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Expertly reviewed by Easy Life on 10th Nov 2006. |
| Date of Holiday: Oct 2006 |
Overall Score: 4/5
 
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Review: We had a lovely 3 day citybreak in Rome. We went in Mid October which is a nice time to visit Rome - weather wise, we had warm sunny weather and the crowds weren't too bad at all - I've heard that it can be too hot in mid summer. We left on the 20th and the weather was just turning, so perhaps try for early October to be on the safe side.
We consciously didn't try to 'do' everything - there's so much to see in this city and we wanted to mix the culture and history with seeing a bit of modern day Rome as well.
Of the sites we did see, I'd recommend the Collosseum as a must see. Even in October, the queues are substantial and it's well worth taking one of the guided tours around the place.
There are a number of different people who run these - one tip is try and join a party that's already got a few people as the tour guide won't set off until his/her student helpers have got enough tourists to make it worth his while.
The Forum is also fantastic and just accross from the Collosseum. Time has taken it's toll on what was once the bustling centre of the Empire but it's still impressive. Outside the collosseum, you can buy spiral bound books that show photos of the forums as it looks today and then has plastic overlays that fill in the areas where the masonry has fallen and I'd really recommend these to bring home what an incredible site this part of the City must have been in its hey day.
Other sites we enjoyed were the Spanish Steps (bit rowdy later on when the Rome Youth take over) and the Trevi fountain (great both in daylight and after dark)
Cafe Bars.
Calling at a cafe bar for a coffee is a great way to experience a typical part of a Roman citizens day - be aware that if you decide to sit down, the prices double, even in relatively untouristy areas.
Because we were on a short break, we also found the 110 open top tourist bus service a really great way of getting to see some of the sites that we just didn't have time to see more thoroughly. This sets off from the Termini Station and covers most of the major attractions (tip: everybody wants to sit upstairs - and it is much better - so don't catch the 110 from Termini - catch it from one of the other popular stops like the Collosseum where there is space upstairs from the people getting off).
Eating:
We had a lovely meal at the Trattoria Margutta on Via Margutta - just near the Spanish Steps. The Italians don't tend to eat until about 9pm, so unless you want to sit on your own in the restaurant, try and eat around then - the restaurant was reasonably busy even mid week, so it's worth arriving a bit earlier, booking a table and then spending some time at the nearby Via Condotti - Romes high Fashion street, featuring names like Versace, Prada, Yves St Laurent etc etc
Bus Services.
The buses run quite late and are pretty good - most city centre bus stops list the places the buses run to and show the start and finish times for the service - prices are very reasonable. During the day, they tend to be abit packed, butwe got the last bus back from our meal really enjoyed the atmosphere on board.
Getting There:
We flew with Ryanair from Nottingham East Midlands to Ciampino - flights were good, only one minor delay on the way back. Seats aren't allocated, so even if you checkin early, make sure you queue if you want to be sure of sitting together (they do call parties with children to board first, but everyone else also then gets on the bus to the aircraft)
We flew into Ciampino and our arrival was late at night - there's a Terravision bus service that runs a regular shuttle service from right outside Ciampino to the Termini station in Rome and this costs 14 Euros return. It's well worth it and saves the hastle of getting ripped off by any taxi drivers. You can book tickets for this in advance online (www.terravision.it) as long as you book at least 2 days in advance (a word of warning, the site says 24 hours in advance, but when i tried to book in the morning for a flight the next evening, I couldn't - so book at least 2 days in advance). If you prefer, Terravision also have an office at East Midlands airport so you can book after you've checked your luggage in. |
Ratings
| Value For Money: |
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4 |
| Review Score: |
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4 |
| Operator | |
LateRooms |
| Length of holiday | |
2 - 3 nights |
| Number of Adults | |
2 |
| Number of children | |
1 |
| Type of Holiday | |
Bespoke |
| Accommodation Features: | |
Cultural/Historic, City Break, Weekend Break, Romantic Break, Gourmet, Disabled Access, Energetic & Lively, Honeymoon/Experience of a Lifetime, |
| Recommended for: | |
Singles, Couples, Groups, Families (Older Children), |
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Italy
