6 hours in Rome! Looking for suggestions

either Sistine and St. Peter's or Colosseum and Forum

I don't think I could do it to myself, it'd be like torture. However.....there is no way that you can visit your list in 6 hours, well you could get on a bus and drive by but what would be the point?

My advice would be to skip the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, overblown tourist traps in my opinion. The Colosseum is my all time favourite sight in Rome and visiting it by metro where you ascend the steps and exit before the incredibly fantastic sight is awe inspiring, the perfect introduction. Six hours spent exploring the Colosseum and surrounding Forum will go quickly and leave no time for anything else. Don't cheat yourselves, better to do one thing well than five things badly.

@Cala

So either of those two combos will take the whole 6 hours? Thanks!

I think people are assuming your 6 hours includes time to get between your arrival point (train station?) and the sights you plan to visit, time to stand in the entry lines and possibly time to check and retrieve your luggage. When you factor all that in, your 6 hours will pass very quickly. I agree that you should choose one pair or the other. Trying to do both would be incredibly rushed. If you finish early, visit the Trevi fountain and Spanish Steps. Another option would be to visit the Vatican sights and, if you have time, take a taxi to and stroll near the Colosseum and Forum without going in. The 2 pairs of sights are on different Metro lines that intersect at Termini train station. One Metro line stops very near the Colosseum while the other requires a longer walk to the Vatican sights.

Where you arrive in Rome? Airport, train station or off a cruise ship en route to airport? And how are you getting in and out of the city? At any rate you will have time for either the Vatican area or the forum/Colosseum. My choice would be the forum area because that’s where my interests lie.

Spanish Steps could be a drive by in taxi depending on whereyou are heading after the six hours.

The metro system will get you to either Vatican or Forum areas from Termini the main train station but it’s not extensive like the London or Paris systems.

Get hold of a good map of Rome to see where things are

Are you on a cruise that stops in Rome for the day? If so, I recommend using a cruise line excursion. You can cover a lot of ground with their included guide/transportation. We did that last summer, and did the Colosseum (exterior), Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, lunch, and St. Peter's interior. Very helpful to have a guide, included bus transportation from Colosseum to Trevi, then Piazza Navona to St. Peter's, and to and from the port. I think it was about $90/pp via the cruise line and it was well worth the money.

As others have said, you might be able to do St. Peter's, Sistine, and some of the Vatican museum in your 6 hours. If you do the Colosseum, it's all the way across town from the Vatican area, so it will take up most of your 6 hours if you do an interior viewing plus walking among the Forum/Palatine hill. Trevi Fountain is very pretty and it's midway between the Colosseum and St. Peter's; don't waste your time with Spanish steps, they're literally....steps.

Hi again! Thanks to everyone who replied thus far.

Here's some more info.
We will be on a cruise so there is no concern about luggage, etc.
We were going to get the transfer into Rome via the cruise line's excursion desk and then do some touring on our own.
This is our first time in Rome and we do intend on coming back (not via a cruise next time).

rungirl, as others have said, yes it would take the better part of 6 hours to see either combo-and could take even more than 6 hours.

Thanks for all of the advice! This was very helpful.

Based on feedback from you folks, we're going to buy into the excursion through the cruise line, which will take us past some of the things we wanted to see, and then will provide us tickets to get into the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel.

We will have free time for lunch - any suggestions for a quick meal?

Which cruise line? I ask because my cruise line actually charged more for "Rome on your Own" than for the excursion I mentioned earlier! It was crazy! Plus, on your own you have to do all the intermediary transportation, etc. I am normally a huge fan of "do it yourself" travel; however, for cruising, esp. when the city is far away from the port like Rome, I think an organized excursion makes more sense and allows you to see more in a short amount of time. Just my $.02.

We're going on MSC. Rome on Your Own would have been $60US/pp. The inclusive tour we've decided to take will be $117US/pp.

I had thought we could handle an "on your own" tour (as we do prefer exploring on our own) but after reviewing the RS tour guide and getting feedback here, it's just going to be much simpler.

Angel Tours does a fantastic Golf Cart Tour in Rome which covers a lot in a few short hours, this might be a good option. With limited time I think taxi is faster than the metro.

I would do the Vatican Sistine Pristine. It’s 3 hours starts 7:30am. You’re done by noon. Grab a pizza and taxi to Spanish Steps and walk to Trevi Fountain and maybe Pantheon too (all not far from each other). Eat some gelato and more food and maybe see outside of Colosseum.

Hi rungirl,

Behind St. Peter's Basilica, you can walk a few minutes to Borgo Pio. There you will find restaurants and shops. As a "landmark," McDonald's is there. So you will know you are in the right area.

I believe there is a restaurant or cafe in the Vatican - never been. Of course, it will be crowded.

http://www.oh-rome.com/en/rome-districts/borgopio/