Rome 7 days

Jessica, are you coming into Rome from the States or from another Italian city? Where is your B&B located. This will help us tell you what your options are. No one can tell you what sites you should see. Without knowing you it's impossible to say what you might like or dislike. I would suggest getting a guide book and making a list of what's important to you. This way it becomes "your" trip and not just the cookie cutter "oh I have to see this because everyone says I do" kind of trip. There are many many free sites in Rome so being on a budget isn't a hard thing to cope with. As for what to reserve ahead of time....it depends on what you are interested in. There are two main sites that always have lines and another that requires an advanced reservation for entry. They are the colosseum, Vatican museums and Borghese gallery. Read up on these to see if you are interested in them. If so, so you can book tickets or a tour which will allow you to bypass the lines at the first two. http://www.ticketclic.it/Gb/HTML/musei/colosseo.cfm http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=en&do http://www.ticketeria.it/ticketeria/borghese-regolamento-eng.asp Donna

Donna is correct is that it is hard to lay out a plan with so little information. The Steves' guidebook is your best starting point for various recommendations. Contact your B&B as they will be the best source for public transit from Termini. And the same for reaching the other sites. What you most likely will want to see is very compact and easily walkable. When in Rome we tend to use less of the public transit than many other cities in Europe.

When we landed at the airport we were all ready to take a subway in and try to figure out how to get to our B&B on our own...when I asked at one of the booths/stores near the subway about buying tix, they offered a service to drive you right to the door...this was in 08, so my memories are not as sharp...but it cost not very much more then the subway would have, without the worry of trying to find your way (and with the added bonus of an introduction to crazy Italian drivers!!!). There seemed to be more then a few of these businesses...but it took a lot of the pressure off trying to find our way (our 1st trip as well) around this huge foreign city

Jessica, As you've probably noted from your Rick Steves Rome Guidebook, the easiest method for getting from FCO into Rome is via the Leonardo Express (train). There are departures about every half hour and the trip takes 35 minutes, with no worries about traffic or "crazy Italian drivers". When I was there last fall, fares were 14€ PP if purchased at the Kiosks and 15€ PP if purchased at the ticket office. Wherever you buy the tickets, DON'T forget to validate prior to boarding the train. Regarding getting around in Rome, I believe there's a Metro map in the Guidebook. You could also print a PDF copy and take it along for "reference". Between the Metro and Buses, you will have no problems in getting around. I can't remember all the details of the Roma Passes, but I believe they also cover transit for a couple of days. After that I'd probably just buy a B.I.G. ticket, which is a day pass good for most modes of transportation. as they're cheap. BE SURE to validate once prior to first use. The ticket is good until midnight. In terms of "what sites to see", that will depend to some extent on what you're interested in? You could check the Guidebook for "three triangle" sites as those are the most significant. You might get some good ideas by having a look at the daily Itinerary for the RS Rome 7-day tour. You might also consider hiring a Guide to cover a few important sights, and for a short tour the cost should be quite reasonable. I would highly recommend Francesca Caruso (she's listed in the Guidebook). I agree with the others, it would help to have some idea on where your B&B is located, in order to provide more specific transportation suggestions. Happy travels!

We are in Rome March 31st I wish I could answer a few questions instead of always asking, but IM sure Ricks book and these folks here are a big help.

Jessica, check the Ron in Rome (RoninRome.com) website for lots of useful information and very detailed directions on how to get from A to B.

Thanks everyone for your help! We are leaving from Portland, OR and arriving in Rome in middle of May. We are staying at 21 Aprile House which is upper Northeast side of Rome. They do not offer transportation which is why we will be taking buses and trains. We are planning our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th day there to do all the "sites" just wanted suggestions on which ones to skip if anyone thought it wasn't worth it. We definetely enjoy a lot of history, a little of art here and there. I'm a big foodie so suggestions on places to eat that are on the "backroads" would be awesome if anyone had their favorite place they ate at or favorite gelateria. Also if there is a site anyone recommends revisiting more than once. We are hoping to get most of the main sites (Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc) three days in the row so we can get the most out of our Rome Passes.
Thanks everyone for all your great advice we truely appreciate it!

Hello, try listening to some of Ricks podcasts or radioshows on Rome. They have great interviews and talks with Rome tourguides and people calling in with opinions and similar questions to what you are asking. Good luck and enjoy!!

You can take the B line metro to the Bologna stop which is close to your hotel. This will cost 1 euro each. I suggest you look at the romapass website for the list of site the pass covers. The trevi fountain and spanish steps are free and therefore not covered by the romapass. As for what to pass on, that really is a personal decision. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. Without knowing you it's impossible to say. Personally, I would say to skip the spanish steps but others love the spanish steps so it's really hard to make suggestions. The romapass website will give you a description of the site which can help you make an itinerary. Donna