lynnejoel1015

Hi folks,

Could you please tell me how close (in walking distance) the Vatican area is to the Forum and Colosseum part of the city?

I ask because I see some apartments for rent during our stay over New Year's that are less expensive, but seemingly out of the way, closer to the Vatican, so I'm wondering how easy a jaunt it is into the ancient city center.

Grazi!

-Lynne

SusanP

It is not an easy jaunt. I admit that I have arthritic knees and don't move as quickly as most people, but still, it's NOT a short walk. I highly recommend that you look for something in the Piazza Navona/Campo de' Fiori/Pantheon area. Much more central and close to a lot of things, lots of great restaurants right there, good bus connections.

gb944

If you are a robust, fast walker, you might be able to walk the hills from the Colusseum to the Vatican in about an hour and a half. The hills go both ways, up and down.

That said, we stayed near the Vatican in a B&B, took the bus or tram everywhere and had a great time. As I recall, the weekly bus/tram/subway pass cost about 25 euro per person.

Just watch out for pickpockets.

monicainindy

There are metro stations near both. Just jump on the metro.

We walked from the Vatican to our hotel near the Coliseum, and it took us and hour. We are in our thirties and pretty fast walkers.

I am taking my mother in two weeks, and will be relying more on the metro.

annhig

hi, lynne,

we stayed in the Monti area near the colosseum, and loved it round there, but it does mean either using public transport of walking to get to most places.

also don't forget that taxis are relatively cheap, especially if there are two or more of you.

you might also consider what your interests are - if you think that you will want to spend a lot of time round st. Peter's and the Vatican, then it's a good choice. If on the other hand you want to do lots of shopping, it's probably a false economy.

hope you find what you want,

regards, ann

ira

Hi L,

Here's a map of the metro system:
www.romebuddy.com/givesadvice/subwayroutes.html

Vttraveler

Hi Lynne
Just wanted to mention that getting to the Colosseum/forum/Palatine area from the Vatican area by metro might not be easy. It depends where you are staying relative to the Vatican subway stops which are to the north of Vatican City. The same applies to getting to the Spanish steps or Piazza Barberini by metro. If you aren't close to the metro and to get to other central parts of the city like Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori and the Pantheon you'd probably be better off taking a bus. Trastevere is also very easy to reach by bus.

We stayed in the old ghetto neighborhood and went to the Vatican three different days (out of 7) and found it was an easy bus trip. However we were happy we had an apartment that was more centrally located so we could walk to other sites.

lfin

The metro lines for the Colosseum and for St. Peter's Basilica (Ottaviano stop) are on two different Metro lines, which requires a change at Termini rail.

The major festivities for year's past have been at Piazza del Popolo, so I would urge you to be in walking/easy bus distance of that, but not with that address.

We have a small apartment in Monti (they are all small there!) which we find is very convenient --- it's in the thick of the action, near metro and many electric/conventional bus lines, but is also very quiet. Look for a place in Monti.

Chafoler

We only had a couple of days in Rome, so we decided on a private guide to make the most of our time in the Eternal City. The guide took us for the afternoon to The Vatican, Sistine Chappel and St. Marks. The next morning we did Ancient Rome - The Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill. The guide was amazing, relaxed, knowledgeable, and thoughtful. She seems genuinely excited in showing us her city. We happy with the tour of Rome and highly recommend this tours.

Traveler_Nick

It's about 4km. Google maps will give you various walking routes passing various sites along the way. 4km isn't a huge distance. Google claims 50 minutes for the mid length route. A fast walker would manage the shorter route in far less. But why rush? You'll pass so much along the way.

If you can physically handle walking it really is the best way to see the city. The Colosseum area is the basically the extreme point from the Vatican area. Outside of a few things you'll mostly be closer then that.

AJPeabody

4 km is 2 1/2 miles, or 5 miles round trip.

tuscanlifeedit

10+ year old thread topped by someone who just registered to name a service.

AJPeabody

It would really help if old dates were in red. Easy to miss 07 vs 17. I triangled the topper.