Rome Walking Guide
 

We will be staying at the Pantheon in Rome and need to locate a map with walking times to the major sites. We are a couple in our 70's and any sites suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

I have not seen such map, but it is very easy to construct your own. You know google maps? www.google.com/maps. Search for "Rome", zoom into the place you want to measure timing, right-click mouse on the map to select "Direction from here." Goto the destination, put mouse on the destination and right-click mouse to get "Direction to here." In the search box, you now see icons of car, train, and a pedestrian. Left-click the pedestrian and the map shows the route options, distance options, and travel time options, computed at about 20 minutes per mile. To clear the route, left-click the "x" mark next to the magnifying glass icon, which would pop up "close directions" label.

Site suggestions? Did you choose Rome without knowing sites? Many guide books, such as Rick Stevers and Fodors have a section called "Top sites." Obviously, no two people would agree on what are the "top sites", but if you know nothing about sites in Rome, it gives you a starting point.

If you're interested in a two-hour overview of the major sites in Rome's center, look into the New Rome Free Tour. http://www.newromefreetour.com/ It starts at the Spanish Steps and ends at the Trevi Fountain.

Lee Ann

You can also download Rick Steves' podcast "Walking Tour of Rome" by going to his website: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-rea...io-tours/italy

Download onto a smartphone or ebook.

I can't remember if the free maps I was given had walking times, but they were well-marked with main attractions and routes, along with public transit info, and were in color and easy to understand. I am also over 70 and my vision is no longer perfect but the map helped refresh my memory of my old city. There are many tourist info points called PIT throughout the city and if you're near the Pantheon, the one at the end of Piazza Navona will be very easily walkable for you (if your hotel can't provide any useful maps). Anyway, here's some info on where to find them: http://www.romanhostels.com/guide/to...ormation-rome/

The one I mentioned is: "The PIT Navona is not in the Piazza Navona, but in the Piazza delle Cinque Lune, slightly to the north of Rome’s most beautiful square itself".

Good luck!

Hotels normally provide maps if not just use google maps as mentioned above. Since you are staying at the pantheon, you are pretty close to many of the attractions like the Forum, Colosseum, the Trevi fountain(which is currently under construction). Also I think the colosseum offers concession tickets for citizens of the EU above a certain age. Do look out for concession tickets at the sites. If you are staying in Rome for 3 days, you might want to consider getting the Roma Pass for 36 euros. It comes with 2 free admission tickets and concession prices for subsequent visits to other places and free transport. There is also the Roma 48hrs pass which is the same but comes only with 1 free admission. Also, although the queue to St Peter's in the Vatican can seem crazily long, it is actually quite fast. It took me around 30-45 minutes to get inside which is fast considering that the queue looked like it is going round the vatican at least for a round.

Thanks everyone. I believe I've gotten the hang of the Google map and have also found a web site providing a list of walking times between different sights in Rome. I didn't mean to imply we had not been to Italy before, but its been six years and each time is just like the first. So much to see, so little time. Gelato, gelato, gelato, what can you say about gelato, even in November. Thanks

LBev,

could you post a link to the website with walking distances on it?

it sounds like a useful addition to the information we have here.

This information is available at

http://www.worldwide-accom.com/italy...tances-in-rome

Hope this helps.

We also did the Mew Rome Free Walking tour, we thought it was very well done. Just don't forget to give the guide "drinking" money. ;)

Thanks, LBev, for that link.

I think that the times are perhaps a tad on the optimistic side, or perhaps I stop to look at things more often than others.

annhig we have found the "times" almost always unattainable.....LOL we must just be dawdlers... ;)

my trouble, LuvToRoam, is that in Rome [and Venice] I like to look in the churches that I pass as virtually every one contains some treasure that anywhere else would have people queuing down the street.

and then there is the little shop, the tiny street, the nice looking cafe....

on another thread the OP is sure that she only wants 2 nights in Venice because that's what friends have told her will be enough. enough? with 2 nights you haven't even found the surface let alone scratched it.

I think the walking times are a bit optimistic, too. I also recommend that you should allow <b>lots</b> of time to stop and look at things.

Thanks everyone. I thought the times might be a little rosey, but allowing for the age difference between me and "them", this will give me some ideal when to start heading back for dinner and another gelato. LOL.

Another difference in timing comes from how people cross streets. For Italians, crossing streets at Piazza Venezia adds no time to the trip. But, for those who come from countries who wait to step onto streets until all the cars on all lanes stop for them, it would take eons to cross the street.

good point greg.

I remember trying to cross the road once in Budapest at a zebra crossing and it took us about 15 minutes. I don't remember Rome being quite that bad [for one thing you don't need to worry about zebra crossings!] but it certainly isn't for the faint-hearted.

"...and then there is the little shop, the tiny street, the nice looking café...."

Actually annhig we consider that to be our "travel strategy" ;)

we must have been separated at birth, LuvToRoam!