Hi guys.

This is my itineary .

Saturday 14-Mar-09 Fly to Rome overnight flight
Sunday 15-Mar-09 Arrive in noon- what to see this day?
Monday 16-Mar-09 Vatican/sistine chapel
Tuesday 17-Mar-09 Collosseum/forum/palatine hill
Wednesday 18-Mar-09 ???
Thursday 19-Mar-09 ???
Friday 20-Mar-09 Travel to Siena sleep in Siena

Question:
1. What can i see on the day I arrive- something not too tiring?
2. I have 4 full days in Rome.

ONE day: : Vatican and Sistine chapel
Day 2: Collosseum/ forum/ palatine hill
Day 3: Need help
Day : Need help.

My interest is little of history and more relaxing and seeing major sights only.

3. Do we need to take a guided tour for vatican and collosseum. if yes , pls give me some recommendations.

3. anyone done the seagway tour of rome ?

i have heard names like spanish steps, trevi fountains , but i don't know how to organise it days wise .

thks a ton guys

If you do not have a travel book, enter internet Fodors or / and Frommers Destinations and look for Rome. They suggest itinerary if you have 1/2/3/4/5 days, and there the places to be visited are selected to be one near other.
In these internet sites there is also shown a list of all attractions. You can select what is interesting for you.

Rome is as a open musem, all the city is full with superb fountains, statues, impressive building.

Monica -

Here it is - especially for you! Rome in 4 Days:
http://en.turismoroma.it/scoprire_ro...quattro_giorni

Steve

The one piece of advice I would give you about your first day in Rome after an overnight flight is: Don’t overreach. Rome is a challenge when you are fully rested. You won’t be that morning you come in. You also are coming thee for the first time. So don’t try to do too much. You might pick a few sites that are near your hotel that first day.

thks steve and valtor. i have so ideas now , but still wandering if 3 or 4 days , since we are more into scenic beauty like tuscany .

You don't say how much time you've already allowed for Tuscany. Four full days in Rome will merely scratch the surface and there's always the question of weather this time of year. It matters less in Rome...Tuscany might not be so scenic if it's terribly windy and rainy. But how many total nights do you have?

As for Rome, it is the one city where I think a private guide is <I>essential</i> to grasping its interwoven layers of history, art, culture and religion. My favorite day in Rome was with a private guide. We started at the Basilica of San Clemente, a fascinating place where you descend down through 3 layers of history...deep down to a pagan temple buried under 20 centuries of "fill" from the Tiber River. We then proceeded to the Forum (we had already toured the Colosseum), Capitoline Hill and ended at Pza Navona. All in 3 1/2 hours. Our guide had a way of making centuries of day-to-day life come alive.

On that first partial day, keep it simple. You don't say where you're staying, but the city center is always a good place to start. You can enter the Pantheon without a ticket. Then wander over to Pza Navona. By then it will be getting dark. Given that it's a Sunday, make your dinner reservations in advance.

Hi. I have 4 full days for tuscany and then moving onto venice. I will be staying in the St George hotel in rome .The hotel is in histolical centre of Rome and about 0.4 miles from Piazza Navona. I hope I have made the right choice on that.

Jeanne, really appreciate ur advice on dinner reservations. thks a lot.

I would suggest reserving a guided tour of the Vatican and the Borghese Museum through their websites.
I would also consider googling some of the Roman Walking tour companies for a tour of the Roman Forum.

On your arrival day, I would suggest walking around and seeing some of the beautiful fountains and buildings. You may be too tired to concentrate on something more serious that would involve a tour.

Are you going to Florence?

i am still not too sure as to would florence or sienna be my base for tuscan trip. i am interested in seeing the southern part. would march end be a good time to visit this town like pienza n montipluca. would it be as green ?

Monica: Are you reading the many other posts you started? I ask because I gave you some advice about southern tuscany on one of these, including good information for a hotel. You really should keep all of your question together on one thread.

Things will not be as green in March as they will in May, but if you are going in March, you will still see scenic beauty.

In Rome, why don't you sign up for one or more of the tours from this company; prices are reasonable and you can sign up at the last minute. Like now!

www.enjoyrome.com

If you're allowing 5 nights-4 days in Rome and 4 nights in Tuscany I think that's about right. I wouldn't cut a day out of Rome.

If you want to see southern Tuscany consider finding a place near Pienza/San Quirico/Montalcino. That will put you right in the middle of the Val d'Orcia. You can visit Siena from there. (You WILL have a car, right?)

------------------------------------

Just a personal note: Is this your first time to Italy? If you think you'll be going back you might consider postponing Tuscany to a time when you can go more "in season". I don't know for sure, but I suspect March is a little early for shops to reopen and for the vibrant life to return to the small hill towns. You could get lucky and have fine weather. But there's an equal chance of wind and rain. If it were me, I would be more inclined to include Florence on this trip and save southern Tuscany for another time.

I agree with not sleeping in Siena, but in one of the smaller towns. I think the OP has been to Italy before, or at least that is what I seem to recall from her other threads.

ekscrunchy:

Thanks for tipping me off. I always feel "had" when I find I'm responding to someone who's demonstrated a distinct tendency to ignore advice she solicited.

Monica:
Having refreshed my memory of your prior threads, I have a new suggestion. STOP researching. Having left all the work until the week you leave, you're going to get yourself so wrapped up in the details that you'll miss the small pleasures.

Given the late date I suggest you reserve tours for 3 of the days you're in Rome. Leave the details to your guides...all you have to do is soak it in. As for Tuscany, it's even harder to research than Rome because you don't know the proximity of places to one another, the routes, etc. It took me months...maybe years...to research for our Tuscany trip. You're likely to become awfully frustrated. I think it makes even more sense to focus on Florence...at least you only need one guide book to study and you don't need a car.

hi friends,

yes i am nervous , as this really a last min trip , and everyone keeps telling me i am going to hit bad weather. i had a perfect swiss trip last summer , very well planned with the help of this forums. this trip actually started on a different note. my inlaws were suppose to join for a swiss trip andthere , me and hubby suddenly plan we go to italy. we want to travel as much as we can , since we don't have kids yets. all this just develop in the last 2 weeks. so ya, i am frustrated , since i always plan my holiday much much earlier. how do i delete my old forums. thks for all the help

Rome is one of the world's great cities. I would think any easy search of possible itineraries should give you excellent ideas for what to do. Just Vatican, Colosseum and chill out doesn't do it justice -- why go to Rome for four days if all you want to see are the Vatican and Colosseum?

Your first day I would relax, walk around the historic center, see somw of the squares and fountains and have a look at the Pantheon. In the square facing the front are a couple of cute outdooe cafes and if you buy a drink in the late afternoon (Campari and soda for prefeence) they will bring you small free munchies and you can just sit and enjoy the scenary and the tourists wandering by. Then go for an early (8 pm) dinner and get a good night's sleep.