May 26, 2014 Trip - Rome Itinerary?

Hopefully someone at Tauck can help with my questions.

What are start and approximate end times for the planned activities for May 29 and May 30 in Rome and what will be done on each day? The contents of our trip book are confusing.

Also, do we go to the catacombs in St. Peter's? Do we tour the Pantheon? We'd like to get tickets for the Borghese gallery but aren't sure when to schedule.

Also, in which Cinque Terre village will we have free time?

Thanks for your help.

Comments

  • edited April 2014
    What you do all depends on when the Vatican allows the tour. If you have a night tour it is planed on the night other Tauck tours are in town that, also, have the after hours tour.

    I did the Borghese museum at arrival, but you do take a chance on getting in too late to make it. It is worth a chance. I was lucky and we got in just in time for me to catch a cab and make it in time to pick up my ticket. Was great.

    The Pantheon can be done on your own. Our Vatican tour was in the morning instead of after hours and they dropped us off in an area I forget name, but it is at a bridge. We went for lunch and walked back to hotel past the Pantheon, the fountain and to up the Spanish steps to go to the hotel. Was around a mile.

    Day of Coliseum you can do the Roman Forum and it will not cost anything. The Coliseum ticket is a combo ticket and the TD gave us the ticket, so a group of us could get in for free.

    And no the catacombs in St. Peter's are not included have to do that on your own if you have time.

    The last 2 episodes of the Amazing Race was set in Rome and the Hill towns near Rome. Was great seeing some of the places I went to.

  • Yes indeed, the Amazing Race did have some particularly great shots of Italy this past Sunday. It's a great resource for Tauck travelers. Catch it again On Demand!
  • British wrote:
    Yes indeed, the Amazing Race did have some particularly great shots of Italy this past Sunday. It's a great resource for Tauck travelers. Catch it again On Demand!

    That is one of the reasons we never miss the Amazing Race! From watching last year we learned about Craigmillar Castle which is a short local bus ride from the Tauck Hotel (Sheraton). It was is located on a small hilltop in large park across the street from the Royal Infirmary on the edge of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a very nice, well preserved "ruin" that we almost had to ourselves- we shared it with just 4 other people- two women and two children- the morning we visited!!! After about 2 hours, we hopped on another bus to Rosslyn Chapel.

    The necropolis under St. Peters is not really a catacomb. There are many catacombs in and around Rome, however. According to Rick Steves, there are "40 or so known catacombs scattered outside the ancient walls of Rome. From the first through the fifth centuries, Christians dug an estimated 375 miles of tomb-lined tunnels, with networks of galleries as many as five layers deep." Years ago when I was in the Navy I took a tour to Rome. We stopped at some catacombs that you accessed from behind what used to be an altar in the ruins of a building (church, temple?). It was a very extensive system of narrow tunnels, not for anyone who has the slightest tendency for claustrophobia!
  • Hi BAP,

    Assuming that you get the evening Vatican tour on the day it's planned in the schedule (as is what we hope for, but it is up to the Vatican), Day 4 will have an early start, with a guided tour of St. Peter's Square and the Basilica, starting at approximately 8:30 AM, which will continue until around noon. You will have lunch and the afternoon at leisure, and that evening at around 6:30, you'll leave the hotel for the Vatican; that will continue until around 9, and you'll be back at the hotel by 9:30.

    The next day, Day 5, you'll have a guided walking tour of the city of Rome and the Coliseum, starting at 9 AM and ending at noon, and will have the afternoon and evening at leisure, again.

    I hope this helps!

    -Tim
  • Thanks to all who responded to my message. I have a better idea of timing and can now make additional plans for our time in Rome.

    Bernie
  • TauckTim wrote:
    Hi BAP,

    Assuming that you get the evening Vatican tour on the day it's planned in the schedule (as is what we hope for, but it is up to the Vatican), Day 4 will have an early start, with a guided tour of St. Peter's Square and the Basilica, starting at approximately 8:30 AM, which will continue until around noon. You will have lunch and the afternoon at leisure, and that evening at around 6:30, you'll leave the hotel for the Vatican; that will continue until around 9, and you'll be back at the hotel by 9:30.

    The next day, Day 5, you'll have a guided walking tour of the city of Rome and the Coliseum, starting at 9 AM and ending at noon, and will have the afternoon and evening at leisure, again.

    I hope this helps!

    -Tim


    On day 5 there is a dinner included, so the evening is not really at your leisure.

    I am kind of glad we did not have an after hours Vatican tour on my tour, ours was before hours with the crowds, I had a very memorably evening going out to supper with a few from my tour. We ate at and out door place at the bottom of the Spanish steps and had fantastic wine. We did not get back to the hotel till about 1AM.

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