1 Week in Rome - First draft itinerary... ...help!

If arriving from the states at 11.30, you will have lot of problems of staying awake and enjoying the Vatican tour on Friday night. You might do it if you are the type that takes an afternoon nap but it could be a bit too much. Travel connect could make Sunday a problem. I would skip OA and focus on the Appian Way and the catacombs. That would take most of the day.

You will probably be tired from your overnight flight, so perhaps the museum tour on Friday night is not a good idea. For your arrival day, you may want to consider just walking around - for example; Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Spanish Steps.

Sunday might be overloaded with the two items you mention: Ostia Antica and Appian Way.

Hadrian's Villa is quite a ways out of town, and would require all day.

Castel Sant'Angelo (Hadrian's tomb) is often overlooked by visitors to Rome. There is a great view of the city from the top of the structure.

When you are near Vatican CIty, look for the Old Bridge gelato shop (it is located where people line up to get into the Vatican Museum.

One addition would be the Trastevere neighborhood for a taste of medieval Rome ( and great restaurants).

Galleria Borghese is a great choice - be sure to reserve a time, since they limit the number of visitors. The park surrounding the museum is also nice.

I second the others' thoughts on doing the Vatican that late on your first day. We tried to do the Louvre on our first day in Paris because it was open later on that Friday night and were just dead and put in maybe 90 min. But, St. Peter's is right next to it, so you're also backtracking to do them on separate days. I would say to not forget the fountains -- Trevi, Piazza Navonna. It won't take a lot of time, but they're fairly well known. Otherwise, you are hitting all of the high points and seem to have plenty of time to do it.

One other thing to consider with the Colosseum is that we did the night tour, which is just differently visually but you can go into areas that you don't get to see with the regular ticket (like the underground area where they kept the animals). Our AirBnB host recommended that we see the major sites during the day and then go back and see them at night because they look so different -- and he was right, so that might be something to consider as you're strolling around.

Hi,

The Pantheon itself won't take very long to see, so you will have plenty of time for the churches that you listed for the afternoon that day, starting in the morning, depending on when you plan to arrive at the Pantheon. Have a wonderful time!

You definitely need to schedule sites like the Pantheon, churches etc. for Friday. Nothing that requires a reservation since your flight could be delayed.

First--yes, reschedule the nighttime Vatican tour if possible. Even if you take a 2-3 hour nap upon arrival, you'll still be in a zombie-like state. Best thing for Friday night is to do advance research & target a couple good but not fancy places as possibilities to eat (making sure it's within walking distance to your hotel--there are tons in Monti), get some gelato, wander around then go back to the hotel and sleep. You should feel about normal the next morning. BTW, 3 out of our 4 favorite restaurants in Rome were ones we just stumbled upon that we had never heard of--take a chance at some point.

These plans are all good, but only reserve what you absolutely have to. Otherwise, make these loose plans, kind of 'what we think we want to do that day'. And first order of business Saturday morning, my opinion is to go to the local tabacchi shop and buy a weekly bus/Metro pass for 24 Euro. And get a good street/transit map of Rome--they sell them at Termini station for 3 Euro. No doubt you'll be going through there multiple times during the week as it's the city's transportation hub.

Take time to savor, and the way to do that is to do that is to acquire advance intel now. Read, get maps, get a lay of the land. Make plan B's as in 'geez, if we're over here maybe we can stop by...St. Peter in Chains (fantastic BTW). If you make your plans loose but have a ton of information at your fingertips, to zig and zag when desirable, to stop for a quick afternoon caffe when the dogs are tired, you'll really enjoy it--I guarantee. Running around on a tight schedule is no way to do the Eternal City.

Enjoy your planning!

Alrighty, the people have spoken. I will definitely remove the Vatican night tour from Friday night! In that case we will go in the early morning (not sure when exactly), then see St. Peter's which frees up much of Thursday. I like the idea of doing the Pantheon/churches day on Friday since if we are dead tired these can be squeezed in later. Although I did choose Monday for churches because a lot of attractions are closed on Mondays, any thoughts on what to do on Monday then? Perhaps that could be a relaxed, wandering more or less aimlessly day. That would be a real treat mid-week!

A couple of not original thoughts

Do St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican museums the same day--- i.e , same trip to Vatican City

Doing the Vatican museum the evening of your arrival day is an 'ambitious' goal..... I would need LOTS of espresso to tackle that on arrival day. One other thought is that being up that late on arrival day and then trying to get going the next morning would leave me in less than ideal condition.