The airfare has been purchased, the apartment has been reserved, and now its time to plan the day-to-day activities for our five days in Rome. I will be purchasing the Rome Pass and was wondering on how to maximize its use. Right now my plan is to use it for the two ‘free’ entrances for the Colosseo (Day 3) and Borghese and then use the transportation part to go to Ostia Antica.

<i>Warning: this might seem quite hectic to a lot of people but this is the way we travel and it usually works very well for us. Also, I’m not above aborting the plan if we are too tired. The plan is a guideline and its not set in stone.</i>

<b>Wednesday, May 20 - Sunday, May 24</b>

Day 1: Arrival / Navonna / Panteon/ Sta Agnese?

Day 2: AM: Vatican / Scavi? PM: Castel St Angelo

Day 3: AM: Colosseo / Foro PM: Catacombs? Via Appia?

Day 4: AM: Borghese / Cappuccin PM: RS' Pilgrim Tour (S. Giovanni in Laterano, Sta Ma Maggiore, and S. Clemente)

Day 5: AM: Ostia Antica PM: Trastevere / Villa Farnesina/ Doria?


I want to go to Ostia but it will be cut-off if we feel like we need more time in Rome itself. I’m wondering if I should then use it the Pass to go into Castel St Angelo instead and just pay for transportation and discounted entrance to Ostia.

Myabe I should exchange the afternoons on Day 3 and Day 4 for geographical reasons, thoughts on that?

I had originally thought that the Vatican on the first day may be too much jet-lag haze, but I cannot switch it to the last day because it’s a Sunday and the museum will be closed, if I place it in the middle, I would be wasting a Rome Pass day.

So, fellow Fodorites, want to tweak my plan?

The Vatican Museums are open and are free on the last Sunday of each month.

The Colosseum won't take the entire morning so you would have time to see St. Peter in Chains church with Michelangelo's Moses.

If you go to Ostia Antica stop en route to see St. Paul Outside the Walls church - it's great. You can stop for 1.5 hours w/o buying a new train ticket. The church is within a 5-10 minute walk from the station.

What are you going to do in Trastevere? See the churches? My favorite is San Francisco a Ripa with Bernini's ecstacy.

Agree with not doing the Vatican on the first day as it's tiring.

Borghese - I believe you still need to reserve a time at the museum, even though you have the pass. I recommend the guided tour; I thought it was great - took it twice.

When you're at the Pantheon don't miss Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (the one with the elephant and obelisk in front).

The Villa Farnesina is really lovely -- you're wise to add that to your itinerary! It's quite small and doesn't take too long to visit, especially because it's just inside Trastevere, very close to the Ponte Sisto pedestrian bridge. The entrance can be a bit tricky to find, so check your map closely!

What do you mean by Doria, right after that?

Thanks for the replies!

Thanks for the tip on St. Paul Outside the Walls church being on the way to Ostia. I had not realized that. I'm wondering if Ostia is better in the afternoon or in morning. Feedback?

Thanks for the Vatican free hours, I imagine the crowds are huge on a free/open Sunday.

Yes, I plan to visit both, Moses and Theresa. In the Trastevere I would also like to visit the Tempietto.

The Doria I mention is museum Doria Pamphilj. This is on the if-I-have-time-and-energy list.

Free Sundays are usually packed at the Vatican museums, be aware of that. I prefer going to Ostia in the early morning, then coming back after noon. There are seldom any crowds there, regardless of the time.

If you have time, while you are in the Borghese/Capuchin area, you might want to walk up the 5 blocks to Santa Maria Vittoria to see Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Therese. It kind of depends on where and when you start your other tour. You may even have time to walk down to see Michelangelo's Santa Maria degli Angeli y Martyri, near from Termini.

When you are in Trastevere, stop at the church of St. Cecelia. It's really beautiful and the house of St. Cecelia (3rd centry I believe) is under the church.

I would do Ostia in the morning as late May will be warm/hot and there is little shade. I went on an overcast day in early May so it was perfect.

After you do Ostia and are walking back toward the entrance, if you find the cobbles are becoming too tough to walk on, there is a paved road that runs parallel to the main Ostia cobbled road. It's used for vehicles going to the cafe so you can access it from behind the cafe and walk it all the way to the entrance.

Wear sensible shoes for visiting Ostia.

highly highly recommend the scavi tour at the vatican. we tried to book in advance via an email address but that didn't work so we booked in person. it required us to change the order of our days but as a Catholic I was very moved by the story and experience.

thanks again to all! I'll shuffle these around and post a revised schedule.