Hello fellow fodorites. We will be in Rome end of May. Wondering what your thoughts are on doing the Vatican in the morning and the Borghese Gardens in the afternoon? I can't tell for certain, but it doesn't look like Borghese is all that far from the Vatican. We are staying near Campo di Fiore so wondering if it makes sense to do them both in one day or if it would be too much. Also, any good lunch suggestions for after the Vatican?

Thank you.

They are not close---look at Castel San Anglo instead.
The Galleria Borghese requires a 2 hour time slot booked in advance, and is not to be missed.

Thank you very much for that. We will separate the two.

Borghese Gardens (mentioned in your title and OP) or Borghese Gallery (referenced by bobthenavigator)??? No reservation or time limit on the Gardens.

I agree that you shouldn't miss the Galleria, but I can recommend the Gardens too. If you're the tour group type, there is a guided 3-hour tour of the Galleria and the Gardens that starts at 3:00 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays.

http://www.viator.com/tours/Rome/Ski...1-3731BORGHESE

Unless you've seen the one Sam Wanamaker recreated in London, there's something surprising hidden away in the Borghese Gardens - sufficient perhaps to justify a visit, even if not also going to the Galleria....

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/globe

Peter

Another suggestion (besides Castel San Angelo) for after the Vatican on a nice day: go up the Gianicolo (Janiculum) hill south of the Vatican. You can get there by bus or taxi to the Piazzale Garibaldi with a sweeping view of the city. Then you can walk downhill toward Trastevere. You can explore the Botanical garden, maybe see a Punch and Judy show, see the church of San Pietro in Montorio with Bramante's Tempietto, explore some of Trastevere, etc. before walking back to your hotel.

I guess you could do both, although usually folks are EXHAUSTED after seeing the Vatican Museums, St. Peter's etc. But if you want to do it, they are easy to connect to.

You could walk to Piazza Risogimento and ride the #19 tram to the north side (back side) of Villa Borghese park... and walk about 350 meters to the Galleria. Or you could walk to the Ottaviano bus stop (adjacent to the Ottaviano metro) and you could catch the #490 bus directly to the top of the hill in the park. From there, it's an easy walk through the park to the Galleria Borghese. These two articles can get you more info on getting to and IN the Galleria Borghese:

http://tinyurl.com/borghese; http://tinyurl.com/Borghese-transportation

Usually after I walk the Vatican Museums - and I've been in there 100+ times - I'm ready for a glass of wine (or two!).

I usually take the electric bus 116. Catch it near the Vatican and it goes to the museum.
http://www.atac.roma.it/files/doc.asp?r=9

The gallery in the middle of these gardens is incredible. You need to pre-book a time slot and dont be late! But those were the most incredible 2 hours of my time in rome.
After the wait in blistering heat to get into the Vatican and the crowds the gardens might be a nice change of pace. You can hire bikes as well and just cruise around - amazing.

You can also take the tram from the vatican area to the P Flaminio and access the gardens and villa from there.