Kerry Martin was the very lucky winner of our Rome city break competition for 05th March 2019. Herself and her hubby Darren had already briefly experienced Rome when on their honeymoon and this time they got to explore pretty much four full days’ worth.
They flew out of Dublin Airport at 06:50 and on their first day back in Rome they decided to familiarise themselves with the area first and took a walk around the Colosseum and local shops, bars and restaurants. They first got checked in at the hotel which was approx. two min walk from the Termini Station (the main train station of Rome) and about 30 min walk to the centre.
They stayed with the 4* Palladium Palace – they both found the hotel staff to be friendly and welcoming, had a convenient location and great selection for breakfast. Kerry and Darren had pleasant weather with temperatures in around 19°C. They tried a few local eateries and found some quaint Irish Bars and cocktail bars as well.
On their second day they had a two-hour walking tour planned which started near the Spanish Steps and the Colonna Dell’Immacolata in the Piazza Mignanelli area, The Pantheon in Piazza della Rotonda and then they went on to walk the Piazza Navona area as part of the tour. After, they went inside the Vatican to go on a separate guided tour – it was the Week of Culture, so it was free entry. They also went on to see the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica where they saw St Peter’s Dome which Michelangelo took over as chief architect of in 1547.
They had a pretty jam-packed day of sightseeing for their second day in Rome and they still had plenty of sightseeing left to do for day three.
They started off with a tour of the Colosseum – they did have to wait in a long queue for some time, looking back on it Kerry thought it would have been better to go around it yourself without the tour guide and would recommend it for people who are interested in Gladiator history. Personally, she would have preferred to have done the Palatine Hill tour instead. In the afternoon time, they went on to give the Trevi Fountain a visit, which was quite busy as well. They then sat outside the Pantheon to have a few drinks and a bite to eat, and also have a look around the high street and designer shops.
On day four, the day of departure back to Dublin, Kerry and Darren took their last day pretty easy and had a casual stroll around to see the other chapels, churches and also around the Pantheon again. They stopped for a bite to eat with Bernini Restaurant – which Kerry recommends as a great spot to just sit back, relax and watch the people go by.
Kerry’s Tips:
- Rome is a history lover’s ideal city break destination; it’s full of ancient architecture, traditional streets and authentic cuisine.
- To explore the city properly there is quite a bit of walking involved and the traffic can be really fast paced so this city may be not ideal for parents travelling with young children but perfect for couples on a romantic break, group of friends or anyone interested in learning more about the Roman empire.
- The hop-on/hop-off bus is a great source of travel around the city to see the major sights.
- Three nights in Rome was good for us but we were kept busy at the same time. It depends on what you want to see and do while you’re there. There is so much sightseeing to choose from, so you really should to plan your time out wisely beforehand.
- The hotel was a lovely authentic, old-fashioned traditional hotel. It was clean and the staff were friendly. Great selection for breakfast – there was a make your own pancake station at breakfast and there was both cooked and continental breakfast options to choose from. We got the Leonardo Express train from the hotel to the airport which cost us around €24.00.
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