1/2 Day Tour of Rome

What date will this be--just in case the day of the week or time of the year affects people's ideas.

I have never taken a cruise, but if you are embarking at Civitavecchia, you need to factor in transportation time to get there, at least an hour on the train, plus waiting time.

If your flight actually lands on time, you have about an hour or so to go through passport control, retrieve your luggage, and get into Roma itself.

What to do with your luggage?

So you could get into Roma by 10 or so, but you would have to leave by 1pm.

David, you would have enough time to do a hop on/hop off bus tour and you could take your luggage on board with you. Take the train from the airport to Termini (train station). There is a Ho/Ho bus stop close by. After the tour do yourselves a big favour and take a taxi to Civitavecchia. Yes, it'll cost you but you will be tired, very tired, and this is your first time abroad so a little pampering is in order. Buon viaggio.

PS. I am not suggesting you hop off and on the bus to see things. Just hop on, stay on, do some rubber necking and disembark when back at the point of origin.

This would cost some money but, hire a private car to pick you up at the airport and drive you where you want to go. All the time the car and driver hold your luggage and drive you from point A to point B. etc. Yes, this might cost several hundreds of dollars but you get what you pay for. You would be able to see what you want, have transportation, a place for your luggage and then a ride to the pier. Remember to take into account jetlag.

If your flight actually lands on time, you have about an hour or so to
go through passport control, retrieve your luggage, and get into Roma
itself. What to do with your luggage? So you could get into Roma by 10
or so, but you would have to leave by 1pm.

I'm in Zoe's camp here. Aside from the time-eaters/potential delays she mentions, there is a bag-check service at Termini but lines can be long for both checking bags and retrieving them again. If you're flying with checked luggage (I assume you are, for a cruise) we've also experienced a long wait at Fiumicino for bags to reach the carousels. It probably depends on how many incoming flights they're dealing with at one time.

So how much time you're really going to have to see any of Rome is a crapshoot depending on a lot of factors. Weather could also be a complication: I don't usually recommend Rome's hohos to begin with, and wouldn't even consider them if it's raining.

Is your flight direct or are you entering the Schengen at a point before Rome (such as Amsterdam)? That makes a difference where passport control (immigration) is concerned.

Lets run a time line as you may not have as much time as you think ---- And assuming that you don't have several hundred euro to spend on a private driver for the day. That, of course, would be the best solution and easiest. And, assuming that you have too luggage that is common for cruise passengers. This is a range of times to consider --

7.30 - arrive. Most international flights are on time
9.00 - Depart on the Leonard Express to Rome Termini. It could easily take an hour to an hour half to get your checked luggage and process through immigration. The last time we were through immigration in Rome on a Saturday morning it was over two hours just for immigration.

10,00 - Arrive in Rome. It could be earlier. The train from the airport runs every 30 mins, taking 30 mins. But if you just miss it then it adds time. However, at the airport ticket office also buy a Regionale train ticket to Civit.... (so you don't have to buy it later). Regionale trains and the LE are open seating (no reservations) so those tickets ABSOLUTELY must be validated by sticking them in a time stamping box - a yellow/blue/green box near the station. Watch for locals doing it. If you don't the fine is substantial and payable on the spot.

On the left side, lower level as your face the front of the station is luggage check. Check your luggage at the luggage check. Sometimes the line can be long and slow.

11.00 -- Out of the station - walk across the plaza in front of the station beyond the taxi mess, the tickets for the various hop on/off bus are on the far, right side. Check the route and times that most appeal to you. With the head sets it a decent way to get a quick over view of Rome. The big disadvantage with be the tendency to sleep because of jet lag. Personally I would not recommend sitting down for a couple of hours in a swaying bus but for a quick overview of Rome you have no choice. I don't know the time lengths of the buses for a complete loop but assume it would be in the range of two hours.

2.00 pm Now we have a problem as we running out of time. If you have to on ship by 3 pm you probably don't have time for the bus. So maybe you do an hour or so walking loop. If you really need to be at you check in by 3pm you need to be back to Termini by 1pm to get your luggage and find your train's platform to Civit.... It is basically a commuter run to Civit... with three or four trains an hour so find the next R train to Civit.... There will be a couple of Intercity (IC) trains on that route but they require a seat reservation so your Regionale ticket is not good on an IC train. Find the next R train, validate the ticket and get on. It will take about an hour to get to Civit....

When you arrive at Civit.. - very small station -- you will see the ocean and probably your ship to the far right. The station is about a quarter mile or a little more to the port entrance. Most people walk it. Just follow the flow. There is a shuttle bus between the station and port entrance - probably 1.50E or more these days. Taxi are available but be prepared to pay a premium for a quarter mile ride. At the port entrance a shuttle will take you to your ship's check in. The area could be very crowded especially if more than one cruise line in port.

The pointing I am making is that your time in Rome will be very limited and personally would not make much of an attempt to see Rome unless I could get to Rome prior to about 9am. You could take a taxi to Termini that would be quick - 48E flat rate. And you should consider reducing your luggage.

We have made that run five times so we know it well. Our luggage is three (total) carry on size bags so we can move fairly quickly.

Good luck.

WOW! First of all, thank you to all who responded and with the detailed info you gave. I appreciate you investing a little time to help us out. In reading all of your feedback, I am leaning towards hiring a private car to pick us up at the airport, drive us around for a while and then get us to the port-simply due to the time constraints we face. I found one for about 390 Euros, which I think is around $475 US dollars. Given all that we could see through them (Trevi Fountain, St. Peters Basilica, Pantheon, Colliseum, Circus Maximus, etc) I think it may be the best (and easiest) bet for us to maximize our time that day. I know we will be exhausted but think we need to push through the first day and sleep hard that first night so we can get our bodies adjusted to the new time zone for the rest of our trip.

Anyone have experience with private cars-does the price seem right, recommendations on companies or any other advice for that route?

Thank you again. I am deeply humbled by your responses and cannot thank you enough!! If this matters, we are arriving this Saturday morning so I'm not sure if a weekend has an impact over a weekday.

David

Saturday morning should have a little less traffic, but unless the new mayor has changed things, taxis are not permitted in certain areas (Piazza Venezia, the Colosseo and via dei Fori Imperiali) on Saturday or Sunday.

Your driver will not be able to get you directly to the Pantheon or Trevi either but he can get you close; you'll walk from wherever that is.

After a long flight, some jet lag, not being familiar with the area, and having more than just carry on luggage, there is nothing better than having your private driver meet you inside the terminal. Since you are leaning toward a private car service we highly recommend Rome Cabs. It is a private car service -- not a regular cab company. We have used them a number of times and have always been very pleased. Go to romecabs.com and see what you think. If interested, send them an email and outline what your have in mind. You should get a quote from them within 24 hours. You do have to pay cash (Euros) and the end of the journey but not in advance.