NFR Rome

[One James stannard]

My beautiful family are planning on taking to Rome for my 40th birthday, I've never been nor do I know anyone who has.

But I do know the best place to come for some advice is my other family (you lot  :dft011:) for expert advice on the do's and don't's and the places to visit and those to avoid.

Many thanks in advance for any useful suggestions.  :54:

[General]

I've been - spent a long weekend there.

buy tickets in advance for the Vatican/sistine chapel, collosseum and st peters basilica. If you book them for early in the day, not only do the tickets get you a queue jump but they also wont have many people in the queue jump.

Collosseum - do the three level tour.

Walk around the city

Campo di fiore is a great market and has some good restaurants near it in the evening - there's one very cheap but very good pizza restaurant near there too - will write more later - heading out now.

[cookieg]

We were in Rome this July for a few days. Stayed near to the railway station and got a bus from there to the Vatican. Only cost a few euros and a good sightseeing trip. Also if you are going to the colosseum you can get a ticket that includes the forum and somewhere else. Best to buy this ticket at the forum as the queues at the colosseum can be horrendous. Think we got there about 10.30 on a Saturday morning.

[Carborundum]

The main sights are all worth seeing and there's more to do than time to do it.  Took our kids there when they were eight and three.  A couple of things stick in my mind.

The most fun we had was at Borghese park where you can hire a bicycle seating four people. Steering and braking are a little different but that was all part of the fun.  For us the historical sights need breaking up with activity and this was really good.  

If you are taking a pushchair, it might take longer to get around than you expect.  Rome is built on hills but the fun really starts down at the Forum.  Some amazing buildings and monuments there, real feats of architecture.  But when they came to lay the paving, the spirit level must have gone missing.

Have a great time.

[Slaphead in Qatar]

try fountain of trevi - if its open after refurbishment. unbelievable.

[Neil D]

Ice cream parlour by the Spanish Steps reputedly best in Rome.  If you drink your coffee at the bar standing up it will cost at least half the price of one at a table.  If you ask for 'un caffe' it will be black and strong.  Most bars have newspapers to read for free so you can enjoy any one of Italy's three national daily papers dedicated exclusively to sport.  Lazio is supported by Romans of a right-wing disposition (think of DiCanio) and Roma by the left, in theory.  This happens in a few other cities in Italy.  Livorno's fans are supposedly the most left-wing anywhere.  In the UK, the divisions, where they exist, are religious-based but Italians have better things to do than beat the crap out of each other over religion.  

The Pantheon is well worth a visit and free (well it was the last time I was there in 2010). Its dome, built 2000 years ago, is still the world's largest un-reinforced concrete dome.  

[love4ffc]

Happy early birthday.  While I can offer no advise for your upcoming trip I would like to Wish you and your family all the best on your upcoming trip. 

[Burt]

Went there for my honeymoon and have been back a few times since.

My favourite parts:

VATICAN
Breathtaking. Take in the church, dome, Sistine Chapel and museum. It will take the best part of a day...

RUBBLE
The Colosseum and the Forum are well work it.

OTHER STUFF
The Pantheon, Castelo St Angelo, the Trevi, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps,

TOP TIPS
There is a tourist card that offers discounted entry to the top sights and no queuing with the riff raff. If you do most of the above it is worth the cost. I can't remember what it is called but a quick search on Google should do the trick. I think it may double up as free travel too but I may be getting mixed up with the Firenze card for Florence on that one...

Mind the pickpockets. Particularly around the Colosseum. The favoured trick is coming up to you close with newspaper asking you to put money on it, whilst under the paper they gently relieve you of your belongings...

Food in the touristy bit is expensive, but just a block or two off the beaten track you can get quality grub for half the price.


Enjoy the trip. It is a fabulous place. Your feet will be blistered by the end of it :)

[valdeingruo]

I advise what General said, if you are planning on going to the main sites get your tickets early. That being said, I would get to the area anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour early, check in and then spend the wait exploring the immediate area. Some of the lines can be very long and your wait would be much longer than the 30-60 minutes you had invested earlier.

All of the museums are wonderful.

There is a gelato shop in the shadow of the Vatican that sells amazing gelato and you can even get a whiskey flavored one.

[Mokes]

try fountain of trevi - if its open after refurbishment. unbelievable.

Is this ever not under reconstruction? I was there in August 2014 and again a few weeks ago and both times it was just covered in scaffolding.

[valdeingruo]

try fountain of trevi - if its open after refurbishment. unbelievable.

Is this ever not under reconstruction? I was there in August 2014 and again a few weeks ago and both times it was just covered in scaffolding.

It was the same in 2010 when I was there.

[leonffc]

try fountain of trevi - if its open after refurbishment. unbelievable.

Is this ever not under reconstruction? I was there in August 2014 and again a few weeks ago and both times it was just covered in scaffolding.

It was the same in 2010 when I was there.

Maybe they're trying to create the same 'legend' that Barcelona have with the Segrada Familia.

[MJG]

RUBBLE
The Colosseum and the Forum

RUBBLE... LOL
that's one way of describing old tourist attractions

Brilliant

[Mokes]

If you like gelato there is a place called "come il latte" not too far from termini station. I would go as far as to say it's the best gelato I could find anywhere in Europe.

[Supermitch]

Went there for my honeymoon and have been back a few times since.

My favourite parts:

VATICAN
Breathtaking. Take in the church, dome, Sistine Chapel and museum. It will take the best part of a day...

RUBBLE
The Colosseum and the Forum are well work it.

OTHER STUFF
The Pantheon, Castelo St Angelo, the Trevi, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps,

TOP TIPS
There is a tourist card that offers discounted entry to the top sights and no queuing with the riff raff. If you do most of the above it is worth the cost. I can't remember what it is called but a quick search on Google should do the trick. I think it may double up as free travel too but I may be getting mixed up with the Firenze card for Florence on that one...

Mind the pickpockets. Particularly around the Colosseum. The favoured trick is coming up to you close with newspaper asking you to put money on it, whilst under the paper they gently relieve you of your belongings...

Food in the touristy bit is expensive, but just a block or two off the beaten track you can get quality grub for half the price.


Enjoy the trip. It is a fabulous place. Your feet will be blistered by the end of it :)

I've been a couple of times - fabulous city.  Burt has summarized it perfectly in my view. 

Particular point to note is his comment re the food - the price differential is considerable.

[HamsterWheel]

Great city. We went for the Roma v Fulham match and had a cracking few days there. Stayed not far from the main railway station at a great hotel http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187791-d316644-Reviews-Raffaello_Hotel-Rome_Lazio.html on a quiet cobbled street with loads of great restaurants nearby. Walking distance to the main sights. Take good shoes - you'll do a lot of walking.

[Kentish Gent]

The General has given sound advice. Decide which sights you want to see, and book in advance (your hotel can sort this for you). Also ask the receptionist if the Trevi Fountain is now fully open - it was covered in scaffolding when we were there in March. I'd got it all prepared - a Euro to chuck into the waters of the fountain, and a quick burst of Sinatra's "Three Coins in the Fountain". Big let down! However, if it is open, then go, as it's a fab sight when operational. Oh, and the 'hop on, hop off' buses are great at getting you to the main sights like the Vatican and Collosseum.

[Slaphead in Qatar]

try fountain of trevi - if its open after refurbishment. unbelievable.

Is this ever not under reconstruction? I was there in August 2014 and again a few weeks ago and both times it was just covered in scaffolding.

It was the same in 2010 when I was there.

i was there long time ago - 2000 i think. no scaffolding then - and what a sight it was to behold.

[General]

ok, other bits of advice... when you go to Vittorio Emmanuel II Monument, (which is breathtaking in my opinion), go to the very top, there are great panoramic views of Rome and you can see the collosseum from there.

Then when leaving, if you have your back to the monument facing the square, the to the right of the main road leading away from the monument directly opposite there is a cafe which does incredible ice creams (best I had whilst in rome and up there amongst best I've ever had).

go to Palazzo Doria Pamphilj too - is quite decadent (a lot of rome is).

Another church I thought was beautiful despite off the beaten track is Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano.

There's also one pizza place I went to which I'm trying to find which was great and also ridiculously cheap... as in just as good, if not better, than any other pizza places in Rome and very authetic, extremely popular but hidden away to a degree.

Also spend some time in Trastevere - a 'trendy' part of rome.. nice for walking through more than anything else.

[General]

Trevi Fountain was in scaffolding in March this year when I went.