7 days in Rome
 

I am interested in visiting Rome and Pompeii next spring or fall 2004. I am thinking about 6 days in Rome to truly see the sites and spend 1 day going to Pompeii. Could anyone advise me if 6 days is too long in Rome? This is my first trip to Europe and want to be sure to see famous sites and backstreets. Also is it difficult to drive in Italy? I am not interested in taking a group tour, but doing my thing independently. Would love to Tuscany too.

Do a Text Search and/or a Topic Search - at the top of this board; I'm sure you'll find answers to your questions.

You didn't mention how many days you have for the entire trip. Is it 6 days in Rome plus one day in Pompeii and then additional time in Tuscany? Or 7 days total?

You can easily keep busy 6 days in Rome. There is so much to do. I, personally also like to spend time just wandering thru little streets in different neighborhoods. I love all the little shops and restaurants. Driving in the center of Rome is horrible. Once outside of Rome, on the major highways, it's quite easy. The toll booths even take credit cards. Driving into some of the smaller towns vary. Some have parking outside the main entrance, which makes life a lot easier. Parking also can be difficult. If you do decide to drive, get a good map and try to dropoff/pickup the car on the outskirts of Rome. I found access from the highway to the car rentals at termini station fairly easy to deal with.

6 days is certainly not too much for Rome, especially if you have a couple of day trips thrown in on top. I've led a few week-long trips to Rome for family and friends and we always end up trying to decide what not to see. I've posted some information and itineraries on a website at: exseminarians.com/rome
Also, please don't rent a car for Rome, thought driving around Tuscany is nice.
Day trips could include: Tivoli, Florence, Ostia.

Hi
6 days is not too much time in Rome (neither is 12 days), but you could do this:
Arrive by plane to Rome, immediately transfer to another plane, or transfer to train station, and go to Florence or Siena (Siena would be bus or train, not plane). Choose Florence if you want to see the art treasures there, and perhaps daytrip into Tuscany or to Siena by bus or train or car or organized tour. Have Siena be your base if you want to see its delights, and daytrip or drive around Tuscany for a couple of days.

Then return to Rome, have 4 solid days.
If you do the above, I'd skip Pompeii, save it for next time. In 4 days you'll just be hitting the highlights of Rome, but you can see a lot.

I also recommend taking a walking tour or two of Rome, to cover the ancient sites and perhaps the Vatican. Some good agencies are Enjoy Rome, Scala Reale (my favorite), Through Eternity (I know, sounds like a soap opera.)

Check out the good information elsewhere here at fodors.com on Rome, Florence, Tuscany.

I have a file on Rome and one on Florence/Tuscany; if you'd like to see them, email me at
[email protected]

Relax - you could spend a month in Rome and still not see everything...

Hi, I echo the above posters - 6 days is not nearly long enough in Rome.

You won't need a car in Rome nor to get to Pompeii. It's very easy to go from Rome to Pompeii on the train. The ruins are just a few feet from the train station in Pompeii.

Just to agree with all, six days will not be too long in Rome. I spent five days there in March and left feeling there was enough I missed that I could have spent another week. Which I am planning to do in February.

Just in case you haven't gotten the point....6 days is too little in Rome. I can never spend enough time there. Plan your days in advance and don't forget that many things close between 12:30 and 3:30. I learned that the hard way when I had planned on spending an entire day visiting churches. They were almost all closed during that time.

NB24: Not meaning to criticize you OR those who have responded, but since you have not told us about ANY of your interests then telling you what can be done or not done in any time period has to be totally subjective at best. But if you find that sort of response useful then disregard my own comments.

I think you can do, at least on a cursory level, what many would consider the "major" sites in Rome adequately in six days and have some time left over, too...but then again we do not know how long your attention span is, how you like to get around, etc. Do you like museums, churches, architecture, etc? If the answer is "no" to any of those then six days might end up being TOO many days.

The more information you give us then the more useful will be the information you receive..just a thought.