We will be visiting Rome in August 3-6. We are a family of 4 adults. We will be spending 2 full days and half a day the day of arrival.
We need airport transfers to our hotel in the center of Rome. What should we be paying? Is it better to rent a car?
What is the best way to see the sights? Is it better to get an organized tour?
How is public transportation?
I listen to both of you every chance I get and you are always offering very valuable advice.
Thanks in advance,
Koulla
Dear Koulla,
Thanks for your kind message. I actually returned from beautiful Roma yesterday!! You're going to love it, though get ready for heat. The sun was blazing and the temperatures were in the high 80's just two days ago; August will be even hotter!
On to your questions: Most hotels will set up transfers from the airport. These should cost no more than 52 euros for four people; a taxi would cost about 56 euros. Do not under any circumstances rent a car. Driving in Rome is very, very difficult. The streets are crowded, some are very narrow and they can be poorly marked. And parking is impossible to find. To reiterate: Don't rent a car!!!
As for tours: the difference in quality between the walking tours of Rome and the bus tours is stark. The walking tours created by such companies as Context Rome and Through Eternity Tours are led by actual art historians, people who are in Rome specifically to study the art and architecture there. On our trip, we took a remarkable guided tour through the Vatican with Context (one actually geared towards families with children) and our guide based much of what she told us on the current research being done about the art we were seeing. She's been in Rome for the past four years working on her PHd, she does tours to make a bit of extra money and her enthusiasm for the city and its treasures was infectious. I had the same type of terrific experience several years back on a walking tour of the piazzas of Rome with Through Eternity.
Bus tours, by contrast, are led by Rome's professional guides and to be frank: they're usually bored with their jobs and don't have the types of credentials one would hope for from a guide. I've taken a few of these tours, when researching Rome and have, unfailingly, been disappointed by the quality of the guides.
And NEVER take a tour that includes a meal. Rome has some of the greatest food on the planet (try Sangallo Restaurant if you can do a small splurge; it's extraordinary), but you won't get it on a guided tour. On a tour you'll be taken to a tourist trap; you want to be eating in one of Rome's mom and pop places, where real Romans go for a night out.
Another option: for many of the sights you can simply show up and see them on your own. All of the major museums will offer English language tours on the spot or audio tours. Or you can just wander at will.
As for public transportation: it's spotty. The metro is almost useless to get to most spots. If you get a chance, pick up either a bus map or a copy of Pauline Frommer's Italy (which gives very detailed bus information for all the major sights). You'll want to take the bus when you're going long distances. I think you'll find though that you'll end up doing a lot of walking, as many of the sights in the historic center are within walking distance from one another.
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