Travel and Leisure
Rome wasn't built in one day, and you certainly need more than one to see it. For those who haven't been, and want a preview, Mat Cain created a
great little video for you to watch. A few years ago, I wrote this set of tips for a friend who had only three full days in Rome. It should be the same today; it's not like these attractions have changed much in the last couple of thousand years. I gave him two full days of touring, with another day to explore on their own. He was staying near the Trevi Fountain, so that's where I started his tours; adjust your route accordingly. You can still use Rick Steves Audio Tours "Heart of Rome" for these attractions, just start that track when you arrive at each destination.
One day: Forum/Colosseum/East side
You need the bulk of the day to do these. I recommend getting the 48-hour, combo ticket for the Forum and Colosseum by going to the group entrance to the Forum. If you were standing outside the Metro station across the street from the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine will be a little to your right. Head that direction and continue down Via di S. Gregorio another 200 metres or so until you see
this opening:
If it is early, there will only be a few people milling about, or perhaps a tour bus or two. The combined ticket for Forum/Colosseum can be purchased at the booth just through the arched entrance. You are now on the side entrance, so if you want to follow your Rick Steves audio tour, you need to head back to the main entrance (the audio tour starts on Via Sacra). You can easily spend a few hours in the Forum, so don’t forget to bring food and drink, as there are no services inside (check the new rules regarding eating in Rome however). Once you are done, you can head over to the Colosseum and be amazed at how long the lineup is, as you stroll past, smiling at your good fortune. We used the Rick Steves audio tour of the Colosseum as well.
Once you’re done at the Colosseum (we only spent an hour or so there), and if you still have some energy, head East a few blocks on
Via di S. Giovanni in Laterano and look for the
Basilica of San Clemente. Might have been 5 or 6 euros, but well worth it, as you keep going down and down, into 1900 years of history.
You can take a relatively straight shot back to your hotel along Via dei Fori Imperiali. You will get a different perspective on the Forum from a vantage point that will be on your left (look for people standing near a railing), then take the right fork at Via Alessandria and you’ll walk right past the
Forum of Augustus, and then the
Trajan Forum, and Trajan’s Column. After you’ve taken your pics, you’ll see the massive
Vittoriano Monument on the left – a new structure (1885) but impressive nonetheless. 10 mins. Walk to your hotel from there.
Another day:
I’d say you could probably do most of the other smaller archaeological attractions and ruins in a semi-leisurely day – maybe a good day to pair with an evening Vatican tour? Start by heading West and stop at
Hadrian’s Temple. Just a block away, is an Egyptian obelisk at
Piazza di Monte Citorio. You could continue on to
Castel Sant’Angelo and do a walk around, but you have to pay to go in. About 5 minutes West is St. Peter’s Basilica, where you probably need to plan for an hour in lineup and another 1.5 hours inside. I’d suggest that you could work your way back counter clockwise into the heart, hitting
Campo di Fiori. There’s a market there where you can get something for lunch, or buy a hat for the hot Italian sun. A little East is
Largo di Torre Argentina, with a wild cat colony. Next stop would be
Piazza Navona, and then the Pantheon, which is a must-see. Close to your hotel and the pricey shopping district is the Spanish Steps, which we thought was a bit of a let-down (and for god's sake, don't sit on them!). We’d also not bother with Piazza del Popolo, and since we saw so many churches in Florence, we said we wouldn’t do any in Rome other than San Clemente and the Vatican, of course.
So if you managed to get an evening tour of the Vatican museum (another preview video from Mat Cain
here), you’d still have another full day to explore on your own!
Have a great vacation!
