My sister and I will be in Rome for 5 days the first of June. Two of those are travel days, so really only 3 full days. First time to Italy! We are active young 60 year olds, so no problem with mobility. We will arrive on a Saturday early evening. So we will be there on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. We want to see the Colosseum, Forum, and the "old Rome". Then of course the Vatican and St Peter's, and the Sistine Chapel. The Basilica di San Giovanni, the Pantheon, and of course the Trevi Fountain, and the Piazza Navona. I was considering the Colosseum trip for Sunday, although I know it will be the first Sunday in the month, so my understanding is that it is free and crowded. Would it be that bad? And I was considering hiring a tour guide inside?
The Vatican museum is closed on Sunday, so I felt it would have to be Monday or Tuesday for that trip. Rick Steves offers several tour guides, Has anyone used any of these, and recommendations? For the Vatican, the Colosseum, an orientation to Rome? I was considering a guide for the Sistine Chapel, I believe they call it the "Pristine Sistine."
I also saw Walks of Italy offers a full day trip to Pompei and Amallfi Coast. Maybe we should just go on that on Sunday, and do the Colosseum on Monday and the Vatican on Tuesday. Any thoughts? Will be leaving early Wednesday morning for Florence.
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4347 posts
After reading all the reviews on this forum, we booked the Pristine Sistine and VIP Colosseum tours through Walks of Italy for February. With so little time in Rome and all the crowds/lines, we decided it was worth the money. Also, we are turning 60 this year and our health is very good, but we can't take tomorrow for granted.....who knows if we will ever make it back to Rome, we figure it is money well spent. We are not being negative, it's just that we have many other places on our travel list to visit!
Posted by
OP
Olympia, WA, USA
7 posts
To Barbara, I know what you mean! I will be anxious to hear how your experience was with them. I am looking at them also. Have a great trip!
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15798 posts
The Borghese Galleries would be good for the first Sunday, because you still need to book in advance and places are limited. So if it's free, it's a plus. Vatican Museums would be best on Tuesday. Mondays are a crush because of the Sunday closure.
I would try to see the places that are always free (piazzas, churches, etc) on Sunday and Monday for the Colosseum, Forum, etc. I would not plan to take one day away for an exhausting and very long day trip to Pompeii. You could also visit St. Peter's on Sunday, then the Museums on Tuesday, especially if you find you are up and wide awake really early on Sunday morning. The church opens around 7 am and is relatively empty then and the security line will be really short.
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4347 posts
I will let you know how they are when we return. We are going from February 17 to the 26. We are also looking at the cooking class Walks of Italy offers and a night tour of the city with darkrome.com.
On my list for Trastvere is the villa Farnesina, churches Santa Cecilia, Santa Maria and the highly recommended Dar Poeta for pizza.
Still reading about different restaurants, gelato places, and bakeries we want to eat at.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, USA
472 posts
Pristine Sistine tour was excellent two weeks ago. Small-group guide with Whisper headphone system was terrific Canadian, funny & seemingly omniscient about the whole Vatican complex. Spent time in the Museums & Basilica - in the Sistine itself she mostly left us on our own, after doing a significant prep. Know that photos of any kind are not allowed in the Chapel. Spring for the early morning entrance - we went in past the lined-up hordes (think Disneyland), could have walked thru the Museum corridors with arms outstretched, & were able to find bench space in the Chapel. Pricey but worth it. Have a glorious trip!
Posted by
San Diego, CA, USA
472 posts
PS Very good nearby food for recovery post-Vatican: Restaurant Arlu, on Borgo Pio. (Also a McDonalds/McCafe, same street, hugely popular with Italians, decent cappuccino for 1.20 Euros.)
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Tour guides are not permitted to talk to their group inside the Sistine Chapel, hence the prep talk beforehand. Doesn't matter which tour company you use, the rule applies to all of them. Could be an exception for a private tour for one or two people, but no experience with that.
Posted by
Louisville, Ky
219 posts
There is no exception for a private tour of one or two, at least as of March 2015. My daughter and I had a private guide and she made it clear to us she could not talk to us as a guide while inside the Sistine Chapel.
However, since we were just two and a guide and there was nothing identifying her as a guide, she was able to find a seat on a bench in the rear of the chapel and we treated her as a friend and would sit next to her and discuss what we were seeing, as if she were part of our trio, not our guide. We kept it quiet, in hushed whispers, though, just because that's the way any talking inside there should be so as not to disturb those around you.
Posted by
Atlanta, Georgia
451 posts
Stay in Rome. Your time is too short for side trips.