I am taking my grandmother and her friends to Rome on March 23, 2014. This will be the day that the Rome Marathon will be held in the city. We've already bought our tickets and hotel as well. Should we go to the Coliseum and Roman Forum that day? Or should we go to the Vatican instead. Or maybe we should just go out of town for the day?
How crazy will it be to do any sightseeing that day? How crazy will it be on the following Monday and Tuesday?
Thanks!
marathonrunnersdiary.com will give you route details for the marathon. The route seems to cover the major sights. You may want to go to Orvieto, Ostia Antica or Tivoli/Hadrian's Villa for the day.
Craziness is relative, but there may be more foot traffic than usual.
The second issue you will have is that many of the sites are closed on Monday which is the more commonly closed day in Europe.
I just want to commend you for taking your grandmother and her friends to Europe; I bet they're a handful. I'd love to join you ;-)
Thank you for this information. I will be in Rome too that day and already booked a Colosseum tour so I am committed to sightseeing. Planned the trip to avoid Easter but never thought about checking for a marathon.
Perhaps my daughter and I will "run" into you and the ladies!
Cynthia
I am running the marathon. I believe we start and finish near the Coliseum. In addition there is a 5k run/walk that is advertising they will have 80000 participants although of course it will be over fairly quickly.
Hi Andy, Are you arriving on March 23? If that is the case, by the time you check into your hotel, wash up, and get something to eat, the marathon will probably be over. Linda can correct me on starting time but races usually start early in the morning and I think they usually allow 7-8 hours for marathons, putting you midafternoon.
If I can use the Chicago marathon as a comparison, I think most people leave the next couple of days. The city does not feel any more crowded than usual so my assumption is few visitors stay around for sightseeing. I was actually in Venice for that marathon on a Sunday. And my train back to Rome that night was full of marathon runners and their families.
Maybe you can incorporate watching the marathon into your travel experience? I think it is fun to cheer people on. The Borghese parks and museum look like they are just outside of the route. That would be a great way to spend a Sunday. If you are looking to get out of the city center for the day maybe a trip to the catacombs, Ostia Antica, or maybe get on a train and head to Pompeii?
Have fun on your trip and good luck Linda!
Kristen
