Doing the Collusium, Forum, Palatine hill in 2 partial days?

Personally, I would visit the Colosseum & Forum on Monday when you are most rested and have the most time. These are also the two best sights, so just in case (knock on wood) something goes wrong with the weather or jet lag or whatever, you could always shift one or both of them to the following day. Tuesday would be left with your tour of the Capitoline Museum and then time at Palatine Hill if you so wish. I didn't care for the Palatine Hill much, but I think it's because we were comparing it to other things which wasn't really fair. Take it as you will, but in my opinion you can't miss the Colosseum or Forum, while missing Palatine Hill wouldn't be as much of a disappointment. Have fun and soak it in!

I agree with Josh's logic. Regarding the Strenuous plan on Tuesday, you won't necessarily hike for miles or up hills, but it will be a long day, with a walking tour first, then a "standing tour" in the museum, and we probably also assumed that you would walk more in your free time.

Thanks Josh and Laura for your advise. We'll do it that way.

The forum and palatine hill are connected by an inner walkway and often once you visit one you considered to have visited both. I would try for the colosseum on one day and the forum/palatine hill on the other. I would visit the forum/palatine hill on Monday and save the colosseum for Tuesday.

Donna

Thanks Donna. That puts things in a different order but still very doable.

Les, according to the ticketing rules, you can't split the Forum/Palatine into separate visits under one ticket. Yes, all tickets are "combos" good for two days but you're only able to access the sites once.
You may visit the Colosseum on one day, and the Forum/Palatine another day: those two are considered a single attraction.

This is explained in the Rome Tourism website:
http://www.060608.it/en/cultura-e-svago/beni-culturali/beni-archeologici/colosseo-anfiteatro-flavio.html

"PLEASE NOTE: the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill are located in the same archaeological area and count as one admission, therefore if you use the ticket or Roma Pass to get in once, it cannot be used again for the same site/area."

It's also explained - not very clearly - in the online ticketing site:

""The ticket Colosseum / Roman Forum and Palatine is valid for two days and includes one entry for each of the two sites.”

http://etickets.coopculture.it/index.php/en/component/snapp/?view=event&id=C1F4480E-9F88-41FE-BD39-1C2283FF1AF9

Kathy, I've already mentioned that and Les has already seen that post and adjusted his plan to accommodate these facts.

Donna

Very sorry, Donna - I saw your post about visiting both at the same time but it was the line ",,,often once you visit one you considered to have visited both." that hung me up as - other than free days - I've never seen an exception to the ticketing rules. Didn't mean to be redundant or step on your toes. :O)

Thanks to both of you for getting me straight on this one. Could really be confusing otherwise.

If you try to enter using the same gate on two different days they will deny you. Occasionally when you enter through different gates they will let you in both times as long as it's within the two day validity period. I don't suggest that people try this if they want to see both the forum and palatine hill. They should visit both on the same day or they risk being denied entry.

Donna

You're very welcome, Les. Enjoy lovely, fascinating Rome!

I think it depends on how much time you typically spend in museums and other sites. My husband and I did all three in about four hours, but we're not people that read every thing that's posted and don't usually linger in the same area for long (though I don't think any of the places are as well-signed as museum anyway). We did the Forum first and the line was much shorter than when we went over to the Colosseum.

We also took a nighttime tour of the Colosseum which was its own price/ticket, but seeing it both during the day and at night was worth it (and the tour guide provided so much more information than just touring alone and we went into areas that the general public cannot access).

If you have extra time (and I'm not sure what's on your tour), I'd recommend trying to hit the Borghese (you need a reservation), St. Peter's and/or the Vatican Museum (particularly the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel) -- I personally found those more interesting than the Forum or Palatine Hill (but to each their own, right?).