neglex

We are planning a trip to Italy in April. We (me, my husband and two children ages 12 and 15)arrive in Rome at about noon on a Friday and plan to take a train to Florence sometime on Sunday afternoon. I know this isn't a lot of time in Rome, but how can we use the time best. We want to see the Vatican, the Coliseum, the forum and anything else that we have time for, that shouldn't be missed. I assume we won't have time for much when we arrive, but I suppose we could see the Coliseum and forum then and do the Vatican on Saturday morning. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Aramis

I presume from the tone of your post that you know we are going to tell you that this is far too little time to do any place justice, so you must have your reasons. I cannot imagine trying to do any substantive touring on the day of arrival from an overseas flight (and I presume you are doing that - if not, sorry) It will set you all up for a very exhausting and difficult acclimatization.

Having said all that, in that little time you will only be able to see the most noted of sights, and you have named most of them. It's simply a matter of getting from one to another in the day and a half that you have

neglex

Thanks for understanding. We will definitely be going back, hopefully soon, but for now, will be spending more time in Florence/Tuscany.
We are taking a late flinght from the US-10 pm so hopefully we will get a few hours of sleep. I have found that the best way to not have problems with jet lag is to check in to the hotel, was up and go right out. Yes, you are tired, but adjust quickly! That's why, I thought that maybe doing the Coliseum and forum that first afternoon might be reasonable, go to the Vatican Saturday morning and maybe the Vila Borghese/picnic Sunday morning, before we leave in the afternoon. We are ambitious, I know and will be sure to leave time for gelato and wine!

kybourbon

What do you mean by see the Vatican? Do you want to tour the Vatican museum or St.Peter's or both?

dgg

You have it right, Visit the main sites of ancient Rome, the Coliseum, the Forum and the Pantheon on Friday afternoon. If you need to go back on Sunday morning before leaving Rome, that would be a nice time to visit. Get up early on Saturday to visit the Vatican and St. Peter's. In the evenings, you will find a lively atmosphere on the Piazza Navonna (stroll, but don't eat there), the Campo dei Fiori and the piazza around the Pantheon. It will also be fun to stroll around the shopping area near the Spanish Steps (Via del Corso). Try to have dinner across the river in the Trastevere on at least one of your two nights in Rome.

If you can arrange a private guide for the forum and coliseum, that would be your best bet and your children will get more out of their visit. You also get to skip the lines at the Coliseum if you have a guide. The Vatican lines are almost inescapable. I think the Vatican offers a tour on Saturday mornings,but check the website to make sure.

neglex

Thanks-that makes sense to me. There is a Vatican tour at 10:30 on Saturday. Should we arrange for a private tour before we leave (for the Coliseum/Forum) or just go with a guide that is there? The guides that I have looked up are all expenseive-is it worth it? Thanks.

tcreath

I agree that its not nearly enough time, but luckily the historic center of Rome is quite compact so you should be able to see most of the major sights.

Jet lag affects everyone differently. I take Ambien, sleep on the plane, wake up fairly refreshed and can do quite a bit of sightseeing on my arrival day. I never consider not doing much on my arrival day, especially since my vacation time is too valuable for me to justify spending it in a hotel room, so I understand your thoughts on wanting to do things in the afternoon. If the weather is nice you should be so entranced with what you are seeing (the Coliseum and the Forum) that hopefully the jetlag won't be a problem! I think that touriing the Coliseum and the Forum on the first day is a great way to fight the jetlag. We've done that each time we arrive in Rome from a US flight.

The Coliseum and Forum are right next to each other so visiting them on Friday afternoon will be doable. I personally spend hours in the forum when I visit Rome because I love ancient history, but for most people a few hours should be sufficient. Definitely head towards the Pantheon afterwards. It closes at 7:00 or 8:00, I believe, but its definitely worth seeing. Another advantage of visiting is that there are tons of great restaurants around the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, nearby, so you could grab dinner while you are over there.

The Vatican museums close early on Saturday, I believe so leave plenty of time. And definitely take the elevator to the top of St. Peters for splendid views of Rome. I can't really give advice on private tours since we've never taken any.

Good luck planning!
Tracy

djman102

Our family's first overseas vacation was in Rome, and we found Coliseum tour guides (www.romanpromenades.com)-actually, they found us just a little before the line closed one day. Definitely helped to keep our older children (11 and 9 at the time) interested. Our trip report is at http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34735492
if you find it useful.

Buon Viaggio!

neglex

Thanks Tracy,
If our flight gets in at 12:15 and is on time, by the time we get to our hotel and out again, do you think the lines at the Coliseum/Forum will be shorter?

I am going to call my doctor to get a prescription for ambien-the tougher part is getting my overly excited kids to sleep on the plane!

Thanks again.

Nancy

tcreath

Nancy,

I wish I could give you some advice on the lines. We have been to Rome three times, but all three times have been during the winter months when lines in general are just about non-existent. I'm not sure how April will be, although I don't think its quite peak season yet so the lines may not be too long.

Here is some advice though: get your tickets for the Coliseum at the Palatine Hill instead of at the Coliseum if lines are long. The Coliseum and Palatine Hill share one ticket for entry. Palatine Hill is at the entrance to the Forum. You will see the ticket booth to your left as you walk through the Arch Titus that kind of marks the northern entry of the Forum, across from the Coliseum, on Via Sacra. Many people don't realize that the tickets are joined and I have never seen a line for Palatine Hill before. Palatine Hill in itself is interesting, with more ruins and an interesting museum, plus it offers fine views of the Forum below.

I think that if you left your hotel soon after checking in you should be able to see both the Coliseum and the Forum although you will probably be a little rushed. You can find tours of the Coliseum and the Forum easily if you are interested, because there are always people standing around trying to gather a group for a tour.

Tracy

tcreath

Sorry...that was supposed to be the Arch OF Titus!

jeremygil

As the post above mentioned, buy your tickets for the colosseum at palentine hill. If you don't want to spend money on a tour of the colosseum (which I wouldn't) do research before you go & check out some podcasts of the colosseum, forum, & the pantheon at www.italyguides.com (also has florence). You can request a Vatican Tour directly by faxing the Vatican, be sure to give them the fax number to your hotel to receive the confirmation (hopefully not full). http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...zi_Visite.html
If you're not too tired you could actually see the Pantheon before heading to the Vatican, the Pantheon opens at 8:30 and some other sites open at 7:00;ie Santa Maria del Popolo.
Check this out for more ideas, Rome in 48 hours.http://www.romaturismo.it/v2/romain4...in48ore_1.html

dgg

Neglex, regarding the guides, they were worthwhile for our children, particularly in the Forum. Unless you read about it beforehand and take a good guide with you, it can be hard to make sense of the jumble. She also took us to a few other sights which we didn't even know about. I think it cost us about 250 Euros (with tip) for a half day with a private guide. There were seven of us. She brought the whole thing to life for the kids. We arranged through our hotel so I don't know her name or how to contact her. The group tours can be quite expensive when you start doing the multiplication. They can also be hard to follow.

The Pantheon is free and can be visited most any time. If you have time on Sunday morning, consider a walk down the Via Appia. It's closed off to street traffic on Sundays and there are some catacombs you can visit.

neglex

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I know that we are cramming a lot in a short period of time, but these are all great ideas. We can't wait!

gard

Hi

My wife and I went to Rome a couple of years back and I have made a summary in a trip report with pictures http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm . I have also made an interactive Google map of Rome on this page http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy_map.htm . This shows you where the attractions are located and you can press the different markers to get some more information. Hope this helps

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

neglex

Gard,

What an amazing map! It makes everythiing so clear. Thanks.
Nancy

droots

Nancy,
We love Rome like no other city in the world. Whatever you do it will be a wonderful experience. We are fortunate not to have budget concerns, but if at all possible, hire a private guide. We have used Peter Zalewski, owner of Vatican Tours (http://www.vaticantoursinc.com/)for all our tours in Rome. His people will wait in line at the Vatican Museum for you and his tour of the very best is awe inspiring. My daughters adore him as he doesn't speak solely to the adults. His tour of Ancient Rome (Colliseum, Forum, ancient churches, etc.) makes everything so much more understandable than merely looking at a guidebook. I'm sure there are other good guides as well, I just know how valuable Peter's services have been to us.

A few other things. If at all possible book ahead and fit in the Borghese Museum, our favorite in the world. They have a great audio tour and you are restricted to about an hour or 1 1/2 hours so it's a quick visit. Fabulous coffee and granitas at Taza d'Oro adjacent to the Pantheon and the very best......Giolitti for the greatest ice cream on earth(http://www.giolitti.it/).

Have a ball!

annhig

Hi, neglex - here I go, throwing a spanner in your works - but why are you curtailing your time in Rome to go to Florence?

Yer, I know you want to cram as much as possible into your trip, but your kids will not thank you for it. Mine have always liked staying in one place for longer rather than moving around, and add in jet-lag, and you've got the recipe for a mutiny when you get to Florence, where there is not half as much to interest kids as there is in Rome.

If you insist on this flying visit, i can't better the ideas given by OPs, but I implore you to rethink your itinerary, and stay in Rome for at least 2 more days.

REgards,

Ann

neglex

Thanks droots. I will look at the website for your guide.
Ann, we are spending the rest of the time outside of Florence and plan to do daytrips into Florence and throughout Tuscany from there. So, we are only staying in two differenc hotels. We are also visiting with friends in Tuscany for a day. We will definitely be going back. Thanks for your advice. I will let everyone know how we do.
Nancy

sglass

Here is another idea- with such limited time you could do something very cool and different. (Especially if any of you are da Vinci Code fans.) After touring the Coliseum, you walk across the Circus Maximus and (get directions online)walk to a nearby residential area where, up a hill, is the Knights of Malta and their famous keyhole in the gate. Two armed guards when we were there (with our teens) added to the experience! The view exactly frames St. Peter's dome. Whether or not you are conspiracy buffs, it's fun and different, and would be like parentheses for the Coliseum and the Vatican, your Rome highlights. I don't have time to go online for the street name, but it's easy to find. The walk took us about 1/2 an hour, up hill, including asking for directions a couple times. You could do this Sat morning, have lunch and then do the Vatican...