Danielle811

My husband and I booked a trip to Rome in February somewhat impulsively. We've booked our hotel (near the Termini station) and will have 5 full days in Rome. As the trip is only about 5 weeks away, I'm hoping that some of the experts on here could give some suggestions of "must-sees."

We definitely want to see the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Vatican City, and the Borghese Gallery; however, being Rome neophytes, all suggestions beyond this will be MUCH appreciated!

annhig

hi danielle,

we too are going to Rome ni February - it'll be our 2nd trip, so perhaps I can help a bit with some ideas for your first one.

1. try to group places you want to see together - eg the colosseum, forum and palatine hill [all on one ticket, don't buy at the colosseum but at one of the others to avoid the queues at the colosseum].

2. give yourselves enough time to see the vatican museum [it's vast] and st. peters [also vast] - and don't schedule anything else for that day.

3. give yourselves time to wander and explore - Rome is a place where there isn't just something interesting round every corner, but before you get there as well. Even the least prepossessing church has probably got some old master/s which elsewhere would draw huge crowds, but in Rome are ten a penny. they also make nice places to sit and rest for a while.

4. have a stock of 50c and €1 coins for the machines that turn on the lights - especially useful for churches where the main attraction is the mosaics, which tend to be very badly lit.

5. Transport: have a look at the www.roninrome.com website. he has got some very good tips about choosing and buying tickets/passes for the buses, trams and metro, AND lots of other useful information as well.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

LoveItaly

Hello Danielle, while in the area of the Colosseum you might enjoy viewing the very dramatic and beautiful statue of Moses created by Michelangelo. The church is right in the area so you wouldn't lose a lot of time. Here is a website for your review.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/i...-in-chains.htm

Wishing you a splendid five days in vibrant Rome!

Vttraveler

The Piazza Navona and Piazza della Rotunda (Pantheon) are also must sees. You can easily combine them with the Campo de'Fiori (best seen in the morning when there is a market), the Piazza Farnese and the Jewish ghetto neighborhood.

there are great panoramic views of Rome from the Piazzale Napoleone in the Pincio gardens overlooking the Piazza del Popolo and from the Piazzale Garibaldi on the Gianicolo (Janiculum) hill south of the Vatican City. And even if you do not tour the entire Palatine hill, you should go up to the Farnese gardens overlooking the Forum.

I would recommend getting a guide book with good walking tours.

Be sure to have clothing for a variety of temperature and weather possibilities and good walking shoes.

Rome is a wonderful city and I am sure you'll have a great time.

Apres_Londee

My favourites were <b>Santa Prassede</b>

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/i...a-prassede.htm

and <b>Palazzo Massimo alle Terme</b>, part of the National Museum of Rome

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Pa...imo_alle_Terme

The Palazzo Massimo is just down the road from Termini Station, and Santa Prassede is within easy walking distance. So are <b>Santa Maria Maggiore</b>

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/i...maria-maggiore

and <b>Santa Pudenziana</b>

http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspect...Pudenziana.htm

Another favourite was the Jewish Ghetto which Vttraveler has already mentioned. Have a wonderful trip.

Danielle811

Thank you to everyone for your responses. They will definitely help me with planning! I've heard that Rome is a very "walkable" city, but is it so walkable that we won't have to depend on public tranport?

2010

bookmarking for reference as we plan our first trip to Rome!

eyemom84

We just returned from a fantastic trip to Rome & you sound like you have a great line-up so far.

We stayed in the historic center, in an area between Piazza Navona/Pantheon/Trevi. We walked EVERYWHERE.

Since we had decided on small tour groups on several days, on those days we would sometimes cab to the meeting site (with our 2 teens), then find our way back to the hotel on foot. Another few days and we would have mastered the bus, and I know it is very doable if you need it.

Don't forget to schedule reservations for the Vatican and Borghese tours. The time limit at the Borghese is 2 hrs.

We entered the Colosseum from the Palatine Hill side which helped with the lines.

Shoes- I discovered Keens and Cole Hahns (waterproof booties). Both came in handy with tights or smart wool socks in the rain or cold. I usually have foot pain but these shoes helped me avoid all but normal foot fatigue even after 6-8 hrs of walking /day.

Maudie

eyemon84, what company did you use for the small group tours and what tours did you do?

Thank you

Vttraveler

Danielle811--You can walk to many places in Rome but will probably want to take public transit at least once or twice a day. The Metro circles around the historic center (because they could not build it in the center where there are so many archeological treasures). We found the bus system very efficient, easy to use and inexpensive and used it almost exclusively. You do need a good bus map

There are a variety of passes for one day or several days--see the link in the post above for an explanation-- or you can buy individual tickets at tobacconists. (There are also ticket machines at major stops but they often don't work.)

The tourist office also runs two hop on/hop off bus routes, one in the central city and the other (the archeobus) out to the Via Appia Antica, catacombs and aqueducts at the edge of the city.

Danielle811

Vttraveler, thank you so much for the info about the transportation. I'll be back soon with a more definitive itinerary for Fodorite approval!

eyemom84

We used Context Tours and were very happy. Just make sure that you are clear about language skills. We loved everyone we used, but our teens had difficulty understanding one of the guides.

We did Ostia Antica, Roma Antica, the Vatican, th Borghese, & Underground Rome. It was fabulous and I would not miss any of these sites. I do wish we had done a tour focusing on Bernini as we were all blown away by his ability to sculpt marble but we had only 7 days.. .next visit.

I am working on a trip report but it will be a few more days before I get to it.

annhig

looking forward to it, eyemom!

maitaitom

Capitoline Museum.

eyemom84

maitaitom,
Yes, boohoo , we missed the Capitoline, the Ludovisi, and many more...will have to make a return trip!

Hal8999

We do this walk pretty much every year, usually the day that we arrive or the next day, to satisfy our need for a fix from having been away from Rome.

Begin early at the Piazza della Republica and visit the remains of the Baths of Diocletian that Michelangelo converted into the Christian church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. The Museo Nationale Romano behind the church is worthwhile but you won’t have time to visit it today. On leaving the church, turn right and walk a couple of blocks, cross via XX Settembre and turn left down the via Barberini to Piazza Barberini to see la Fontana dal Tritone; after admiring this, my favorite fountain anywhere, head on down the via dal Tritone toward via Stamperia where you turn right to get to the Trevi Fountain.

Head west from the Trevi fountain cross via del Corso and visit the Pantheon, when you are here do not miss the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva behind it where you can see Michelangelo’s Risen Christ up close and personal like you can rarely see his more famous works. The Piazza Navona is a short couple of blocks away if you need a mid day pick me up or snack.

At this point find the via Vittorio Emanuelle which is a really pedestrian unfriendly and uninviting street but a quick way to get to the Piazza Venezia and the Campidoglio which is the next stop. The Capitoline museums will require a minimum of one hour for a cursory visit or two for a reasonably comprehensive exploration; there are many really magnificent sculptures here, including the original Etruscan wolf with the renaissance twins beneath her. On leaving the museums, turn to face the central building and go between it and the one on the left to get a nice overview of the Forum from the ‘street’ behind the museum. I suppose the Forum and Palatine are places everybody should visit so that they can say that they have; but, frankly, I feel they are not a valid use of time for a short visit. The Colosseum across the street is well worthwhile, however.

By this point it will probably be late afternoon, and you may be beginning to feel a little bit overwhelmed. It is a good place to hop on the metro back toward Termini for a brief rest before dinner. If weather and light and the condition of your legs permit, you can also climb the hill above the Colosseo metro stop and arrive at San Pietro in Vincoli to see Michelangelo’s Moses (since this is not one of my favorites, I feel that missing it, is no big deal – de gustibus. The Cavour metro nearby will whisk you back to Termini.

Weather permitting and if you’re needing a respite from museums the Baths of Caracalla off the Circo Massimo metro stop is a nice visit, but even better is the Cimitero Accatolico behind the Pyramide metro stop. We stopped counting how many times we’ve been to Rome somewhere in the double digits but still managed to miss this until last year. It is a cemetery set aside for non catholics and offers a truly tranquil hour or so that we found surprisingly satisfying. The Porta san Paolo across the street is worthwhile as well and also free.

You can see pictures collected over the years here:

http://oldenglishstudios.home.comcas...os/newrome.htm

ThinGorjus

If you are near Maria Maggiore and St. Prassede (my favourite churches in Rome), you should stop by Trattoria Monti on Via San Vito for lunch or dinner. The food is delicious. Have the onion flan.

Thin

Danielle811

Hal-
Your walk sounds fantastic! Is this something that should be given a full day?

For anyone who has used the Roma pass-
Is this a worthwhile investment? In addition to the museum discounts, does this include all public transportation, or does it just discount transport?

Zerlina

The Roma Pass may or may not be worth it. The price is going up to 25 Euro in 2010. If you use it for two expensive free admissions - Colosseum combo and Borghese Gallery - and one or two discounted admissions, it may be worth it.

Transportation is free for three days, but since most of Rome is eminently walkable, most people are hard put to use the pass more than once or twice a day.

Vttraveler

Here's a suggested change to part of the walk described above that avoids the unpleasant stretch on the Vittorio Emanuelle and adds a more points of interest:
from Santa Maria Sopra Minerva head down Via Dei Cestari and cross Vittorio Emanuelle to the Area Sacra dell'Argentina, a large open area with temples and a cat sanctuary. continue on the Via Paganica to the Piazza Mattei with a charming tortoise fountain and historic palaces. From there take Via dei Funari to Via Delfini then Via Margana and right onto Via D'Aracoeli to the Cordonata, Michelangelo's impressive staircase to the Piazza del Campidoglio

When we were in Rome a few years ago, the tourist office had a book called The Streets of Rome which describes the Via dei Cestari and Vias dei Funari and Delfini pretty much building by building. It is not well translated but has lots of information about these historic streets.