Hello, for my next trip, I will be in Rome for 4 nights, we will have 2 half days, and 3 full days. We are arriving on Thur afternoon 5pmish. is it too late to do anything on thur then? and our last day we are leaving at 2pm.

here are a list of places I would like to see, please feel free to suggest more locations or eliminate some. I need some help on grouping the locations for each day. We are staying at a hotel a few steps of Villa Borghese. We are in our late 20's, pretty fit, after I find some comfortable walking shoes =) we won't mind walking. Should I buy the metro pass? or should I do the pay per ride?

Trevi Fountain
Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon,
Piazza Navonna, Piazza del campidoglio
Vatican, st peter's basilica
Piazza Del popolo,
spandish steps,
Villa Borghese, borghese museum
Capitoline Museums

Thank you.
Suggestions to cafes, lunchs, dinners and nightlife locations are welcomed too.

You can start at the Piazza del Popolo, walk to the spanish Steps, Trevi fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navonna when you arrive. Square are open areas so you can visit them 24 hours a day.

Definitely go to the Borghese (must book ahead) and the visit is for 2 hours only. Arrive 1/2 hour ahead of your scheduled time to check bags.

I would eat lunch wherever you happen to be. With a short time in Rome it doesn't make sense to go out of your way for lunch.

One of my favorite restaurants in Rome is Pier Luigi, near Campo di Fiori.

The colosseum and forum are next to each other and I think you can buy a combined ticket.

The Vatican Museums and St. Peters will take most, if not all, of a day.

The churches in Rome are outstanding; one more beautiful than the next. Perhaps you're not a church person since I only see St. Peters on your list.

Santa Maria sopra Minerva is just a few steps from the Pantheon. Also must see churches are Santa Maria Maggiore (near Termini), St. Peter in Chains, Santa Maria della Vittoria with Bernini's ecstasy of St. Teresa (I assume you're a Bernini fan since you're going to the Borghese). Even more spectacular is the ecstasy in San Francisco a Ripa church in Trastevere. There are many more churches - pop into every one you see.

Get the Roma Pass, but don't use it the first day you get into town (since it is only 1/2 day). It gives you 3 days of metro/bus usage. It can be used for free access to 2 spots, plus discounts on a bunch of others.

Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill are considered a single site. Borghese and Capitoline Museums are also on it. Use it for free access to the 2 most expensive and use it for the discount on the other.

Figure you'll get to your hotel about 7pm. Perfect time to start a Roman night walk, especially at your age, but it kind of depends on exactly where your hotel is located. If it were me, I'd figure out which buses I need to take to get from your hotel to Ponte Sant'Angelo (Bridge of Angels). Depending on the time of year, it may or may not be night by now. Get over to Via Coronari (a very small street about a block from the Tiber) and follow it to the north entrance to Navonna. From Navonna, walk over to the Pantheon. While it probably won't be open, it is neat to visit at night. Now you need a side trip. Walking directly away from the Pantheon, take the street to the right side of Piazza Rotonda. Walk up about 3 or 4 blocks. On your left you'll see Della Palma Gelato. You will be overwhelmed by the flavors. Grab your gelato and head back to the Pantheon.

From the Pantheon go to Trevi by way of Via Seminario (a very small street just to the right of the Pantheon). Trevi is maybe a 10 minute walk. All of these places are great at night. Now, walk up to Spagna, there are a couple of ways to get there from Trevi, so you have to use a map.

By now, it is probably close to midnight (or later). Yes, this is adrienne's tour, just in reverse. This puts you back near your hotel.

You can do the Colosseum-Forum-Campidoglio-Capitoline Museum easily in about 6 or so hours, depending on how long you want to stay in the Capitoline. Remember though, most museums (other than the Vatican) are closed on Mondays. Start at the Capitoline/Campidoglio and end at the Colosseum (fewer crowds in the afternoon). From the bus stop next to the Colosseum, take the 87 down to S. Giovanni in Laterano, or walk up to S. Pietro in Vincoli or walk down to San Clemente (depending on the time).

Adrienne is exactly right on the churches, they are where ALL of the major artists, sculptors and architects did their work. Vincoli has Michelangelo's Moses, Clemente is beautiful and allows you to go underground through about 4 levels of Roman history. Giovanni is Rome's Cathedral and is the Mother Church.

Check out my website for lots of info on Rome, go under the "Library and Touring" menu for bus maps, actual routes, brochures and more.

www.passagetoroma.com

dave

The Borghese requires reservations and if you plan to use the Roma Pass you must call or e-mail the Borghese instead of using their online system (or have your hotel book it).
http://www.romapass.it/p.aspx?l=en&tid=2

Make use of the four electric buses lines(116 and 116T run from via Veneto to the center) if you buy the Roma Pass.
http://www.atac.roma.it/docunet/file.asp?mid=3&rid=9

The Trevi fountain should not be missed at night. It is completely different than during the day. Be careful of the guys selling roses.

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We have been to Rome twice and walked to everything you mentioned above (and more). We stayed for a week this fall and only took a taxi home late one night. Of course this is outside of transit to and from the airport. If you don't mind walking, we found it best done on foot. This could add up to a lot of walking (ie. all day) with breaks for meals, but this is how we enjoyed it most.
In terms of shoes, I tried on every brand known to man and am in love with my Naots. I didn't even need to break them in. They were comfy from day one...never a blister after miles and miles of walking.
Have a wonderful time!

Do not buy Roma Pass ticket (cost 26 euro) but buy at Termini Station a 3 days ticket (Biglietto Tueristico Integrato).
It cost 11 euro.
With Roma Pass you have discount in some museums but they are little museums and Vatican Museums are not included.
Book you ticket to Sistine Chapel in advance at www.vatican.va

magic_simon is wrong on several counts. The Roma Pass costs 25 Euro in 2010, not 26. It does not have only "little museums"; it can be used for entry to Forum/Colosseum/Palatine, which costs 9 Euro (12 Euro if there's an exhibition on); Galleria Borghese (8.50 Euro basic admission, more if there's an exhibition on). If you go to the Capitoline Museums as your third admission, it's at reduced price (4.50 Euro instead of 6.50).

To make the BIT at 11 Euro worthwhile, you have to take the bus or Metro at least four times a day. Most people, if they're staying somewhere central, use public transport at most twice a day.

There is generally no line to enter the Vatican Museums if you go around 1:00 pm; you can save the 4 Euro reservation fee.

snowchick, your itinerary looks great. Here's some things you might want to add. If you like Michaelangelo, see his great statue of Moses in San Pietro in Vincoli church, just off Via Cavour near the Cavour metro stop on via Leonina, a small very picturesque street running parallel to Via Cavour. If you like Caravaggio, you can see some of his art at the St. Maria church off Piazza del Popolo and the San Luigi dei Francesi and Sant'Agostino churches near Piazza Navonna. Other sights you might want to visit are the Ara Pacis, a Roman alter piece in a modern building not far from Piazza Navonna, and Largo Torre Argentino, a sunken square off Via Arenula containing several Roman temples and lots of cats - it's the Rome cat sanctuary.
Finally, don't miss Sant'Ignazio Di Loyola church near Piazza Navonna with its wonderful ceiling by Andrea Pozzo.

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