Rome this w/e. Top tips please!

hubblebubble

Me and hubby are off to Rome on Friday for a long weekend. It is our first hol without the kids for some years.
We have booked a nice hotel, and the hotel has arranged a taxi to meet us at the airport, which we have splashed out on. (usually take the bus!)
Neither of us have been to Rome before, and the guide book has so much info in, I don't know where to start.
I am relying on your top tips of what not to miss, where to eat, and how to enjoy the city. :T
All replies gratefully received.

Counting_Pennies_2

Your best bet is to catch one of the hop on hop off buses. You tend to buy a day ticket and just hop on and off. They go to all the tourist attractions, so you can pick and choose.

The Vatican is great, allow a few hours more if you want to do one of the audio tours.

There have been loads of posts on Rome in the past on this forum, so I would recommend putting in a search on the system and see what it brings up.

Have fun

mikemoate

The Roman Forum and the Colloseum is a must see, and the Vatican as said by the previous poster. The restaurant in the Vatican Museuem is much cheaper than the many rip off places in the surrounding streets. Chinese restaurants are usually good value if you want a change. The further away from the main sights the cheaper places usually become. Get your drinks/snacks from any of the small shops in the side streets nearby the main bus interchange rather than the on street stalls, they are a fraction of the cost. Don't go on the horse taxis they are a rip off. All in all Rome is a beautiful city and you will have a wonderful time

robnye

hubblebubble wrote:

Me and hubby are off to Rome on Friday for a long weekend. It is our first hol without the kids for some years.
We have booked a nice hotel, and the hotel has arranged a taxi to meet us at the airport, which we have splashed out on. (usually take the bus!)
Neither of us have been to Rome before, and the guide book has so much info in, I don't know where to start.
I am relying on your top tips of what not to miss, where to eat, and how to enjoy the city. :T
All replies gratefully received.

i am planning to go to Rome in March 06.

what guide book are you using?

if i send you a pm can you let me know how you get on and any tips

Donnie

You can go to Trastevere in the evening for a meal and a walk.

gooismeid

Colosseum - don't bother with guided tour, any guidebook would tell you what you need to know and you don't have to hang around with a bunch of other people.
Spanish Steps - brilliant for people watching, but you have to watch your wallet too (in both senses) - there are some fabulous shops around that area, and also a fair few pickpockets (beware gangs of pre-teens!)
Go to the Pantheon - truly the most amazing ancient building I have seen.

If you fancy a day out of Rome and are interested in ancient ROman history, go to Ostia Antica (about 45 mins on the train) - a whole ROman town of buildings in remarkable state of repair, including a brothel, a bar, a fishmongers and a restaurant, even a shopping mall, to make you feel right at home!

Eats - there are some really awful touristy restaurants but if you go off the beaten track and find somewhere where the menu doesn't include pictures, you'll find some great food.

Campo dei Fiori - lovely market some days, and some really interesting bars and cafes.

MiM

1. Get a water bottle and fill it at the many fountains all round the city. Food is resobnably priced if you're sensible but drinks, soft or alcoholic, can be expensive. Coffee's usually okay.

2. Buy food from minimarts and street vendors, then find a nice place well off the beaten track at night. Make sure locals eat there, not tourists.

3. Don't buy the tourist bus ticket. Get the ordinary travel card and hop on and off service buses. Much cheaper, just as good.

4. getting from the airport's can also be done easily by public transport as long as you don't arrive during the night.

jaymac_2

There are some reasonable restaurants near the Trevi fountain and not expensive Just wander round the streets nearby and you'll see some really nice ones. There was a good ice cream shop there too. Avoid the roses.
The all day transport ticket is about 4 euros and you can use it to get to and from Ostia Antica too.
I couldn't find much of a bus map so I downloaded and enlarged the one from the Rome transport site and carried that with me.
Trip advisor.com ...a grat source of info wherever you're going.

have a good time!