As the two lowe fare airlines operating out of Cologne had not published their summer schedule yet, I tried my luck with Ryanair, who had just
opened the connection from Hahn to Rome Ciampino. And behold, due to special offers I got a round trip ticket for
less than € 40. However, I had a very late first and a very early return flight, which created some additional cost for the extra
night in the hotel.
Accomodation
I had booked Hotel Giubileo via HRS. The price (€ 80 B&B) was relatively low for Roman standards, and the location of the hotel
is very good as well. The main railway station (Termini) is a five minute walk away, and it doesn't take much longer to get to the
Colosseum. Talking about that station - you will find a lot of alarmist sites about that, but I am sure there are no less pick pockets at
Cologne's central station than at Termini. More regarding the hotel: room and bath wer excellent, just renovated (the smell of the colour
was not too disturbing). Breakfast was i.m.h.o. not quite diverse enough, and the breakfast room was very small, at busy times
it could be very crowded, fortunately I'm an early bird. A very disturbing factor was the noise level from Via Carlo Alberto,
certainly not recommendable for people who like their siesta. Regarding the staff, there was no need to complain, until the morning
of my departure. I had asked the janitor to order a taxi for me in the morning. Fortunately I had heard some words of caution about that...
Because to pick me up, there was no official taxi, but a dark blue private car - and when I asked the driver for the fare price, he claimed
no less than € 55! The janitor came to his help and tried to convince me that this driver was o.k. etc. Long story short: I rejected, walked to
Termini, took a regular taxi to Ciampino - the price: € 26. Now that at least some of the hotel's staff have this custom of ripping off guests
like that, unfortunately I cannot recommend the Giubileo.
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Sights
Well, everything has been said already. Maybe one thing - Rome definitely deserves its tag "the eternal city". While other cities are
primarily linked to one era (e.g. Florence and the renaissance, Toledo and the middle ages), in Rome you'll find witnesses of all eras.
Well, there is not much from the modern ages, but that is something I don't miss that much. What are the must-sees for an extended weekend trip?
Certainly those ancient highlights around Colosseum, Forum, Palatin and Capitol. Then of course the Vatican, and the old town with the
Pantheon, Campofiori and particularly Piazza Navona. My personal hint though is the Monte Pincio, just above the Piazza del Popolo. A short walk
uphill, and you leave behind all the big city noise. In the park on the hill, there is a combination of quietness and bright Italian family life -
and you have an excellent panorama of the city.
A few tips
I have mentioned the problem regarding taxis already - always make sure to use an official one, which are white or yellow, are marked
as taxi and have a taxametre. I general I would recommend to explore Rome by foot, and use public transport as support, i.e. metro and
buses.
The Roman price level is fairly high. You can avoid some inflated prices by drinking your coffee at the bar -
it is much more expensive to sit down at a table. You should stock up on refreshments when possible at alimentari or supermarkets, instead of
using the frequently overpriced canteens.
Since I had a fairly disappointing experience with local cooking on my first evening, I developed
a somewhat "barbarian" alternative the following two days. Right across from the Pantheon, there is a MacDonald's franchise. And to have a
full meal for just € 7, in this kind of setting...
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