alpinemccain

Hi, we will be in Italy (Rome/Venice) and Greece (Athens/Santorini/Mykonos) as part of our 3 week honeymoon.

I am now planning our time in Rome.

we are arriving on September 30 at 10h10 (airport) and will leave on Friday October 3 at 8h50 am.

We have never been to Italy. We are coming from Canada. We are in our late 20's.

We are staying at the Hilton in Rome (I know location is bad, but still what we decided and already booked)

Questions:

Dinner suggestions for each evening. location/atmosphere is more important than the actual food. I was thinking the following areas for our dinners Spanish Steps, Piazza Navonna and ? Does this make sense and would these be nice places to relax, have diner an walk around, eat Gelato? Any restaurant suggestions (under $20 EUR to $50 EUR each)

We thought we would spend 1 day doing Vatican City and St. Peter's Basillica...we will prob use a tour company....this is like a 10am to 5pm activity (I know it varies, but in general?) I saw posters say to walk to piazza del popolo...would this be a nice area for dinner, any restaurant suggestions?

Other things we would like to see......Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the collosseum, the forum.....are these all walkable from each other? would these cover 1 day or 2 day? Are these sites close to Spanish Steps/Piazza Navonna?

We are not into museums.....any other "main attractions" we are missing?

Any other good areas to just sit, have a beer/eat gelato/people watch other then the ones I already mentioned?

jamikins

we used www.enjoyrome.com for our tours of Vatican and Ancient Rome. They were great. Each I think ran 3 hours and then you can spend time on your own exploring the sites.

I would spend 1 day at Vatican, 1 day doing Ancient Rome, and 1 day doing trevi, pantheon, spanish steps, piazza navona (they are all walkable).

Congrats on your marriage!

MomDDTravel

We used Presto Tours for the Vatican and Context Tours for the forum Colosseum - we also used Context in Florence. I would recommend Context over Presto based on our personal experience. Having said that - Presto was good as well.

Enjoy your amazing adventure!

sweetlee213

I spent a week in Rome and for the most part walked pretty much everywhere. Don't worry about atmosphere. There is an undercurrent of romance everywhere. I would suggest getting a little lost on purpose. Some of my best memories of Rome are wandering into random eateries and buildings. Don't go looking for "the best gelato," When you find a place that sells it, be aware of where you are and just enjoy being in that city.

The Pantheon is walkable from the Spanish Steps. Do not let the massive gaggle of tourists detour you from the Steps. Go to the top, wander around. On a sunny day at the right time it actually feels like you are in another world. It connects to the biggest park in Rome, Villa Borghese, where the view of the city is incomparable and romantic little treasures abound.

I would greatly suggest Compo De Fiori for dinner one night. It is close to Piazza Navona.

Congratulations on your marriage. And have fun on what sounds like is going to be an amazing honeymoon!

alpinemccain

Thanks for the quick replies! Colosseum would be considered "ancien rome"? Sorry for the newbie question... What else would included in ancient rome and is this far from the other sites (i.e. spanish steps)

How long was the Context Tours for Colosseum?

jamikins

Yes, Ancient Rome = Coloseum and Roman Forum

Its quite a walk from the Spanish Steps...you could do it but its quite a ways.

MomDDTravel

he Pantheon is walkable from the Spanish Steps. Do not let the massive gaggle of tourists detour you from the Steps. Go to the top, wander around. On a sunny day at the right time it actually feels like you are in another world. It connects to the biggest park in Rome, Villa Borghese, where the view of the city is incomparable and romantic little treasures abound.>>>

I echo this thought - we did just that and rented bikes up in the park... it was one of our best moments in Rome.

alpinemccain

Cool!! renting bikes sounds like a great idea!!

I think we will do:

- 1 day at Vatican

- 1 day doing Ancient Rome during morning/afternoon, then go to campo de fiori for the evening dinner?

- 1 day doing trevi, pantheon, spanish steps, piazza navona (maybe bike ride in the park)

Does the above sound reasonable?


Now lunch/dinner recommendations to fit with these plans...

jamikins

Yes, the is definitely reasonable! Sounds like a good plan to me!

MomDDTravel

That sounds very reasonable. We spent the morning in Ancient Rome - getting there when it first opened. With the tour we were able to by pass the lines. And in the afternoon we went over to Villa Borghese and enjoyed the afternoon.

I cannot recommend any places for lunch/dinner - we had better meals in Florence but I think it was because I had better recommendations. Had very few "bad" meals in all of Italy during our time there - it is so wonderful.

daveesl

You might want to check out my website for lots of free info on Rome, brochures, things to see and do.

www.passagetoroma.com

As to a guide for the Vatican, I would strongly suggest Dr. Christopher Longhurst (yep, he finally earned his Doctorate from the University at the Vatican) and has a Masters in Art History. I have no idea what he charges, but his knowledge and ability to weave a story cannot be beat.

http://sacrasorgente.wordpress.com/

kfusto

IMO, you can spend a half day seeing the Vatican and St. Peter's. Have lunch and then wander a bit. This would be a good afternoon to visit the Spanish Steps and window shop on Via Condotti.

I like Il Gabriello in this area for dinner. It is at Via Vittoria 51.

In the Campo di Fiori, I like La Cabonara. You can dine outside and watch the many people and enjoy the energy of the area.

Spend another morning at the Colosseum and Forum. Have a long, relaxing lunch (you will not be able to conveniently get back to your hotel and freshen up so I would plan around that limitation)

I would visit the fountains at night. Head to the Pantheon around dusk, then walk to Piazza Navona and the Trevi, all close by. And on the way you will pass Grom for gelato!

I would have dinner one evening in Trastevere. My favorite is La Mani in Pasta. You will need a reservation.

alpinemccain

What about Babbo's? it's ranked #1 in rome on trip advisor...where is it located and how much are the entre's approx?

Dobermina

Congrats on your marriage! If you want atmosphere AND good food, there's a perfect spot about 5 minutes from the Pantheon I often enjoy with my husband called Il Bacaro (Via Degli Spagnoli 27). The setting is intimate and warm, the staff is friendly and English speaking, and the food is fresh and fantastic; they even have seasonal menus! I wouldn't miss this for the world, and then top it off with a nice walk around Piazza Navona. For gelato, try La Palma on Via della Maddalena (right near the Pantheon). A major tourist attraction, but they really do have fantastic gelato and soooooo many flavors! For generally low priced good eating, anywhere in Trastevere works, and the area is quite picturesque too. DO NOT eat right around the Vatican, you will have bad food at inflated prices and DO NOT eat right in Piazza Navona.

alpinemccain

It's getting really close

to firm up plans.....


First day, we arrive at 10h00...by the time we get settled in the hotel/get ready, it will likely be 2h00pm....I was thinking getting dropper around "Piazza Navonna" and then walk around....go to the Pantheon....so for the Pantheon, how does this work, do we need to buy a ticket/a tour or we simply take a picture of this building..... we will hang around the spanish steps, look at the fountains, etc....and likely have dinner in that area so we can see the fountains/panteon at dusk......


day 2:

in the early am we will go visit Coloseum/Forum....again, do I need 1 ticket each/for both....what does a ticket give me...entrance and then I walk around? Are there tour guides for hire there?

Afternoon, in the park......

Evening - dinner at campo Fiori

Day 3

Vatican City and St. Peter's Basillica
9am tour with www.enjoyrome.com....
afternoon - not sure....


Am I missing anything major? Any "addons" around our plans or any ideas?

Cries_Van_Notebook

I absolutely HATE the Campo Fiori. It is so touristy and full of beggars with their hands out. The area aroud the Campo is cute with lots of little shops and charming alleys, but the actual square is horrid.

I would never want to eat at a cafe on that square.

Thin

kybourbon

You don't need a ticket for the Pantheon. I think you need to look at a map. The Pantheon and Piazza Navona are very close together, but they are not right next to the Spanish Steps nor Trevi.

Peter_S_Aus

For food, you might like to consider this place. It is a little more than your price range, but the food was very good.
In Rome, have a meal at Le Tamerici, which is near the Trevi Fountain. Vicolo Scavolino 79, uphill from the Trevi, take via del Lavatore, and first left. Think 120 Euro for two, and we ate there twice in three days. They have a web site, www.letamerici.com. Best food we have eaten in all Italy, ever, and was one of the reasons we went to Rome this time. We were served by one Kate, who hails from the Hunter Valley in Aus, a girl of good humour. (“Would you recommend the pork or the duck?” “Don’t ask me, I’m a vegetarian.”)

In Rome, the bar called “The Glass”, Via Carlo Battisti, left side as you go downhill. It looks very cool and expensive – but it’s not. They do a buffert meal of an evening, and it's not expensive.

In Venice, La Bitta in Calle Lunga San Barnaba, Dorsoduro, is a good place to eat – they don’t do fish. On the left as you walk west from Campo San Barnaba.

dutyfree

I seriously think that you need a good map of Rome and a guidebook so you have an idea of what to see and how to get there that you would be interested in-perhaps even Eyewitness Guide? Do the same thing for Athens/Greece.

alpinemccain

ok, but if I do Pantheon and Piazza Navona area in the afternoon......and then go to spanish steps/trevi in the evening...this would fix the issue right?

I could return to Panthone and Piazza Navona my third evening to go see it at "night" and have dinner in that area on the third night.......

the first night, I would have dinner in the spanish steps area....

instead of recommending a guide/tour map, you could also help me figure it out

We have a 6 city visit, so running out of time to read 6 guidebooks....I do have one for Greece and fairly set on Venice...