Rome (Italy)

Advantages: History, lots of things too see and so, food, amazing museums, Gelato
Disadvantages: Too much to see, crowded around major sight, fear of being pickpocketed

...Nikki and I took to Rome in the period from July 2nd - 7th 2005. We targeted out places that we wanted to see during our trip. On our list was the usual stuff such as the Vatican, Pantheon, Piazza di Spagna, Colosseum, Forum, Capitol etc. With all of this on the list there was no rest for the wicked :-) Please visit my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com to see pictures from our trip. Get in touch if you have any questions or comments. Prelude A couple ...
...and especially Rome. After all Rome is one of the classical destinations along with places like Paris, New York City, London etc. Our chance came when we were invited to a wedding in London. Planning the trip Our initial plan was to fly from Stavanger to London to take part in a wedding and then use Ryanair to get to Rome and just book a hotel on the web. But after our trip to Japan we checked out Expedia options again. We ended up with a package ... Read review

Advantages: So many amazing sights to discover, a truly wonderful city.
Disadvantages: Tired feet and too much traffic

Rome is one of those places I’ve always wanted to see, and so I was ever so slightly jealous when my brother went last summer, followed swiftly by my parents when it was their Silver Wedding Anniversary in October. They all came back with tales of what a wonderful time they’d had and so I sat and listened and pretended not to be in the slightest bit jealous…. I’m not totally sure they were convinced. Then in December, out of the blue, my boyfriend ...
...he’d found cheap flights to Rome on the Internet and wanted to book them as my birthday present. As you can imagine, I didn’t need asking twice (I always knew there was a good reason for loving him!!) and before I knew it, Christmas had come and gone, and I was packing for a five night stay in the chilly early February climate of Rome. As we were flying Ryan Air, this wasn’t as easy as it may sound because they only allow you to check in 15kg of ... Read review

Advantages: A lifetime of sights to see, excellent transport, amazing ice cream
Disadvantages: Very busy

...possibly the strangest hotel in Rome to stay in, the Hotel Giarda, near Stazione Termini, where they monitored our every movements through strategically placed security cameras, and the chamber maids had a good daily rifle through our luggage, but other than that it was well situated for exploring. Here are my top Roma sights (in no particular order): Vatican City: Even though this is slap bang in the middle of Rome, the Vatican is technically ...
...Crowe. Other gems of Rome include: Early evening on the Spanish steps (Piazza di Spagna), where people gather to sit and enjoy the sun setting and the scent of the beautiful flowers planted alongside the steps. The Church of the Immaculate Conception (Via Vittario Veneto): a series of small chapels feature the bones and skulls of thousands of Capuchin monks arranged into mosaics. Santa Maria in Cosmedin: a sixth century church with the stone ... Read review

Advantages: coffee to die for, food to die for, architecture to..get the picture?
Disadvantages: The graffiti, bad pavements and those skinny Italian women..ggrrrrr

...present of a trip to Rome and boy do my feet hurt. But it was rather wonderful! I've decided not to do just a list of all the attractions like the Vatican, etc, but be a bit more basic, a bit more gritty, that is, my own experience and a bit more besides! Getting There We flew from Bristol with Easyjet, where you actually arrive is the difference. Most of the low cost airlines land at Ciampino, 20kms away, which is actually a military airfield! ...
...can travel from Paris to Rome on the train, if you do, make sure you get the route that goes through the Swiss Alps as the view is said to be fantastic! You could of course drive, but highly unrecommended! You can only park with a permit and I'll tell you more about the traffic later. Staying There It's a capital city! Theres a huge amount of hotels available, from the first class to the down right disgusting! We stayed in a 3 star, which is know ... Read review

Advantages: It's Bella Roma. Lots to do, great food, fantastic weather.
Disadvantages: Tons of tourists, the loos everywhere and the money "problems"

...head south, to Bella Roma. Rome has two airports, and we used the less-interesting of the two, Ciampino. Still, when you only pay 1 cent plus taxes for a flight, you can’t be picky. Both airports have shuttle busses and taxis available (typical fare 50 Euros one way to/from the city centre), so getting into town’s not a problem. Neither’s getting around once you’re there. Head to a metro station, and buy a B.I.G ticket. Less than 2 quid, and it gives ...
...when to get off. Rome has lots of things on offer. There’s <> The Spanish steps - lovely and quiet in winter, not so in summer if the postcards are anything to go by, and decidedly un-Spanish looking. Climb to the top though. It’s good exercise and will leave you in dire need of a gelato which is no bad thing. <> The National Pasta Museum – I eat pasta at least 6 days a week, so it seemed like a good idea to go here and see what they could tell ... Read review

Advantages: Good position, nice rooms, good breakfast.
Disadvantages: Expensive

...I stayed at this Hotel a couple 2 years ago for 3 nights. When the taxi pulled up outside the Hotel I was rather disappointed, the first impression wasn't too good, it looked small. The Hotel is in the Ostiense - Testaccio area of Rome, and I had chosen it for this, it is near to the Metro (Pyramide - about 10 mins walk from the Hotel) and there is also the local bus which stops nearer to the Hotel. The rooms are really clean and comfortable, my room was a very calming shade of beige and white with silver fitting, all very smart and modern, and as I say comfortable with air-conditioning. The staff were reasonably friendly, and I did have problems with my door card which they changed immediately with a new one. The breakfast was very good, I did come down to breakfast early each day at about 8.00am, so there was plenty of food... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Funky Theme, really nice room, Central Location
Disadvantages: Small pool/ gym area

...We booked Hotel Boscolo online through Expedia.com and got a really good last minute deal. We drove there- it was quite difficult to find down a small street and we had to pay for valet parking as you may expect in central Rome but the concierge were really friendly and helpful as were the reception staff- we booked a double room but were upgraded as they had space which was a nice touch. Our room was stunning and decorated in a totally unique and really funky way- it was small but had everything we needed. The bathroom was mosaic and had a deep sunken jacuzzi bath and speakers so you could listen to music or the TV from the other room. The toiletries and things provided were really nice and you definately felt like you were staying in a posh boutique hotel! For excellent pictures and more details I would recommend their website... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION
Disadvantages: Not Hotel for the softies out there.

...mornings. To the left the Pub, quite a relaxed place for an evening drink. Fifty yards down the road in street opposite the Church are two Trattorias both were very good value & quality. So to sum up Basic Bed & Breakfast but great Location for Centre of Rome St Peters. One last thing in our room on Wall at Foot of Bed a 3 foot by 2 foot Illuminated Light Scene depicting a relaxed Nude with light bulb positioned ( you can guess) seemed out of character with rest of the place.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful