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Are your hotels booked?
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Just to add my penny's worth
one and a bit days in Rome Visit the Forum and the Museo di Foro over the road, the right ticket for this gives you access to Colosseo but without the queues, do the Colosseo. Turn around and walk back up the hill looking at as many ruins as you can. The Campidoglio (designed by Michelangelo) then pop in this church Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara coeli to stare in awe at the frescos finally go all fascist on us and turn north to the Typewriter. Climb to the top and maybe even the lift for the best view of Rome and down for a cocktail/coffee at the restaurant. Once you've cracked this you can do anything you like, but if you must do a fountain, do them all https://www.gpsmycity.com/tours/foun...tour-5112.html |
[QUOTE=Traveler_Nick;17535619]I don't think anybody is suggesting throwing things out but if you only have six days trying to see a whole country means seeing little other than airports and train stations.[/QUOTE
I just disagree and honestly seeing a whole country is being taken literal here and can mean anything. There are many tours with 2 days in each place Rome, Florence and Venice that are popular. I met a couple who did their own this way and made it 8 with a side trip to the Amalfi Coast. To some that is a whole country. The OP I am sure will still have a nice time with the limited time they have and I am sure are just trying to see as much as they can with their 6 days. If they stick to just a few highlights they just may get what they want. |
To the ones who responded positively I thank you with all my heart it did make my planning easier. Shoutout to Sassy27 and J62
To the others who were so judgmental, and critical I also thank you for your input :JanisJ and Jean. For anyone to assume we don't know what we are doing is their problem. We have travelled extensively In Japan, Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangkok, several cities in India as well as all around USA which is our native country with a backpack and a carry on. For those who are critical. about my itinerary everything is planned and organized. No, we are not winging it. I have the trains and train numbers printed out for efficiency of time. as well hotels reserved. For those who think we will be lugging our suitcases everywhere, any hotel that you book close to a railway station. or an airport will hold your luggage if you have a reservation. So no, it does not take 4 hours to deposit luggage. ChatGpt + is a great resource. for planning an efficient route. Jean and Janis, you should try it sometimes. It an OpenAI program which literally plans everything. |
With all due respect, we have seen our share of AI itineraries on here, many of which are nonsensical, do not properly configure transit times, and often have travelers darting around countries and cities like a ping pong ball.
If it works for you, great. But if it works so great, why were you on here asking us "what the must sees are" in both Rome and Venice, when in both cities and one in particular, said must sees are pretty...obvious. Have a great trip. Hope you come home refreshed and have enjoyed it. |
One collaborates and identifies the common point posted by everyone, thereby experiencing and enjoying the travel. Not everyone has the luxury of taking several weeks off. Everything and everyone has a positive input, be it people, Bing or Google, The question was about what is a must see and what can be skimmed over.and whether the Roma pass or H-O_H-O was worth it.Thank you for your kind wishes.
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[QUOTE=sassy27;17535677]
Originally Posted by Traveler_Nick
(Post 17535619)
I don't think anybody is suggesting throwing things out but if you only have six days trying to see a whole country means seeing little other than airports and train stations.[/QUOTE
I just disagree and honestly seeing a whole country is being taken literal here and can mean anything. There are many tours with 2 days in each place Rome, Florence and Venice that are popular. I met a couple who did their own this way and made it 8 with a side trip to the Amalfi Coast. To some that is a whole country. The OP I am sure will still have a nice time with the limited time they have and I am sure are just trying to see as much as they can with their 6 days. If they stick to just a few highlights they just may get what they want. |
Originally Posted by Sassafrass
(Post 17535647)
Are your hotels booked?
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Originally Posted by StuDudley
(Post 17535583)
""I can do 2 days in Rome easy""
Great - but the OP only has 1 1/2 days. And much of each day will be in darkness. Plus getting to St Marks in Venice from/to the train station or airport will be very time consuming and confusing. Same thing in Rome. And what happens if they miss a flight or train due to weather (or something else) ?? On our first trip to Europe in 1977, I made the naive decisions the OP is heading into. Now we usually stay at a single destination for 2 weeks before we move to the next destination. Stu Dudley |
Originally Posted by VanitaG
(Post 17535921)
Reaching Rome : 6;00 AM on 21st Feb. Leaving Rome;11;00 AM 23rd of Feb.
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VanitaG I truly hope you have a nice time and please do come back and tell us about it. You may be helpful to someone else in a similar situation in the future.
I have seen some AI generated itineraries that were crazy and jacked up. Please don’t fall for them and stick to what is logical on a map. To answer your question, I only rode the Rome HOHO bus once as I was severely jet lagged and couldn’t get my room until later in the day. I didn’t get off and it was in the summer so being very tired with a bottle of water on a bus where I didn’t get left behind somewhere was worth it. The hotel was happy to watch my luggage which was near the train station. I have no experience with the Roma pass so I hope this also helps. |
I see there is a night train leaving Venice at 10:30 PM and arriving in Rome at 6:30. They have couchette cars, so presumably you could get a decent night's sleep.
I would not use a hop-on, hop-off bus. Because of traffic restrictions, their stops are not near many of the popular sights. Many people use them just to ride around the city, so if you get off at an intermediate stop, you may not find seats available when you want to get back on (especially the popular top-deck seats). The Roma Pass is only a good deal if you do a very intensive museum/archaeological site visit, which I think would be a waste of your limited time. I suggest you spend half a day in the Vatican area. I agree with the advice to visit only St. Peter's Basilica and skip the Vatican Museums (including the Sistine Chapel). It's best to arrive very early, as the queue to enter can get very long later in the day. The Basilica opens at 7 AM, but I don't think it's necessary to arrive quite that early. Then I would spend half a day in the ancient Roman area. You can get a ticket to entire Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill site for €18, and there are still tickets available for the days you will be there. https://www.coopculture.it/en/produc...-palatine_24h/ I myself find the Roman Forum and especially the Palatine Hill more interesting than the inside of the Colosseum, but that's a matter of choice. The Colosseum has excellent informative signs for visitors, but for the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, a very good guide book and map are important. (You might be able to find a good video tour for your phone. ) I would also spend half a day in the historic center. You can take a self-guided walking tour; there are plenty of these online. Try to visit Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona. I would say that seeing the inside of the Pantheon is a must. You now need reservations to enter. https://www.pantheonroma.com/visit-the-pantheon/ Do read the history of this amazing ancient temple/church before you go. There are two very interesting churches in the historic center: San Luigi dei Francesi has three Caravaggio paintings. Santa Maria sopra Minerva is a beautiful Gothic church, the only Gothic church in Rome. (It doesn't look like anything special on the outside). These visits will leave you a few hours to see something else. If you tell us something about your interests, I can make suggestions. |
Originally Posted by VanitaG
(Post 17535921)
Reaching Rome : 6;00 AM on 21st Feb. Leaving Rome;11;00 AM 23rd of Feb.
Day 1: Taxi to your hotel, drop your bags. Find a nice spot for breakfast. Book a guided tour of Colosseum/Forum for ~10AM. After your tour, have lunch, hit the Basilica San Clemente, a unique hidden gem. Back to hotel for a siesta. Make an early dinner reservation & doing your own walking tour to see Trevi Fountain, Piazza Novona (don't eat there), Spanish Steps. Maybe timed entrance for Pantheon prior to dinner. End the night with gelato! Day 2: Book the earliest Vatican tour possible, spend as much time as you like in St Peter's after the tour. Get lunch, self-guided tour of Castel St. Angelo. Take a break or press on, using the afternoon to see what interests you most (art, architecture,history, etc). Reservation at a Trastevere restaurant for dinner and walk the neighborhood after. Day 3: Early walk thru Campo di Fiori markets and breakfast before taxi to the airport. |
Originally Posted by J62
(Post 17535477)
This is what I would do with those 2 days.
For simplicity, you can think of Rome as 3 main tourist areas. 1. The Vatican. With your limited time, don't bother with a tour, or even try to get into the Vatican Museums or Sistine Chapel. Go into St Peter's Basilica. First time visitors will benefit from a guide of somekind. I am sure you can find an audio guide online to download to your phone ahead of time - but I have not idea where that might be.... Go up to the roof of st peters. there may be a small fee for that. I don't recall. If you have time and are interested, visit the crypts. Do some research ahead of time to see if it intrests you. Many find it creepy, others are indifferent for various reasons. I don't rate the crypts as a must do. Spend some time outside in St. Peter's sq, (it's an ellipse, not square shaped...) 2. Historic Center - this includes Piazza Navonna, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon (tickets now required I believe), Campo Di Fiori (in the morning, when the market is open). Walk between these sites and enjoy la dolce vita, get some gelato, do some window shopping, get some more gelato, dine outdoors in one of the piazze and enjoy people watching and soaking in the atmosphere, get tartufo (a form of gelato), stop again for a glass of wine..... did I mention gelato? 3. Ancient Rome. Colosseum & Forum. I find it interesting to go into both, at least once. If you don't have a guide of some kind (guide book, podcast/audio guide), it might look like a bunch of fallen down old bricks and walls and columns. When you learn more about the age and history, it's a lot easier to imaging the grandeur of the Roman Empire. Colosseum. Do NOT go at night. Useless. Some people find a guided tour helpful. Lines to get in are very long in the summer. I would not expect Feb to be a problem You can walk from 2 to 3, or take a bus, or take a taxi. 1 is further away. We take a bus, but a taxi might be better for you with limited time. You can also take the metro, but it's somewhat roundabout. THe metro does not go near #2. I believe what you are saying is that each year you plan to take a 10 day trip to a different European country. And I don't think it's your intent to try to hit each and every country.....Committing time to go back to a different place each year sounds like a lovely plan. You will find out if this trip style is the right style for you, or if more time in one place, not moving from city to city. Let us know how we can help you out on this trip. We don't need to give any more input into your overall plans.... Where is your hotel? If it's close to 1, 2, or 3 then you'll be able to stroll some of those areas earlier or later in the day close to your hotel, or even mid-day if you can go back to your room for a rest.. If it's not near any of those, then you need to include time to/from your hotel. |
Originally Posted by bvlenci
(Post 17536022)
I see there is a night train leaving Venice at 10:30 PM and arriving in Rome at 6:30. They have couchette cars, so presumably you could get a decent night's sleep.
I would not use a hop-on, hop-off bus. Because of traffic restrictions, their stops are not near many of the popular sights. Many people use them just to ride around the city, so if you get off at an intermediate stop, you may not find seats available when you want to get back on (especially the popular top-deck seats). The Roma Pass is only a good deal if you do a very intensive museum/archaeological site visit, which I think would be a waste of your limited time. I suggest you spend half a day in the Vatican area. I agree with the advice to visit only St. Peter's Basilica and skip the Vatican Museums (including the Sistine Chapel). It's best to arrive very early, as the queue to enter can get very long later in the day. The Basilica opens at 7 AM, but I don't think it's necessary to arrive quite that early. Then I would spend half a day in the ancient Roman area. You can get a ticket to entire Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill site for €18, and there are still tickets available for the days you will be there. https://www.coopculture.it/en/produc...-palatine_24h/ I myself find the Roman Forum and especially the Palatine Hill more interesting than the inside of the Colosseum, but that's a matter of choice. The Colosseum has excellent informative signs for visitors, but for the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, a very good guide book and map are important. (You might be able to find a good video tour for your phone. ) I would also spend half a day in the historic center. You can take a self-guided walking tour; there are plenty of these online. Try to visit Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona. I would say that seeing the inside of the Pantheon is a must. You now need reservations to enter. https://www.pantheonroma.com/visit-the-pantheon/ Do read the history of this amazing ancient temple/church before you go. There are two very interesting churches in the historic center: San Luigi dei Francesi has three Caravaggio paintings. Santa Maria sopra Minerva is a beautiful Gothic church, the only Gothic church in Rome. (It doesn't look like anything special on the outside). These visits will leave you a few hours to see something else. If you tell us something about your interests, I can make suggestions. |
"I will keep everyone posted so anyone who wants to maximize."
just confused, what does this mean? |
The whirlwind trip is nearly over. The OP apparently intends to tell whoever is interested how they too can race around Rome, Florence and Venice in 6 days.
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"The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see."
G.K. Chesterton |
Originally Posted by Jean
(Post 17536755)
The whirlwind trip is nearly over. The OP apparently intends to tell whoever is interested how they too can race around Rome, Florence and Venice in 6 days.
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Sleepless in Italy.
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