beachgirl1982

Hi all! We are in our mid-20s heading to Rome around Christmas for our first Italy trip! We have hotel reservations in the Piazza Novana area - is that a good location? We are staying for 7-9 days. 7 days if we just stay in Rome, 9 if we can take day trips or a few side trips without breaking the bank.

How realistic is it to head to Venice for an overnight trip?

How easy is a day trip to Pompeii from Rome?

Any advice, tips, or must see ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Grinisa

I think most people would say that Venice deserves more than just an overnight. But you can do it if you don't mind spending a lot of time on the train and not a lot of time seeing the city. Take an early morning train from Rome Termini station and arrive in Venice five hours later. You have the afternoon and evening in Venice, as well as the next morning and afternoon before heading back to Rome in the early evening. Be aware that in December, it can be very cool and rainy in Venice, with a good chance of "aqua alta" or flooding. As for Pompeii, many people have done it as a daytrip from Rome. It is a long day but certainly doable. You can do it yourself by taking an early train from Termini to Naples and then at the Napoli Centrale station, changing to the local Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii Scavi. This trip is about three hours. See Pompeii and do the reverse going back to Rome.

Bettina222

I know everyone will have their own opinion on this but last February my husband and I had 8 nights in Rome.
We took two day trips..........one to Florence and one to Venice and thoroughly enjoyed both ones.
We took the first train out in the morning and the last one back at night.
Enjoy!!

cmay

I'm guessing you're staying in the Piazza Navona, not Piazza Novana area? If it's Piazza Novana i've never heard of it, but the Piazza Navona area is great. Depending where exactly you are it might be a touch noisy, but it's a nice area, very centrally located, lots of places to eat nearby - hard to do too much better.

And i'll second what's been said about the day trips. Good luck!

bardo1

Piazza Navona is a great area - you'll love it.

Venice as an overnight trip from Rome is unrealistic. Plan to go Venice next time and spend a week there. I mean, come on, you're only in your mid-20s!!

Pompeii is often done as a day trip from Rome. It's a long day though. Plan to leave Rome by 7am and plan on getting back to your hotel around 10 pm so you can see as much as possible.

beachgirl1982

Thank you all to your advice! Sorry for the typo on on the location - you all are correct, we are staying in the Piazza Navona area.

Great advice! Thanks!

Mamaw

beachgirl. Wow, I'm so excited for you. Roma is fantastic and would take a lifetime to discover.

My Family and I went to Rome for 13 days. Roma as our base we were able to visit Pompeii for a day (would have loved to stay for 2) and Venice for a day and night(came back early, it was cold and rainy, I wasn't liking the city either JMO) But were were able to take the train to both cities with no problems. The system there is well ran and I was very impressed. We did do 1st class tix's to Venice and 2nd class back and I didn't think there was much difference. Just about 30.00 euro's cheaper.

Piazza Novana is a busy area. Popular all day long from the 2 times I was there. Try to go off the beaten path for food, from my experince it was very expensive and not so great food. I did a italy report here on fodor's. It's raw,full of typo's and I was told kind of R17 rated it's under Rome, I loved it.

I wish I had went to Europe a long time ago when I had a chance, because now all I can think of is getting back there, Italy especially.

Have a Blast!

sidandspennysmom

If you are worried about $$, i found rome to have the most expensive hotels.

Perhaps think about traveling around more??

jjkbrook

If you are planning to stay for a week, you might think of renting an apartment - will probably be cheaper than a hotel as well as more comfortable.

bandwife

We were also In Italy for 9 days (for the first time) and were based in Rome. We spend 5 days in Rome itself, one in Florence, and three in Tuscany (based in Montalcino).

The day trip to Florence was extrememly easy. We just stopped at a travel agent on via Cavour in Rome and bought our Eurostar tickets the day before. We felt like we saw all of the major sites in Florence pretty easily in one day. Definitely make reservations to for the Accademia (to see the David) and the Uffizi. If you wait in line you'll be there for hours. Another must - climb the hill to Piazza Michelangelo for an amazing view.

We were originally planning a trip to Pompeii, but changed our minds when we realized how much travel time was involved. Remember - it gets dark around 5pm, so by the time you get there you won't have much time to walk around.

Five days in Rome was the perfect amount of time for us, but we rarely had any "down time" and were exhausted by the time we got home! Piazza Navona was one of our favorite areas of the city - there's a great Christmas market there during the time you'll be there. One of our favorite restaurants - "Del Sostegno" was not far from Piazza Navona. It's hard to find - down a tiny little side street close to the Pantheon. Ask your hotel for directions.

We thought Venice was a little far and decided to rent a car and do a side trip to Tuscany instead. We stayed at the Il Giglio in Montalcino - very charming and very affordable.

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

dfr4848

Hi beachgirl - just a couple of comments. Venice overnight is really tight and doesn't let you see much - especially if you're taking the train. Having said that, if you flew up early morning and returned late the next day, and you think the chances of returning anytime soon are remote, then I'd say go for it - it's an amazing place and sometimes I feel 1-2 days is better than not seeing it at all.

I'd give more thought to the Pompeii trip. Yes, we've done it as a day trip from Rome, but it was a loooooooong day and we did it in the summer. You're biggest problem IMO is the fact you're going in Dec and it gets dark early so your time will be severely limited. Maybe tack the time for this trip to Venice!

Yes, I agree that the P. Navona area is really nice - great location.

carolinabelle

What about going to Ostia Antica (spelling?) instead of Pompeii? You get the same feel of visiting an ancient Roman town but it's closer. I actually liked it better than Pompeii - I think because it wasn't so overrun with tourists!

jay

How about a half day trip to Ostia Antica? Have lunch on the beach. Save Pompeii for another trip when you can spend more time. Piazza Navona is a great location. There are many Christmas markets around the city. Will you be there for Christmas?

StCirq

I agree completely with visiting Ostia Antica instead of Pompeii. It's wonderful!

And Piazza Navona is one of the great piazzas in Rome, with all kinds of wonderful activity - though less in December than in "tourist season."

I'd echo others in saying I wouldn't do a daytrip to Venice - you'll probably end up wishing desperately you could stay longer. Go early in the morning, spend a night there, and come home late the next day. Even then, you'll have barely scratched teh surface and will be wanting to go back.

Another nice daytrip from Rome (and an easy, sshort one) is Orvieto.

beachgirl1982

Thanks for all of the tips! We will be departing the states on 12/24 in the evening and arriving in Rome on Christmas morning.

Will we have trouble getting a taxi to take us from the hotel to the hotel on Christmas day?? Should I reserve in advance or is that not needed? I am quite concerned about that...

daveesl

Hi Beachgirl,

You are going to love it. We went last Christmas and are returning this year.

Since it looks like you maybe haven't completely made the travel arrangements yet, may I suggest arriving on the 24th. If you do, then you can attend the Christmas Eve Mass at the Pantheon. It is amazing (I'm not religious).

Instead of a taxi, I recommend that you prebook with Rome Shuttle Limousine (http://www.romeshuttlelimousine.com), cost less than a taxi and the service is excellent.

Definately go to Ostia Antica.

You'll hear lots of people say that all the restaurants are closed on Christmas, well that isn't so. We found small cafes open all over town at all hours. The bus service does stop on Christmas eve about 10pm. Christmas day it pretty much stops about noon or so, if I remember correctly and by nighttime is is toast. However, taxis in Rome were really reasonable.

While none of the museums are open on Christmas day, there are just an amazing amount of things to do that cost nothing and are always open, like the Piazzas (Navona will be having a carnival probably).

Have a great time, we might see you there. We are staying in an apartment near Navona. Oh and the apartment idea is a good one. You can still get some good deals now.

dave

SusanP

I was also in Rome this past Christmas and New Year's. For information on what's open when and other help for that time of year, here is my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34922204

beachgirl1982

Wow! This is great! I'm getting really excited! Dave, thanks for the tip about the transport from the airport! I thought about the apartment idea, but was a little unsure since the only apartment type of lodging I've ever stayed in was a rental in the Outer Banks - and that was awhile ago. I just assumed a hotel would be easier? Where is information about apartments?

My boyfriend has never left the country and has rarely traveled around the States. I know he is excited to experience Rome, but I worry about taking the fish completely out of water - perhaps he'd feel more comfortable in an apartment rather than a hotel...

You all have been so helpful! I wish I could send you all postcards of thanks from my trip- even though it is 6 months away... it never hurt to get started on planning, right?

StCirq

Well, you can send "postcards" to Fodors while you're there or when you get back!

daveesl

There are several apartment companies.

www.sleepinitaly.com
www.realrome.com

and this one is direct from the owners

www.vrbo.com

+/- with apartments...They CAN be less expensive, but not always. Kind of depends on what you want. Remember that Christmas is the max high time in Rome. Many require payment in cash, while the majority of hotels take CC. You get a ton more room in an apartment and a kitchen. No daily staff cleanup in an apartment, for me I prefer that. Apartment may not have a phone. I personally feel more comfortable in an apartment.

With that all said, what is your budget for accomodations? If money is no object, then a 4/5* hotel might be a better choice.

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!

dave