Hi,

My wife and I are planning a trip to Rome from September 27th to October 13th, and we have a few questions:

1. Do Americans need a visa for Italy?
2. What are some good 3-star hotels in Rome that are clean, affordable, in a SAFE area, and within walking distance of major tourist attractions?"
3. -Can you provide us with a day-by-day plan to visit all the major tourist attractions in Rome, Pompeii, and nearby areas over the course of 14 days?"
4. "Is it recommended to visit the tourist areas on our own or through tour agencies? If so, which are the affordable ones?
5. These are the questions that come to mind for now. There may be more later."

1. No
2. When you say 3star what specifically do you mean? In italy the star system is based on a detailed list of criteria, none of which actually correlates directly to cleanliness or quality. For example, Features like a 24 hr front desk are required to reach a certain star level. Lots of other details. I’ve stayed in some wonderful places in italy that didn’t reach a certain star level, and higher stsr level hotels that were a dunp.

tell us what it is that really matters in a hotel and we can better help you.

3. Sorry, not I. I recommend you do more homework on your own, as only you know your own interests.

4. I prefer on your own. But i read up on sights beforehand and already have a good idea of what I’m visiting and seeing. If you’re the type who relies more on others then tour guides may be helpful, and that's perfectly fine. Some sights you may get more out of it with a guide. The Forum is one.

Welcome to Fodors

1. Do Americans need a visa for Italy?

No

2. What are some good 3-star hotels in Rome that are clean, affordable, in a SAFE area, and within walking distance of major tourist attractions?"

As J62 says -- '3 star' really doesn't tel us anyhing/enough. The star grading system is based specific amenities not value, or quality or charm. Has an elevator? ✔️ 24 hour reception ✔️ but those don't say anything about the actual accommodations. There are absolutely wonderful 2 star places that are nicer than some old worn 4 stars. I assume by '3 star' you mean you mean some price range . . . so what is your actual budget? (There are thousands of hotels and hundreds of then are '3 star')

3. Can you provide us with a day-by-day plan to visit all the major tourist attractions in Rome, Pompeii, and nearby areas over the course of 14 days?"

No -- that is your job You can ask about places you want to visit or put together a general plan and we can help you work out what might wok better or whatever. A good place to start is the 'Destinations' section linked at the top of the page.

4. "Is it recommended to visit the tourist areas on our own or through tour agencies? If so, which are the affordable ones?

ditto to what J62 posted.

Besides what amenities you want/need in a hotel, please tell us what your general budget is... Otherwise, you could waste a lot of time searching properties that are not realistic or acceptable to you.

I recommend that you focus immediately on the lodging issue and book something acceptable as soon as possible, preferably something that is cancellable at least up to a month before your arrival. If you find something more desirable in the coming weeks, you can switch the reservation. Please know your dates in Rome encompass VERY popular weeks.

You might find the link below helpful in planning your sightseeing. But I suggest you check your library for travel guides for Rome/Italy or peruse/buy a guide at a bookstore. Some guides have suggested multi-day itineraries, self-guided walking tours, etc. You can also mine the internet for travel/tourist info which can be helpful to a point but can also begin to overwhelm, especially if this is your first trip to Italy and/or Europe.

https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/italy/rome

After doing some research and forming a general sightseeing plan, please come back and let us help fine-tune the details.

jeeze - sorry for all the typos in my post But hopefully you get the gist of it . . .

Thanks a lot

Thank you so much

just for info you also need to understand how public transport works, because it is very good.

seat61.com explains how the trains work
https://www.atac.roma.it/en/tickets-and-passes is the rome system
the trains have a few different companies but a good place to start is https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html the only issue you may have is that the system works well if you type the name of any station correctly. Errors just don't work.
rome2rio is a good tool for planning the trip but don't trust the detail, you either click through to the underlying website or do a search.

I stayed at the Lancelot Hotel, which is 3 star and which I found out later is a choice for Rick Steves tours. I was very happy with my choice. The buffet breakfast that was included was enough to keep me full until dinner time.
Many first-timers want to do the Colosseum and Palatine Hill/Forum (on one ticket for about €18 through the official site at https://ticketing.colosseo.it/en/cat...i-1-8-persone/) and the Vatican Museums (https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home). These are the hardest tickets to get so you need to book early.
You can look at places to visit in Rome by doing some research. You could take day trips as well.
Taxis into the city from Fiumicino Airport are a flat rate of €50 and I recommend them because they are door to door.