Originally Posted by
corky
I am going on a tour of Puglia which ends in Rome. I have decided to stay on by myself in Rome for 3 nights (6/3-7/2). I haven't been there for over 30 years so it is almost like never. When I was there 30 years ago, I did a lot...Vatican, Pantheon, etc but I did not visit the Colloseum. Since my time is so limited I am wondering what the best way to see some sights would be---I don't want to be crazy running around or spend a lot of $$$. I think I am willing to forgo visiting the Vatican/Sistine again as I don't want to deal with feeling like cattle in the crowds but maybe should see the Colloseum--I have been reading on here that I need to reserve tickets ahead of time?
Should I look into doing one of those hop on & hop off buses? Tour guide for a day (if so, any recommends for a cheap one---tall, dark & handsome would be a plus)? Just wing it on my own? I am staying at the Marriott Grand HOtel Flora on Via Veneto.
I am sure this question has been asked 100 times on her but search feature fails me. Thanks!
Just got back from Rome a few weeks ago, where we spent 3 days 3 nights, and I think we were able to get everything in. I don't know your specific interests or what time you get into the city, but your hotel seems close (enough) to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon (and while you're there, I'd recommend a look inside Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva) to do them all in one go.
Now for my Colosseum advice: We bought tickets ahead of time on
https://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm. The entrance includes access to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill. The online reservation "surcharge" is 2€ (bringing the total to 14€) and was completely worth it IMHO. We saved quite a bit of time waiting in line. For an extra fee of 5€, you can select an option on the site that gives you a guided group tour in the Colosseum. We traveled without a larger tour group, so this guided tour gave some good historical overview, and it took ~45 minutes.
Afterwards, we went to the Forum/Palatine Hill complex. There are multiple entrances. The one that is closest to the Colosseum tends to have crazy lines (as it did when we were there). There is an entrance further south on Via di San Gregorio (
map here) that had a
much shorter line, which probably saved us 20 minutes.
Oh, and if you thought the crowds 30 years ago at the Vatican were bad, it's insane now. Also, the entrance to the Vatican Museums is different than it was 30 years ago. Anyway, that whole experience felt like a blur because of sheer number of people and things to see.