My husband and I are flying into Milan around 7 a.m. next Saturday. He needs to be back in Milan Sunday night for business on Monday morning. We are thinking that once we land in Milan, we can catch the train to Rome...We would like to tour Rome Saturday stay the night and tour Vatican City on Sunday, then catch train back to Milan Sunday night. Does anyone out there think this is a bad idea? Are we trying to do too much? Please advise as to where we should stay in Rome for price/convenience. Also would appreciate any tips/advice for this fast Rome visit. Thanks
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
Well, you won't be able to cover the whole city in that short amount of time so you should prioritize what you want to see. The vatican museums are closed on Sundays so if you wish to see them you should do it on Saturday and see Rome on Sunday. If you take the late train back on Sunday night I think you will be able to fit in a lot of the major sites. If you come back with a list we can help you put them in an order that will save time. Donna
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
With the new fast trains between Milan and Rome, the trip is more feasible than in the past, but only you can decide if a quick trip to Rome is too much. The fast trains, which depart about hourly, take 3.5 hours to Rome and 3.0 hours back to Milan. You also need to factor in time from the airport to the Milan Central train station. For example, you should be able to catch the 10:15 train arriving in Rome at 13:45 and could return as late as the 19:00 departure on Sunday. Cost isn't cheap - 89 euro per person each way for 2nd class and 114 euro for 1st class. You can check schedules and prices at www.trenitalia.com - use Milano Centrale and Roma Termini as the stations. A nice hotel near the train station is Hotel Aberdeen. It's also near bus routes and metro. They have a superior double room available for this coming Saturday at 105 euro and a standard (smaller) double at 95 euro. If you book last minute (3 days in advance), you can save an additional 5%. Their website is www.hotelaberdeen.it. Also remember that daylight savings time ended this weekend in Rome, so it will be dark at about 5:30 on Saturday. If you want to visit outdoor sights such as the Colosseum and Forum, you should head there right after you check into your hotel. Save sights such as Piazza Navona and Trevi Fountain for the evening.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Frank's advise is reasonable and accurate. It would be a quick hit but do able and you can sleep on the train. The shuttle bus to the Central station is an hour and, I think, runs twice an hour. Another hotel, which is a little closer to Termini, is Hotel Sonya. On a par with Aberdeen.