Rome, Italy (Arrival)

We went on a six day vacation to Italy this week and had the trip of a lifetime!  We spent three days in Rome, two days in Florence, and one day in Pisa...and would go back in a heartbeat!

Tickets were very cheap flying into Pisa (we were originally going to fly into Rome), under 170 EUR for all three adults and two children!  We ended up splurging on one baggage check (60 EUR) since we had so many people, which worked out nicely because we only had to do laundry once while we were there.


We parked in P2-Quality at the airport to save money (only 7 EUR per day).  It would had been another 50 EUR to park in P1 and the walk to the airport is not that bad, even with luggage and small children!

The flight was super quick and the airport in Pisa is directly connected to the Italian Railway Network (a shuttle train goes from the airport to the Pisa Central Station every 30 minutes).  It only cost 1.40 EUR per person and takes about 5 minutes leaving from Platform 14.  Easy peasy.

Once at Pisa Central we took the train into Rome (114 EUR for all five of us). The ride only lasted about an hour and it was not crowded.  We were able to hold our luggage beneath our seats and the kids even had room to spread out and take a nap!

After arriving we walked to our nearby bed and breakfast, B&B Serigo House.  The set-up was more apartment-style with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and one bath.  We thought we'd be able to use the kitchen to make meals but the kitchen appliances didn't work (that one would have been nice to know prior to booking). But, it was a nice stay nonetheless.  It was close to the train station, a laundry mat, and restaurants and someone came in every morning to deliver a fresh breakfast of croissants, cereals, and jams.

That night we roamed the streets and found a quiet outdoor restaurant so the kids could have some pizza (that is all they wanted the whole time we were there, lol!). We also went back to the train station to a tabacchi shop (look for a black and white T sign) to purchase the Roma Pass to use the next day.

If you are going to be in Rome for a few days, the Roma Pass is the way to go!  It includes three days of transit passes, city maps, timetables, two free entrances to museums (and the ability to bypass queues for those two sites), plus discounted entry for additional museums and sites in the area.  Just be sure to plan your trip so that the two major museums/sites you want to visit are the first two places you go when using the pass so you can avoid the right lines....and there will be a lot of them!