please make suggestions if possible this is just my rough so please bear with me, since this is my time in Europe and I’m not sure where everything is.

(this is in order of the things i do, whatever is listed first then second then 3rd etc.) If I am out of place please correct me I don't mind in fact i would love to hear your opinions

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Friday:
I get in from the airport to hotel 5pm

Sat:
Santa Maria Maggiore
St. Peter in Chains church
colosseum
Forum
Palatine hill
Capitoline museums

Sunday:
Ostia Antica
Borghese gallery
piazza navona
Pantheon

Monday:
Day trip to Florence

Tuesday:
Vatican museums
basilica
dome
Castel Sant Angelo

Wednesday:
trevi fountain
spanish steps
piazza del popolo
Trastevere

Thursday: I fly out at 12 noon to Paris
Does anyone have any suggestions as to an airline(cheap) to out of Rome from?

How many day trips should I do.. and what day out of this week is best for everything.. since I understand that some things might be closed

Borghese gallery takes a good couple of hours actually the time limit.
so that pretty much shoots the morning. Ostia is a good 45min-hour by the time you get to the ticket window. We spent a whole day there as there is so...............much to see but you can do it in 1/2 day.
Florence is doable we have done it. Take a very early train there and a late one back. FYI the #13 bus will take you up the hill to the P Michelangelo and the #7 will take to up the other side to Fiesole. Both over the best views of Florence. If you can only do 1 take the #13.

You need all 5 days in Rome--I would drop Florence and Ostia Antica---that Sunday will not work. Go to mass at Santa Susanna that morning and then the rest will flow easily. Be at Galleria Borghese :30 early to hold booking time.

If you do Florence then Monday is the worst day for that.

Sat is not doable unless you just want to look at the Forum frm the street - rather than tour it. It's the whole central/governmental area of ancient Rome with numerous buidlings - or remains of them, palaces etc - and to really see it is aobut 4 hours.

Also Ostia will take essentailly a full day to see anything - so reco you just stayin Rome that day.

Also -you need to check opening times - whcih are often movable - but many places are not open after 6.

Hmm if I had to choose florence or Ostia Antica which one would be better for a day trip.. yea it does seem much. my best friend and i are planning this trip.. but i honestly wnat a relaxing one.. a tirp to enjoy the views..

If I was to do a day trip in Florence what day woudl you suggest if Monday is a bad day?

Here's what I did in our eight days (link below, click and then click on Roma 2009). I recommend most of things we did (except for the falling in the bird poo thing).

http://web.me.com/tomfielding1/Tom_%...e/Welcome.html

This doesn't seem like a relaxing trip, especially since you're planning out each day in such a detailed way. But you can have a relaxing time in Rome and still see many of the places that you really want to see.

Another way to "plan," and perhaps allow yourselves some relaxation time, is to plan one main activity each day - the "must-do" of that day. Then once you've enjoyed that, spend the rest of your time doing whatever on your list appeals to you, or just wander around or hang out at a cafe.

Depending on where your hotel is, plan to visiting Piazza Navona, the Pantheon (outside only) or the Trevi Fountain - or all three, that first evening in Rome. Great way to start your time there!

Ostia Antica or Florence - depends on your interests - do you prefer ancient Roman artifacts and towns or Renaissance art?

Your Wednesday schedule is actually light, because the places listed on that day are "just" things to look at, rather than museums or other places to go into and spend time in. But Trastevere is a fun neighborhood to wander around in, and has several very interesting churches.

The reason that Florence on Monday is bad is that many of the museums are closed that day. Any other day would be better than Monday for Florence.

Florence is a day and a full one. Ostia Antica is half a day--maybe 5 hours with transport. You have plenty to see just in Rome.

hi cali,

we just got back from 6 days in Rome, and allowing for the fact that we have been once before, we did not try to cram so much into [almost] every day as you have.

this is what we did:

Day 1 - [after late start] walk to Piazza Navona, then Pantheon and Palazzo Doria-Pamphilli before lunch; campo dei fiori and generally wandering about in pm.

Day 2 - scavi tour, [in the snow! - 1st in 25 years], St. Peter's, long lunch, more wandering around pm. [my favourite bit!] late visit to Ara Pacis.

Day 3 - day trip to Orvieto.

Day 4 - castel san angelo, then long walk to stadio faminio for rugby match [watching, not playing]. walk back seemed shorter, perhaps 'cos we won.

Day 5 - [our longest day] st peter's dome, bus to forum, colosseum, long lunch, san pietro in vincoli, santa maria in aracoeli, the vittorio emmanuale [saw the capitoline museums last time] home by bus.

Day 6 - walk to ghetto via piazza navona - great synagogue - lunch - shopping - home.

I agree with the others that your Sat, sunday and Tuesday are too full, there's not much on wednesday, and you should think again about Florence.

I think that I would amend your timetable as follows, using the night you arrive to see some of the sights which won't take long and don't require you to actually do anything but go to them and look:

Friday:
I get in from the airport to hotel 5pm.
Pantheon [closes 7pm so go there first], then in no particular order: piazza navona, trevi fountain, spanish steps.

Sat:
Forum [go there first to get ticket which covers forum, palatine hill and colosseum, as the queues are far shorter than at the colosseum itself]
Palatine hill
colosseum

St. Peter in Chains church
Santa Maria Maggiore [if time - it's really off your route and you'll be tired by now]

Capitoline museums [nice cafe is you head over to the vittorio emmanuale terrace but don't use the loos up there - terrible!]


Sunday:
Borghese gallery [buy timed ticket in advance]
[you have already seen piazza navona & pantheon so you may have time to go to Ostia Antica, alternatively explore the borghese gardens and piazza del popolo, spanish steps area]


Monday:
Day trip to Florence - orvieto is closer and very easy to get to on the train.

Tuesday:
if you can, aim to do the dome first - the queues even after 10 am to get into st. Peter's are massive.
dome [will take at least an hour o get up and down ]- gives access into the
basilica
Vatican museums [book on-line in advance]

if you have time/energy:
Castel Sant Angelo [ a definite optional extra, only if you are passing, but great views from the cafe].

Wednesday:
you have already seen the trevi fountain, spanish steps and
piazza del popolo, so think about a tour of churches like santa maria maggiore, san clemente, san prassaede, and /OR
Trastevere - santa maria and santa cecila are both lovely.
OR - galleria Doria-pamphilli was terrific and more or less deserted. [needs a least an hour, preferably 2 to make the most of it]

please try to give yourself some "wandering around" time - Rome is SO rewarding if you are prepared to mooch around seeing what you come across.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

I think you need to get a map and circle everything you want to see on the map. It will help you better group what you want to see.

I think you need to read up more on how much Renaissance and Michealangelo art there is to enjoy in Rome, and think about that day trip to Florence in terms of what you most want out of your trip to Rome.

I recommend you think alot about how much it will mean to you to see Roman antiquity and how much you want to leave Rome with a sense of it as an ancient city. If you think that means a lot to you, then keep Ostia Antica, which can actually be quite relaxing, because it is in a shady area outside the city, with grass underfoot and sea breezes, no cars.

There is always "plenty to see" in Rome -- but hopefully you aren't going to Rome just to be a sightseer without any personal interests. You don't have to pretend to anybody else what those interests are.

Many people go to Rome and find it deeply educational without spending hours in the museums or the mega-churches, or hours exploring the antiquity if they would rather be elsewhere.

Get with your best friend and prioritize what you most want to take home with you from trip, what kind of experience of Rome.

ann.. this is perfect.. i need this kind of an outline so i figure out the bus rotutes.. thank you again!


i've been sratching my head for weeks trying to plan this thing.. i'm totally lost until i found this forum! thanks for everyone's help.. if there are more suggestions they are all welcomed!!

thanks ann!

but i'm unsure that friday will work our flight comes in at 5pm.. how long does it take to get from fco to the via genvoa?

i am thinking we'll get to the hotel at 8pm? so with that said how would i modified this wonderful itinerary you have created?

I also want to express my admiration for ann's approach to Rome, with a daytrip to Florence or room for Ostia Antica. Proves you really can tailor any trip, even to a famous city like Rome, full of so-called "must-sees" to your own interests, and not try to program yourself like a computer.

I would only add that while ann points out that Orvieto is "closer", it really is only a half hour closer once you are at Termini.

And I prefer to save Trevi for nighttime.

no i'm second guessing the day trip in florence.. i mean is reall worth it? how logn does it take to get there.. and what's the top attraction you must see?

if it isn't so grand.. i'm thinking i'll figure something else out.. but if i don't go to florence that entire monday will be gone...oh what to do?