MollyinFL

My husband and I are traveling to Rome next month. (first time to Europe) We will arrive at 10am on Sat and leaving the following Sat. We are considering:
Sat evening- Food Walking Tour
Sun-Ostia Antica Tour

-Borghese Gallery And Gardens Tour
-Vatican
-Colosseum
My husband would like to rent vespa's- any suggestions.

We are not sure what day's are best for each of the above and look forward to any suggestions.
As we are arriving on Sat- where is the best place to exchange USD to Euro's?

Thank you in advance!

adrienne

I would take a look at Roman traffic before deciding on vespas. You'd need to be very familiar with the streets and need to be able to stop instantly for pedestrians in the crosswalk and know how to go around pedestrians crossing outside the crosswalks. Then there's the cars and other vespas to avoid. You'd need to be very nimble on a vespa. You may need an IDP (you do need one to rent a car, not sure about vespas).

Do not exhange USD to Euros - use your ATM card. There's a bankomat on practically every corner in Rome. This is how you get the best exchange rate.

You need advanced tickets for the Borghese and it's best to get tickets ahead for the Vatican and Colosseum.

DebitNM

-Borghese Gallery And Gardens Tour
-Vatican
-Colosseum

You need to book these NOW.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...spainitaly.cfm

adrienne

I know someone will correct me - you don't need an IDP to rent a car but to drive a car if you have a foreign license. Small distinction.

MollyinFL

The traffic in Rome was a huge concern for me, we will take this off our list!
Thanks for the excellent advice!
Any recommendations for paying for a tour or going on our own for:
-Borghese Gallery And Gardens Tour
-Vatican
-Colosseum

DebitNM

The Colosseum has its own tours, as does the Vatican. You can certainly pay for private tours, there are lots of threads on here regarding those.

We booked the Colosseum tour directly on their website.

We bought tickets for Borghese from them and will do it on our own.

We booked a Vatican tour through Viatour. It was my first booking and now; knowing what I do, I would not do it again. I am sure it will be great but it was expensive and I did not know they are just resellers. I know now. I was so anxious to get started on booking, I didn't research it enough.

We also downloaded several Rick Steeve's audio tours which we will use for walking tours:

http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read...io-tours/italy

jamikins

You may want to rethink doing an expensive tour the first day you arrive - if your flights are delayed you may miss it, but more importantly the jetlag may mean you are in a fog...especially if you are taking a food tour!

adrienne

I've done the docent-led tour at the Borghese twice and thought it was good. It's very inexpensive (the same price as an audio) and lasts 1.5 hours. You cannot book ahead - just go to where the audio guides are and say you want to docent tour. You must arrive 30 minutes before your entrance time to have enough time to check your belongings. The line moves slowly and people sidle into the middle of the line rather than waiting at the back. Note: the 2 hour time slot is strictly adhered to at the Borghese. You will be shouted at to leave immediately.

I haven't done a garden tour but did walk through the gardens. I have no idea what would be discussed in the garden part. I really didn't see flowers, just trees and shrubs.

I would get a Vatican and Colosseum tour. I've done two Vatican tours with Context and Enjoy Rome. Context is now very expensive; the Enjoy Rome tour was almost as good and not much money.

Mimar

What jamikins said. If you're arriving after a long, overnight flight -- as your flight arrival time suggests -- you'll be sleepy and jet-lagged for a day or two. You'll have a hard time staying awake for that tour Saturday night. I usually force myself to keep my eyes open til about 8 o'clock, then collapse. And wake up wide awake at 3 AM.

Rostra

<<<We are considering:
[Snip]
Sun-Ostia Antica Tour>>>

Ostia Antica IMO is more fun to do 'on your own' vs a half-day guided tour.

It's very easy to get to, cheaper and leaves you with more time on the site to explore on your own which to me is it's one major advantage over Pompeii. At Ostia you can lost in the ancient neighborhoods away from the main sites and be all alone.
Also a great place for a secluded quiet picnic.

A half-day group tour which is the only ones I have come across(?) will hit the main sites but leave the majority of the site unexplored.

There are directions and a great PDF guidebook that A_BRIT posted plus you could also add the onsite 'Ostia Antica' guidebook that you could also pick-up in Rome at many of the newstands esp near tourist sites.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...tia-antica.cfm

kybourbon

>>>My husband would like to rent vespa's- any suggestions.<<<

You don't want to drive in Rome at all, but if you decide to do this, check your health insurance. Often you aren't covered in another country and other insurance excludes risky things such as motorcycles, etc.

>>>you don't need an IDP to rent a car but to drive a car if you have a foreign license. Small distinction.<<<

An IDP is an Italian law requirement, but rental companies don't always ask for it.

>>>As we are arriving on Sat- where is the best place to exchange USD to Euro's?<<<

ATM's at the airport. The ones as you exit the glass doors by baggage claim are always busy. Instead, turn right and head down the hallway (overhead signs directing to the train). On the right in that hallway is an ATM that usually isn't busy.

I would wander some outside sites on arrival day or places that don't require a tour, entrance tickets or a lot of concentration (Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon).

snowgirls

My husband, the art lover, thought the Borghese was one of the best galleries he has seen in a long time. Not too big, so you can appreciate the art and the building itself.We did a picnic lunch at a park bench in the beautiful grounds surrounding the gallery area before the tour. Lots of places close by to get take out.

annhig

you can do a lot for free on your first day in Rome - the piazza Navona, the pantheon, the Campo dei fiori, Trevi, the Vittoriano, a wander around the Ghetto or Trastevere, numerous churches, even St. Peter's.

I agree with ky that that is a better option than paying for a tour you may not feel up to. There are plenty of places to stop [look for a "enoteca" which is specifically a wine bar] if you want a glass of wine and a snack.

nytraveler

Do not change any money anywhere. Pay for as much as can with you CCs and for walking around money pull cash from your checking account at an ATM, preferably from one inside a bank.

As for a Vespa - unless your life insurance is all paid up and you are experts at riding bikes in very heavy and chaotic city traffic.

cathies

If you are anxious about arriving in Rome without any cash, which is understandable for a first time traveller, arrange a small amount through your bank before you leave home. €100 will be plenty. Yes, you'll pay a fee for it, but it's a minuscule amount in the scheme of the cost of the holiday.

tuscanlifeedit

The Borghese Gardens are huge; think Central or Golden Gate Park, although maybe not quite.

I've covered sections of the park on different trips, although when much younger we did cover the entire Borghese Galleria to the Pincio down hill walk.

Think of it as a walk in the park; you don't need a tour at all.

Since you will be there for a week, have you considered a Roma Pass? Not saying you must, but if you use public transportation and visit a couple of expensive sites, about the worst you can do is break even.

I'm thinking of getting a 3 day Roma Pass for myself, and a 3 day transportation for my husband who gets in most sites for free. We've done the pass for one, no passes, just transport passes for both, etc., but as first time visitors I think the Roma Pass would be worth your money. Still need reservations for the Borghese but will cover admission if it's one of your first two sites.

http://www.romapass.it/?l=en

Rostra

<<<If you are anxious about arriving in Rome without any cash, which is understandable for a first time traveller, arrange a small amount through your bank before you leave home. €100 will be plenty. Yes, you'll pay a fee for it, but it's a minuscule amount in the scheme of the cost of the holiday.>>>

I agree with you.
'Stuff Happens' and usually when you need it the most.

A couple of years ago there was a thread here mostly about Not getting some euros beforehand but at the FCO airport ATM.

Within a couple of weeks of so in 2 different trip reports those persons arrived in Italy via FCO and another airport only to find the ATM's down.
I believe one person had left-over euros on-hand and the other used a 'cash exchange' booth?

I've had bad luck a couple of times when I needed cash, once leaving Assisi by car and another when I was leaving Rome for Naples.
I had my train tickets and Naples hotel booked and was getting a cold, I planned to stay in bed when I arrived and if I got really sick to have cash to pay for the bellhop to get me food and liquids as it was off-season and the hotel restaurant was closed.

My Rome ATM I had used multiple times was down, ATM in Termini were down, ATM in Naples train station was down, the German bank across the street was down and another ATM I had used in past visits in the Piazza was down but I finally got some money for another nearby ATM.
("Down" meaning it just wouldn't work on my card).

Mimar

I wouldn't go to the extent of paying a surcharge to exchange money before you leave. Just take some emergency money in your own currency. In a pinch, if none of the ATMs are working, you can go to an exchange booth with that emergency money. But I haven't had Rostra's bad luck with ATMs.

Note that your bank may limit the number/amount of withdrawals in a 24-hour period. Their 24 hours, not European time.

Pepper_von_snoot

How are you getting into Rome from Fiumicino?

If you are taking the Leonardo Express train from the airport to Termini, you can get money from the ATM in the LE train terminal.

You can buy your ticket from a machine or from the Tabac shop in the terminal.

Thin

Margaretlb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv10i49trbc

You may want to watch this Vespa ride thru Roma