Where to roam in Rome!
Mar 11th, 2012, 08:45 AM
#3
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vancovercarl - don't despair. I usually have to travel faster then I would like. You can get a good scope of Rome in one day - been there, done it - but you do have to decide what your priorities are. I'll approach it from my priority when I speed travel - others can approach it from a different angle.
I like to get the layout of a city - where the famous sites are in relation to one another. I can then refer back to the "three dimensional" map I carry in my mind forever after when I see the site on TV, in a movie, in an article or brought up in conversation. For this, walking is my favorite method. Fortunately, the old cities of Europe I've been privileged to drop by on are good for this (Rome, Florence, Naples, Paris, Athens, Venice and - soon to be - London). Since they were built before high speed transportation, things are relatively close to each other. Start out as early as possible in the morning (in Paris I was in front of Notre Dame at 7:00 am), plan out a walking route in advance and decide exactly what you will see based upon what your desires are right now, at this moment. A super short trip is not the time to dig out the brochures that mention all the little known gems - its time to focus on the big stuff. Use public transportation when necessary, but walking allows you to feel the pulse of a city, and when you have a very short time, you won't have that opportunity by other methods. Only choose one or two sites that are paid attractions since those can be big time killers. Stick for the most part to viewing from the outside and to what is easy in/easy out. (i.e. - Sistine Chapel is obviously amazing, but its not a quick walk in/walk out proposition. I'm glad I took the time for it, but was surprised at the time commitment required.) Italy is so closely connected with cuisine that its hard to imagine not having a special meal while you are there, but that will cost you valuable time. For me - and it is a personal preference - I choose a cup of coffee and a snack midday in a nice outdoor cafe - enough to sustain me without slowing me down.
In Rome our choices included the Coliseum and Forum - easy because they are right next to each other. Vatican city - I'm not Catholic but it is a site to behold. The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We did use buses to get to Vatican City and the Forum area. Our hotel was close enough to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Pantheon to walk. And though I'm usually into spending as little as possible for Hotels (without sacrificing cleanliness) I will spend enough in one of these cities to wake up close to the action. If you have only a short time, you don't want to lose time traveling into the city.
You will get lots of good advice here, along with some possible criticism at your even attempting to see Rome in a day. One thing I've learned in my short time on the Fodors Forum is there are many different travel styles! Hold your ground.
I like to get the layout of a city - where the famous sites are in relation to one another. I can then refer back to the "three dimensional" map I carry in my mind forever after when I see the site on TV, in a movie, in an article or brought up in conversation. For this, walking is my favorite method. Fortunately, the old cities of Europe I've been privileged to drop by on are good for this (Rome, Florence, Naples, Paris, Athens, Venice and - soon to be - London). Since they were built before high speed transportation, things are relatively close to each other. Start out as early as possible in the morning (in Paris I was in front of Notre Dame at 7:00 am), plan out a walking route in advance and decide exactly what you will see based upon what your desires are right now, at this moment. A super short trip is not the time to dig out the brochures that mention all the little known gems - its time to focus on the big stuff. Use public transportation when necessary, but walking allows you to feel the pulse of a city, and when you have a very short time, you won't have that opportunity by other methods. Only choose one or two sites that are paid attractions since those can be big time killers. Stick for the most part to viewing from the outside and to what is easy in/easy out. (i.e. - Sistine Chapel is obviously amazing, but its not a quick walk in/walk out proposition. I'm glad I took the time for it, but was surprised at the time commitment required.) Italy is so closely connected with cuisine that its hard to imagine not having a special meal while you are there, but that will cost you valuable time. For me - and it is a personal preference - I choose a cup of coffee and a snack midday in a nice outdoor cafe - enough to sustain me without slowing me down.
In Rome our choices included the Coliseum and Forum - easy because they are right next to each other. Vatican city - I'm not Catholic but it is a site to behold. The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We did use buses to get to Vatican City and the Forum area. Our hotel was close enough to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Pantheon to walk. And though I'm usually into spending as little as possible for Hotels (without sacrificing cleanliness) I will spend enough in one of these cities to wake up close to the action. If you have only a short time, you don't want to lose time traveling into the city.
You will get lots of good advice here, along with some possible criticism at your even attempting to see Rome in a day. One thing I've learned in my short time on the Fodors Forum is there are many different travel styles! Hold your ground.
Mar 11th, 2012, 09:52 AM
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Are you staying overnight or is it a daytrip?
You can see a lot of the historic centre of Rome just by walking and without having to stand in line to pay admission for anything- the area around the Pantheon (which has free admission and therefore easy to pop into), walk past the cat sanctuary over to the Jewish Quarter (which has a wonderful, special atmosphere imo), keep going and walk over to the Vittorio Emmanuele monument, then to the Forum and Colosseum both of which you can see and admire from the street (without actually entering either site).
Most guidebooks should have some sort of walk that will take you past the famous fountains in Rome, and along the way you'll pass churches which are always easy to duck into.
The historic centre is actually quite small and everything is closer than it may first appear on a map, I think you can really cover a lot a ground and get a good feel of things in one day if you don't fret too much over museums (and I say this as someone who loves museums).
You can see a lot of the historic centre of Rome just by walking and without having to stand in line to pay admission for anything- the area around the Pantheon (which has free admission and therefore easy to pop into), walk past the cat sanctuary over to the Jewish Quarter (which has a wonderful, special atmosphere imo), keep going and walk over to the Vittorio Emmanuele monument, then to the Forum and Colosseum both of which you can see and admire from the street (without actually entering either site).
Most guidebooks should have some sort of walk that will take you past the famous fountains in Rome, and along the way you'll pass churches which are always easy to duck into.
The historic centre is actually quite small and everything is closer than it may first appear on a map, I think you can really cover a lot a ground and get a good feel of things in one day if you don't fret too much over museums (and I say this as someone who loves museums).
Mar 11th, 2012, 01:00 PM
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I'm sorry, but I must disagree with the statement that the historic center of Rome is actually quite small. There is a reduced list of "must-sees" in Rome concocted for tourists who want to "do" Rome in 3 days or less, but even if you eliminate the notion of being a cultural completist or going off the beaten track, very few people have the stamina to walk the full breadth of historic Rome, and most tourists simply never bother to go to some of the city's most engaging and important historic sites because it is too far to walk.
Mar 11th, 2012, 01:07 PM
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What would you suggest for OP then, zeppole?
In other threads, you're often quite encouraging to people with itineraries that take them through many different cities within in a short amount of time. So what should people with only one day in Rome try to do and see?
In other threads, you're often quite encouraging to people with itineraries that take them through many different cities within in a short amount of time. So what should people with only one day in Rome try to do and see?
