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Hi all, looking for any do's or do not's for 3 days in Rome with my GF & 14 yr old daughter in a couple of weeks. I've been looking at the passes that get you into multiple sites But not sure of their merits? Probably doing most of the touristy stuff but no plans to do the Sistine chapel as that looks an arse.
Book specific tickets for the big sites, do not rely on the pass and walk up.
Probably doing most of the touristy stuff
In three days you'd struggle to "do" palatine hill. (edit to mean, be realistic, allow more time than you think for a few sites, everything is normally heaving so just getting around eg the forum takes an age. And don't try and cram loads in. It's a great city but if you try and cover even just the main sites in three days - especially if that includes travel - you'll have a crap break.
Oh, baths of caracala, are off the beaten track a bit but we're one of my favourite sites.
Oh and of course, gelatto, carbonara and more gelatto.
I'm sure there was another thread on this pretty recently?
Anyway - we had a week in Rome before Christmas for my Birthday, also with 12+15 year old girls. Stay as centrally as possible (we were behind the Trevi fountain) pretty much everything is in walking distance, however the busses are great, and pretty cheap.
You'll need to book Colosseum tickets in advance on-line. The ticket should also get you into the Palatine hill + Roman Forum complex, which is pretty good.
We didn't go into the Vatican, but same story - you need to book in advance on-line.
The Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (huge building - also called the Typewriter or Wedding cake) has a glass lift up the back which goes to the roof - best views in Rome (again - book on-line in advance)
If you want a photo on the Spanish steps go early - it gets packed.
Pantheon is also amazing, but you need to book a (free) ticket in advance.
https://museoecriptacappuccini.it/ is pretty cool - it has a crypt full of the bones of dead monks - the kids loved it.
We felt pretty vulnerable to street scammers and pick-pockets - keep everything zipped away and don't engage with anyone who's trying to put a bracelet on you!
The secret to getting most from your trip is a bit of research and pre-planning.
I cannot recommend highly enough the food tour that we did. Brilliant value for money, got you to parts of the city that you would never otherwise go to and loads of amazing food. It was the best thing we did in Rome. It also kept you away from the tourist rip off eateries that will charge you £15 for a basket of bread.
Our tour was Rome Food Tour by Eating Europe. Jut make sure you arrive with an empty stomach as you will be doing lots of eating.
Edit: this one https://www.eatingeurope.com/rome/taste-of-testaccio/
Vatican museum is huuuge, so much in there, definitely a full day
look out for god's arse in the cistine chapel, old mikey was definitely taking the piss.
colluseum & pallatine are great if you like roman stuff
St peters & Pantheon good at night
I liked protestant cemetery as a quiet respite , (looked after by a lovely English eccentric lady) to hunt for the graves of Keats & Shelly
its busy, but theres sooo much to see there, tube works quite well
We walked to Rome from England. Consequently on arrival we were somewhat feral which put off the nefarious population. It was incredibly busy, but my best memories are the views along beautiful stradas with hills and classic buildings as the backdrop. So I'd say don't necessarily go for the Honeypot attractions, Rome can be much more than that, it's a feeling and immersion rather than a tick list with the Instagramerati
The victor Emmanuel memorial was very striking, Worth checking out despite it not being the classic Roman one expects
I'd recommend going to a bar cafe on a Sunday morning, it's a fabulous time to mix with locals drinking coffee and white wine spritzers while dressed in your Sunday best. Back street location naturally.
Evensong is a lovely experience even if not religious, sit and listen to the singing amongst beautiful architecture. Retreat to a bar afterwards, meet some locals.
I'm fortunate to have spent a lot of time in Italy, it can be a strange and crazy country but beautiful in so many unexpected ways. More often than not, it will be interactions with Italians going about there lives, or walking down a cobbled street as the lights come on. Oh and don't forget the evening promenade, many shops will be open late
Somewhat contradictory advice from me but I would say make sure you wander around as some of the best moments are those unexpected slightly off the beaten track ones but also get a bus pass to save your legs from too much walking.
I was in Rome for a few days in Jan 2020 just before Covid hit, and spent time just wandering around, enjoying the atmosphere and architecture, seeing the 'free' sights like the Pantheon and Villa Borghese and people-watching. It's a walkable city though I did like the old trams and used those a bit.
Rome is noisy, smelly, dirty, loud, overcrowded, horribly hot (in summer), chaotic and expensive. And having said all that it's our favourite city to visit and we've been many times.
If you are into ancient Roman history (and I am, hugely) it's obviously the place to go. And for art lovers too. As regards the "big ticket" things, definitely the Colosseum. It's just incredible to think that they built it about 2,000 years ago. The Pantheon even more so (and you don't need a ticket to get in). I'm not a fan of the Vatican etc (probably my West of Scotland Protestant bias showing there!) but if you wander into some of the other churches (San Ignazio for example) they are almost as stunning as the Sistine Chapel, but free and you'll have about 10 other folk, as opposed to 1,000.
The Villa Borghese is well worth a visit, but you do need a ticket well in advance. They only let in a small number of people. Or just wander around and soak up the atmosphere. Usual advice re food ie avoid the obvious rip off tourist places which is easily done. And do try their gelato. I'm not a big ice cream fan but over there I love it.
+1 Trastavere food tour. I generally hate that organised sort of thing, but loved it.
I was there in July. Hop on hop off buses are very good for getting your bearings and jumping on and off at the sites you want to visit. We booked a three day ticket and used it to get around the locations we had pre-booked.
As said above, book tickets for the big attractions in advance. Colosseum was good as was the vatican. Trevi Fountain is ridiculously crowded with "influencers" arriving with an entourage to get pics. Very early or very late the best times to visit it.
Again, eateries around tourist traps are extortionate. Also, constant harassment from street hawkers.
Remember the dress code if you want to go to the Vatican. Covered arms and legs IIRC but for sure we couldn't go in because we were not dressed appropriately.
You can hire all sorts of bikes at the Villa Borghese Gardens (but remember to take your passport with you as security) and trundle around (we got a family rickshaw). From one side of the gardens you can see across Rome and if you are lucky with the sunset, get a great view of St Peter's at dusk.
And if you like ice cream you should try Giolitti - it can be a bit chaotic (it is Italy after all) but it's worth it.
Probably doing most of the touristy stuff but no plans to do the Sistine chapel as that looks an arse.
Definitely go and see the Sistine Chapel - yeah, it's full of tourists (you included, of course), the guards' constant "no photos" gets irritating, but... wow. It's worth it.
Things to avoid: The Circus Maximus is just a long, grassy park. Buying any kind of drink from one of the street kiosks. And any restaurant with photos on the menu.
Otherwise the Colloseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps are must-sees. But TBH the thing I most love about Rome is just wandering around, there's so much to see. It's a wonderful place.
FWIW the underground is busy but effective (like any city really). We stayed a little bit outside the city centre, but it was all within easy reach. As we were not in a touristy area, also meant the restaurants were cheaper, authentic, and just fantastic for a young family. Loved it.
Our favourite part was the Circus Maximus! Watched Ben Hur on YouTube then chased each other around doing 'chariot races'. Superb once you appreciate the history.
For Colosseum and Forum we got a guide and 'jump the queue' tickets, both of those made both sights fantastic.
Vatican is pretty obscene, we had to go, did chapel etc. to tick the box but the whole thing made us feel very uncomfortable. Possibly due to miserly protestant upbringing 🙂
I'll be honest, I didn't really 'get' the Sistine chapel. After what felt like days of going through rooms with elaborately painted ceilings, arriving at the 'must see' of a larger room with an elaborately painted ceiling was a bit of an anticlimax. The whole Vatican museum felt like overload to me as well, "do you like statues of Romans? Well here's 15,000 of them in a looong corridor"!
St Peters Basilica was spectacular though and is free to go in (at ground level).
As above, book in advance for stuff.
Villa Borghese was really good. We got a ticket that included a guide (all we could get, having not booked early) but he was well worth the extra, a really engaging, informative tour.
Colosseum was very good too, surrounded by scalpers who have "only got X spaces on the next tour so come with me and pay quickly", where X is the size of your group! Again, book in advance and ignore them.
Circus maximus, yep, just a big 'median' between a couple of roads.
Palatine hill/the forum was really interesting, wish we'd had more time to spend there.
We didn't get hassled much/at all away from the Colosseum and didn't find it particularly expensive to eat and drink.
Excellent pizza in Ciro Trattoria pizzeria (realised on our last day I hadn't actually had a proper full pizza, walked past and decided to stop in for lunch), loads of places to get a small/slice of pizza or a calzone when you're walking around.
I really enjoyed it, probably one of my favourite cities I've visited.
One of the best bits I remember from my last visit was the taxi drive back to the airport. Some kids threw something at the taxi on a main road, he slammed the brakes on and started chasing these kids all over the road with us all sat there in his taxi, cars just driving around us. He eventually came back shouting lots of (presumably sweary) stuff in Italian and threw his arms around lots.
Biggest advice would be to prepare your 14yo daughter for LOTS of walking... Take comfy shoes and be prepared to cover a lot of miles on foot!
Also... You'll understand the relevance of the saying "when in Rome" the first time you go to pay for anything there... By christ it's expensive! But to hell with it, just accept it and pay... You're there for 3 days, and if you're moaning about prices all the time it will ruin it. Suck up the cost, embrace the experience, and have an amazing time.
Take a decent camera. Take lots of photos...
Go to all the usual tourist spots for sure, but there's also a few hidden gems off the beaten path too. I particularly enjoyed the Leonardo Da Vinci museum myself...
A tour of the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel will blow your mind... Yes it's expensive. Yes it'll be really busy in there. But the history, the sheer exuberance of it all. What the Romans got away with at the height of their empire and the history lesson you will get around all of this, is something to behold.
Seek out smaller back street restaurants rather than the ones on busy highways. If you see local people eating in a restaurant then go there, the food will be better...
Pallatine Hill and the forum is impressive and very picturesque... Combined with a tour of the colosseum it makes a nice half day out.
The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps etc... All must sees.
Villa Borghese gardens are stunning to walk around.
Best pics I took there were down random back streets, the architecture is mostly stunning and nowhere looks the same... We've all seen millions of pics of the colosseum and the pantheon and the Trevi fountain in the past, but some of the things I found down random back streets to photo were beautiful!
Think my GF and I did about 60k steps over 2 1/2 days when we were there 5yrs ago (which a quick google tells me is almost 30 miles!)...
I'm really not a city person at all, but I'd go back to Rome tomorrow if I could...
Just walking round is a pleasure. It's all reachable on foot if you stay central.
Much prefered the Roman Empire stuff to the Catholic Church stuff in the main. But your opinion may vary.
Things to avoid: The Circus Maximus is just a long, grassy park.
It is, but read about it beforehand and with a bit of imagination it becomes a spectacular sight.
Also there is now a place where you can hire VR headsets that give you an idea of what it would (probably) have looked like. Admittedly the VR animation is a bit clunky with a lot of room for improvement, but it does give you an insight. I suspect you'll start to see it with other ancient sites too soon.
It is, but read about it beforehand and with a bit of imagination it becomes a spectacular sight.
Not convinced - I've read quite a lot of Roman history, watched Ben Hur, and it's still a long grassy park. The VR stuff sounds interesting, though.
If you want to see the Colosseum and avoid queues then I think you can buy a combined ticket to see it and the area next to it but buy from next area instead of the colloseun as queue should be shorter. Apologies it's been a while.
Go to Trastavere and eat there. There's still plenty of tourists but it's more balanced with locals, seems a wee bit cheaper and is a welcome break from the main tourist sites (which are all really good and shouldn't be missed).
Il Gelato di San Crispino near Trevi fountain is worth finding and just generally doing a bit of gelato research before you go is worth the effort.
Don't worry about maps or using GPS as every road....
I’ve read quite a lot of Roman history<br /><br />
It’s all men seem to think about, according to the Internet…
Things to avoid - paddling in the fountains, scratching your names on any historic buildings, taking over any areas of interest for half an hour to take your TikToc/Instagram influencer photos, and generally being a generic asshole tourist seems to be the best advice; I’ve seen far too much of that sort of stupidity going on recently. They weren’t Brits, either. The Brits were probably drunk and throwing up in a corner somewhere… 😉
One of the best things I’ve ever done was a guided Vespa tour in Rome, driver up front and me as passenger. Weaving through the crazy city traffic was as much of a thrill as the amazing sights that are everywhere. I can’t remember which company I used but there looks to be a few options on search engines.
When we went we stayed in Prati which is near the Vatican and the indoor food market. Its less touristy and the bars there do the most amazing free food when its Aperitivo time. Eating out if you avoid the tourist hotspots is less than UK.
Parco Archeologico del Colosseo I think it's called, vast area of Roman buildings along from the coliseum. You're basically walking for a kilometre or so through Roman Rome.
We stayed at a posh boutique place nearby which had a Roman cellar as its basement. Basically all the Roman stuff that no one bothered to clear away is what stays with me after a couple of visits. Wandering round the palatine hill likewise.