Rome - Any must do sightseeing??

[jobowden]

Hi, I'm off to Rome in two weeks for a weekend break with some girl friends to celebrate our 40th birthdays! Is there anything we 'must' see or do?? I would also like to do a hop on hop off bus tour and wondered if there was any particular company you could recommend??

Thanks:wave:

[toddy17]

We went to Rome last month for 4 days and could have stayed there for a month. You can get a hop on hop off bus from the main Termini station for 11 euros, we also got a metro pass which lasted for 3 days for 11 euros. A definite must see for us was the vatican museum, which was amazing. We got a tour which we booked before we went with a company called Presto tours. All of the piazzas are worth a visit and of course the Trevi fountain. The best places to eat are the places where the locals eat, off the main tourist areas; food is good and much cheaper. Also all of the wine we had was excellent, even the house wines.
Have a good time !!
Ang

[MichelleP1]

Ooh let us know how you get on, I am planning on taking DH to Rome for his 40th birthday in April so would be really interested to know what you thought. Where are you staying? I have yet to book flights and accommodation.

[Chesterbhoy]

Would agree with Ang.

I went with my DW in October for my 40th birthday for 3 days and then got the train down to Sorrento for another 3days.

We loved the food and wine was very good. We stayed in the Rome Cavalieri Hilton which is up on a hill and the room view took in the whole of Rome - Awesome.

If you want a special meal - try the Ristorante Mirabella. This is on a rooftop which overlooks gardens with a stunning view of St Peter's Church.
My highlight was the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel - we arrived at 10am and the wait was an estimated 3HOURS - we walked to the end of the line and a women asked did we want to go on a "tour" - this initially seemed very dodgy as we basically went to the front of the line and met our official guide inside the visitors centre.

The shopping is amasing!

My advice would be to quickly see all the major attractions (tripadvisor is good) and then find a nice cafe, get a bottle of red wine, bread, olive oil and strong coffee and sit back and watch the world go by.....

[jobowden]

Hi Michelle - we are booked to stay at the Capo D'Africa hotel, which is close to the colosseum & gets rave reviews on trip advisor. None of us have been before so I'll let you know what we think. Ang can you pick up the bus at any other stop? One of my friends has mobility problems & I wondered if we could get on and pay somewhere near the colosseum?

[FirstVisitMum]

I would definitely agree with the vote for the Vatican & St Peter's Square - we got there at the CRACK of dawn and it was still really big queues, but it was SO worth it, every inch of the place is adorned with priceless and irreplaceable masterpieces!

I loved wandering around the Colosseum, too - watch Gladiator before you go to get in the mood!!! :)

[toddy17]

Hi Michelle - we are booked to stay at the Capo D'Africa hotel, which is close to the colosseum & gets rave reviews on trip advisor. None of us have been before so I'll let you know what we think. Ang can you pick up the bus at any other stop? One of my friends has mobility problems & I wondered if we could get on and pay somewhere near the colosseum?

You can't pay on the bus, you have to purchase your ticket before getting on, either at Termini or at other tickets booths around the city. Not sure but there may be a booth at the colosseum metro station. The colosseum is only a couple of stops from Termini. You can get on and off as amny times as you like!
Have fun
Ang