LONDON
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We are headed to beautiful London the first weekend in April (yeah, that's about a a week away, eeek)!!
We return home for about a day, wash some clothes and we're off again:
ROME
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I'm excited to explore each of these cities. But, I'm far more overwhelmed by Rome than I am London. So anyone with tips or information I should know about Rome (or either place really) let me know!!
After our excursion to Paris, where we "winged" the sites we've decided we would prefer tours. We enjoyed seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Arc De Triomphe but we don't know anything about them. We want to learn something about the Vatican and Trevi Fountain. I don't want to just say that I've "seen" them. For London I've already found a great Hop-on Hop-Off Bus tour. I've found one for Rome, but I'm far less confident about it than I am the one I found for London- so if you've taken a tour let me know! How much time do you need at the Vatican and the Coliseum?
Thanks for any tips you have for us Friends!
3 comments:
I've been to Rome twice, love it! My recommendation is half a day for both, but not the same day because they're spread out. Sometimes the line to get into The Vatican can be super long but at this time of year it shouldn't be too bad. The ruins are right beside the Coliseum, so it's easy to see them then. It really depends on whether you're a walk/take in person or a walk and analyze person. My advice: take time to just enjoy being in Italy. Have Gelato. FYI: it's considered disrespectful, and therefore not allowed, to have bare shoulders (a tank top) in any Italian church. Hope this helps some, have fun!
Definitely take a tour of the Vatican and the Colosseum. They will have tour guides outside both offering to take you. It sounds sketchy, but Husband and I used them at both and were completely satisfied. ESPECIALLY at the Vatican, there are tons of interesting facts you'd miss if you just walk through on your own. Plus, if you're with a tour at the Vatican you'll be able to skip the lines. So worth it. As far as time, I could spend all day at the Vatican. It's amazing, and I'm not even Catholic.
You HAVE to wear pants in order to get into Vatican City. They sell pants in the street lined up to VC for those who don't know, but it's way cheaper to wear your own.
Rome has (had in 2010) a three day tourist pass. You could use all the public transportation with one coupon for three days. I'm not sure how long you'll be there, but it may be worth it. Wear good walking shoes, because you'll walk a lot. Bring a water bottle with you, don't buy water. All over Rome they have these natural fountains where you can fill up your bottles.
Have so much fun! I'm super jealous!!
I don't know everything, I just LOVE Rome, but if you have any other questions, my email is hoppie_11@hotmail.com. My blog is private and very much neglected.
Fun, I LOVE Rome! Depending on what you guys do the 3 day Roma Pass might be a good deal, included transportation too! http://www.romapass.it
The Vatican is easily 1/2 a day. GO EARLY to avoid the afternoon crush of people. I think you can get an early entry ticket with a small group, it's well worth it!
The Colosseum can be done in 1-2 hours, depending on if you do a tour or not. Definitely explore the Roman Forum and Capitoline Museums. In fact, you could do the Colosseum in the am and the Forum after lunch since they're close to each other.
If you're really into Roman history the Palazzo Massimo National Museum is filled with famous fresco, sculpture, gems and coins.
For an AMAZING day trip, take the metro to Ostia Antica, the ancient Roman port city. It's like Pompeii but you can wander through the ruins without anyone around. I went on Summer Solstice one year and saw about 5 people the whole day!
The Baths of Caracalla, the Via Appia Antica and Catacombs along the way are a nice tourist-free break from the craziness of Rome.
Other than that, eat in restaurants with Italian-only menus and eat as much gelato as possible! Have fun!!
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