3 days in Rome - what would you do?

[ZephyrHawk]

Wow. Thanks for a great and detailed reply.
We´re definitely going to Pompei, and will be staying somewhere around Napoli.

If you haven't got your hotel set, try Sorrento. I cannot wait to return to that beautiful little seaside town!

 

[TLSnell1981]

It pretty much takes a full day to do the Vatican and St. Peter's. I would also suggest taking the open air tour bus. You can get on and off all day. We have visited Rome several times and have stayed at the Westin Excelsior (5 stars) and the Hotel Barocco (4 stars). They are both centrally located, but I prefer the Barocco. It's just off the Piazza Barberini and has a wonderful staff. There's a great little place next door with a fantastic selection of limoncello. The metropolitana is nearby and easy to use. You are also within walking distance of the Fontana di Trevi, Villa Borghese, Piazza di Spagna, and many other attractions.

 

[TurkA77]

Do NOT, I repeat Do NOT eat dinner at any places close to tourist attractions. IE the restaurants around Piazza Navona. If you want to pay a lot of money for a good view and sub par food, then eat there. Instead, try and find the little holes in the wall that don't have any signage and don't have a guy out front trying to talk you into eating there.

One restaurant I will recommend if you are in the mood for pizza is Bafetto's. It is amazing.

There is also a bar/library that makes there shots in little cups made out of chocolate.

So far everyones suggestions of tourist attractions are great. The only 2 I would add to those lists are:

St. Maria Maggiore
Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

 

[ckret01]

Do NOT, I repeat Do NOT eat dinner at any places close to tourist attractions. IE the restaurants around Piazza Navona. If you want to pay a lot of money for a good view and sub par food, then eat there. Instead, try and find the little holes in the wall that don't have any signage and don't have a guy out front trying to talk you into eating there.

One restaurant I will recommend if you are in the mood for pizza is Bafetto's. It is amazing.

There is also a bar/library that makes there shots in little cups made out of chocolate.

So far everyones suggestions of tourist attractions are great. The only 2 I would add to those lists are:

St. Maria Maggiore
Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

I have to agree with trying not to eat at any place that is close to the attractions, with a guy outside trying to get you to eat there and a menu with pictures. I was told this before my trip and we half listened and I can tell you I regret eating at some of those places. We did venture off to smaller secluded places outside the attractions and they were some of the best meals we had.

 

[EMom]

I have to agree with trying not to eat at any place that is close to the attractions, with a guy outside and a menu with pictures. I was told this before my trip and we half listened and I can tell you I regret eating at some of those places. We did venture off to to smaller sucluded places outside the attractions and they were some of the best meals we had.

The same is true for Paris. Go 2 blocks back from the main tourist spots/streets, and the food prices drop to a fraction of the price and the quality goes WAY up. I'd wager this is true of most major tourist cities in Europe.

 

[CoP Luv]

We spent two weeks in Europe for our Honeymoon and started in Rome. You have a lot of greta information already, but here is what we did:

Day 1: After checking into the hotel, we walked to the Pantheon (near where we were staying), hit a grocery store for some water bottles (less than $1 for two vs. $3-4 each at stands outside the sites), and then went to the Colesseum, Palatine, and Forum. After a break, We headed to dinner near Piazza Navona and then went to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Via Condotti.

Day 2: Got up to head to the Vatican. Went to the museum and the church. Headed back to the hotel area for lunch and then after a break headed to dinner near the Trevi. Walked down to the Colesseum to see it at night, grabbed gelato at my favorite gelateria near the Pantheon and wandered around that area.

Day 3: Walked back to the Vatican to climb to the top of the dome. Went back to the church and then to the Pantheon (DH's favorite of all the sites). Packed our backs and headed to the port city to get on a Med. Cruise.

I wrote about most of our travels in my blog if you are interested in pictures, etc. To read about Rome, scroll to the bottom and click older posts.

 

[Katieinwonderland]

DH and I spent three days in Rome last January - it was cold and it rained all day, every day but we had an amazing time!

I think everyone has mentioned the main tourist attractions, so I have a guidebook suggestion! We have Rick Steves Rome 2010 guidebook and it was fantastic! It lists some amazing restaurants that are away from the main tourist areas - we went to a pizza place where they spoke no English and it took us 30 minutes to find, but it was the best pizza ever! We also ate in some incredible little cafes, and in one restaurant that was in someone's home - we sat in the dining room with two other couples and the family cooked in their kitchen!

His book was also really good for touring the Vatican - I felt a little silly walking around with my book, but it meant I knew what I was looking at and I got a lot more out of it.

 

[FireDancer]

As nice as the toursity stuff is I try and get out into the "real" area of the places I visit too. In Rome that would be the Trastevere area across the Tiber. There are some amazing view of the city from that side of the river and I would not miss it.

In Florence I think the best view is from the Piazzale Michelangelo. If you don't mind a challenging (read: hilly) walk I would start at the bottom and walk up. You will go through a lot of gardens and the entire way there are amazing views of the city. At the top you are higher than you are after climbing to the top of the Duomo. While on that side of the river check out Hemmingway's in the Piazza Piattellina.

Lastly, I would consider cutting the stay in Florence by a day and heading to Siena. As much as I enjoyed Venice, Florence, and Rome Siena was my favorite city in Italy by far. In fact I would try and cut two days somewhere and visit both Siena and the Val d'Orcia. You could easily spend a day in Pienza and Montepulciano. I'd head to Pienza, grab a bike, and bike the valley for a day stopping at all the cities. I did it while I was there and it was the best day of the two weeks I spent in Italy.

Whatever you do have fun. I plan on making it back to Rome to do the Rome marathon. It is the one marathon on my bucket list.

 

[IdesOmarch]

I think Pompeii is a quick trip from Rome, I've heard its awesome (brother went last year), you may want to trek over there for a half day. His pictures were incredible.

 

[walden]

I think Pompeii is a quick trip from Rome, I've heard its awesome (brother went last year), you may want to trek over there for a half day. His pictures were incredible.

Pompeii is closer to Naples than it is to Rome. Well worth a visit, but it will take a good 2+ hours by train from Rome.

If you are visiting the Colosseum, Basilica San Clemente, mentioned above, is just down the street. It is one of my favorite places to visit in Rome and is often overlooked. So much history in one small place and the excavations are fascinating! http://www.basilicasanclemente.com/

 

[Briarmom]

If you haven't got your hotel set, try Sorrento. I cannot wait to return to that beautiful little seaside town!

This is my suggestion as well. It is an easy trip to Pompeii, Naples, Capri...all from Sorrento. Love it there.

In Rome, I would book a tour for the Vatican. The lines can get to be INSANE, especially in the summer, and if you book a tour you can bypass the lines. I've used Angel Tours twice and loved them.

I highly recommend Rick Steves' Italy book. It saved me so much time and money and is just full of great advice.

In Florence, don't miss the David/the Uffizi gallery as others have said. You need to book in advance online so you can just go right in. Same goes for The Last Supper in Milan.

In Naples, don't miss the pizza. Pizza di Michele. Oh. My.

 

[ckay87]

I would do as the Romans do.








(hehe, couldn't resist. Have fun!!)

 

[PatriciaH]

We love this restaurant:

http://www.thelibrary.it/thelibrary.htm

 

[sixcats]

If anyone is researching hotels, we stayed at a wonderful hotel in Rome. We had a view of the Pantheon out of our windows and it was so beautiful at night-Albergo del Senato. It had a great rooftop bar with stunning views at sunset.

We used Context Rome to take a walking tour of the Coluseum, The Forum, and Palantine Hill. We really enjoyed heading out in search of a site and finding intersting things along the way. We spent out last night strolling along the Tiber-it was beautiful!

 

[PatriciaH]

If anyone is researching hotels, we stayed at a wonderful hotel in Rome. We had a view of the Pantheon out of our windows and it was so beautiful at night-Albergo del Senato. It had a great rooftop bar with stunning views at sunset.

We used Context Rome to take a walking tour of the Coluseum, The Forum, and Palantine Hill. We really enjoyed heading out in search of a site and finding intersting things along the way. We spent out last night strolling along the Tiber-it was beautiful!

That looks like a great spot. I added the Albergo del Senato on Facebook.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Castelli Romani!!! It's beautiful there!

 

[dngnb8]

For me, Food is the tourist trip to take. Not the typical touristy places you understand. I like to go outside of the main towns and eat in the cafe's where the locals eat. For me, it is about tasting their food. Not the marketed tourist food, what they eat and how they eat it.

 

[Freyja]

Thanks again everyone. Reading carefully through all the great suggestions and looking up on various websites!

 

[Bilberry]

Knowing me, there is a good chance I'd spend at least one day shopping for Italian cloths! My young nephews and parents visited Rome last summer. It was one of their favorite destinations so far. Hope you enjoy your trip.

 

[MAH4546]

Spend an evening in Trastevere and wander into the back streets where a lotmof the smaller restaurants frequented by locals are located.