#31 - Colloseum of Rome, Italy
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R2 Must DOs...
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R Thoughts...
March 2005. Our trip to Italy was our first trip outside of North America so we tried to get as much in as possible in the 3 days we were in Rome. We didn't plan enough time for the tour of the Roman forum, Colloseum, and St. Peter's Basilica - just half a day! Even in the off season, the lines for the Colloseum were so long that we were not able to to go inside. Sigh. Oh well, just another excuse to go back.
We don't usually like going on an official tour as we prefer to see things at our own pace but for our last day we did and for once we didn't regret it. In Rome, there are so many historical things to see that it's hard to do it all on your own. I would recommend taking one of the day tours on your FIRST day - this would most likely include door to door service to your hotel, lunch and a whirl wind tour of all of the most popular sighs in Rome. Then if there are any sights you would like to spend more time seeing, you can return on another day.
While in Rome, we also stumbled upon another way to see the city on the cheap. The major tour companies (we used Ciao, Roma!) also offer "self tour" multi-day passes that allow you jump on/off use of all of their buses and trolleys which stop at all the major tourist spots throughout Rome. It's a great and inexpensive way to get around the city, not just the sites, since most of the shops and restaurants are scattered in between. This is now one of the first things we look for in any major city.
