Good Arrival Day Activity For Rome
 

If coming from an overseas flight what would be a good arrival day activity if you have limited time and want to at least get something visited on that day? I know it is good to just wander around the neighborhood and see some of the fountains. How about one museum? We are debating between visiting Doria Pamphilij or the Capitoline museum. Which might be a better option for that first day?

It might be too taxing to do the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine on that day and better saved for a full day when we are more refreshed. Do you agree?

The Trajan Market and Imperial Museum appears close to the Capitoline--is it good to combine these two things?

This is what I did my first day in Rome recently--perfect for a first day, and dinner, too!
http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/...ght-trastevere

If you can get it together earlier, they have a daytime tour:
http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/...tevere-foodies

Just wait until you arrive and see what the weather is and how you feel. Have a list of places you want to see that don't require a reservation. But pick something that if, you suddenly start to feel tired or cranky, you can walk away without feeling really badly about giving it short shrift.

I find that after a long plane flight I'm very easily irritated by noise, pollution, or people who seem not to be paying attention to anything but themselves and thus getting in my way. Rome has plenty of all 3. If I landed in Rome and couldn't get into my hotel room right away to nap, I'd probably look for a museum most people don't go to, or some churches like that, or maybe the Baths of Caracalla if the weather was nice. I'd avoid the busy main streets and popular sites filled with tourists taking selfies.

I wouldn't book a pricey tour due to the uncertainty of when my plane would land, how I'd feel, the possibility of rain.

I usually prefer to stay outdoors as much as possible after a long flight. The air and sunlight perk me up, and a long walk stretches my legs.

I would suggest a walk starting at Piazza Farnese, passing through Campo de'Fiori, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. If you're still up for more, go up the steps, turn to the left, and enter the Villa Borghese Park at the first entrance. After strolling around the park, go to the Pincian overlook to see the city in the late afternoon light. Read up on these places in a good detailed guide book, such as the Michelin Green Guide for Rome.

As an alternative, if an outdoor day isn't in the cards, I would prefer the Doria Pamphilj museum on the first day rather than the Capitoline Museum, which is a very large museum. Other indoor things in the area include the Pantheon, the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva (the only church in Rome with a Gothic interior), the church of San Luigi dei Francesi (with three Caravaggio paintings), the Palazzo Altemps, and the Crypta Balbi Museum. The last two are part of the National Roman Museum. The ticket is good for three days, and allows you to visit those two museums as well as the Museum of the Baths of Diocletian and Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, both of which are near Termini station. Palazzo Massimo has an outstanding collection of ancient Roman art: sculpture, mosaics, wall frescoes, and household items, coins, and even a mummy. It's one of my very favorite museums in Rome.

I've never been to the Imperial Museum. I think it's part of the Vittoriano Complex. You might want to check if there's an art show on at the Vittoriano Complex. They occasionally have some very good shows.

Yes, stay outdoors and walk. Yes, don't go to a sight that requires reservations and, especially, prepayment. I wouldn't go to a museum. To me that requires more concentration.

Investigate the area around the Piazza Navona/Pantheon/Trevi Fountain. All of those are must-sees. Add in any churches around there you're interested in. If it's raining, more churches.

Or walk theough Travestere neighborhood. Have lunch there too.

We did a food tour at about 5pm the day we arrived. It allowed us to move around, learn about food and how to order pizza at a bakery and have a "moving" aperotivo all at the same time. No tickets to by, no lines to stand in and we saw a few Roman neighborhoods. It was a great first day activity for us.

Where will you be coming from? I always just wander around on arrival day in Rome. I fly from California and am generally exhausted. Being mostly outside helps. In general I prefer to arrive late in the day, take a walk, have dinner and then go to bed.

We will be coming from the East Coast.

What about touring the Colosseum Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on arrival day? Too ambitious?

Maybe you're bright and chipper after an overnight flight, but I'm not. I wouldn't want to do it. It's tiring even when I'm well rested.

If I had to walk around anywhere in Rome after getting off a long flight, I would rather walk around the Forum and other car-free motorcycle-free areas of the city. .Having seen the Forum more than once it is hard for me to put myself in the shoes of someone who might really want to understand it, seeing it the first time, but arriving jet lagged. It does take some focus and patience to get an understanding of what these piles of stones and fragments of buildings are, what their functions were eons ago, so if you are afraid you'll end up wasting your time or needing to go back because it's all a blur to you, then no.

What I would dread most is the possibility of it being a very hot day with sun beating down. Wild horses couldn't drag me to the Forum in the middle of the day if it is hot in Rome, but others are tougher. I'd reather be in a cool museum or church.

I've been to the Roman Forum more times than I can count. (Until fairly recently, it was free to enter, and you could just stroll across it.) Every time I'm there, I'm struggling to understand things that I didn't see before, or that I never managed to understand.

The Palatine Hill is greener, more picturesque, and less crowded, so it might be a more relaxing place to stroll, but I'm always puzzling over things there, as well. There are great views of the Forum, the Colosseum, and the Circo Massimo from the Palatine Hill, and a nice little museum, if you want a little indoor time. I think most tourists would probably enjoy the Palatine Hill more than any other part of ancient Rome, but few tourists go there, for reasons I've never understood.