Travel Answers

My wife and I will be traveling to Rome in one month and I would like to know the best option of how to get to the hotel once we arrive at the Fiumicino airport. The details are as follows: we will be arriving at 6:35 P.M. on a Tuesday which means that by the time we go through customs and located our luggage, we probably will not exit the airport until possibly 7:30 or 8:00 P.M. We will have two suitcases, one for myself and one for my wife, and a backpack. What would be the best and safest method to travel to the hotel which is a bed and breakfast off the Re di Roma stop of the metro.

viator.com/tours/Rome/8-Day-...

Could you please comment on this tour ? Is it worth the money and are all the places on the itinerary a must visit ? Please comment on the timing and the hotel too.

This will be my 3rd trip to Italy...can't wait. I recently read somewhere on VT that there is NO toilet paper in public bathrooms in Rome and this VT person wrote that they had to bring and use wet paper towels with them. Can this be true??? On my other trips I found toilet paper in public bathrooms, but my last trip to Italy was in 2003 so has this changed?

We are going to be in Rome 1 and a half days staying one block off of the Via Veneto near the Borghese Gardens. Do you think it is better to use the HOHO bus or just try to walk around given our short time here in Rome? I have been to Rome for a week in 2003, but my friend has never been and she would like to see as much as possible before joining our tour group and moving on to Florence.

Thank you all for your wonderful insight and help.

Hello guys!

First of all, I am SO sorry for the many posts regarding my trip! It's actually my first time travelling abroad so I guess I am overwhelmed and very inexperienced! As some of you may know from commenting on my prior posts, I will be in Rome from May 4- May 6 (Saturday landing 12:10 pm and flight departing monday 7 am) and May 10 - May 11 (Landing Friday 6:40pm and departing Saturday 2:10pm). From may 4-6 I will be staying at Hotel Napoleon and from May 10-11 I will be staying with Deko Rome.

I have already emailed romecabs and shuttle limousine regarding private transfers, and waiting for a response to see which company best meets my needs, given the fact that I would need four transfers.

I know what I would like to see, however, I have no idea how to put it together.

Things I would definitely like to see:

Vatican Museums

St Peter's Basilica

Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

Pantheon

Piazza di Spagna

Spanish Steps

Trevi Fountain

Piazza Navona

Campo de fiori

Trastevere

Tiber River

I was thinking of taking a tour of the vaticans with "through eternity". They were highly regarded as the best vatican tour by Frommer's. througheternity.com/grouptou...

I also would like to do a rome by night tour... or would this not be worth it?

Breakfast is served at hotel so not worried about that, but I am open to suggestions near the attractions. Definitely want lots of gelato (we are fooled here!)

In terms of transportation, I was thinking of doing the HOHO? But i hear that all the attractions are within walking distance so there may be no need for that? Is the tiber river cruise worth it?

In terms of shopping, I would need to get souvenirs. I am a collector of key chains and this is a must as I get one every where I go. I also like to buy little versions of places I went too, and globes! But open to suggestions as well.. I do not want to spend a fortune on this though.

in terms of budget.. for the 2 full days and one night-ish.. I have budgeted around 400 euros (excluding 4 private transfers and hotel accommodation - so basically 400 euros for food/sight seeing for 2.5 days for the BOTH of us... not per person). Would this be enough??

Again, I am sorry for the continuous posting but I greatly appreciate all the advice all of you have been taking the time to give... :) I hope I am not forgetting anything!

Oh! Customs!

I was wondering how long it would take to clear customs?

I will be arriving to Rome from Montreal at noon.

Also, in the middle of my trip, I will be going from Rome to Istanbul. Do I need to clear customs again when coming back to Rome? Will it be bad?

Does anyone know the limit of how much I can shop in Istanbul to bring back to Rome?

We would like an Apartments with 3 bedrooms in Rome for
5 night stay in April downtown. Any suggestions. Thanks

need to purchase train tickets from Rome airport to Florence.. soon. departing from US in a few days.
Do we need prearranged tickets to be sure of a seat? Can we get them at the airport? Is it less expensive to
buy them before we go. We are 4 passengers. Thanks

I will be traveling to Italy from London this Friday, starting at Rome ( 2 1/2 days) , Florence/Pisa (1 day), Venice (2 days). Requires your tips on the following:
- forums scare me with pickpocket incidents, advise please (last I travelled here in 2000 year and no issues that time
- public transport frequency, how good is it? Any ticket machines near Trevi fountain or pantheon?
- Is taxis reliable and cost effective from Rome airport to our hotel 2 km away from Pantheon? How much is right taxi fare?
- I wanted to know whether Rome airport has restaurant options for good vegetarian food (day 1 lunch), food
options near Vatican museum (day 2 lunch)?
- we are going to Sistine Chappell with 2 kids. Will that be very crowded? Will there be a queue inside or we can bypass people and proceed to exit if my children do not cooperate? Any dress regulations in religious places?
- I remember eating a very good fried ice cream last time (1000 liras) what is the approximate price now?
- will the intercity trains be convenient to carry bigger luggages - pathways and near seat for storage?

Thanks in advance
- can you suggest me different places to see in Venice?

To my disappopintment I saw in some weather sites that it will be rainy in Rome the days we 'll be there :((( 11-13 April leaving 14th in the morning. It will be sunny that day! Urrrggh! Too bad because my plans included lots of walking, sitting in piazzas and getting the feel of the city! I'm a bit confused too because in some other sites the weather report was completely different and I'm trying to figure out what to pack (raincoat definitely!). From your experience at this time of year does it rain for 3 days straight? Is it a heavy rain or drizzle, like in London? In other words will it completely ruin my holidays? :(

The Roma Pass has a new (for me, anyway) feature:
"Note: The Roma Pass has a new feature: limited health assistance for card holders
"Travel Health Call Center
http://www.travelhealth.it
A team of Doctors and health operators at your disposal for information and orientation regarding both public and private health care throughout the city.
Multilingual Tourist medical doctors, special medical examinations, diagnostics, dentists, home health care, ambulance, emergency recovery and legal service in case of accident are available upon request to the multilingual Call Center.+39 06 43236291, open 24 hours every day (local call fee. Give your Roma Pass Serial Number in order to receive up to 30% discount on health services.
The call center is free of charge for RomaPass holders; Health performance is reduced up to a maximum of 30%."
romapass.it/p.aspx?l=en&...

This new feature may, for some, justify the increased cost of the card (scheduled to go up to 34 euro on May 1 2013).

Were you aware of this benefit? Have you used it? Would it help you decide if you would want to buy the card?

Bill

Can anyone recommend a 4 star romantic hotel in central Rome?

Hi, I have been in Rome few times and I'm looking for one day trip outside the city, that you can go to by train.
I have already been in Villa D'Este. What else would you recommend?
Also, if there is anything you think most tourists miss because they are after the Vatican and the Colosseum, please let me know. Thanks!

ok can't find my previous post about choosing where to go with the family in summer. We usually spent smaller vacation time elsewhere and the bigger vacation in France or Spain. This year we decided to take the big vacation slot elsewhere.

had competition with Spain, Greece ,and southern France, and Italy won. We will be base in Roma, and of course will be branching out as much as possible, while keeping an eye on those Roman goodies and sights.

I will start looking at tips here, but in general what is best to do? my kids are young men around 20-22 who will be coming along with us. We have an apartment already book and the flight done on AF. Now for the rest, what?

Dare your answers, I have been to Rome before on business trips.

hello everyone

can someone provide me with bus/metro routes Orvieto, Tivoli, Ostia Antica.

any other suggestions for day trips from Rome are welcome ,routes will be helpful :-)

What is the best hotel that has breakfast and a lift in the Termini location. I am on a moderate budget and would like to pay UNDER $100 a night for the room

What is the best location neighborhood to stay in Rome to be centrally located for all of the major cites

Do all budget hotels in rome have heaps of steps as my friend and I 56 and 60 will not be able to handle too many steps as well as our bags

Hi all... I'm back on VT after some months absent and now on the brink of starting 11m of travel! YAY!
In a week I will be in Rome!! I want to arrange at least 2 nights accomodation to ensure good sleep and rest post flights from Australia...maybe hostels but they can be noisy! Any suggestions for me? I was also looking at Air B&B..seemed a good source too... any recommemdations? Budget is important too. Im backpacking for a long time :-)
I will be heading down to Siena on the 9th.
Many thx in advance!!

Hi guys,

Have any of you guys tried the Easyjet flight from Rome to Basel? How reliable is the service as to the delays etc? I have read up online and it seems that the service is not that good?

Was contemplating to take the train but its quite expensive.

Thanks!!

I will be traveling to Rome and Florence with my mother in April. My mother is very fond of Gregorian chant, and I would like to take her to listen to some during out trip. I tried to look for places & times online but I couldn't find anything useful. Does anyone have any ideas on how to find out where and when we could go to hear some Gregorian chant? Thanks!

My family and I will be flying into Fiumicino Airport in July and will be hiring a car. Can anyone recommend an inexpensive car hire company? All the big ones like Avis and Hertz seem to charge a fortune! Prefer to use one based at the airport if possible. Also if anyone has had any really bad experiences with any of the car rental companies I'd be interested to know. Many thanks

Where do they go from and are they value for money

I will be staying in Rome for 6 nights in early June with my husband and 2 teenagers. I want to go to Pompeii one day and maybe Florence another day. It looks like the train, ecspecially the fast train I need, would be very expensive. Am I better off to rent a car? Are there better options I am missing?

is it a valuable experience?

Watching the crowds in St Peters square with brolly,s!!!!!
That got me to world ,and in particular Rome weather for
my 3 days and March 27th 14 celcius and showers
March 28th of which i should spend in Vatican 14 c and
all day rain ---finally March 29th 13 c and all day rain
A trip to my favorite travel store for travel brolly
March 30th the day i propose Herculanium 15 and partly
sunny then April 1st they day for Pompeii sunny
Happy days

I lived in the center of Rome in February 2013. There is No ONE small store or supermarket anywhere.
Where are food stores in Rome?

Here goes:
We'll be staying at the top end of via del corso.
Day 1:
-Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Colosseum. (I only need 1.5 hour at the Colosseo so if we go there around 4.30 or 5 there won't be endless queues maybe??)

Day 2:
-Piazza de Popolo (view of the city somewhere there?), Vatican Capela sistina, St. peters. (again, planning to visit around noon to avoid the crowds). Do you think it's absolutely necessary to prebook?

Day 3:
-Campo de fiori, and afterwards, any cute little shops in the area for souvenir shopping?

Do you think it's doable experts? I don't want to just tick the sites and not leave time to take everything in... Need those coffee breaks!
Thanks! :)

I am trying to find contact details for Massimo Zoli B & B in Rome. I have a telephone number but I would prefer an email address or fax number. Does anybody have these details for me? I'm trying to book for 13 and 14 June 2013.

A question please --as we approach the fatefull day of March 15
i think of my upcoming adventure to Rome

Can some some body give me an approx or exact spot where
the assisination of Julius Caesar took place--was it 44 BC.

Thanks

Hi all!
Which is the cheapest easiest (fastest) way to get from the airport to central Rome? Is the neighborhood (Campo Marzo) pedestrian?
Thanks

Hi !!! Was wondering if anyone has an update on the conclave
as here in Australia the media seems only to focus on the out
going Pope.

Maybe other media around the world may have more news
on the commencement of the cardinals voting as it requires
the Sistine to be shut to the public and Vatican staff for the
preparation