What's the "must do and see" for 2.5 days in Rome?
Aug 1st, 2006, 08:56 AM
#3
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Vatican, Colosseum, The Forum and Palatine Hill, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, St. Angelo's Castle..
This is a start, there are lots of other things to see, but I'd say these are the must sees. The Vatican alone can take most of a day.
This is a start, there are lots of other things to see, but I'd say these are the must sees. The Vatican alone can take most of a day.
Aug 1st, 2006, 09:03 AM
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I'm just shooting from the hip here, but if I had 2.5 days in Rome, this is how I'd spend it. Wear your comfortable walking shoes, because Rome is very walkable, aside from the ride necessary over to The Vatican.
1 Day: Get to the Vatican at 9 a.m., see St. Peter's, then exit out through the crypt (it dumps you out on the street around the corner to the Vatican Museum). Get into see the Cistine Chapel...but skip most of the museum since it's actually the most boring museum I've ever seen (but then I'm a one-more-artifact-and-I'll start-actively-snoring kinda person) you should be done by noonish if you don't climb St. Peter's dome, but I do recommend taking the time to do that.
Head to the Spanish Steps for lunch, then go over to the Pantheon and walk through Piazza Navona. You can go to Trevi Fountain and get a gelato in the afternoon.
Day 2: Colisseum, Forum and Palatine Hill. This day requires a fair amount of walking. You might hire an on-site tour guide for the Colisseum, or just use your tour guide book.
Day .5 day Spend a few hours just wandering the back streets of the city. The half day I spent when my husband and I split up so we could go do what we wanted, he headed to a museum, and I just wandered. I think even with the tightest schedule, a little "wandering time" is sometimes the most valuable.
BTW -- I'd suggest getting Rick Steves Rome book -- it has some of the best walking tours (his Vatican tour is probably the best one I've ever read and is worth the price of the book) and gives very practical advice on what to see and the best times to get in and see it. His accuracy in prices, times, costs and sights is very good. (I don't care much for his restaurant recommendations, but his hotel ideas are pretty good for the budget traveler as well).
Happy Travels,
Jules
1 Day: Get to the Vatican at 9 a.m., see St. Peter's, then exit out through the crypt (it dumps you out on the street around the corner to the Vatican Museum). Get into see the Cistine Chapel...but skip most of the museum since it's actually the most boring museum I've ever seen (but then I'm a one-more-artifact-and-I'll start-actively-snoring kinda person) you should be done by noonish if you don't climb St. Peter's dome, but I do recommend taking the time to do that.
Head to the Spanish Steps for lunch, then go over to the Pantheon and walk through Piazza Navona. You can go to Trevi Fountain and get a gelato in the afternoon.
Day 2: Colisseum, Forum and Palatine Hill. This day requires a fair amount of walking. You might hire an on-site tour guide for the Colisseum, or just use your tour guide book.
Day .5 day Spend a few hours just wandering the back streets of the city. The half day I spent when my husband and I split up so we could go do what we wanted, he headed to a museum, and I just wandered. I think even with the tightest schedule, a little "wandering time" is sometimes the most valuable.
BTW -- I'd suggest getting Rick Steves Rome book -- it has some of the best walking tours (his Vatican tour is probably the best one I've ever read and is worth the price of the book) and gives very practical advice on what to see and the best times to get in and see it. His accuracy in prices, times, costs and sights is very good. (I don't care much for his restaurant recommendations, but his hotel ideas are pretty good for the budget traveler as well).
Happy Travels,
Jules
Aug 1st, 2006, 09:14 AM
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I second the rec for Rick Steves' Vatican tour. He gives excellent advice for getting to the Sistine Chapel. However, I think I would get to the Vatican Museums for the Sistine Chapel first, and do so way before 9. The lines can be daunting. Follow Steve's advice, see the SC, and then St Peter's Basilica.
I also think that MAYBE Steves gives advice on getting to St Peters from the SC, but I am not totally sure about that.
And make sure you do this on a day when the SC is open.
The rest of the recs are spot on. You can do a lot in 2.5 days, and if you do a lot of walking in the Centro Storico, you will inadvertently see much of what makes Rome fascinating.
Have a great trip.
I also think that MAYBE Steves gives advice on getting to St Peters from the SC, but I am not totally sure about that.
And make sure you do this on a day when the SC is open.
The rest of the recs are spot on. You can do a lot in 2.5 days, and if you do a lot of walking in the Centro Storico, you will inadvertently see much of what makes Rome fascinating.
Have a great trip.
Aug 1st, 2006, 09:55 AM
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Sorry Howard. You'll miss plenty then, since I'm sure I'm no museum buff, but I have plenty of other halfway decent advice.
I hope you will keep in mind that not everyone is a museum person -- and that by the time I got to the Vatican Museum, I'd already been through the British Museum, The National Gallery in London, The Louvre, and a handful of other museums in Paris before I got to Rome. I just found it a bit of a bore, but then it was also so crowded, perhaps I missed the cool stuff.
Jules
I hope you will keep in mind that not everyone is a museum person -- and that by the time I got to the Vatican Museum, I'd already been through the British Museum, The National Gallery in London, The Louvre, and a handful of other museums in Paris before I got to Rome. I just found it a bit of a bore, but then it was also so crowded, perhaps I missed the cool stuff.
Jules
Aug 3rd, 2006, 09:06 AM
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Go directly to the coliseum. Find the glaidator dressed actors, get hooked up with their tours....of night walking rome to see all major sites, vatican (save you spot in line as well as explain important art), for the Forum,...Tony best if available, but their guides are all university educated art and history majors and worth 5x the money! Trust me, you'll actually give huge tips, they are so good.
Aug 3rd, 2006, 09:43 AM
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In 2.5 days you would be able to do alot - when we were there last we only had 24 hours in Roma and we were able to do a ton of things - not everything we wanted but most all in just 24 hours.
It started arrival by Train 1PM Metro to Hotel San Carlo check in - freshen up, watch the Giro d'Italia stage, and then walk back over to Spanish Steps up the steps look around area above steps - get lunch down unknown street. Back down steps to do a little shopping then walk over to Colossuem - get there just as last tours are going on, so we can't go in, but we walked around it - went to Palatine Hill - checked out the Forum etc...
Then we walked back stopping at various spots on the way - took a late 6PM nap at the hotel. For dinner we went out to a Trattoria near the hotel and then to a wine bar - finally for the evening we went to the Trevi Fountain and had some Gelato (Il Crispino) then to bed about 11PM - Set the alarm early and we are out before 7AM - quickly boarded the Metro for St. Peters - we were some of the first people into St. Peters that morning so no lines to go into the church - checked out all of the art & sculptures, crypt tombs etc..then exited out to go up to the top of the cupola - again they were just opening the elevators - paid for that and up we went. What a great view in the morning.
When we left St Peters the lines were fairly long to get in and also to go up to the Cupola...
We finsihed before 9:00AM and went over to the Vatican but the line was really long - We didn't know that they hadn't opened yet and the line would have moved quickly when they opened 10 minutes later so we moved on - oh well.
Then we did our shopping on via del Corso for most of the morning and worked our way over to the Pantheon - I loved that building and the area. We finally had to go back shower check out and got to the train station at 1PM for our train to Napoli.
Now I am not suggesting that 24 hours can work for everyone, but we had the most magical time that trip and in October we are going back for 2.5 days like you - except now we can skip St. Peters, go into the Vatican and the Colosseum - plus much much more!
It started arrival by Train 1PM Metro to Hotel San Carlo check in - freshen up, watch the Giro d'Italia stage, and then walk back over to Spanish Steps up the steps look around area above steps - get lunch down unknown street. Back down steps to do a little shopping then walk over to Colossuem - get there just as last tours are going on, so we can't go in, but we walked around it - went to Palatine Hill - checked out the Forum etc...
Then we walked back stopping at various spots on the way - took a late 6PM nap at the hotel. For dinner we went out to a Trattoria near the hotel and then to a wine bar - finally for the evening we went to the Trevi Fountain and had some Gelato (Il Crispino) then to bed about 11PM - Set the alarm early and we are out before 7AM - quickly boarded the Metro for St. Peters - we were some of the first people into St. Peters that morning so no lines to go into the church - checked out all of the art & sculptures, crypt tombs etc..then exited out to go up to the top of the cupola - again they were just opening the elevators - paid for that and up we went. What a great view in the morning.
When we left St Peters the lines were fairly long to get in and also to go up to the Cupola...
We finsihed before 9:00AM and went over to the Vatican but the line was really long - We didn't know that they hadn't opened yet and the line would have moved quickly when they opened 10 minutes later so we moved on - oh well.
Then we did our shopping on via del Corso for most of the morning and worked our way over to the Pantheon - I loved that building and the area. We finally had to go back shower check out and got to the train station at 1PM for our train to Napoli.
Now I am not suggesting that 24 hours can work for everyone, but we had the most magical time that trip and in October we are going back for 2.5 days like you - except now we can skip St. Peters, go into the Vatican and the Colosseum - plus much much more!
Aug 3rd, 2006, 10:22 AM
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I simply must take exception to the description of the Vatican Museums as boring! That is absolutely not so!
Jules, I'm not looking to be disagreeable with you, but I ask you to consider your characterization: You acknowledge that when you went to the Vatican, you already had "museum fatigue" (which, Lord knows, is understandable), and so inevitably that colored your opinion of the collections there. But if that tinges your recommendations as well, then it could lead you to discount something very valuable, as I'm afraid you are doing here.
On the other hand, I recognize that for many people, time spent in a museum is time lost from seeing a city, especially for a very short stay. So I agree that a thorough visit to the Vatican Museums is not possible, but I can't agree that it is boring!
Have a great trip, Rimwall!
Jules, I'm not looking to be disagreeable with you, but I ask you to consider your characterization: You acknowledge that when you went to the Vatican, you already had "museum fatigue" (which, Lord knows, is understandable), and so inevitably that colored your opinion of the collections there. But if that tinges your recommendations as well, then it could lead you to discount something very valuable, as I'm afraid you are doing here.
On the other hand, I recognize that for many people, time spent in a museum is time lost from seeing a city, especially for a very short stay. So I agree that a thorough visit to the Vatican Museums is not possible, but I can't agree that it is boring!
Have a great trip, Rimwall!
Aug 3rd, 2006, 03:26 PM
#12
THere are many museums to see in Rome besides the Vatican. [yes I know it's heresy, but it's also true]. THe vaitcan is also the one that has the longest queues, and the most difficult system to penetrate to pre-book to avoid that queue.
Ask yourselves how much of your precious 2 & 1/2 days you want to spend getting in there. If you are absolutely determined, then go to the fax number given on the vatican web-site and send them a fax, or try to get a ticket agency to do it for you. [try google].
If those routes don't work, resign yourselves to queuing for at least an hour, sometimes longer.
Once you are in, the quickest tour round along the shortest route will take at least two hours. The signs to the sistine chapel [through which you have to pass to exit the museum] you see almost immediately you enter are misleading - there are no shortcuts, though there are detours.
Once in the chapel, it is possible to exit through a door at the back [on the right if your back is to the entrance to the chapel] down some steps and thence into ST. Peter's, without going through the security queues again. [you can't do this if you have audio-guides to return]
Even if you get into the Vatican at opening time - 9am - you are unlikely to exit St. Peter's before lunch-time.
If you can manage without the Vatican [and much of what is in there is duplicated elsewhere], you should definitely go to St. Peter's. From there I would go to the galleria Borghese, which you can book, and then spend the rest of the day exploring the centro storico - Pantheon, Spanish steps, Piazza Navonna, Etc. In the evening you could go to Trastevere.
The next day, see the Forum, the Palatine Hill [not forgetting the museum, which has many of the same type of statues that you will find in the Vatican], buy your ticket including the colosseum, the colosseum, and the Capitoline museums and Santa Maria in Aracoeli.
THis is just what I would do. I agree that Rick Steves has some very good ideas, and his tips about how to get out of the back of the sistine chapel, and obtain colsseum tickets are worth the price of the book.
Have a wonderful time.
Ask yourselves how much of your precious 2 & 1/2 days you want to spend getting in there. If you are absolutely determined, then go to the fax number given on the vatican web-site and send them a fax, or try to get a ticket agency to do it for you. [try google].
If those routes don't work, resign yourselves to queuing for at least an hour, sometimes longer.
Once you are in, the quickest tour round along the shortest route will take at least two hours. The signs to the sistine chapel [through which you have to pass to exit the museum] you see almost immediately you enter are misleading - there are no shortcuts, though there are detours.
Once in the chapel, it is possible to exit through a door at the back [on the right if your back is to the entrance to the chapel] down some steps and thence into ST. Peter's, without going through the security queues again. [you can't do this if you have audio-guides to return]
Even if you get into the Vatican at opening time - 9am - you are unlikely to exit St. Peter's before lunch-time.
If you can manage without the Vatican [and much of what is in there is duplicated elsewhere], you should definitely go to St. Peter's. From there I would go to the galleria Borghese, which you can book, and then spend the rest of the day exploring the centro storico - Pantheon, Spanish steps, Piazza Navonna, Etc. In the evening you could go to Trastevere.
The next day, see the Forum, the Palatine Hill [not forgetting the museum, which has many of the same type of statues that you will find in the Vatican], buy your ticket including the colosseum, the colosseum, and the Capitoline museums and Santa Maria in Aracoeli.
THis is just what I would do. I agree that Rick Steves has some very good ideas, and his tips about how to get out of the back of the sistine chapel, and obtain colsseum tickets are worth the price of the book.
Have a wonderful time.
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