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Hello,
I just wondered if anyone could offer a condensed 'highlights' to Rome.
I have a tour guide book but I'm finding it hard to get my head around the city so I can pre-plan.
Is anyone familiar with the city able to give me a 'very rough guide' from someone who knows it of what's what, in the broadest sense?
I'm especially interested in art and history. No children in tow. I am staying very central. 4 nights equating to about 3.5 days of useful tourist time.
Thanks!
I seem to remember this question came up a while back and there was lots of good advice on that thread. Well worth a look/search.
There is just SO much in Rome that you have to admit defeat to some extent before you go, as you will never 'see it all'. Every street, every where you look, it all has something special.
Magical place and overwhelmingly rich in art and history.
Very good advice. A search on Rome in titles brings up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Maysie
- A couple of days in Rome
- Rome - what to do, where to go
- Quick trip to Rome - any suggestions?
- Rome - Advise and Recommend
...and I had my say in all of them. :smile-new:
Thank you :)
Never been but I lot to see.
I suspect don't wear an expensive watch might be good advice ....
Been many times and love it.
The bits I like are:
Sitting on top of the Palatine Hill overlooking the forums
Pantheon square
A department store for religious uniforms and church equipment not far from the above - makes me think of Father Ted and laugh every time
Trevi fountain in the early hours of the morning
Keats-Shelley house near the bottom of the Spanish Steps
Watch out for the pick pockets especially on the metro and the con artists at the train station who pretend to be officials, offer to help you with ticket machines and then demand money
I’d highly recommend the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s.
I wouldn’t get a tour guide though, they rush you round and you miss loads.
The Colosseum and forum are next door to each other and definitely worth a visit.
The city is relatively compact so Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi fountain etc.etc. are all within easy walking distance.
The underground system is pretty good and quite cheap for getting about if you don’t want to walk too far. When we were there in February I think we got a 3 day pass that was very reasonable and covered all public transport.
The only hassle we had was from touts trying to sell you tickets outside the major attractions, all claiming they could get you quick entry without queueing. I just told them we already had tickets and they went away.
You're not going to have enough time. But you can always go back again, so use your 4 days to enjoy yourself, discover more and see some of the best bits.
The Vatican and the Vatican Museum are enough for a week on their own. Trying to do them quickly is a waste. There's enough art in the city that readily accessible and mostly free of charge, eg:
- San Pietro in Vincoli for Michelangelo
- Sant' Agostino and Santa Maria del Popolo for Caravaggio]
Don't miss the Pantheon (or most of the popular sites), but I would especially recommend:
- Basilica San Clemente
- the Catacombs of Priscilla...rather than the more popular sites south of Rome
You will need transport to get to the latter...so best read up:
What else will you need? Plenty of water; walking shoes (it's the best way to get around); touristic awareness...look as though you know what you're doing, as pointed out above, petty crime abounds but shouldn't interfere with your pleasure; and a bit of a hard side to ignore the worst of the beggars.
For your first day I'd recommend a hop-off hop-on bus tour. This will let you decide what you want to see more of. It will also let you take the day (after travelling) at your own pace and be your guide to the city. Just don't get too engrossed along the way or you'll spend all you time on the tour. Thereafter you can do your own thing,
Echo all of the above. Rome is a wonderful, wonderful city. Everywhere is reachable by foot - it is really quite a compact city.
In terms of sights I would add the Santa Maria Maggiore which is astoundingly beautiful.
Avoid restaurants / cafes right by the major attractions. Head a few streets away and get some authentic Roman food, coffee and prices.
We used the hop on/ hop off bus everyday as we had our nine year old daughter plus it allowed us to see plenty of the city when heading to the main attractions. Trevor fountain and coliseum were rammed so I’d advise getting to them early morning. Palentine hill was fascinating for adults but my daughter soon got bored. Vatican and Sistine chapel is a whole day out if you want to see as much as you can. The taxi driver taking us back to the airport called Rome an open air museum that you need a month to explore and I would agree with that.
Don't it is the most horrible dirty city I have ever stayed in.
It is similar to Cairo but the ancient monuments (piles of bricks) are smaller but the piles of rubbish in the streets are bigger, full of down and outs, beggars and people sleeping on the streets.
It is a genuine sh1t hole.
Enjoy 06/10/19.Quote:
Originally Posted by BadgerUK
Prick.Quote:
Originally Posted by BadgerUK
https://media.giphy.com/media/irHPuKSWLADm/giphy.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by BadgerUK
Perhaps it has changed drastically since I stayed there for 5 nights in July 2017 ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynar
I call it how I found it.
I was there at Easter - no more beggars than a UK city TBH, rubbish was no worse than London but there are plenty of tourists.
My best tip - if you are going to go to the Colosseum/Palatine Hill & Forum then best buy your ticket on the day at the Palatine Hill ticket office...they allocate you a time to enter the Colosseum and it is sooooo much quicker to get it there. You do have to get there early though as the queues everywhere get big quickly. The ticket system is confusing to say the least and everyone is trying to sell you "skip the line" tickets which mean you just queue somewhere else and have to follow a guide.
The Vittorio Emanuele II Monument is my favourite building and lunch in the Piazza Navona is nice. Pantheon is stunning IMO - Trevi Fountain mega busy unless v. early or v. late. Overall my favourite place is the Palatine Hill - it feels like a little oasis in amongst all the craziness.
Again the Vatican and St Peter's Basilica is good but queues build up early - metal detectors and x-ray bag checks at a lot of main attractions now so even if the attraction is free you will queue for those.
Best shopping is around the Spanish Steps - a few high end watch shops too.
If your hotel is central then the main sites are walkable - we managed everything of note (in the city at least) from a small hotel near the bottom of the Spanish steps - with our son in an adapted pushchair/wheelchair. It was in November though so pleasant temps for walking around in.
The coloseum has lifts (not original) to the spectator areas as the stage level is surprising high compare to modern stadiums (the 'performers' human and otherwise were housed underneath - stunning place really given the tech that they had available to build something like that.
I think we also saw the religious outfitters mentioned by someone else - you can virtually get a Pope's outfit there going by what's in the window!
You could probably find yourself in trouble if you wandered in the wrong area - but that's true anywhere.
To me the beggars looked to be in more genuine need that elsewhere - obvious disabilities (but my son is disabled so I notice these things more I guess)
Rome is absolutely worth a visit IMO
... the caravan 'food' outlets in Vatican square sell beer! a welcome if surprising refreshment having walked there ...
My favourite place in the world :)
Try eating in Trastevere, laid back, simple but great food.
The Forum and Colosseum have to be done, even if you’re more after the arty stuff.
Make sure to go and see the statue of Marcus Aurelius on his horse at the Capotiline museum and then look at the busts of his son Commodus dressed as Hercules which he would wear when battering to death midgets and amputees in the Colosseum for a laugh.
Given that the OP is interested in arts and culture, I’d start by watching Brian Sewell’s superb Channel 5 documentary “Brian Sewell’s Grand Tour”, which is available on You Tube.
In fact, I’d recommend it whether visiting Rome or otherwise.
Oh no, the lifts were installed when the Coliseum was originally built. :smug:Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffCansell
In fact, the Coliseum did have a lift, which has been rebuilt to match the original, according to Vitruvius descriptions:
http://www.astarlifts.com/en/blog-li...ed-years-later
Those in function now of course are additional lifts built first in the 1950s and updated about 10 yrs ago.
I love Rome with all its chaos and pros and cons. I always find it confusing and the worst mistake to do is to see too much. Best strategy is to go back for a few long weekends and so something different each time. Every time I go (have family and friend there too) discover something new.
Off the beaten tracks, I would advise the “Centrale Montemartini”:
http://www.centralemontemartini.org/
It is a museum with most of the marbles from the Capitol Museum, pieces that were laying in storage and rarely seen. These have been installed in a 19th century power station, now of course unused and refurbished about 30 yrs ago. Love this mix of industrial archeology with a Roman Glyptotheque.
Bws
Franco
Wow! Thank you all *so* much for the excellent replies, links and time taken to help me!
I will read and digest every reply properly later today.
Thanks again, all very much appreciated!
Rome is my favourite city. You’ve been given some great comments and advice so I won’t add to that except to say that I’d consider paying extra for a guided tour of the colosseum, senate etc just because you learn so much more about the history.
Also we did a food tasting tour which we food on TA and it was amazing. All at least 3rd generation businesses. Also went through the graveyard where Keats and Shelley are buried which I wouldn’t have known without doing the tour.
It was a few years ago but I think it was this:
https://www.eatingeurope.com/rome/?g...IaArOGEALw_wcB
If you buy any thing from the street kiosks don't give them large denomination notes and check your change
When are you thinking of going? - sorry if I've missed it but as someone said earlier it gets very busy. During the holidays it is packed - you won't be able to get near say the Trevi Fountain
We went just before Xmas and it was fine.
I echo what the others have said on places to go. Rome is amazing and it must be like living in a museum. If you can go to Trastevere district it's like a mini Shoreditch with really cool vibe and some amazing restaurants
I also went to see Roma play a the Stadio Olympico - venue of the 1990 World Cup Final!!
I would definitely go back
4 days, a really comfortable pair of shoes and pots of money to spend in the shops around the Spanish Steps (including the LV store) - I speak from bitter experience. :neutralskull:
I can only imagine that you have never been to Cairo. The 2 cities are incomparable apart from how busy they can be. Rome is lovely whereas I would never set foot in Cairo ever again - 4 visits is enough to last a lifetime.Quote:
Originally Posted by BadgerUK
OP, you will have a brilliant time and I can only really echo most of what has already been said. Get up early to get to the main sites to try and avoid some of the rush (& the heat) and wear good shoes. Enjoy the food too.
I was there in Feb and found all the tourist attractions packed with Chinese and japanese. There was a wait of 1.5 hours to ge in the Colleseum. As I have been to all the main attractions before I didn't bother and i believe there are tickets that give you priority so ak at your hotel.
One of the est and pretty well unknown places is the Museo Nationale Romano. It is just across the road from the Termini(main train and bus station). You will see probably the finest dispiay of mosaics and frescos in one place anywhere and the beauty of it is that very few people go there so you can take your time and wander.
Enjoy your trip.
Rome and Venice, have the same problem - too many tourists. If your idea of fun is queuing, then both are the top destinations.
Don’t rent a scooter. Even a car is risky in Rome itself.
Two unobvious suggestions, esp for those more interested in modern than ancient history:
the Museo Storico della Liberazione, in the old Gestapo headquarters
http://www.museoliberazione.it/en/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum...ration_of_Rome
and
the astonishing Verano cemetery
http://www.cimitericapitolini.it/eng...-cemetery.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campo_Verano
I do think TZ uk is a fount of informed opinion ..
Going to Rome .....
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Haven't there been recent news reports of restaurants in Rome massively ripping off tourists? They either have menus with no prices on or deploy sharp practice tactics eg by pricing things like fish and meat on the menu per 100g when people think that price is for the whole dish.
I don't know. Have there...?Quote:
Originally Posted by kungfupanda
Anyone who orders two doppio cappucini after lunch or dinner deserves whatever is coming.Quote:
Originally Posted by kungfupanda
I find the prices in the menue quite reasonable given the restaurant's location.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kungfupanda
I see...and this one too: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/...-a8928386.html...but that's not in Rome.
Are not the lesson to be learned: 1...avoid dining near popular tourist sites (as I believe was suggested above) and 2...read the menu before you go in / order?
I find that eating in McDonalds is the safest and cheapest option and I hear their coffee is nice.
Resturant-wise, I can recommend a place called Vinando at Piazza Margana (close to the Pantheon) - excellent food and decent value.
Thanks. They look good...www.vinando.eu/ristoranteroma.Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkJS
Went and met a local friend who took me to a restaurant called chlorofila not far from Trastevere area...nice meal and the price are still reasonable
Agree with that - was there last night & had a decent dinner for very reasonable price - which I didn’t expect in Rome.Quote:
Originally Posted by synequano
z
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I really enjoyed Rome. A great city for walking around. We found it reasonable to eat out, even at those places right in the heart of the tourist areas, which you're supposed to avoid. For example we had lunch; pasta, pizza, peroni and prosecco at a restaurant right opposite the Pantheon (Piazza della Rotonda). Food, service and views were great and cost about the same as Pizza Express, no premium for being in the centre of a major city - in one of the busiest locations in Rome.
First night we went tradition in Trastevere and ate at one of the oldest restaurants in the area: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restau...ome_Lazio.html
Trastevere has a few nice bars as well if that's your thing, we went with friends so we visited a lot of bars.
On second night we went modern at Hi Res: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restau...ome_Lazio.html
Excellent place, fantastic modern roof top bar - amazing food and wines with and a proper Sommelier.
Try the Italian Craft beers here ...
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6c936eee76.jpg
Illuppolati, in Trastevere
z
We ate here tonight - highly recommended. :eagerness:Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisparker
z
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynar
Whatever you do try not to behave like a visitor..
Watch out for Taxi drivers taking you a very, very long way round... and trying to charge you for baggage.
I’ve been to Rome three times and while I very much like the historical buildings I find the rest of it pretty scruffy and graffiti ridden.
The Trevi Fountain is my favourite thing there.