Thread: When traveling to ROME

Thinking of taking a trip to Rome. When travelling to Rome how many days would you suggest, there is so many historical this to see, 3 or 4 days. When is a good / quite time to go.

I will be travelling with my other half and we all about sight seen and have nice meals out. What to see , where to eat …. Either of us has ever been to Rome before, so all suggestions welcome

Rome is my favorite city in the entire world - and I've seen lots. I've been there a total of maybe 3 weeks and haven't run out of things to see.

In my opinion, winter is better than summer - much less crowds, cooler (but maybe rain) - but it is great any time of year.

Food: There is a saying in Italy that "the more you pay, the worse you eat". I've found this to be true. The small Pizzerias, Tratorias, etc are fantastic. The fancy food was not so impressive. Try to avoid the really touristy places. The Gelato is great. There is an especially good place at Piazza Navona (which has nice fountains and is worth seeing anyway).

Things to see:

St Peters - must see. Takes a day at least. Climb to the top of the dome. See the Vatican Museum. You might skip the Sistine Chapel - its really nice, but the lines are very long, and in my opinion not any more fantastic that a lot of other things that get less hype.

Colosseum - another must see.

Roman forums (republic and imperial) - near the colosseum, great if you are anything of a roman history buff.

Pantheon - Old roman era temple near the center of the old town.

Trevi Fountain - also near the center of things - one of the most famous (and spectacular) fountains in the world.

Galleria Borghesi - lots of Bernini sculptures. This guy carved tree leaves from marble - absolutely stunning.

Capitoline museum - great collection of ancient stuff in a plaza designed by Michelangelo (I think).

More chuches than you can shake a stick at.... fantastic decoration, some dating from the earliest days of Christianity.

Out of town - Hadrian's Villa (ancient roman - showing that "its good to be the emperor of the world"). Tivoli nearby is good too.

Rome is a great walking town - its big, the things I list are miles apart, but well worth the walk. Don't even think of driving in Rome.

Beware of pickpockets near the train station. Gypsy children are an especial problem. One or two will try to distract you (often with a big cardboard sign) while others will make a grab for your pockets.

Train from the airport to downtown works well.

Have lots and lots of fun!