Good morning, we are arriving in Rome at 930am on a Sunday, I am assuming it will take us a few hours to get to the hotel to check in, we are staying in the Pantheon neighborhood. I am contemplating a walking tour with a pizza making class that I saw on Viator. My son wants to do a pizza cooking class and I thought combining it with a walking tour might be nice. Does anyone have any experience with Viator for tours or have any company suggestions??
We will be there for four days and this is my itinerary so far.
Day 1
Walking/food tour 330pm-730pm
Or just walking round and getting acclimated/dinner
Day 2
We have a 145 reservation for the Scavi Tour and am thinking to leave this morning open then do the Scavi Tour, Vatican, Sistine Chapel etc afterwards?
Day 3
Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill etc
Day 4
Day tour to a beach maybe? Then we are booked for the Underground Night Tour at the Colosseum at 830pm.
I have to figure our what is near each of these that we may want to do???? Just getting started it's an endeavor, all help is always welcome and has been very helpful!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16742 posts
Skimmy, I'd move your food tour/class from day 1 to day 4 and skip the beach. Because air travel is fraught with all sorts of unpredictable snags, most of us don't recommend any booked activities for arrival day lest faced with a serious delay. Just do a walkabout: make a circle route and see the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Largo di Torre Argentina. etc.
There's plenty to do in Rome over 3.5 days to fill your time without leaving the city for the beach!
Day 2: why not do the Vatican/Sistine in the morning? Book one of the earliest time slots or tours offered on the Vatican's website and you'd have time for a quick lunch between that and your scavi tour. If you have any energy left, Castel Sant'Angelo is very nearby as is my favorite bridge - Ponte Sant'Angelo - lined with Bernini-designed angels.
Day 3: take the lift up to the panoramic terrace of Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II for a bird's-eye view of the city and over the Forum. € 7,00, and I believe summer hours are Monday –Sunday: 9:30 am – 7:30 pm (last admission at 6:45 pm). This is very close to the Forum/Colosseum/Palatine and impossible to miss if you're looking for it!
What else to recommend in Rome depends on your interests. I can pop in and out of glorious (and free) Roman churches all day but that may not appeal to you?
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
106 posts
I like to take a bike tour whenever I land in a new city. I am able to see much more than I would on foot and ironically, much more than I would on a bus tour - because I'm up close and not speeding by.
I highly, HIGHLY recommend the Top Bike tour of Rome. It is an easy bike ride and has much more "tour" than "ride." After the tour, I felt I had a good handle on Rome and was more educated about other sights I visited. If you google "Top Bike Rome" you'll find your way to their website.
Enjoy!
Posted by
Millstone Twp., New Jersey, USA
80 posts
If the pizza/walking tour doesn't work out, I would highly recommend the Trastavere food tour with Eating Italy. Check out their website. Tour and guide were wonderful. They have other options as well.
Posted by
OP
20 posts
Kathy thank you for your suggestions and your point about travel mishaps although I really hope not!!! I will go ahead and book the Vatican early morning tour, any suggestions on booking a guide.
Posted by
NYC
490 posts
Why not keep the first day open? You never know how jet lag and heat will affect you or your son.
See what time you can check in. If you cannot check in at 11-11:30 which is probably the time you will arrive do not leave valuables in your suitcase if leaving with front desk. This is a recipe for disaster. Always keep cards cash and passport on your person.
In a short trip going to the Colosseum twice should be avoided if possible.
The Vatican will be a lot of walking, standing and waiting so I wouldn't plan anything afterwards.
IMHO more than two committed tours in four days is a lot. Don't over schedule your time with tours.
Re. Pizza class, most kids are well entertained by simply watching the pizza makers around town, most of whom are very friendly with children.... see Rome, make a pizza at home.
Rome is a city best explored by waking around. Most tourist sights are within 5-10 minutes of each other in the historic center, try to stay there.
If traveling in summertime prepare to slow down and return to the hotel to cool off in the afternoon.
Enjoy!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16742 posts
thank you for your suggestions and your point about travel mishaps
although I really hope not!!!
I hope not either, Kimberly, but best to plan ahead just in case? One of the forum's regular contributors had a flight cancel on her way to Italy very recently, causing a group connecting to Athens to miss a tour booked for arrival day.
Vatican early morning tour, any suggestions on booking a guide.
We did the Vatican Museums on our own but the place is vast so tours hit some of the highlights and save a whole lot of wandering about looking for them. That said, here are a couple of suggestions:
Economy tour #1: book it through the Vatican's website, 2 hrs/ € 32.00 per adult/ € 24.00 for youth between ages of 6 and 18. Although inexpensive, they're supposed to be quite good.
As you'll be part of a tour, you'll be assured entry directly into the basilica from the Sistine chapel. Your scavi tour ends up in the basilica as well so you have two opportunities to look around but no narrated tour.
Economy Tour #2: again, through the Vatican Website but includes a tour of St. Peter's. 3 hours/€ 37.00 adult/€ 29.00 per youth between 6 and 18.
"Sanity" tour: the museums are crazy busy so booking one that allows entry BEFORE the general public has been reported to have been well worth the higher price for posters who've done it. This one (7:30 AM, 3 hrs/45 minutes) comes up a lot, is very highly rated, and makes a beeline to the Sistine so it can be viewed in relative peace before the hordes descend:
https://www.walksofitaly.com/vatican-tours/pristine-sistine-chapel-tour
This one ends up with a narrated tour of St Peter's, after which you can head off, have some lunch and then come back for your scavi tour. If booking tours through the Vatican's site, choose slots early enough to allow for a long-ish lunch break as well.