The wife keeps nagging me, I’m thinking of giving in and going later this month, I’m assuming their is loads of collective knowledge on here, Hotels, places to visit and places not to bother with.
As it’s only a few days is it worth laying out for a posh hotel?
We stayed at the Hotel Mozart. Only 3* but that's because it doesn't have amenities like a pool. Lovely rooftop terrace and only a couple of minutes from most central attractions so you can walk everywhere.
Edit - now 4* so even more reason to recommend.
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Last edited by Hocuspocus; 11th March 2023 at 12:04.
We are looking to go next year for a milestone birthday trip for Mrs.Rugger.Originally Posted by Hocuspocus
That sounds like exactly the sort of thing we are looking for, cheers.
I’ve stayed at The Rome Times Hotel which I can recommend.
We stayed at I think the savoy which was in a lovely part of town, exceptionally cheap when we went and had an excellent time visiting all the tourist destinations. Great city and I’d go back in a heartbeat..
We stayed in the Palazzo Montemartini Rome for my wife's milestone birthday in December. It is excellent and well located.
Later this month would be a decent time to go too as it won’t be super hot or busy just yet .
Get an open top bus for orientation, then walk around and pick what you fancy .
The name escapes me but the hotel at the top of the Spanish Steps was excellent .
Edit . It was called The View at The Spanish Steps
Last edited by thegoat; 11th March 2023 at 13:37.
Hi
Have been in Rome countless times, as I have relatives there. Rather than talking of best coffee shops, best ice cream places, favourite eateries or historical buildings (Rome is really plenty of all of them), would like to tell you two places off the usual track:
1- centrale Montemartini, an old power station in which have been inserted some of the best sculptures and mosaics from the Roman era (originally in the Capitol Gypsoteque).
https://www.centralemontemartini.org...oria_del_museo
2- the church of San Clemente, where five different churches have been built over each other. By walking down you pass in a different era, all the way down to the Mithras Cult church of 2000 yrs ago. And on one of the doors, there are the first sentences in Italian language , circa 1100 AD.
https://basilicasanclemente.com/eng/
If you're going for a few days, your focus will probably be sightseeing, not hanging around the hotel.
That said, only you can decide how important a more luxurious hotel is to your visit.
Oddest experience I had was in Switzerland where a woman came to my room and talked me through a pillow menu!
I still have no idea what that was about!
Clean, quiet and central would be my priorities.
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
The most important thing is to book ahead online which is dead easy. To give an example, we were only waiting for 10 minutes to get into the Colosseum whereas those who just turned up had to wait in a queue for over 3 hours which isn't nice in the hot sun.
Some places are free of charge and in my favourite order were the Spanish steps, Trevi fountain and the shopping arcade just behind it, and Capitoline hill.
The Spanish steps have attracted the worlds greatest minds where they soaked up the views of Rome whilst sitting on the steps thinking great thoughts. I spent an hour sitting on the steps not bothering to think anything but it's possible that my arse was sat in the same place as Oscar Wilde's arse who was a frequent sitter on the steps.
We spent 3 days in Rome and it really needed a couple more days to see everything as it is a truly beautiful city. We went in the month of May when the weather was very warm and just before the hordes invaded it.
It’s a great place to visit (a 4 day city), but take comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking involved.
Make sure you take in Vatican City.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
The best bit of advice I can offer you is pay attention to the menu. Order a steak in Italy and you're getting a steak. Just a steak. Ask me how I know. Still, it's a mistake you only make once.
Artichokes everywhere.
Coaxed into buying a fantastic Miu Miu suit which was able to even make me look cool. The service was outstanding compared to what we experience here. The time and adjustments to make it fit just right, picking the right shirt and tie. Couldn’t wait for the adjustments, no problem, couriered to the U.K. at no extra cost. And, no it wasn’t any more expensive than here. I hate shopping, the thought of being dragged around shops in Rome (after we had done all the things we should) filled me with horror. Very pleasurable compared to back home.
So, if you have the time, maybe some light shopping, followed by a good dinner with……..artichokes.
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Went a couple of weeks ago really enjoyed it. Stopped at Hotel Dei Borgognoni and they were really friendly and helpful. It is near the Trevi Fountain and we were able to walk everywhere though we did do an average of 15Km a day. As said prebook the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum. These two we had guides for both of whom were worth it. The latter includes the Roman forum. The Pantheon is just queue up and free as is St Peter’s. Castle Sant’Angelo is worth a visit too. We used RickSteves Audio Europe app for some of the sight seeing info and it is pretty good apart from some of his jokes. The watch shops such as Rolex are still exhibition only from what I saw. The coffee seemed generally rubbish with odd exceptions. Most tourist attractions were busy especially with school parties. The Spanish steps area had all the luxury shops.
I went last month and stayed in the same hotel as I did nine years ago, just by the pantheon. It was amazing. It is called Albergo del Senato, fairly cheap and rated 20th out of all hotels in Rome
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We have flights for april and not booked digs yet, this thread is perfect timing.
Guide wise this was good https://youtu.be/4rLA1Sq2nts
Thanks all, some useful info there
For the best mosiacs and frescoes visit the Palazzo Massimo alle Termini which is about 300 mtrs from the Termini ( main train and bus station) in Rome. It is about 9 euros and very quiet as not many visitors seem to know about it.
Also, in the evening, visit Campo Dei Fiori. In the mornings it is a fruit and veg market but in the evenings it can be very lively. Plenty of restaurants and bars there and great for people watching.
Have a great time.
A lot of walking in store, as mentioned. I’d recommend getting your accomodation near Piazza Navona. Very easy to reach most of the points of interest by foot.
Hoping to go for next year's six nations, so appreciate the advice on here. Will keep them in mind
Heading there first week in April. First time, so we have tours booked for the usual stuff and the Vatican. Doing Florence before, and Naples after- using trains to get about, which apparently are really good.
Be careful 8n Naples, high crime rate. We saw a girl get her bag snatched by guys on a moped there. There's a museum there (can't remember the name) which has many mosaics from Pompei, very impressive.
For mosaics you are better off going to Herculaneum
Loved the trains in Italy - they even have double decker ones
You're not allowed to sit there any more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/w...steps-sit.html
https://www.hoteldamaso.it
Fantastic location and lovely boutique hotel. It’s just over the road from Piazza Navona and everything is walkable from the hotel.
My favourite city Rome, you’ll have a fantastic time.
If you’re looking to do tours I’d recommend Angel Tours. They only do small groups of around 8 people and it’s far far better than the big tours.
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+1 recommendation for the Basilica of San Clemente. I first discovered it when it had just reopened after considerable work. Entry was free and you paid a nun sitting on a stool to go down into the excavations. Another time I discovered the need to check up on the opening hours. Nowadays there seems to be an entrance fee and booking for the excavations. Fortunately all the info is online: https://basilicasanclemente.com/eng/...ours-and-info/...it is worth the effort, IMO.
Plus, in my experience, the sides and salads are made for sharing. Ordering for one needs a bit of care. Better to find a friend...
Any tips for transport from the airport into the city ( staying close to the Spanish steps). I have heard public transport is cashless
OP- we have booked here as it’s quirky and by the Spanish steps
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_...ome_Lazio.html
Last edited by Middo; 12th April 2023 at 10:44.
Very close to the Spanish steps is a very famous cafe that’s well worth a visit.
Antico Caffè Greco
Keats & Byron drank coffee here, but I recommend the hot chocolate. Very indulgent. It was my go to place when I worked near by.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=gr...client=safari#
Train runs about every 30 mins from airport into centre of Rome. Shouldn't be a problem.
We got the bus7€ took about 40 minutes, pay on board, the terminal is a fair walk from the Spanish steps
See these websites:
Getting in from the airport is the easiest bit, depending on how much luggage you take and whether you're prepared to handle it on public transport.
Getting around town using buses takes a bit of getting used to...the metro is easy. Try using Atac's journey planner before you go and learn a few local place names such as Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti. Once you have used a place the site offers it up as a suggestion.
Edit: This may help too...https://anamericaninrome.com/2017/01...-taxi-in-rome/ as well as 'Useful Info' on www.turismoroma.it/en.
Last edited by PickleB; 12th April 2023 at 10:44.
Thanks all - I better get booking some tickets for attractions too.
Last edited by Middo; 12th April 2023 at 10:46.
We had a private guide for Ancient Rome and the coliseum from Angel tours as mentioned above, it was excellent and well worth the money.
The Vittoriano monument is fantastic.
Top tip: Go round the right hand side after climbing the stairs,
around the back is a lift to the very top.
You can see for miles. There are viewing binoculars also.
I was up there for about an hour.
Not sure if it’s still a secret as this was 2015 but there were only about ten people up there with me.
Is this the big white building? If it is and you go left at top you overlook the forum which is also an interesting view.
You can get a coach from Rome (FCO) airport to Rome Termini (the train station) for around 7 Euros. Then use the Metro Line A to Spagna which is the metro station right by Spanish Steps for 1.5 Euro. The latter ticket last for a couple of hours use. We could use Euro cash in the ticket machines when we were there in Feb to get the Metro ticket. I believe you can use the same 1.5 Euro price ticket to get the railway train from the airport to Rome termini and then onwards via the Metro.When we went back to the airport we used a taxi as we could not be bothered with all that after walking around Rome all morning. That cost 50 Euros for comparison and that is a fixed price from city centre (within the Aurelian Walls) to FCO. Make sure you book the Vatican Museum and Colosseum tours in plenty of time before you go.
Probably too late but which airport - Fiumicino or Ciampino? Fixed taxi fares to the centre ('inside the walls') from both - latter is smaller but nearer.
I have no idea actually. I will check, thanks
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