Go on a tour or walk ourselves

Get the Rick Steves guide and start reading. He goes into detail of all your questions. I especially liked the "night time walk" as did my wife. Tear out the sections for where you are and just carry those during the day. Use the restaurant recommendations and you won't go wrong.

Thank you. Are you suggesting his guide for Rome or Italy?

Mary, There are pros & cons for each method of touring, so you'll have to decide which one best fits your circumstances. You'll probably learn more on a tour, and therefore it will be a more rewarding travel experience (that's what I've found). All of your lodgings and local tours will be taken care of, as well as all breakfasts and about half the lunches and dinners. The tours cover the most popular sites and provide good coverage of the history, culture, foods, etc. In addition to the lead Guide, you'll also have access to outstanding local Guides when visiting specific sites. Except for pre or post-tour activities, the only arrangement you'll have to make is your flights. Taking a tour simply because they claim to "get you into places easier" is not realistic. If you prefer the flexibility of travelling on your own, that's also easily possible, however it's a lot more work to plan and it's important to "do your homework" so that you're well prepared. The RS Rome 2012 is an excellent resource, and it provides all the information you'd need for a self-guided tour of the city. The book contains information on not only Hotels and restaurants but also transportation and sightseeing. I wouldn't bother purchasing tickets in advance, as they're so easy to buy in Rome. For visiting the Colossem and Forum, you could either buy a Combo ticket (€12) or a Roma Pass. The Combo ticket covers the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill. The queues will be shorter if you buy the ticket at the Palatine Hill ticket office. For information on the Roma Pass, have a look at This Website. Good luck and happy travels!

Mary, Perhaps I mis-read your questions? If you're interested primarily in a local Guide for day tours, I would highly recommend Francesca Caruso! She's incredibly knowledgeable, and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Her contact information is in the Guidebook. Cheers!

Oh Ken wish Id known about the Roma Pass. I bought tickets for Colosseum thru www.tickitaly and was way more expensive boo!! I think this poster means individual tours too not joining a week long sort of thing. We will be doing lots of DIY and use Rick Steves audios guides as well as read his books. Id say The Vatican is a definite to join a tour private or otherwise as the lines are very long and the guides take you in a side entrance.

Mary, You can book a tour of the Vatican museums and sistine chapel directly through the Vatican website. These tours will allow you to bypass the lines and use the "tour door" that goes to St. Peter's basilica. The tour lasts about 2 hours and is very informative. http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=en&do For the colosseum/forum, if you are using the romapass you can book a tour of the colosseum online before you go. You'll need to call them and let them know you're using the pass for entry but it's a cheap, quick call to make. 011 39 06 39967700. If you are not using the romapass for entry you can book tickets and a tour online at their official site: http://www.ticketclic.it/Gb/HTML/musei/colosseo.cfm Click on the "collect onsite" link near the middle of the page to choose the tour you wish to take. If you want to take a tour of the forum you'll need to book with a private agency. If you want to visit the Borghese gallery you'll need to make a reservation with them before you leave. You can do that online at their official site: http://www.ticketeria.it/ticketeria/borghese-regolamento-eng.asp If you decide to use the romapass for that you will need to call them as well: 011 390632810 Of all the sites you mention the only one I would suggest getting a guide for would be the forum. It is not well signed and can be hard to figure out. If you have a good guide book you can do it on your own. I like to use audio guides for the forum as they let me go at my own pace. I use pocketvox.com but there are several others out there. Donna

A guide for the Vatican and maybe the forum. But if you do your research you can be your own guide.

Thank you for all this great info. One last question, is three days enough time to see everything?

NO.

In Rome, three years wouldn't be enough time to see everything. As for guided tour v. DIY, it's all a matter of resources and desire. And, Liz, too bad about the Roma Pass thing. It's another good reason to buy a good guidebook like the RS series. It will save you much more than it costs.

Michael re roma pass. Yes have ordered RS books online but they mucked up my bank details and Im still waiting. Did you get to see the lower level?? Dont laugh but I am yet to learn how to download the audio tours.

3 days in not enough for Rome but should be enough for what you have listed.

I second the vote for Francesca Caruso...fantastic. Even our teenagers loved her. We did a half dAy tour with her years ago and did everything else on our own. We've never bought tickets in advance for any of the sights in Rome and never had a problem. Take your most comfy walking shoes and have fun!

I second the suggestion to only get a guide for the Roman Forum. We have been to Rome many times and much prefer wandering on our own. A few years ago we used Rome Walks or Walks in Rome (all I can remember is the name included Rome and Walks!) and had a spectacular tour! It was supposed to be a two hour group tour but only the two of us showed up and the guide gave us a wonderful 4 HOUR tour that we will never forget! He made the Forum come alive for us. We've been able to appreciate everything else just researching in advance. Last year we toured Trajan's Market and that was one of my favorites in Rome! Don't miss it!