better connected than the Spanish Steps area. Yes, there are Metro stops at Piazza del Popolo and Piazza di Spagna, but for all touristic purposes the Metro only takes you to the Vatican or the Forum/Colosseum, and you have to change lines for the latter.

No, but given my very bad sense of direction, I more or less need to walk along big streets to get it right.

Campo to our hotel is a very short walk, but it took me a few attempts to get it right so that we didn't have to walk all the way down via Julia and then walk back up to the hotel on the street right next to it (which is Pettinari (sp?)).

Anyway, I ruled out Piazza del Popolo thinking that it was too far, but really there's a lot of interesting stuff on those streets. Rome isn't just about archaeological ruins either, of course. And really I do like Spanish stepss, but maybe I'm in the minority. Still there are a lot of luxury hotels up those steps (like Hassler and Eden), so I guess someone must agree with me. :-)

I suppose I know Rome, at least the historical center, but I still don't understand how you didn't make the best use of your hotel's location. That location seems excellent to me. You didn't take them to Trastevere to see the churches? Not to the Jewish ghetto, Portico Ottavia, etc.? Those things all seem close.

Doesn't really matter though. There is <b>no way</b> my mother will ever, ever be out sightseeing from the morning until 11pm. Just not a possibility. The last time I was in Rome with my mom she &quot;got tired&quot; of the Vatican museums and took a taxi back to Albergo del Senato. I think your parents are made of very different stuff.

Thanks for answering. Hope you are all having a good trip.

bkmk

No, we went to Travestere once only -- to have dinner after we arrived. Regarding the Jewish Ghetto, I knew it was nearby, but given the long list of things to do, I just didn't explore.

When we were at Pantheon, I finally realized that that was where Albergo del Senato was and I thought that that location would have been very nice. But it was also more expensive.

Maybe my parents are just cheap and willing to put up with a lot. :-) But my mom definitely seems to have lots of energy. When we were in Amsterdam looking at the red lights district, my father kept saying that it's enough already but she wanted to keep looking. I thought that was very funny. :-)

belated reply to Marsh; re Vatican museum; I would advise against booking a tour in the morning, unless it was late fall or winter.

Thank you, Sammy!

Hi everyone, just a little comment here re having cash for entry to museums in Rome. We are just back yesterday from Italy and France :( and encountered a few occasions, Capitoline Hill Museum is one, where they wanted EXACT change. It was also I think, the only occasion where the ticketing staff were rude. So, anyway, make sure you have some small notes and some coins if you are going to be paying for museum entries.