one day in rome
Nov 29, 2004 | 9:23 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: dc
Programs: CO Silver
Posts: 46
take a train from fco to termini (the main train station in Rome). I think it runs every 15-30 minutes, so you shouldn't have a problem catching one. Once you get to termini, you can take a bus to where ever you want to go. There's really not much to see around the train station, so you'll want to get going pretty quickly. Bus 64 goes down Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which will link you to Rome's "hot spots" (the forum, the type-writer, piazza navona, and the vatican), but you'll need to watch out for pick pockets (bus 64 is also known as the pick-pocket express).
A few other ideas:
St. Peter's is worth it (be sure to stand at one of the "dots" in the pavement at Bernini's arms and watch the columns line up!), but the Vatican Museums are not if you're only there for a day. The sistene chapel is beautiful, but the long walk through the museum to get there isn't a good idea on a short time frame.
Visit Trastevere for good restaurants and an authentic "old rome" feel - it's across the ponte sisto.
you MUST go to the pantheon (though not the mcdonalds across from it)! if you're lucky it'll be raining and you can stand in the middle. You can get there easily from Piazza Navona.
PM me if you want more specifics - I lived there for several months (and not too long ago!)
Have a great trip!
A few other ideas:
St. Peter's is worth it (be sure to stand at one of the "dots" in the pavement at Bernini's arms and watch the columns line up!), but the Vatican Museums are not if you're only there for a day. The sistene chapel is beautiful, but the long walk through the museum to get there isn't a good idea on a short time frame.
Visit Trastevere for good restaurants and an authentic "old rome" feel - it's across the ponte sisto.
you MUST go to the pantheon (though not the mcdonalds across from it)! if you're lucky it'll be raining and you can stand in the middle. You can get there easily from Piazza Navona.
PM me if you want more specifics - I lived there for several months (and not too long ago!)
Have a great trip!
Nov 29, 2004 | 9:34 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: FLL -> Where The Boyars Are
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Beware Of Pickpockets On The Airport Train!!
In addition to the 64# bus, the train inbound from FCO to Termini is also very popular with the pickpockets. There are fewer "easy marks" than sleepy, discombobulated travellers (many in unfamiliar surroundings). Be discreet if you use an airport ATM to obtain Euros (people are watching) and most important be sure to secure your wallet in a place that wandering hands can't reach. Just be alert and use common sense and you should be all right 
Nov 29, 2004 | 12:00 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: ORD, AA EXP, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 594
if you have just one day -
1- st. peter's (i like the museum a LOT, and I go every time I am in town, but it can take a long time if you aren't willing to skip bits, so with one day, I agree with the other poster - skip it)
2- coliseum, titus' arch, forum, and up that road towards the vittorio emanuelle monument and square. then up the main road toward piazza navona, the pantheon and the travi fountain, ending up by the spanish stairs (for all of these, you need to go off the main road in various directions. I always forget this street's name). there are lots of really interesting things to see all around this area - fountains churches, etc. worth just wandering, by all means.
3- don't forget to get amazing gelato at Giolotti (near the pantheon) or san crispino
1- st. peter's (i like the museum a LOT, and I go every time I am in town, but it can take a long time if you aren't willing to skip bits, so with one day, I agree with the other poster - skip it)
2- coliseum, titus' arch, forum, and up that road towards the vittorio emanuelle monument and square. then up the main road toward piazza navona, the pantheon and the travi fountain, ending up by the spanish stairs (for all of these, you need to go off the main road in various directions. I always forget this street's name). there are lots of really interesting things to see all around this area - fountains churches, etc. worth just wandering, by all means.
3- don't forget to get amazing gelato at Giolotti (near the pantheon) or san crispino
Nov 29, 2004 | 4:47 pm
#7
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: London UK, The Hague NL, the world
Programs: UA, QF, SQ
Posts: 218
Apart from the subway to the Vatican, I didn't use any buses or trams to get around Rome because they were completely full to overflowing and looked a bit dangerous. Many of the sites in Rome are all over the place as well and take a long time to walk between.
I definitely think that the Vatican is the best place to go for one day. Great views, fairly safe once you're in, compact and easy to get to and from. Just watch the beggars outside.
Another alternative is the Roman forum, but it can be quite crowded during the day.
The train from FCO takes about 45 minutes IIRC so you may want to factor that in to your available time as well. It gets pretty full too, so put your baggage directly above your seat where you can see it. Return to the airport with plenty of time to spare because Trenitalia is probably the worst train system I have ever caught (massive delays and cancellations without explanation).
I definitely think that the Vatican is the best place to go for one day. Great views, fairly safe once you're in, compact and easy to get to and from. Just watch the beggars outside.
Another alternative is the Roman forum, but it can be quite crowded during the day.
The train from FCO takes about 45 minutes IIRC so you may want to factor that in to your available time as well. It gets pretty full too, so put your baggage directly above your seat where you can see it. Return to the airport with plenty of time to spare because Trenitalia is probably the worst train system I have ever caught (massive delays and cancellations without explanation).
Nov 29, 2004 | 6:32 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: So Fla & NYC
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Posts: 23,768
Welcome to FlyerTalk, MGOLDEN. It is unlikely that there is any other group in the world where you will find somebody who has done exactly what you are planning on doing, and did it just yesterday so that the information is fresh (we did much of what you will read below on Sunday 11/28).
One of the first rules that you must always remember about Europe is that railroad stations are almost always in a part of town that is of no conceivable interest to a tourist (unless he is anxious to eat some Arab or Lebanese food at a standup shack) and which generate the type of fears that Non-NonRev has exhibited above. Rome is no more dangerous and unsafe than any other large city, except that using the railroad unnecessarily takes you into a bad part of town.
One of the first rules that you should learn about FlyerTalk is that you don't spend real money for anything that you can get for free (unless the expenditure earns you gobs of miles).
Therefore, in order to avoid the distinctly unpleasant rail experience and to save the apx E20 per person roundtrip fare, when you deplane at Leonardo da Vinci Airport, you must walk directly in the opposite direction from the train over to the Hilton hotel. Enter, and either check in or just hang out in the lobby or the bar, use the restroom, look like a regular guest and then, on the even hour as early as 0800, board the bus from the hotel which takes you to Teatro Marcello, around the corner from the Forums and the Coliseum. You will not be asked for your room number, to show your key, nor to pay anything. That is correct, this trip is FREE and it will return to Fiumicino on the odd hour as late as 2300.
A nice walk around the Forum area and then into the Coliseum should not take you more than 2 to 3 hours, depending on the depth of inspection that your type of mindset requires, and then your options open up. A taxi from the Coliseum over to the Piazza di Spagna near the Spanish Steps will cost about E5, but that could be only the beginning of the expense in that area, because you will be right at streets like Via Condotti and Corso, where the Euros can go up in smoke in a big hurry at the luxury shops all over that area.
Again, depending on your mindset, less than that E5 taxi fare will get you over to the Piazza Minerva, which is right around the corner from the Pantheon, one of the other "don't miss" historical sites. A virtue of the Pantheon is that it sits on a lovely piazza where you can grab a table and hang out for a while with a coffee, looking at it and sucking in the atmosphere. Another main virtue of the Pantheon is that it is just about a five minute walk from the Piazza Navona which is maybe the king of all places to hang out with a coffee. This is the big major major league of scenic places and really should not be missed, if only to walk around it for a few minutes.
And then there is the big daddy, St. Peter's which, and I agree with the posters above, is at least a day all by itself and you should wait until next time for that one. My last thought is that if you are a brisk walker, you can save all the cab fares and walk up the Corso (the name of the street that wannabe could not recall) to Spagna detouring off to the Pantheon and Navona (and to the Trevi Fountain) and I would guess this could be done in 3-4 hours, with adequate time to stop and see a whole lot before wandering back to Marcello and the bus back to the hotel.
If you are just running into Rome between planes and running back out the same day, your itinerary will differ a bit from one that will include a night's stayover, either near the airport or in the City. The transportation method that I set forth above takes between 35 to 40 minutes in each direction and will obviate the need for getting over to your first historic site by subway or taxi. Go for it, and be ready to share something that you learn on your trip that can help some of this gang when they go over there.
One of the first rules that you must always remember about Europe is that railroad stations are almost always in a part of town that is of no conceivable interest to a tourist (unless he is anxious to eat some Arab or Lebanese food at a standup shack) and which generate the type of fears that Non-NonRev has exhibited above. Rome is no more dangerous and unsafe than any other large city, except that using the railroad unnecessarily takes you into a bad part of town.
One of the first rules that you should learn about FlyerTalk is that you don't spend real money for anything that you can get for free (unless the expenditure earns you gobs of miles).
Therefore, in order to avoid the distinctly unpleasant rail experience and to save the apx E20 per person roundtrip fare, when you deplane at Leonardo da Vinci Airport, you must walk directly in the opposite direction from the train over to the Hilton hotel. Enter, and either check in or just hang out in the lobby or the bar, use the restroom, look like a regular guest and then, on the even hour as early as 0800, board the bus from the hotel which takes you to Teatro Marcello, around the corner from the Forums and the Coliseum. You will not be asked for your room number, to show your key, nor to pay anything. That is correct, this trip is FREE and it will return to Fiumicino on the odd hour as late as 2300.
A nice walk around the Forum area and then into the Coliseum should not take you more than 2 to 3 hours, depending on the depth of inspection that your type of mindset requires, and then your options open up. A taxi from the Coliseum over to the Piazza di Spagna near the Spanish Steps will cost about E5, but that could be only the beginning of the expense in that area, because you will be right at streets like Via Condotti and Corso, where the Euros can go up in smoke in a big hurry at the luxury shops all over that area.
Again, depending on your mindset, less than that E5 taxi fare will get you over to the Piazza Minerva, which is right around the corner from the Pantheon, one of the other "don't miss" historical sites. A virtue of the Pantheon is that it sits on a lovely piazza where you can grab a table and hang out for a while with a coffee, looking at it and sucking in the atmosphere. Another main virtue of the Pantheon is that it is just about a five minute walk from the Piazza Navona which is maybe the king of all places to hang out with a coffee. This is the big major major league of scenic places and really should not be missed, if only to walk around it for a few minutes.
And then there is the big daddy, St. Peter's which, and I agree with the posters above, is at least a day all by itself and you should wait until next time for that one. My last thought is that if you are a brisk walker, you can save all the cab fares and walk up the Corso (the name of the street that wannabe could not recall) to Spagna detouring off to the Pantheon and Navona (and to the Trevi Fountain) and I would guess this could be done in 3-4 hours, with adequate time to stop and see a whole lot before wandering back to Marcello and the bus back to the hotel.
If you are just running into Rome between planes and running back out the same day, your itinerary will differ a bit from one that will include a night's stayover, either near the airport or in the City. The transportation method that I set forth above takes between 35 to 40 minutes in each direction and will obviate the need for getting over to your first historic site by subway or taxi. Go for it, and be ready to share something that you learn on your trip that can help some of this gang when they go over there.
Nov 29, 2004 | 7:20 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oxford, Mississippi
Programs: Delta Silver thanks to Million Miles; Choice Plat., point scrounger everywhere
Posts: 1,600
Don't "Save" St. Peter's
I vote against saving St. Peter's for later. The church is impressive (understatement).
Skip the Sistine Chapel, if you wish. It takes quite a bit of time in line to get through all the hallways and into the chapel, which is packed, and unpleasant for more than a few minutes.
But you can appreciate St. Peter's in an hour, or even a half-hour. Don't miss it.
Skip the Sistine Chapel, if you wish. It takes quite a bit of time in line to get through all the hallways and into the chapel, which is packed, and unpleasant for more than a few minutes.
But you can appreciate St. Peter's in an hour, or even a half-hour. Don't miss it.