My daughter and I are visiting Rome for 7 whole days((1 overnight flight making it 8 days) in January our first trip to Italy. From my research I realize there is enough to keep us busy those days. It is hard to narrow down what we want to see as there is so much. We will return another time to see other parts of Italy.
You Fodorites are so good at planning itenaries plan me one for the city- staring on Jan. 14-20 leaving morning of 21.
I realize certin things are closed certain days and certain tours are not on particular day. We want to do tours of the Vatican, Forum ,and I went to go to the Catacombs. I also know the Borghese gallery must have reservations. Should I book tours before I go or wait until we arrive? We probably will go to the Vatican area on the 15th(Sat.) as that is a priority. 14th we arrive at 8:30am so will just explore our neighborhood of the Pantheon and get settled and try to get over overnight flight.
Take me from the 16-20 of Jan.
Thanks. You are the best at this!

Hi MA,

>Should I book tours before I go or wait until we arrive?<

I suggest booking ahead.

Have a great visit.

Maryanne, How fun for you and your daughter. And IMHO spending your time in Rome instead of trying to squeeze in other places will really add to your enjoyment. Sounds like a perfect trip.

May I suggest that between Holiday festivities etc. that you and your daughter talk about your interest etc. And than do research to figure out what is important for you to see. You do know that you will be going to the Vatican on the 15th so that is a good start.

Taking the first day of your arrival to get settled in and get over jetlag is good too. I find that rather than sleeping a good walk in the fresh air really helps. And a good leisurely lunch (to make up for that terrible airline food). If you are both real tired and do take a nap I would limit it to 2 hours at the most. You don't want to sleep so long you cannot sleep that night as you will than start your second day tired etc.

One book you might to buy is ROME, part of the Dorling Kindersley Travel Guides. You should be able to get it at any bookstore and have seen it at COSTCO and SAMS also. It is rather light in weight so might be a good one to take with you. Maybe put in your carryon for reviewing on your flight.

Am sure others will no doubt have thoughts and travel book recommendations also.

Have a beautiful trip! What a special way to start the New Year.

I don't think anyone else can really plan an itinerary for you, since everyone has their own special interests and preferences.

Two guidebooks I found very helpful in planning our recent trip to Rome were the Eyewitness Top 10, and City Secrets Rome. They have good maps of each neighborhood with recommended sights and restaurants labeled, as well as brief descriptions, so you get a good idea of where things are in relation to each other. The Top 10 has good info on opening hours. City Secrets doesn't have that kind of detail, but I really liked its "insider" hints on special places.

I tend to be a very compulsive planner and researcher. So before we went I set up a spreadsheet (actually a table in Word) for each day of our trip with a list of things I wanted to do each day, centering each day around a certain neighborhood, with possible restaurants in that area, etc.

Now we didn't always follow this to the letter, of course, because half the fun of travel is being spontaneous. But I would rather have a plan that I can deviate from than waste a lot of time each day figuring out what to do next.

Also, yes, book your tours ahead when you can, since that gives you a good framework for planning your free time, as well as not wasting time on the phone when you arrive.

By the way, the catacombs are closed now -- I don't know when they'll reopen.

Nonnafelice: The catacombs are closed?? I just went on their website and they did not mention that, other than that they are always closed in February.

We are going in mid-March and were hoping to see them.

Saturday isn't the best day for the Vatican as the museum closes early with the last entrance time at 12:20. I think winter hours during the week are also much shorter than summer hours. Try www.vatican.va for times but the 2005 schedule might not be listed yet.

Thanks. Yes, I realize there are differentinterest and ways to do this.
I do much research and know many things I want to see. I have asked before about the churches in Rome and had some good answers to that one. I have Fodors 25 top sites book which gives the info you are suggesting. Also a map with it that you can find each site.
Are the catacombs open? The tour websites are advertising them and saying closed in Feb. I have also read about the different tours suggested. Yes, my daughter and I will discuss the trip during Christmas. She has me to do the planning and then her thing is to figure out the tranportation in the city, street maps. She gets me where I want to go as she expresses it. We did France for 3 weeks this way which was a great trip as well as Costa Rica in Sept. We love to travel too.

Hi
Look into tours with either Context Rome (my choice) or Enjoy Rome as they are always well-reviewed here.

If you click on Destinations at the top of this screen, Fodors has good suggestions for organizing your time.

Friday is your first day? You'll be tired, so make it a non-museum day.
If you book with Context Rome they offer an 'orientation' walk for two hours that would be a good choice.
Or you could walk to the Spanish Steps, and from there walk past Trevi Fountain and on back to the Pantheon.

I found I used two kinds of maps for Rome. One such as Insight or Streetwise to give me a general overview and general details. But I also found that some of Rome's smaller streets weren't on the general map, and I was glad to have a booklet-map like
Michelin's Roma Tascabile for much more detail--amazon has it.

As said, Saturday and Sunday are not best days for the Vatican. Saturday you can pre book for the Borghese or visit the Colosseum and Forum (again, a guide is helpful, but there are also audio guides).

Hold off on the Vatican until Monday (again, I recommend a guided tour but there is an audio guide).

I do the spreadsheet planning as well.
My row headings are the individual sights listed approx by neighborhood or metro stop. My column headings are the days of the week. In each box I put if the particular sight is open (and its hours) or closed, or any other details like "guided tour in English is offered at 11am only" or "don't miss the gelato place across the street".

With a whole week, you could consider a daytrip, such as to Florence or Assisi or Orvieto or Lucca.

I have a long file on Rome; if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]

Maryanne, I absolutely swear by the Eyewitness book. I carried it around with me everywhere on my week in Rome. When I was sitting in cafes, taking my tea or wine breaks, I read the history and detail of the things I was seeing. (I'm talking about the Rome book.. not the top 10 Rome). Pick an area each day and spend that day exploring that area. Pop into all the churches, prowl the piazzas, watch the peoople.

When you feel like you can't walk another step, jump on a bus and ride it from end to end. You'll see parts of Rome you'd never see otherwise. And you'll observe Romans living their lives.

Have a great time!

Here is our 7 Days in Rome Itinerary that we did in Sept. We had a fantastic time!

ROME – SEPT 24 – OCT 1
Thursday – Depart Boston at 5:30 PM – change flights in Paris and continue on to Rome

Friday, September 24
Arrive Rome before noon.
Afternoon – Orientation Bus Tour. 2 hour non-stop tour pointing out 80 highlights of Rome

www.romeguide.it/FILES/visite/110ATAC.html

OR Hop on- hop off tour is a couple of $ more but would allow us to see two “out-of-the-way” sites on our list: St. Peter in Chains (famous Michelangelo statue of Moses)

http://www.cptryon.org/hoagland/trav...ins/moses.html

Rest of the day – free time (probably early to bed) Maybe an evening stroll and cappuccino or gelato in Piazza Navona where our hotel is.
http://www.romaclick.com/Pages/Rome/...ide-navona.htm

Note: Things to do Friday. Try to get reservations for Nero’s Golden Palace for Saturday early. Confirm Pompeii reservatin.

Saturday, September 25

Long walking day. Taxi to the Coliseum (maybe a guided tour here?).

Then through the Forum and ancient ruins ....Arch of Constantine,
Bocce di Verita, various temples, etc.) towards the Pantheon.

Side trips along the way to Nero’s Golden Palace (assuming we get reservations) and Trajan’s Markets.
The Pantheon is quite near our hotel so if we don’t make it all the way there this day we can pop in during free time another day.

Late afternoon/evening – free time

Sunday, September 26

Visit extended family in Rome.
Stroll through central Rome, Spanish steps, Fontana di Trevi, etc.

Free time

Monday, September 27

Vatican Museum (audio tour seems like a good choice so we could move at our own pace, take pictures, if allowed, etc. If we want a tour guide, we can get one at the entrance, I think). We should do this early to avoid crowds as much as possible.

Afternoon/evening- Walk around Trastevere.
Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Cecila,look for miraculously preserved remains at small church -
Blessed Annamaria Taigi - in the church of San Crisogno, Viale Trastevere...quaint winding alleyways, etc.

Tuesday, September 28

Scavi tour at St. Peter's,
http://goeurope.about.com/cs/rome/qt/vatican_scavi.htm

Saint Peter’s, climb St. Peter’s dome

Rest of the day – free time to shop.

Wednesday, September 29

Full Day trip to Pompeii by private van.

Thursday, September 30

Rain day
Optional stuff
Anything we missed or absolutely have to see again!


Free time ideas:

Explore Piazza Navone area: St. Agnes in agony, Al Sogno toyshop, find Harley Davidson shop, Sant’ Ignatio (trompe d’oeil),Sant’ Andrea, Campo di Fiore (photo ops),

Pasta, cappuccino, gelato, arancia, pastry, yum-yum-yum

Wander and take pictures, shop, window shop, etc.

Anything we didn’t get onto this list.

Optional sightseeing:

Catacombs (graves, bones, etc.)
Ostia Antica (ancient town)
Borghese Gallery (art museum)

FRIDAY – OCT 1

Fly home

I remember how overwhelming planning our Rome intinerary felt, too. My final method was like Elaine's. Every day started with a "closed" list. Then each day had a "______ says bad day to tour...". Then I listed the hours for each major thing we were considering seeing.

One of our priorities was seeing Pompeii. My first decision after creating my work spreadsheet was to decide the best day for that.

Then I knew I wanted to see the Borghese. Those plans had to be firm, too.

Third decision was to hire a tour guide or not. After a family conference, we decided to take advantage of the promotional free tours at the Forum, and if we liked it, we'd sign on for one other. So we put the Forum a bit ahead of everything else in the week.

I made sure all my listings were grouped geographically so we could feel free to go in one direction for a day.

How did it work out? Great. Our free forum walk was quite fun, and we signed up for the Vatican tour. However, that was all the "tour guide attention" we could take.

The Borghese reservations went smoothly, etc.

So good luck with your planning. It's hard to believe, but we were very, very relaxed once we got there!

We stayed in Rome for 7 nights and took no daytrips (well, except for the Appian Way one day - but that's still in Rome). We saw only about half of what we would have liked to in Rome and didn't see many areas of the city at all.

Booking tours ahead of time doesn't hurt and will help give some structure to your itinerary planning. For the Borghese it's a must. A guided tour of the Forum is a great idea.

The vastness of Rome almost demands getting multiple guidebooks. Make sure one is the DK. I feel that, more than most places, a trip to Rome requires a lot of advance reading/research.

I keep researching thinking how we want to do this as it is overwhelming.
Amelia- a question about the free tour at the Forum. How long was it? Are the guides located where the tickets are purchased? Which Vatican tour did you take?
Dorgal, what tour did you finally take at the Forum? Thanks for including your day by day itenarary. Sure we will do the hop-on hop off bus,but maybe not the first day after we arrive after the long flight-maybe afternoon of the 2nd day. Also the websites are helpful. Anything you would have done differently after thinking over your trip again. I always return thinking if I had only known this or that I would have scheduled my time differently.

Re: Catacombs

I know the Capuchin crypt closed for renovation this summer; that's usually what people mean when they refer to the catacombs. A booklet I got from the Rome tourist office listing various attractions only said it was currently closed but nothing about when it might be scheduled to reopen.

Probably there are other less famous catacombs in Rome. The crypts are not something I was ever interested in seeing, but maybe others would have suggestions for similar sites.

Actually most people are referring to the catacombs when they say catacombs - not the Capuchin crypt.

The Archeobus will take you to the two most famous ones:
http://www.romeguide.it/archeobus_ing.htm

The one thing I would have done differently is tried to squeeze in a few more days!

My daughter and I are going to Rome in a few days for 7 days, too. This my second time with her (and I had studied there in college many years ago). Here's our preliminary itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in the a.m. - We'll be staying with a friend who lives down the street from the Pantheon- so after we hug, chat, and unpack we will either take a nap right away or take a walk through Piazza Navonna, maybe head over to the Trevi fountain, and of course, get gelato- then come back and take a short nap. Then out again and a late dinner. I rarely sleep well on overnight flights and we never feel good unless we do a short nap. Day 2: Xmas- we will wonder Rome - just enjoy the city and celebration. Day 3: The Jewish Museum and Synagogue, ghetto, and Forum. Day 4: Castle St. Angelo, St. Peter's, and Trastevere
Day 5: Leisurely morining. Afternoon walk to Borghese Gallery (already booked tour) then back to Piazza D'spagna area. Day 6: Up early for a day trip to Florence. Booked the Eurostar on line, as well as, tickets to see David (Accademia) and the Ufizzi. Day 7: San Clemente Church and maybe take in an art exhibit- then venture to favorite areas...Piazza d'spagna, Via Condotti, Via Frattina, Via Margutta, Pantheon, Piazza Navonna, and end the day with a trip to the Trevi Fountain to throw in our coin.
For a great dining experience I can suggest Orso 80 on Via della Orso near Piazza Navonna. For a more elegant dining experience try Myosotis not too far from the Pantheon. For a touch of real Rome try a restaurant or pizzeria in Trastevere.
Rome is such a great city. Enjoy!

Forgot one more thing: I would like to recommend a book for your travel: Knopf Mapguides Rome. It is a great book that has maps section by section. I find it really easy to read and it lists many streets that other guides do not show. I also love the Eyewitness Top 10 books and Fodor's Citypack Rome.

Maryanne: I do not remember the name of the tour group at the Forum. I think I first saw them mentioned on an old website that did Rome/Switzerland by Ed and Julie (they are famous among the old timers here). Anyway, I'm rather sure they and other similar operations are still functioning because just a month ago, I read a journal by one of those kids. Here's how it works: Students give tours for free at the Forum. Entrance to the forum is free anyway. The tour deal works out fine for the students because since it's free, they get huge tips. People then can sign up for a scheduled, regular price tour elsewhere. We signed up for the Vatican tour--there was an assigned meeting place there. We were happy with both the free Forum tour and the paid Vatican tour. The free tour was no less than an hour; the Vatican tour was at the very least three hours--we stopped for lunch in the middle.

What is funny is that there are many, many trips that I would have done differently. Rome wasn't one of them. I would have handled our trip to Pompeii a bit better (I took the family to the wrong stop!), but our trip was glorious.

We had an apartment room at the Santa Chiara next to the Pantheon(we could touch its top!) and at the Angelus, we could watch the priests walking on the rooftop terrace at the seminary across the street.

Each night,after dinner we'd stroll to the Spanish Steps and/or the Piazza Navona to check out the action.

I highly recommend taking Scala Reale's Arte Vaticana tour. Try to get Elizabeth Lev as your tour guide, she was fantastic! You won't regret it.

Am sure I will be blasted by many on this board but here are my thoughts.

Of course read about history, information and travel sights etc.

But go to Rome without a schedule. Rome is to be lived, to be enjoyed! Making a schedule for every morning and afternoon etc., IMHO seems like a workout rather than a joy.

Again I do know that the majority of travelers on Fodors will disagree with me. And that is alright.

But I cringe when I read how so many visitors have everything planned out, minute by minute so to speak..

Not the way I want to enjoy Rome. But again, am sure most would disagree.

However you plan your visit I wish you a beautful time.