We are flying in to Rome from London, arriving 15h20 on 2 July and are leaving for Tuscany area on the 5th. What would you suggest we do in this short time? Will we have enough time to do a short tour on the afternoon that we arrive? I have read from other posts that EnjoyRome have very nice walking tours. Is a day trip to Pompei out of the question for one of the days or should we leave this for a future visit?

With only two and a half days in Rome, I would certainly leave Pompeii for another visit. The first day, you can take an orientation tour or the Rome by night tour. I would just skip the tours and wander around the centro storico, seeing the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and Campo di Fiori area at a relaxing pace. Have gelato, have a leisurely dinner and rest up for your next two full days where one can be spent seeing the Vatican (Basilica and Museums) and the other Ancient Rome (Forum, Palatine and Colosseum). If you have any extra time, go to the Spanish Steps and window shop around the Via Condotti area, or, if you still have energy for museums, visit the Borghese Gallery.

Hi
Save Pompeii for another time.
Many guidebooks, and also I believe here at fodors.com under Rome, suggest
itineraries for short visits.
Yes, you can do a walking tour with Enjoy Rome or Scala Reale (my choice) or Through Eternity. Inquire in advance about walk topics and schedules.

If you choose Scala Reale and book in advance as you should, you could perhaps schedule their "Orientation Hike" or "Orientation Walk" for the first day.

good luck

Agree that Pompeii would be too much. You won't even have time to see all the important sights in Rome in 2-1/2 days. No reason to use up one of those days in travel to Pompeii and back.

I like Grinisi's approach. You can easily add the Pantheon to the itinerary suggested.

While I loved Pompeii and it was an absolute highlight of my trip to Rome, I agree that you are not there long enough to go to Pompeii on this trip. You will probably want to spend most of one day at the ancient sites such as the Colosseum and Forum and most of the other full day at the Vatican.

Personally, I felt I got much more out of the visits to both of these areas by taking the walking tours given by Enjoy Rome, although I usually prefer to explore on my own. The first night I found Rome confusing and somewhat intimidating, partly because I speak no Italian beyond the few phrases I taught myself for this trip. After taking the Ancient Rome tour the next day, I felt much more comfortable with the city.

That tour goes to (but not inside) the Colosseum, so we went into the Colosseum on our own before the tour. It then goes through the Forum and to the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon before finishing up at Piazza Navonna. I understand that the ancient Rome tour given by Scala Reale stays in the Forum and goes to the Palatine Hill, so I imagine it is a more in depth view of those particular areas. It also appears to be four hours, while the Enjoy Rome tour is three hours. I would like to try that some time if I return to Rome, although it is significantly more expensive.

see www.twenj.net

What about Ostia Antica instead of Pompei?

We went on a 3.5 hour tour with Rome Walks. It was reasonably priced, great guide, went into the Coloseum and Forum and Palatine Hill. And there were only 7 of us on the tour, I believe. www.romewalks.com Highlight of our trip to Rome

Bob - FYI....when I go the Sites and Walks page - there is smaller print on the right that says: "This page covers general background on Vatican City as a whole, tips on getting there and planning your visit. If you know all that you can skip ahead to our sketches of visiting the Sistine Chapel and Museums and Saint Peter's and Castel San Angelo."

When I click on "Sistine Chapel and Museums" - the link doesn't work. It says "Page cannot be found".