Hello there, we are leaving for Rome on May the 1st (late) to arrive around Noon on the 2nd. We will be staying at the River Palace up near the Piazza del Popolo, and from past experience I think on that Saturday we will likely walk around a little bit and rest up and have a nice dinner is all. Sunday it starts and we were thinking the following:
Sunday the 3rd: hopefully see the Pope deliver his blessing at 11 or so and then tour St Peter's, the Dome and the crypt, see John XXIII as well. Should we buy or can we buy tickets for this in advance to avoid lines or are we best to simply arrive early like 8:30 am and get them then?
Monday the 4th: the plan is to see the Vatican Museum today, I was also thinking of either buying the tickets ahead ( online ) or even a guided tour in English that runs about 60 Euros and that may help with the lines....if I do that...is my ticket good all day? and can I take my wife back to the Hotel for a rest and come back to the museum myself for the rest of the afternoon?....Will I have to purchase another ticket? the website I was looking at is : http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do
that is probably all for Monday.
Tuesday the 5th we thought of the Forum and Colosseum and so on with the Roma Pass that I think I can get at an info office near the hotel. maybe even the catacombs if we are not too tired.
Wednesday the 6th maybe the Parthenon and some of the Churches and some shopping near the hotel in the Via del Corso area, the Spanish Steps...
Thursday the 7th we are off on a bus tour all day to Florence
Friday the 7th perhaps the Villa Borghese and the gardens....for this I think I have to reserve ahead online? and pick up the tickets 1/2 an hour before the reserved time?
saturday we are heading home...

How does this sound for a fairly leisurely tour, should I add anything more...change things around? plan on going back ( I think that is a fait accompli already )

Thanks everyone, I look forward to your thoughts and i had better get a move on !

Dave

I can't help you with all your specific Roma Pass questions and Vatican questions -- although I can tell you MUST reserve for the Borghese -- but what I am really here to say is that it sounds like you need to get out a map of Roma and puts dots on things you want to see, so you can organize your days efficiently and don't end up walking more than you need to. And sometimes you might want to take a bus, the metro or a taxi. (And if your wife wants to rest while you want to continue touring, she should just go get herself a taxi while you stay continue touring. She won't be abducted. Take a card from the hotel to show the driver. The taxis are metered. Just find out before you go into the museum where to get outside it.)

I think you are right to set a leisurely pace with time built for taking a break, or skipping things if you are tired. As you said, you'll likely come back.

You know this but: It's the Pantheon. Parthenon is in Greece. I once made that mistake, but the other way around. I was in Athens looking for the Pantheon instead of the Parthenon.


have a great time.

I would definitely recommend a tour for the Vatican. We used Angel Tours, you can email them to set it up and they were great. Skipped the lines ups (which were about 3hrs long) fun and informative guide. I don't know if you can leave and come back, but email them and ask.
For the Forum and Colosseum, one ticket gets you into both. Buy your tickets at the Forum, hardly any line up if you get there early, and they are right beside each other.

You can get the Roma Pass anywhere, at the Tourist Information office or at Tabbachi (tobacco) stores. It's good for two first visited museums and 3 days of transportations. This will help you commute on the subway from one site to another, esp. if you are tired from walking.

We did the Vatican in one day (Vatican Museum, St. Peters, the tombs of the Popes, etc). We used Rick Steve's audio tours that can be downloaded for free into your Ipod at http://www.ricksteves.com/news/trave..._downloads.htm. He has a map for each of the audio tours. We didn't pre purchase our tickets to the Vatican Museum as we went in late March (shoulder season). There was a line but it was moving. Might be a different scenario for May.

Enjoy your time in Rome!

You need to change things around a bit if you plan to use the Roma Pass. It's three consecutive days so if you wanted to use the two free admissions for the Colosseum/Forum/Palantine and the Borghese (you must e-mail the Borghese for a reservation and tell them you are using the Roma Pass), then you should tour one on Tuesday and the other that afternoon or on Wednesday.

St. Peter's/dome/crypt - The only ticket you would need is for the dome/cupola, but that is purchased when you are already inside St. Peter's (no advance tickets). The line to get in St. Peter's is the security line, not a ticket line.

Vatican Museums - There is no reentry once you've left. If you think you need a bit of a break, then go to their cafeteria and get a snack/drink and rest a bit.

For a better idea of Vatican City and where things are look at this website.
http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/

Sounds excellent to me folks..thanks very much. I'll move things around a bit and yes, I did know it was the pantheon...but these fingers...oh well. Good suggestion about resting IN the vatican too. Thanks very much as ever.

Dave