helpful tips for rome

hi all
going to rome with my wife this friday for 4 nights staying in a hotel called la fenice,if anyone could give us tips on must sees ,airport transfers,tours,restaurants or any advice in general we would be very grateful.
thanks

For food find somewhere off the main tourist areas, a good guide would be where you see locals eating. We found lots of very good value resteraunts that you could sit out all night and eat great food and drinks lots for very little money. Much better atmosphere than mainstream eateries. There are lots near the vatican up the back streets.

Apart from that Rome is easy as everywhere you go you will find something you love.

Transfers - We took the train from the airport, its a good service.

My brother has been on a number of occasions and each time I have planned to go his top must sees ( I haven't managed to get there yet - several re-planned trips!) are
1. The Pantheon - I also saw a documentary on it last year and would agree.
2. Basilica di San Pietro – St Peters Basilica
3. Cappella Sistina - Sistine Chapel (2 and 3 are in the Vatican city)
4. Piazza di Spagna / the Spanish Steps
5. Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain)
6. Colosseum
I would as per himself and his trips there put them in that order.
Enjoy.

thanks folks very helpful

Fantastic City but beware of Pickpockets. Do the Bus trip around Rome - you could do it every day for a year and still not see all the city.

One thing I would really recommend is watching yourself in restaurants- especiallly near touristy areas...we were ripped off a number of times in Rome...on one occasion- in a small cafe- not at main tourist area-we just wanted a snack- the woman in the cafe was so friendly( watch out for that!) and gave us a menu with no prices...we got 2 bowls of soup( tiny bowls-reheated from frozen, no bread) 2 beers and 2 saucers of plain spagetti with tomato sauce...we were foolish ordering with no prices on menu but were tired and place was so obviously down market- it cost €50.......
Another restaurant we were ordering and the waitor kept telling us such and such wasnt on the menu that night...confused us so much that I agreed with his suggestion of fresh sea bass for main course..price in menu not set as depends on weight- when bill came- the sea bass alone cost €39!!!!...with no veg or sides with it...
be very wary of waitors suggesting what you should have...and definitely the dearest places to eat are in the tourist areas- you pay for sides, veg etc...and it can work out v. dear..
I would recommend Trastevere for really good food at good prices.
I would also second the tour bus idea- in 4 days you will only get to see a bit of Rome so the bus is great for an overall ;look at all the sights...
As for the Sistine Chapel...it depends how motivated you are to see this...it is a tiresome wait to get in...a long long walk through so much amazing art that personally I found by the time I got to the Sistine Chapel I was exhausted and all 'arted out'...too much to take in at once-you are pushing through crowds the whole time and when you get there the Sistine Chapel may not be the place you expect- we found it packed with noisy tourists- taking pictures despite being told not to while others tried to stop them...not a quiet meditative place I expected- a mellee of tourists and groups pushing and shoving...
Particularly if you get nice weather I would be avoiding this- but just my opinion-...going into St Peters itself is worthwhile...consult a guide book for best times to go- I think it's in the morning when it's less busy...
Also the Trevi Fountain at night is amazing and wandering round the streest there wating an ice cream- lovely....We also enjoyed the Colloseum....
It is an amazing city and you will love it- I hope you have a wonderful holiday but just bear in mind those restaurants- because you get so annoyed at yourself being ripped off- the friendlier the waiter the more you should be on your guard!

thanks rosey will be careful with restaurants.any idea how much taxi tranfers are from Ciampino aerport to rome central are?thanks again

My biggest tip would be very comfy walking shoes - I remember crying one night as my feet were so sore (the fact I was 5 months pregnent & moody as hell didn't help!!! )

I had no such problems with the restaurants, but it always pays to be alert

Book transport from the airport on the Ryanair website. The bus will drop you off beside the main railway station.
If travelling Aer Lingus take the train. In July I went out with Ryanair and travelled back Aer Lingus.

Buy a good map. You can buy transport tickets for three and five days in the station for both the metro and the bus. Take the bus or metro to your hotel. Watch for pickpockets on both, once you are careful you will have no problem.

Insalada Ricca has branches all over Rome and is like 'Pizza Milano'. Campo Di Fiori has some lovely restaurants that are reasonable. Takeaway pizza is handy for a snack during the day.

The Villa Borghese is a beautiful art gallery in the park at the top of the Via Veneto but you must book online.

Enjoy your trip!

I believe there is now set fare from airport to city for taxis to avoid being ripped off-seemingly a fairly common occurance for tourists in Rome...
we were arriving in Rome late at night so we actually booked taxi in advance to pick us up...and negotiated price in advance- got taxi recommendation from tripadviser forum..there were 4 of us and as I remember it cost somewhere in region of €40 to €50..think it would have been cheaper with 2 people...place where we were staying offered to book for us but I got cheaper by sourcing myself...
maybe also depends where you're staying- we flew to Ciampino airport and were staying near the Vatican..

Taxi FROM ciampino is supposed to be 30e to inside the "walls" but the taxi man can essentially charge you want he wants as who is going to check when you get to your destination. On the way TO the airport he can't charge you over 30e cos the cops are right there beside the taxi rank.
I'd ask him first how much into town before you get in and make sure you agree the fee. We agreed on 40e when we were going into the town.
Spend some time in Trastevere - best place to be a nightime i thought.

1. Basilica di San Pietro – St Peters Basilica
2. Cappella Sistina - Sistine Chapel (2 and 3 are in the Vatican city)
3. Colosseum
4. The Pantheon - I also saw a documentary on it last year and would agree.
5. Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain)
6. Piazza di Spagna / the Spanish Steps

Copied the above from Niceoneted but placed in a different order. The Vatican including St Peters Bacicila and the Sistine Chapel are an absolute must see. Try to give this area a full day. Do the guided tour of the Vatican then re-trace your steps, there is an incredible amount to take in.

The Colosseum is amazing, again do the guided tour otherwise as with the Vatican it is difficult to really understand everything you are seeing. About 2 hours in total.

The queues can seem long but they actually fly along.

Trevi Fountain itself is stunning but surrounded by buildings, kind of looks like it was dropped into the wrong place. Spanish steps are worth seeing and are close to the Trevi but a bit over rated in my opinion.

Campo de Flori (sp) is a lovely little square surrounded with restaurants and there are also lots near the Spanish steps, food is really good in both areas and not expensive.

Comfortable shoes as already stated are a must. The Italians are really friendly and helpful and fabulous looking. Don't blame your wife if her eyes stray a little

The hotel we stayed in had tourist maps which were really useful. All the main places listed above are in quite a compact area so can be walked to or a short taxi hop away.

If I remember correctly the taxi fare from the Airport was €40 between two.

Have a great trip, I hope to return myself next year. LS.

thanks everyono lots of great info cant wait

last Sunday in the month is free for Vatican so if it should be free this Sunday, be prepared for a long queue but it does move fast! Think it's closed every other Sunday. Alot of Museums are closed on Mondays too so plan your days wisely! Alot of places are free in Rome. Also, post office in Vatican - sent a postcard to my granny from there and she got a great kick out of it!

If you are going to St. Peters, get the audio guide between the two of ye. No need for 2 and you will need your own earphones. You will get free earphones on the hop-on hop off buses. Most buses stop for 10 or 20 mins at the Vatican - handy to know!

I found the lonely planet book to be fab for Rome especially in Pantheon and other places where a tour is not necessary.
Got a good tour of Coluseum & Palintine Hill & Roman Forum. They'll approach you outside the Coluseum and means you can jump the queue. After tour of that, they give you a bit of time to wander around yourself and then bring you up to Palintine Hill. Definitely worth doing the tour for those as thought they were great!

As regards transport, found the train out very quick and reliable. Travelled with aer lingus so it was the best option.

Lots of tips on where to eat on previous Rome threads.

check the opening times of the sistine chapel - i think you need to get there early, that it closes for a while in the afternoon.
if you check the vatican website, you can see the timetable for when the pope is in rome and if he is saying mass etc. we were lucky enough to be there twice at the right time - just follow all the nuns. (not joking) they know all the good seats.

I agree with lightswitch. Get a guided tour at least of the Vatican. To see all the sights takes over 2 weeks so it's good to have someone pick out the highlights for you and also the background info makes it much more interesting.

Remember you can drink the water from the drinking water fountains.
The water is especially good in the Vatican.... Comes from some high up mountain spring I'm told.
You will do a lot of walking so it's good to know you can refill your bottle FOC.

Eat where you see the locals eating. Definitely not beside the main sights or you will pay the price. Maybe just treat yourself to a cappuchino in a tourist area. It is nice to sit & observe & absorb the atmosphere.

It's a fabulous city. Have a wondeful time.

I'd google Sistine Chapel tickets and buy online, save yourself all that queueing! My favourite stop for a coffee and people watching is the Piazza Narvona, magnificent sculptures and lots of beautiful people. Wear comfortable shoes and walk as much as possible, Rome is a wonderful city and has surprises around every corner some of which you'd miss otherwise.

Got married in Roma in a beautiful, ancient church in central Roma.
Loved our tip to Rome.

Just wanted to add that to the list of places already specified.
I recommend Cathederal Maria Majorie (Mary Majors in English).
When you finish visiting that cathederal, you can visit two good Irish pubs
Fiddlers Elbow and The Druid pub.

Another good chruch to visit is St Giovanni Lateran (St John Laterans) church.

Via Nazionale has a host of great little family owned ristorante.

Another very interesting church to visit is the Gesu Chiasa in the Centrico Historico area.
If you do visit make sure to look at the fresco's on the ceiling in particular.
Walk down the nave of the chruch, while looking at the ceiling and you will see the figures on the ceiling move (optical illusion!).

Enjoy your trip.

thanks everyone brilliant site