mrsjoujou

We have 5 days in Rome and we will arrive around 9:00 AM on a Wed. I am planing to buy the Roma pass. Is it possible to see the Galleria Borghese on the arrival day(in the afternoon,either 3:00 or 5:00) or is it too much? I need:
One day for Galleria Borghese
One day for Vatican
One day for Colosseum,Forum and Palatine hill
If I don't do the GB on Wed,then I have to do one, on a Sat. Which one is best for Sat? I think Vatican will be too crowded on sat and GB will be less crowded,because you need reservations. I also like to add Castel Sant'Angelo to one of the days. Please help.

peppermintpatti

Hi Mrs JouJou, I vote for GB on the first day. I think it will be a less crowded, less frenzied activity for your arrival day. I really enjoyed it, hope you do too! Have a great vacation! pp

TexasAggie

I believe it is definitely possible to schedule a 3pm or 5pm tour of the Borghese Galleries if you arrive at 9am. This past June, DH and I arrived at Rome FCO airport around 1:50pm, waited 45 minutes to get luggage, took the Leonardo Express into the Termini station... power-walked to our hotel in Via Firenze to dump luggage, walked/ran to the Villa Borghese, and made it there by about 4:35pm to pick up our tickets for the 5pm viewing. I wouln't recommend cutting it that close as we literally ran through Rome and arrived dripping with sweat... but with a 9am arrival, I think you could easily make either the 3pm or 5pm time slot.

tuscanlifeedit

Hi

I also think you can do it on your arrival day. It's actually a pleasant experience, uncrowded because of the timed entrance. The gallery itself is lovely, and if you have time, you can get there early and see a bit of the surrounding park/grounds.

I don't know what part of Rome you are staying, but since it is your arrival day, and I'm assuming you will be coming off a long flight, consider taking a taxi to the Galleria Borghese.

We also like parks on our first day, so this could be an after lunch activity: strolling the park on your way to the gallery.

Tim_and_Liz

I agree that it's possible to see the GB on your arrival day, but I would not do so due to jet lag. I personally cannot pay close enough attention to works of art or other museum pieces when I am struggling to stay awake.
Your first day, you could walk from Castel Sant'Angelo to Piazza Navona to the Pantheon to the Trevi Fountain. Outside walking and daylight will help you stay awake.
Liz

kybourbon

I wouldn't do the Vatican on Saturday since it closes early.
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...fo_Orario.html

J62

A lot will depend on who is in your group, and how well you travel.

If it were me alone, I'd have no problem. I fly across the Atlantic a couple of times a year and can usually get 5-6hrs of good sleep on a flight. Add some coffee, a nice shower upon arrival and I'm good to go.

Some people have much more difficulty sleeping on a plane, so the 1st day can be totally shot except for leisurely stroll. Kids with you? Then count on doing less the 1st day as well.

I'd go for the 3pm entry - as the day goes on you'll have less energy and ability to appreciate the fine art.

cruiseluv

I am like Liz above. The first day I feel like I'm walking around in a daze. I'm not of the lucky ones that can sleep on the plane. I would probably be sleepwalking and not apying close attention! Couldn't you do GB on Thursday and Vatican on Friday? Why does it have to be on Saturday? And I agree, I wouldn't do Vatican on Saturday, but GB would be fine.

5 days will give you a lot of time to see many things in Rome. No need to go rushing to a museum. Just walking around is great. Why don't you go to Pantheon/ Trevi fountain that first day?

Girlspytravel

Yes, it absolutely can be done. I've done it, on a Sunday afternoon, and I watched many others come in off the street and do it-they just had to wait around until the next two hour time block opened. No need to make reservations way in advance for the Galleria, UNLESS there is a special exhibition that everyone wants to see, like the Raffaello exhibition last year, but normally, that's not the case.

mrsjoujou

Thank you everyone. There is only my self and my husband,no kids and we are planing to take a sleeping pill on the plane. Last year when we went Paris, we didn't get much sleep,but walked alot on our arrival day. The reason I was concidering to do GB,on Wed,because with Roma pass you get in to the first two places you visit and then you get a discount in other places,like castel Sant'Angelo. I guess,we can do GB on a Thursday,Vatican on a Fri and The Forum on a Sat. I still have to think!!

missypie

Go to Castel Sant Angelo on the day you visit the Vatican. It's not very far away.