I am going to be spending 4 days in Rome next week. Located quite central to colosseum in that area. Got plans to visit the colosseum, the pantheon, the Spanish steps and maybe head up to the Vatican. Is there anything I should definately try to go visit, or anything/area to avoid?

Thanks

All of that at least, but make sure you see St Peter’s including going up in the Dome to the Cupola, the view is amazing from the top.

The Vatican is incredible even for a non-believer like me.
Frankly, just have a wander, there are so many stunning places that are not advertised and you just stroll into.

Watch out for all the hawkers. They are easily brushed off but scan around and you will see some nasty looking minders.
You must sample all the ice cream you can. Best thing about Rome if you ask me.
Ps I am a philistine.

Best thing to look out for in Rome is your wallet – watch out for pick pockets and opportunists.

The Cupola is good, it makes up for the hordes of crying Americans in the Sistine chapel. I must admit I found Rome a bit busy for my liking – hence why my favourite place was the Villa Borghese – a big park in the middle of the city.

I also preferred the ancient arena adjacent to the Coliseum the coliseum itself (apologies, can’t remember what it’s called), it was really beautiful.

The problem with Rome is that it’s easy to feel obliged to tick all the tourist boxes, when that isn’t necessarily what’ll make your visit worthwhile. Bear that in mind.

Duh, just do as the Romans do….

Igmc

St peters and as said before up the dome
Vatican museum if just for the Raphael rooms – get up very early for this or book a tour
The museum with acres of roman buildings outside?
Pretty much any church
The round castle just down from the Vatican
Ice cream shops
Chinese sell good quality Italian food at 1/2 price of tourist Italian places
Generally I found It best to just walk around an pop into anything that appealed to me

Things I wouldn’t bother with having done them
Coliseum
Trevi fountain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Kemm8woGA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
My trip vid if you’re into that sort of thing

Plum

I also preferred the ancient arena adjacent to the Coliseum the coliseum itself (apologies, can’t remember what it’s called)

Circo Massimo ? (just down the road anyway).

Used to be handy parking nearby there, if you’re unfortunate enough to be driving in Rome.

The round castle just down from the Vatican

Castelo (sp?) San Angelo?

Pantheon, St. Peters/Vatican, Spanish Steps, and drop by Colisseum would get my vote.
More to see and do in the villages/towns outside too, but with only 4 days, I doubt that’d be high on the agenda. Good views over Rome on a sunny but breezy day at night, from Frascati. Bad views of the smog lingering over Rome at any other time. Really need a car to see/do those.

I remember now – the place next to the Coliseum is called the Forum.

All the obvious stuff is brilliant. I love the Vittorio di Emanuelle II monument. Have a granita di caffe con leche.

If want decent food head across the river at night and go to the Trastevere area, the restaurants there cater for the romans so you’ll avoid paying 20 euro’s for noodles and ketchup.

The forum is about 10 mins away from the Colisuem and is worth a look if you like your history, it’s my fave place but I am an absolute geek, it may just look like a mess to other people

Tip from me is to buy the combined ticket for the Palatine Hill/Forum/Coliseum from the Palatine Hill entrance. Saves the queues at the Coliseum.

As above, St Peter’s, including the dome is well worth it – I really liked seeing the engineering behind the facades. Pantheon was one of my favourite sites as well.

Drinking fountains are everywhere – just take an empty bottle.

+1 for this – buy the combined ticket for the Palatine Hill/Forum/Coliseum from the Palatine Hill entrance. Saves the queues at the Coliseum.
Also take a small history book with you with details of all the emperors in, sit in the forum somewhere and read it out with your partner, really brings the area to life whilst you’re actually sitting in it.

also +1 for this –
If want decent food head across the river at night and go to the Trastevere area, the restaurants there cater for the romans so you’ll avoid paying 20 euro’s for noodles and ketchup.

That area is great for restaurants just over the river.

Just wander around it is an amazing place. Found the Trevi fountain by accident. The Vatican appaled me but that is more to do with my take on religion, the buildings and architecture are amazing.

Try some pizza from a small shop or stand (away from the main tourist places) it was square and folded in two and stuffed in a bag but so good.

Crazy driving and see the next generation of Rossis and Melandris riding scooters like maniacs.

Walk walk and explore then walk some more.

Prebook the Vatican Museum online: http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html

The queues even at 8am were stupendous and made me feel rather smug as I sauntered in. Museum itself is excellent, and coupled with St Peter’s Basilica – excellent and a good way to introduce the kids to a) the moving beauty of religious ceremony or b) How religion can funnel vast sums of money from the world’s poor to a privileged few.

The queues for Coliseum entrance are also mind-boggling. Again, book ahead or get there early.

Liked Trevi Fountain, Pantheon etc. Didn’t like the half day we spent at the Policlinico Hospital for the missus’ infected mossie bites, so can’t recommend that.

Take a day to find somewhere off the tourist walking routes though.

Watch out for pickpockets!

I wouldn’t bother with the Circus Maximus since it’s just a big open space. Must have been impressive 2000yrs ago though.

Watch out for the Centurian scam at the Coliseum (a photo next to them and they charge you 30euros).

As above, plus the Castelo A’Agnelo is impressive, plus the Catacoombes are good.

Personally the Forum is my favourite.

We hired a couple of golf buggies from near the Spanish steps whilst there some years ago, they’re great fun for buzzing round the city and easy to park/abandon when you see something you want to check out.

Trying to negotiate some of the busier areas (roundabout outside the palace for example) with regular traffic makes the experience somewhat exciting also! Be careful not to run out of juice though!

If you do the Colosseum/Palantine Hill/Imperial Forum, you’ll probably leave the Forum near the building called Typewriter. At the front of the Typewriter is the Piazzia Venezia. Good place to stop and have a break and just soak up the chaos. From there head up the via Corsa (directly opposite the Typewriter), and a short way up, to the left is a street called Via del Caravita. A few hundred yarsds along here is the not very spectacular looing Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio. The roof is astounding. If you’re not alone, tell your partner to look down and guide her/him/it to the centre of the church (marked by a small brass disk on the floor0 then look up and see the heavens looking down on you.
The Pantheon (deffo yes) is aklso nearby. Spanish steps off to the other side of via Corsa. At the top of via Corsa, on the other side of the square, jist off to the right is the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Popolo. Pretty uninspiring apart from the 2 caravaggios hanging either side of the altar.
From the top of the via Corsa, you can catch a bus to the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (bus drivers don’t speak much English, but just say the words and they’ll usually help you out). An awesome church and up there with St Peters ain terms of staggering awesomeness. Nearby is the sanctuary containing the Scala Sancta (Holy Staircase, or Stairway to Heaven). these are apaprently the stairs to Pilate’s house, and walking up trhe centre section is forbidden – on your knees is the way to do it. Fortunately, the left and rightmost sections are less holy, so walking there’s ok. The sanctuary itself isn’t worth the visit other than to see a piece of art which was done by an angel. Although frankly, sticking with the day job would have been my advice.

The Typewriter

Other people have covered the sites I would have tried to remember, so that’s that, but something we really enjoyed a few years back was Sight Jogging.

Basically, a tour of Rome whilst running. We went out earlyish morning, basically as Romans were beginning to commute, and it was fantastic. We did it on our first day in Rome and it gave us a great understanding of the layout of the ancient city and where stuff was.

Our guide was a Californian Pilates instructor who ran marathons for fun and was a pro tour guide for private clients in her spare time with Sight Jogging something she did for fun.

Was ace for us, I reckon it would be for anyone who has ever enjoyed a run.

+1 Trevi fountain

I thought the wood fired pizzas were amazing 🙂

Do the Vatican and the Cistene chapel, but be aware that you have to leave the main Vatican to go round the corner to the entrance to the Cistene chapel. A right pain, especially given the difference in opening times.

As it is, I was a bit underwhelmed by the Cistene Chapel. It’s a bit small, all the nice artwork is tricky to see in the gloom and there are about a million people in there taking illicit photos. Despite the guard’s best efforts at keeping people quiet (i.e. shouting very loudly that this was a place of god, please shut up) it was still loud and annoying.

The forum is awesome though.

Go in April. No crowds and you won’t boil. Do take warm clothes though!

Pizza L’Economica

Spanish Steps are OK, but nothing special – worth heading up them to the park at the top which is nice, and the view.

Best thing about Rome is just wandering about, round every corner there’s another thing to see.

Rome is actually quite small once you are in “the area”

You can do it all on foot, nearly.

We simply wandered and stumbled upon one after anther, it was great.

Hope you enjoy it.