I have a day and a half in Rome and feel overwhelmed with all that I want to see.<BR>One of the days I will be in Rome is the Monday after Easter which I hear many things will be closed.<BR>What should I see in the time and what should I skip?<BR>How early can I get into the Vatican? Should I go through the museum tour or just make my way to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters? Is this even possible?<BR>

The answer you are most likely to hear here (and the one I am tempted to give you) is that you are nuts. It takes a good day (or two) to get used to the intensity of Rome. Otherwise, you may leave, thinking you hate Rome and that you are not interested in going back.<BR><BR>Having said that, I did once lead a whirlwind 8 hour "day visit" to Rome and we got in four very "majors":<BR><BR>the Wednesday papal audience in Piazza San Pietro<BR><BR>the Vatican Museum(s), including the Sistine Chapel<BR><BR>the Colosseum<BR><BR>and back in, to see inside St. Peter's Basilica around 4 pm<BR><BR>So, a whirlwind trip can be done. I don't know where this notion comes from - - of seeing the Sistine Chapel without (the rest of) the Vatican Museum(s) - - there's another thread on this active tonight.<BR><BR>The "main" Vatican Museum(s) is like a big "U" with the Sistine Chapel roughly at the inflection point, right in the middle. If there are shortcuts to go straight there, this is quite a deception. You have to go the full length to get there, and to get back.<BR><BR>And the Basilica is well over a half mile walk away, in spite of the fact that the sistine Chapel itself (if you could access from the bottom of the "U") is quite close to the entrance to the Basilica (with an imaginary laser beam).<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

We had 3 days and still didn't see everything on my list. Guess I'll have to go back.....sigh...<BR><BR>You can skip the Vatican Museum and go directly to the Sistine Chapel. Well, sort of directly -- it does, as Rex said, take you through the museum. You can buzz right past the beautiful paintings, however there are a few that you'll want to stop and really look at. And do go early -- it was REALLY crowded at about 11 (major log-jam to get to the Chapel).<BR><BR>Unfortunately there isn't much in Rome you can skip. I found it all very interesting and beautiful. But you can skip Circus Maximus. Just a big field. And you don't have to walk through the Forum, but I would anyway -- it is impressive. I was also unimpressed with the Castle.<BR><BR>I really enjoyed the Capitoline (?sp) museums, and also the little museum on the hill along the side of the Forum (can't remember the name, too lazy to go look it up) -- it reminded me that there was COLOR back then (why I thought everything was white, I don't know...) But it will cost you time even at a quick pace.<BR><BR>I wouldn't skip the Trevi Fountain. You don't have to spend hours, but how will you ever get back to Rome if you don't toss that coin in the fountain? <BR><BR>Of course, the Colosium is a must. Gotta do it -- and it is worth it (you enter on the side that faces the Forum). I think that and the Vatican Museum were the biggest consumers of time for me.<BR><BR>Take cabs when you can -- the Vatican Museum is a haul from the Colosium/Forum area.<BR><BR>And just remember, a day and a half is better than none at all. You might not get to see everything, but at least you saw more than someone who hasn't gone at all. <BR><BR>I would start at the Vatican Museum (St. Peter's is a 5-10 min walk from there), then hit the Trevi, then cab it down to the Capitoline Museums, walk through the Forum, then the Colosium. All that should take you close to a full day, depending on your pace. I always lay everything out on a map, and put the opening/closing times on the map too -- this way if I have more time than I thought, I can easily find what I can do that's close to where I am.

go thoughts!<BR>I will try to plan everything out, which is what I am trying to do now.<BR>I arrive on Monday from Naples so I should arrive early aft.<BR>It will be easter monday so I hear things will be closed. Would like to spend Monday at either the Pantheon or Colosseum and then Trevi Fountain.<BR>The following day I would like to start bright and early at the Vatican and St Peters with the Forum and whatever I skipped the day before.<BR>Help planning this short stop is appreciated!

The last time I went to Rome (1998) we only had 4 days. To fit everything in, we spent a lot of time doing sightseeing at night...like Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the Colosseum and the Forum. While we didn't get the in depth tours of the Colosseum and Forum that we would have during the day, it was very peaceful and serene to visit with the sights lit with flood lights. Also, made it nice to stroll after eating the 4 hour dinner. Good Luck.

Hi, Dan. I would say definitely see St. Peter's. I personally loved it. Not sure about Easter, but it generally is open very early in the morning (maybe 7am?), so you could start there. Also, when I was in Rome last October, the Vatican Museum was packed, so it would not have been possible for me to skip through it to get to the Sistine Chapel. I might have missed some sort of detour, but I just wanted to give you fair warning. If it's not a must for you, I'd say skip it.<BR><BR>To me, the joy of Rome is in the walking. Spend the rest of your time wandering around Ancient Rome. See the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum. <BR><BR>Worst case scenario, if everything is closed while you are there, you can still behold a lot of the beauty of Rome. You can get a good view of the Forum from the exterior. Take a walk by it at night as well when the ruins are lit up. The Colosseum is a skeleton on the inside, so you can still get an appreciation of it's grandeur from the outside. You can still walk through Piazza Navona and walk past the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. Most importantly, you can always eat gelato. You'll have a great time. Don't let the stress of seeing 'everything' get in the way of enjoying what you can see. Non basta una vita, as they say - A lifetime is not enough. So see whatever you have time for and go back for more!