Rome, Italy
 

Has anyone stayed at Hotel Des Artistes? It is on Via Villafranca, near the Castro Pretoria metro. Comments??? Their web site has posted very favorible remarks from past guests (of course). (The hotels that Rick Steves recommends are already booked.) Any suggestions for other more centrally located hotels that are clean, and not too expensive?

Is this a safe area to walk in? They say it is 20 minutes walk to the Spanish Steps--true?? Will it be convenient to walk to other sites from here? Is the metro easy to use?

Any recommendations on booking a taxi to hotel from airport? There will be 4 of us.

Have looked into a day trip to Pompeii. Most bus trips that I have found only give you 2 hours at Pompeii, with time in Naples also. They are about $90 per person. Does anyone recommend doing the train trip (2 trains) instead, and self touring Pompeii?

THANKS for any answers!!!


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Concerning the taxi ride from the airport. After you exit customs, there will be a lot of "taxi drivers" in the arrivals area offering to take you into Rome at really cheap prices. They are unlicensed taxis and you will get ripped off. Stay away from them.

Exit the terminal and there will be a line of taxis at the curbside - these are the legitimate government licensed taxis. They will charge you metered fare plus a special airport fee. Sometimes you can negotiate a fixed rate.

We took the bus tour of Pompeii two years ago. The whole tour took about 13 hours with a maximum of 2 hours in Pompeii. I learned the hard way. Next time I visit Pompeii, I will probably take the train to Naples then transfer to the train headed directly to the excavation site, purchase a guidebook and roam the sites by myself.

Watch out for young children with cardboard boxes who come and surround you. Their little hands will strip your pockets and purses of everything of value. They usually hang out in droves at popular tourist sites in Rome, especially the Colosseum.

Hope this helps.

My input would be this: consider the train from the airport. It is so easy, so fast, so cheap and very clean. You can use your credit card to buy tix from the machine at the platform (in english)-- which is a short, covered walk from your plane. I never tried the rest of the train system, but the airport train is a breeze. Plenty of cabs at the train station as well. At Rome Termini train station there is a moving walkway one level down-- use it as the walk from the train to the cabs is a little long.

If you are heading into Rome, do take the train. You can easily get a cab from the train station to your hotel.

I fell for the cab driver greeting me as I exited customs, who was more than friendly in escorting me to his cab. He quoted a price--no more, he said! Got into Rome, was staying at the Marriott Grand Flora, and he parked just down the block to let us out. Gave him 200,000 lire (was quoted 155,000 for the trip) and he quickly switched the bills and showed me 20,000 lire. Suddenly, his English was not so good. He wanted me to believe I had only given him 20,000. I called for the hotel bellman to come over, and he quickly started to make change, shorting me another 20,000 lire.

STAY AWAY from unlicensed cabs--if there are no meters, don't take them.

Yes, the trains are express and very convenient to Termini station. When we took the train into Rome it cost 15,000 lire per person or about $6.50U.S. today.

snackyx,
you were quoted 155,000 lire? Where is the hotel located. We stayed at the Sofitel Roma, which is a 2-minute walk to the Via Veneto and 10 minutes to the Spanish Steps. After we checked out, we told the licensed cabbie to take us to Termini station (6,000 lire); he offered to take us to the airport for 60,000 lire including tip. I gave him 10,000 lire tip so 70,000 altogether. Even though they charge an airport fee, I cannot imagine it being that much more.

JonNYC, what about the train back to the airport from Rome. I have read all about the service and times heading into the city--which seem to be almost every 20 min, but as far as the return journey to the Airport, all I get is "it runs about every hour", I would hate to get there just as the train is leaving and have to wait another 59 minutes!!

mauld,

Check out this website: http://www.amicotreno.com/images/leoa2.jpg

mauld;
That website would seem to tell the story although in Italy things are always ~slightly~ different than they are supposed to be. If you take the train to termini you can check the schedule for departing trains which is posted everywhere. I think it's only very early/late that the schedule is different than that website says.
That fare to/from FCO is generally about $40-$70 taxi or car service, but they are very "creative" over there (standard disclaimer-- 99% of Italian Cab driver are honest...blah,blah,blah) For that and other reasons the train is the ONLY way to go.
You know why?? Rome is one of the most wonderful places on earth.. really. And I like seeing little bits of it at a time. AND, since I am a CO person (mauld too) FCO is a natural airport to fly through if you are going to many other places (in Italy and out (Greece, Turkey)) Mastering the FCO-Termini train makes Rome so accessible for any stopover that lasts longer than say 6 hours. I love that. They have both "left luggage" at FCO and baggage lockers at Termini so taking a quick jaunt into Rome is only $8 and 30 minutes away and couldn't be easier. Delightful.
BTW, make sure you go to the front of the cab line outside Termini-- the cab drivers are pretty creative there too!
I know a great tour guide there if you are interested. -jp

[This message has been edited by JonNYC (edited 04-21-2001).]

I posted on dorians' FlyersPlaces http://flyersplaces.infopop.net/

Andiamo al bar': for coffee addicts in Rome (my addresses/experiences in late 2000)

moneywise caffè (coffee) accounts for about one fourth of a daily turnover in a roman bar.

(no name Bar) in San Lorenzo, Largo degli Osci 20 (Monday-Saturday, 05:00-23:00)
'Un caffè, 'due capuccini e un cornetto', 'un caffè un pocco macchiato', 'un caffè correto': 9AM in the small local Bar in San Lorenzo (a 'workers' quarter of Rome), Eugenio runs everything with a smile at his Bar. As in every Bar, you pay first the cashier, give the 'bon' (with a small tip) toe tha bar-keeper, watch the caffè-machine boiling, drink the coffè in one pull standing (sitting costs more), chatting. Enjoy the local workers athmosphere, great and strong caffè.

Antico caffè Greco, Via Condotti 86, 08:00-22:00 (very near the base of the spanish stairs.
Opened in 1760 by the levantine Nicola Della Maddalena, this 'noble' coffe house (red velvet polstery) did already host Wagner, Mendelssohn, Stendhal, Liszt, Casanova. Goethe did write here (under the 'aka' of Phillipp M*ller) scenes of 'Iphigenie in Tauris; Gogol wrote parts of 'dead souls'. The calabresian painter Stelario is still a daily guest and paints often live here in a corner, for 25 years already.

Tazza d'oro, Via degli Orfani, 07:00-20:00 (near the Pantheon)
the smell of fresh roasted coffee-beans will not let you just pass by. Famous for 'Granita di caff*® con panna' (don't think/count calories), the coffee been mix is from Columbia, Costa Rica, few from Jemen (those are very strong and may be a little bit critical for some stomacs).

near by the Tazza d'Oro is also Gran Caffè La caffeteria, Piazza di Pietra 65, 07:00-21:00.
Meeting place for the stock-exchange people mixing with politicians.
http://flyersplaces.infopop.net/2/Op...2&m=7600907091

JonNYC
What about luggage on the train? Is there sufficient space for suitcases?

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JBC
If it is to be, it is up to me

Yes, there are luggage racks at the end of each car, as well as overheads along the sides of the car over the seats for smaller items (at least in the ONE train I was on to the airport from Rome).

I'll second that-- p l e n t y of luggage space on those trains. Guaranteed that won't be a problem.

dupe

[This message has been edited by JonNYC (edited 04-22-2001).]

Regarding the Pompeii portion, my sister and I went there last July and we did a self-tour (you can always listen to one of the tour guides who is with a big group, just mingle in and there isn't a problem), took the train from Rome to Naples and then the other train to Pompeii, we had about 3.5 hours in Pompeii, arrived there at around 1, had lunch there, and got back to Naples around 5:15, definitely better than taking the bus.