ashwinb

So here's a rough plan, need feedback on places I could add/remove, or change the order of visiting. I would be traveling in mid december, so days are short.I also need tips on finding good view points, closer to the places I'm visiting.

Day 0(sunday): Should reach hotel by 1 PM,should be done with lunch by 2PM. Hotel' near Termini.

So would start with visiting the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore since its closeby, proceed to the Pantheon and then the Piazzas(Navona, Campo di Fiori), then Trevi fountain. Return at night.

Day 1(monday): Vatican(or do I go on a tuesday, since sunday's a holiday and monday might be crowded?

Reach the museums early in the morning, visit the sistine chapel, and then St.PEters, climb up, which is the best time to climb up, to get good pictures? I assume a lot of my day would be spent here. Anymore recommendations for Vatican would be great. Is Vatican interesting or atmospheric after dark, like walking around long corridors? Perhaps visit Castelo Angelo while returning back.

Day 2: Start with the colosseum, forum, baths of Carcalla(dont want to miss this). 1-2 cathedrals as well. And perhaps hang around some pizzas in the evening, watch the Colosseum lit up at night.

I want to spend evenings taking pictures, so want to be at places with good views, any suggestions on that would be great.

nytraveler

Your first day you will have only about 2.5 hours before the sun sets - not really time to see much. And what time does your plane land - are you sure you will be at the hotel by 1?

For the Vatican you should get advance tickets so you don't have to wait on a huge line.

As for what day to do which - I would look at the weather. The Vatican is almost all indoors and the ancient Rome is almost all outdoors so you don;t want to do it in the rain.

For Vatican besides the Museum and the Basilica you will want to climb to the Dome to get a good view of Rome - and possibly the Treasury and the Scavi (for which you need advance reservations and must bring your passport as ID). Castel Sant'Angelo is great IF you have time after everything else.

For your third day I don;t think you have a grasp on how large the Forum is - it can easily take several hours to explore. You might also want to visit the Capitoline Museum which I beleive has good views.

ashwinb

Thanks..so do I look at the weather 2-3 days before and decide which day to purchase tickets on?
My flight lands at 10.30, so 1 PM is safe enough, right?

bvlenci

Monday is usually one of the most crowded days at the Vatican Museums, not only because it's closed on Sundays, but also because it's one of the few museums open in Rome on Mondays. Tuesday is better, but when you see the crowds, you may have trouble believing that.

On December 8th, a special Jubilee Year begins, and big crowds are expected at the Vatican. I would expect all of December to be very crowded in the Vatican area.

Visiting the Vatican Museums leaves me too tired for anything but a nap. It might be better not to add anything to that day, except things that can be decided on (or called off) depending on how you feel. I really wouldn't encourage you to reserve the tour of the Vatican Necropolis (so-called "Scavi") after the Vatican Museums and climbing the dome. In any case, given the beginning of the Jubilee Year, it's probably all booked up.

St. Peter's Square is nicely illuminated at night. So are the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Imperial Forums, etc. I once got some nice photos inside the Capitoline Museums, from a terrace which overlooks the Roman Forum. At this time of the year, it's fully dark before the Museum closes. This is one of my favorite museums in Rome, by the way.

I've never been to Castel Sant'Angelo after dark, but I know it has great views from the upper terrace at sunset. I'd bet that it's beautiful also after dark.

Since you're staying near Termini station, you might want to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, on Piazza della Repubblica. This church was constructed in one part of the ruins of the enormous Baths of Diocletian. The interior was partly designed by Michelangelo. Inside there are many interesting features; I suggest you read up on it before visiting.

There's only one cathedral in Rome, St. John Lateran. It's certainly imposing, but I prefer Santa Maria Maggiore, which you said you wanted to see, and Santa Maria degli Angeli; both are very near your hotel.

litefoot

My first advice to you is to start walking 1-5 miles a day before your trip, if you aren't used to walking. You'll thank me for it. Question to you is what is important to you, churches, museums or ruins. No one has mentioned it but there is the suggestion of a hop on hop off bus. They are a good way to help you get the lay of the land, and will give you a greater perspective of Rome and how you want to concentrate future visits. Tourists first inclination of Rome is to try to do as much as possible. They get overwhelmed, very tired and miss out on what makes Rome one of the most fascinating cities in the world. You have to do Rome in small doses. Absorb, feel the vibe, wander to your destinations, rather than run around trying do it all in a day or two--you will need get lost time until you learn your way around. Mary Major is very close to Termini, and there's a church near it, the Basilica of Santa Prassede worth a visit. Find your way to the 'wedding cake' the Victor Emanuel monument. I've been told there is a great view and bar up top. From there you can head either toward Capitoline Museum and the Mamertine Prison, or Campo di Fiori (which is better noonish for the markets), Piazza Navona, Pantheon and Trevi fountain. There's a pizza place near the fountain, pizza is priced by weight not by slice. You can walk around and consume it, don't bother sitting in the restorante. It's easy to get lost in this area, especially when daylight ends. Watch your pockets always, don't let your guard down. Pick landmarks when you're walking around for familiarity. Another day you could go to the Vatican, it will take a full day if you are visiting the museum and basilica. If you have time and aren't tired the Castel Sant'Angelo is worth a visit, however the climb is uphill. There is an entrance fee, but I was pleasantly surprised of the stories the walls told. Very good view up top. Forum and Coloseum are another day. We took the underground Coloseum tour, very good. If you walk up the street past the Arch of Constantine (watch out for the crazy traffic) I believe you will be on part of the Appian Way. A little way up from the Arch is Circus Maximus. Not much there but it is where the chariot races took place. You can catch the subway there and if early enough I like the suggestion of visiting Santa Maria degli Angeli and see some of the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian. You've barely scratched the surface and it will be time to leave. However, you will take in Rome at a different pace and decide it really is worth another visit, or two or three. I'm heading there for my 7th visit soon, each time is an adventure and I come away with an incredible appreciation for the eternal city. Bon Voyage.

bvlenci

The Hop-on, hop-off buses may be a good introduction to some cities, but I don't think Rome is one of them. It's always been the case that the buses can't navigate the narrow streets where some of the more popular sights are located. This means that you miss an awful lot unless you hop off and walk. Then, about five years ago, the city greatly limited the number of stops these buses can make in the historic center. This means that you now have to do even more walking. The final straw was that the service with the best reviews, the Open 110, operated by the city transportation agency, was shut down because the contract had been let without competitive bidding.

Whether you wait to see what the weather will be like is up to you. There's a risk that the more popular time slots will be booked up, but I don't know how high that risk is.

ashwinb

Thanks a lot! I'm pretty used to walking a lot..so hope that should be good enough.
So I think I'll just book Vatican tickets for tuesday? I can see that the earliest tickets available are for 9 AM, none of the early entry tickets are available.
So how much time could I spend on an average at the Vatican , about 5-6 hours, including climbing up the dome?

litefoot

If you are talking Dec 8 the basilica will be closed for mass until probably noon or 1:00, and I imagine it will be very crowded after for the afternoon due to the jubilee, meaning a line to get in. May be a good time to go to the museum though. If you are asking about a different Tuesday in December, 5 hours would be plenty of time, unless you are talking about scavi, museum, dome, basilica, then maybe a little longer. Some of the time is wait in line time, so unfortunately that could be a factor and isn't always predictable.

ashwinb

Thanks everyone!
So I reach this saturday, and the weather is more or less clear on sat afternoon, should I go to the Forum or to the Colosseum,I would have about 2-3 hours of day light from 2-5 PM.

Blueeyedcod

The Jubilee Year starts today so Rome will be packed when you are there, especially St. Peter's Basilica and most likely in tandem, the Vatican Museums.
Ensure you pre-book a skip the line ticket or most of your Vatican day will be spent outside in the cold in a very long line waiting to get in. Expect extra security. There are a lot of police around at the moment with large weapons. Be reassured by this - not alarmed.

http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/...sita=26&step=2

This link will take you straight to online purchases of Vatican Museum tickets.

To climb the dome of St. Peter's there is a small ticket office to your right as you face the Basilica - follow the signs. It costs 7 euro with a trip in the elevator but that only takes you halfway. The rest is some very punishing stairs so if you are overweight our very unfit, or claustrophobic, then perhaps re-think.

ssander

I think Basilica of Santa Prassede is better than SM Maggiore. (Just MHO) Great mosaics -- possibly the best in Rome -- that you can get really close to. With limited time, I'd recommend that instead of SM Maggiore.

However, it is not open all the time...closes several hours mid-day...I <strong>think</strong> from noon to 4 pm...and maybe also Wednesdays as well as during mass.

http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/Santa_Prassede

It's actually only a half-block south of SM Maggiore on Via Santa Prassede.

ssander

ducinaltum

I know your trip is coming up quite soon, but I saw you asked about photos from the top of the cupola at St. Peter's. A couple years ago I climbed up there in late November and we were there toward the middle of the afternoon so by the time we got up to the cupola it was just the first hint of dusk. As we started to make our way down it got darker faster and by the time we left the little gift shop at the base of the dome it was totally dark and I got some great shots of the massive dome lit up against the black sky.

So if you want to get shots of Rome from the cupola, go there before the mid afternoon. It'll depend on your preference if you want brighter daylight shots or the more pink/orange dusk shots like I got.

There's no shortage of basilicas everywhere you go so depending on what you like, you could look up their relative area and create a list based on location. S. Pressede is one of my favorites with very old mosaics as another poster has mentioned. The apse mosaic (the rounded part behind/above the altar) in San Clemente near the Colosseum is another favorite and has a very interesting excavation underneath if you like that.

During your visit to the Vatican/St. Peter's if you find yourself with the time and inclination, you could walk south (same side of the river) and see Santa Maria in Trastevere (very old, full of history including Roman history, and beautiful mosaics) as well as Santa Cecelia in Trastevere.

If you like Caravaggio, look into S. Luigi dei Francesi (near Piazza Navona) and S. Maria del Popolo where you can see works in situ. There are many options so I hope you're not overwhelmed - whatever you see I hope you enjoy it for its distinct beauty!

ssander

Ditto on San Clemente -- You can go down several levels, all the way to a temple of Mithras in the lowest level -- very interesting. A couple of blocks ESE of the Colosseum.

SM in Trastevere is also quite good...if you are into old churches, Rome is loaded with them. I know you have a limited time.

ssander

roseclare

I climbed to the top of St. Peter's dome in November (off season). I think we got to the Vatican around 7:30am. There were only a few people at that time. There stairwell gets very narrow and the ceiling slopes inward as you get higher. At some point there would be no turning back if the stair well were crowded. I would try to get there early or pass.

We also did the Scavi tour but reservations are required 30-90 days in advance. Maybe a future visit.

bvlenci

At this time of year, the Colosseum closes at 4:30 PM, with the last entrance at 3:30. The same hours hold for the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

bvlenci

It seems that Rome wasn't packed at all for the opening of the Jubilee year. Apparently people were put off rather than encouraged by all the extra security.

ashwinb

Thanks a lot!

I booked a slot for the Vatican museums, unfortunately I didn't get a mail from them, anything I could do? I sent a mail, but no response so far.

ashwinb

Aah got it resent ,arrived in the spam folder.

ashwinb

Thanks a lot everyone, had a great trip,ended up spending 3.5 days.
2.5 days definitely wouldn't have been enough.
Here's my trip report with pictures: https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com/2016/01/31/rome/

Blueeyedcod

Your photos are STUNNING! December is such a beautiful time to go to Rome as you can tell by the light - what type of camera/lenses did you use?