loru100

My husband and I have a half day/evening layover in Rome on our way to Cairo. Hoping to see at least the Colloseum, Trevi Fountain, Sistine Chapel. Can it be done in an afternoon? Any suggestions for tour companies that would do something like that? All I seem to find are tours separated into monuments, ancient rome, Vatican, which of course we don't have the time for. Any suggestions appreciated!

rex

Bringing your message back up "to the top" since you are brand new here - - how do I know that? click on your own username - - it's a valuable tip that Fodors fails to give you when they send you that initial e-mail, confirming your registration. And not even mentioned in their FAQs (click on "HELP" in the little red letters, upper left hand corner). I recommend reading through those, as well.

Neither the Vatican Museum(s) - - site of the Sistine Chapel - - nor the Colosseum are open late enough in the afternoon for you to do both, to the best of my knowledge - - unless, perhaps, your "half-day/afternoon" begins promptly at 12:01 pm (and ideally, you are IN the line at the Vatican Museums to get in; the line might be as short as 10 minutes).

You can see Trevi Fountain any hour of the day or night (well, I have never actually been there in the wee hours of the morning).

Best wishes,

Rex

massagediva

I would contact Context Rome (www.contextrome.com)and see what they suggest.If I were going to be in Rome for such a short time,I'd hire one of their guides and have them tailor a four hour tour to fit your time frame.They're the best!

cybertraveler

Hi, If you only have a half day, you could definitely go see the Colloseum. You just buy a ticket at the entrance and you can walk around. If you want more information, you could take a guided tour, but you can have a wonderful time just experiencing being there. You could also quickly walk through the Forum which is right next to it. The Trevi fountain is a bit of a walk from there. If you want to save time, get a cab. I think you will not have time to see the Sistine Chapel,too as in my experience, it's usually part of a tour of the whole Vatican. You'll need to decide which you really want to see: Ancient Rome or the beautiful art and architecture of the Vatican. Either one will be awesome! Have a great time!

oakgroveinn

I have just returned from a tour of Paris-Riviera-Rome. We had one full day in Rome and this is how it went (we had a bus): we were in line outside Vatican City by 7:30 a.m. This guided tour is long and crowded.
We took a detour (Republic day parades slowed us down) but got to the Coliseum before noon. This is a complex -- you can see just the Coliseum but you'll want to see more -- the arches, the Forum and Circus Maximus ruins ... and the walk down. We finished mid-afternoon. In downtown Rome, we shopped and TRIED to see Trevi Fountain (so many people I had to stand in a shop doorway to see over them). Also nearby: the Pantheon (also closed for Republic day). So, the answer is, unless you are on your own with swift transportation, these three things will be tough to cram into one afternoon!

CaliNurse

Icon Tours has a tour of the Forum and Coliseum that starts at 4pm (so you don;t have the heat of the midday sun).

loverome

I agree that ContextRome is great. Even rented a cell phone from them on my last visit to Rome.

Enjoy your travels.