Time for sightseeing in Rome?

[dougt1957]

While all the sites mentioned are wonderful, there is so much more to Rome! For instance, the Capitoline Museum is just fantastic and a must see for us each time we're there. It is worth the trip for the statue of Marcus Aurelius and to see Michelangelo's Campidoglio alone. There is also a 'secret' staircase that takes you to the top of the Vittorio Emanuele monument with a small café that overlooks the entire Forum.

 

The Villa Borghese has the most amazing Bernini sculptures plus a host of other works, really a must see as well. The 'Daphne & Apollo' and the 'Rape of Prosperpina' are truly magnificent.

 

At the Vatican, the Scavi tour of the underground catacombs is one of my favorite all time tours; also climbing the dome of the basilica is way up there on my list. And there are great works of art in many of the churches; the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa in Santa Maria della Vittoria, San Pietro in Vincoli for Michelangelo's Moses, the trilevel church of San Clemente--so many things not to miss! So do spend as much time as you possibly can, I promise you you will not be bored!!

 

The Villa Borghese was one of the most memorable things we did in Rome. The Vatican Museum is full of treasures, but usually so crowded it is hard to enjoy. The Villa Borghese issues tickets for time slots you can reserve before you get to Rome, and limits the number of people allowed in at a time, so you can walk right up to the statues, which are marvelous, and enjoy them without having to elbow your way in. They have a website you can use to reserve your time. Don't remember the cost, but it wasn't much and worth every penny.

 

 

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[hansolosmom]

We spent 6 days in Rome prior to our cruise & 1 day post & I could have stayed longer (it's an amazing city) But, personally I think if those are the highlights you want to see, you can do it. We used the Rick Steve's book & podcasts, because it is very doable on your own.

 

Assuming your flight lands early in the morning in Rome. I would leave the bags at your hotel or at the train station, so you can get going.

 

I would hit the Colosseum first using a Roma Pass so you can avoid the line & go right in. It might be a waste since its 30E & normal admission is less, but you can skip the long line. But if you can get reservations for the Borghese you can use it for that too.(I would really add that to the list)

 

For me the Colosseum was really cool to look at, but I couldn't see spending hours there. I was done in an hour, the history buffs in my family were more interested. :)

 

After that I'd go to the Borghese, they are timed tickets & we didn't spend more that an hour there either. The Bernini sculptures are well worth it - they are amazing!

 

Stop, get a yummy panini from one of the street trucks (they really are good) for lunch (again I'm assuming you got in early 8-9 am)

 

Then go over to the Vatican area. I'm assuming you are talking about the Vatican museums, not just St. Peter's. The big one there is the Sistine Chapel, yes it will be busy, but if its a little later in the day it won't be too bad. There's a lot to the museums, but you can kind of skim through the rest to get to the chapel. You can then take the right turn which is the back way to St. Peter's. (if you can't then go to St. Peter's through the front, the line is always long, but it moves quickly). That area is open until either 5 or 7 so you should have plenty of time to spend there.

 

Go back & get your luggage & finally check in to you hotel. I really would wait until after you see things before doing that because it can waste a lot of time.

 

If you still have some energy, then you could see the Pantheon & Trevi fountain. We did the Rick Steve's night walk (we did it earlier in the day) - it starts at Piazza Navona & ends at the Spanish Steps. I didn't find the Steps that fascinating, so I would have ended it at the fountain. We did the walk, then had dinner out there, by then it was dark & we walked back to the fountain to see it lit up. It was beautiful, but it was PACKED!

 

If you don't have the energy, then eat dinner & call it a night after the Vatican. In the morning you could then see the Pantheon & Trevi.

 

I would try to leave Rome by 11am for the port. A lot of people talk about taking the train. We had a nightmare experience with it. When we got to port I started emailing car services for when we got back. It was well worth the 100E for the drive.

[hansolosmom]

The Villa Borghese was one of the most memorable things we did in Rome.

 

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Isn't that the truth! This was lower on our list, but we decided to go for it. I was so glad we did. Those Bernini statues are breathtaking.

[luvtravel88]

Isn't that the truth! This was lower on our list, but we decided to go for it. I was so glad we did. Those Bernini statues are breathtaking.

 

 

We also did Villa Borghese and it was wonderful, but if I had really limited time IMHO I would do other things first. That being said, we love art and museums so it was a place we really wanted to see. If that's not your thing, you will have many other places to go to fill your time.

[Waihekean]

To OP, sorry I have not read all the posts, but would like to share with you that as an option Celebrity offer tours to the Vatican and the Colosseum on either the embarkation or disembarkation days. You can be picked up from the airport then do the half day tour and be brought to the ship. This also works visa versa with an option to be dropped off at the airport or in Rome for Pax that want to go to a hotel/apartment.

 

It is a bit pricey to do it this way, but Hay! no worries about luggage or organising transfers and can go sightseeing straight away.

[gubby]

It can be hectic but if you leave St Peters and museum off your list, and don't have to spend valuable time in lines, as others have said you can see the highlights of Rome in a day. However, you will be spending big bucks to fly to Rome, so why not shell out for hotel for another 2 nights so that you can enjoy the time to see what this wonderful city has to offer.