Ideas for a Short & Relaxing Itinerary for after a Rick Steves Tour

I love Rome, but would never call it relaxing. If it were me, I would go down to the Amalfi coast to relax after your wonderful tour. Or, Orvieto is just a train ride away and the older part up the tufa hill has the village vibe I think you are looking for.

What is your return flight airport? What day of the week does the tour end and what day do your return? Now we do find that Rome can be a little relaxing depending on what you do. And there are some day trips from Rome that are enjoyable. We could easily spend those three days in Rome but we have also spent about three, four weeks in Rome over the past 15 years so we are very comfortable with the city.

We end our tour in Rome. Haven't booked the RS tour yet so I'm not sure what day of the week. We do plan on traveling in mid to late Oct. We'd like to do something else besides Rome but will fly out of Rome. Thanks so much for any and all suggestions!

Take the 45 minute train ride to Castle Gandolfo which over looks Lake Albano. Considered one of Italy’s most scenic towns it is where the Pope’s summer home is located. You can tour the Papal Palace and the Barberini Gardens as of 2016. Relaxing lakeshore, small but busy town square.

Please plan on being completely exhausted after this tour. We did it a few years ago, and it's great, but after the early morning starts, [to get into the museums before the crowds,] and the late dinners [Italian pace], we were entirely wiped out. We arrived early and spent a few days in Venice before the trip started, which I highly recommend. However, for us, we were too tired after the tour to enjoy more traveling . Perhaps you are hardier than we were! Safe travels.

Given the pace this tour seems to set, I would recommend spending a few days before in Venice - even if just to get over the jet lag so you are in fine form to embrace all that is Rick. Once you have the itinerary, add in sites not covered on the tour but at a slower pace. He doesn't cover everything. Same goes for Rome. add a few days and see what they miss....or just check into a comfortable hotel and use the days to just eat and drink wine with your feet up. If you have some energy, then explore further afield - Ostia Antica, Villa d'Este, or if really energetic, a Pompeii day trip.
Or for something completely different, there is Lake Como and can depart from Milan.

We traveled by commuter train line (50 min) from Rome to Ostia Antica on the River Tiber (after our Venice-Florence-Rome RS Tour) and had a amazing day trip among the old ruins. In some ways, it was more impressive than Pompeii (where we stayed three nights.) For a relaxing pace to explore the archeological Park (and get to the beach as well) give some thought to a few nights in Ostia. TripAdvisor’s accommodations listings, “things to do” and reviews are very helpful.

Ostia Antica is a very good idea for a less hectic, but satisfying day trip from Rome. It is closed on Monday.

You could stay in Rome those 3 extra days and still have plenty to see at your own pace.

I recommend staying in Rome after the tour ends. There is plenty to see in Rome that is not covered by the tour. For example, the Borghese Gallery is spectacular (advance reservations required).

We find that going to another location after a RS tour is tiring, and seems anticlimactic. Some of your tour mates will also stay on in Rome, and you may find it enjoyable to hang out with them.

For more thoughts on Rome, check out this recent thread: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/is-there-anyone-who-isn-t-crazy-about-rome

I did this tour in 2018. I joined a tour that started on Tuesday and ended Thursday. This allowed me to leave home on Saturday, arrive in Venice on Sunday and I had 2 full days on my own before the tour. The hotel I stayed at had a small map for guests and it was useful. I spent one morning on the Rialto bridge watching all the boats being unloaded. There are many interesting things that are not covered on the tour. I would recommend the Frari church for art. In Rome after the tour on Thursday a group of us went by train to Ostia Antica. It was very interesting and not at all crowded. You can easily spend several hours there exploring at your leisure. We walked to Castel St Angelo one evening. On the Friday I walked along the Tiber and up Janiculum Hill to see the statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Excellent views of Rome. I returned home on the Saturday.

I am sure you will have a super trip

Don't want to stop the conversation but I would like to take a minute thank you all for these wonderful ideas! It's been a huge help.

ljkup. I'll vote for just staying in Rome and catching your breath before heading home. Rome is great - I love the city! - and the tour only spends 2.5 days there. Even with 2 afternoons free, there's SO much ground that can be covered that you'd be pooped trying to fit it all in. The extra days will allow you to slow down and do some sightseeing at a leisurely pace, and maybe poke some of the corners that fewer tourists go to. You can even choose to just pull up a chair somewhere and just watch the world go by: never a waste of time in Rome!

Ostia Antica is a very good idea, and I'll second the suggestion for Galleria Borghese (terrific museum) with a wander in the park (Villa Borghese) before or after your visit.

hey lj
you'll have a great time, get to venice a few days ahead of tour. jet lag, fuzzy brain, stay in venice not outside, reserve your room/hotel (maybe same place of tour or another hotel), transportation from airport to venice: bus alilaguna or water taxi $$ "motoscafivenezia.it or venicelink.com", take a vaporetto to lido and walk down main street to lido beach, have lunch along the way then vaporetto back to venice. europeforvisitors.com has lots of info.
after rome you can check castelli romani on the train. italymagazine.com (search: lake nemi and it's wild berry),
wanderingitaly.com (search castelli romani guide)
oldfrascatiwinetour.com read their blog and about us, famous for white wine. walk the village and ceralli.it, family owned bakery pizza shop, nonna is 90 years old and still baking, "best" porchetta.
beautiful countrysides day trip: castelli romani withlocals.com
look for a hotel on the lake to relax, maybe a place with a pool and balcony over lake. 30-40 minutes by train from rome.
another off the wall thing, look at olivetreehill.com guesthouse out in a country village with accomodation and some tours/classes/dinner is offered there. enjoy
aloha

I’ll second (third??) the recommendations for Ostia Antica. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon and easily reachable via a 30 minute or so train trip, leaving from the station near the pyramid in central Rome (which is on the subway line). I’d also like to recommend the walking food tour of Testaccio by Eating Italy. Relaxed pace, interesting stops and you’ll get a better understanding of the Testaccio section of Rome, which has a fascinating history.

I think adding 2 advance days in Venice and 1 day at the end in Rome is the best option. Arriving a couple of days early gives you time to adjust and see some sights not included in the tour. A half day trip to Padua is even possible. At the end, you could see additional sights in Rome or visit Ostia Antica as previously suggested. If you decide to add all 3 days at the end, Orvieto would be a relaxing spot close to Rome. There are 2 early trains from Orvieto that get to FCO around 9:00am, but you'd need to make sure that works with your departure time. If not, you'd need to return to Rome for your last night.

If you want to get out of Rome and only use public transportation, the island of Capri is a good, relaxing choice. Train from Rome to Naples and take the ferry to Capri. The island is small and beautiful (but very hilly). The town of Anacapri has very quaint stores and restaurants, take the chairlift to Monte Solaro for great views. I would recommend the Villa Marina hotel, our stay there was great and relaxing. You should be able to see everything you want here in 2 days.