Is Amalfi Coast Day Tour From Rome Good?

Stay in Rome for the extra two days. There is plenty to do in Rome. Amalfi is a bit far for a day trip.

I agree; there's sooooo much to see in Rome. While the Amalfi area is lovely, there is no way to do it justice in a day, and you'll be exhausted. Relax in Rome, get out and walk, and you'll have time to find new treasures or revisit the places the RS tour just gave you a taste of. Buon viaggio!

Thank you both for your comments.

Then, besides the RS group visits to the Vatican City and to Colosseum, what else should I do in Rome for two days? Or would one extra day enough?

What to do in Rome. Let's see:

• Ancient Rome -- The Colosseum just scratches the surface. You can easily spend the better part of a day doing the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill and the Capitoline Hill. Then, I have heard that the Baths of Caracalla are worth seeing, although I have never been.

• I have also heard great things about the Palazzo Valentini. They have a light show that might be especially appealing to a 12 year old. The New York Times has an article that describes it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/22/arts/design/22vill.html?_r=0. I believe that the tours in English are around 1 p.m. You will need to make reservations.

• The Pantheon and Piazza Navona are must-sees. (Trevi Fountain is undergoing restoration.)

• Churches -- oh my. I now have a habit of stopping in any church I see in Rome. Some favorites include Santa Maria della Vittoria (which has the Bernini Ecstasy of St. Theresa), San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane (masterpiece of Baroque architecture by Borromini), Sant'Andrea al Quirinale (another masterpiece of Baroque architecture by Bernini), Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Santa Maria della Pace, .... the list goes on and on.

• Art --- The Borghese Villa requires reservations, but is well worth it. The Barberini Palace is also loaded with masterpieces. A personal favorite, and a great place to escape the crowds, is the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj (worth the price of admission just to see the Velasquez portrait of Pope Innocent).

• If you are interested in a day trip, I would suggest either Tivoli or Ostia Antica.

I could easily spend a week in Rome.

Oh goodness! The Vatican and the Colosseum/Palatine/Forum are just a tiny bit of what Rome has to offer. There are oodles of fabulous churches, the fabulous Borghese museum, and Villa Borghese (the enormous park the museum is in) to explore. There are the piazzas: Navona, Del Popolo, Campo di Fiori, in particular. Trastevere and the Jewish Ghetto are fun areas to walk….

You'll have no trouble filling your two days, and you don't need to book any tours. Spend some time with your guidebook and a map, and just take off exploring. Rome is a fascinating city to see on foot as there's always something interesting around the corner! I've totaled several weeks in that one over a couple of trips, and haven't come close to running out of things to do.

Check with the RS tour department to see if your tour is going to the Borghese Museum. Mostly likely not. If not, make a reservation ahead of time and go there. They let in only limited numbers of people at a time and for a 2 hour period. Well worth the time and money. A great museum.
Have a great trip
Mimi

You'll be getting a Rick Steves Best of Europe book with your tour, and that book's Rome chapter will give you enough to fill a week, much less two days. But if you want to get started planning early, here's Rick's Rome page online. Click "At A Glance" to see his suggested highlights, and "Plan" for some suggested itineraries.

http://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/rome

I also agree that seeing the Amalfi Coast as a day trip from Rome would expensive, exhausting, and frustrating.

We went on a wonderful food tour in Rome with Walks of Italy! It was our favorite thing to do in Rome! We fell in love with Rome that night! Highly recommended!

Wow, people, thank you so much for your feedbacks. I was away for some busy works and returned and found great comments here. Thanks.

I think it's best for us to stay in Rome after the Tour for 2 extra nights and explore more of Rome. I'll carefully read what's included in the tour and what's not and decide what to do during the extra days.

I'd welcome more feedback and recommendations, especially if you've been to this 14 Day Tour.