Figuring out timing for scheduled tours - Vatican & Colosseum - & a question about "the ruins."

If you're arriving on a transatlantic flight, why would you want to see the Vatican when you'll be in jetlag and thus won't be able to enjoy it? The day you arrive is not the day to go sightsee the places that mean the most to you.

There are lots ruins in and around Rome.

Perhaps your neighbor meant the Forum. If so it is part of the 3 part ticket covering the Colosseum, the Palatine Hill and the Forum. You can't get in without a ticket - but you say you will have a ticket for the Colosseum so you are covered.

Or maybe she meant somewhere else.

Can you ask him?

We arrive on the 19th at 4pm... our plan is to get checked in, get a bite to eat, early bedtime, start fresh in the morning. We booked a 3hr “faster than skip the line” 8am Vatican tour with city wonders...the remainder of the day is free in case jet lag gets the best of us... maybe get to Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps or do an eating Italy tour later. For day 2 we booked an early morning colosseum, Roman forum, palatine hill tour, then hoping to make it over to “alter of the Fathers” for a city view, then lunch... and possibly Capitoline and pantheon. Day 3 (our last full day) is wide open. Trying to decide between Borghese gallery or maybe get out to Appian Way or Ostia Antica for something outside the box (so to speak.) -there’s just so much to see it’s overwhelming, but I’m trying to heed everyones advise on this forum- “don’t try to see “it all” or you will ruin your own vacation.”

Hi Continental,

We arrive Friday morning (yes - transatlantic - from NYC) and we leave Rome Monday morning, so we only have Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I believe the Vatican is closed on Sunday (except for the free day), and we already have some plans Sunday morning. I read that we should try to avoid the Vatican on Saturday - which only leaves Friday as an option. Plus - I've always found it best to keep busy on that first day and fight through the sleepiness - then crash that night and get adjusted to the time as quickly as possible. But would love to hear your suggestions.

Thanks!
Susan

I understand your point about staying busy on arrival day, and I try to do the same, but the problem with the Vatican is that you may be tired enough not to have patience for crowds, lines, etc. And the crowds can be brutal--I was on a guided tour, and before we went into the Raphael Rooms our guide warned us that if we were claustrophobic, we might want to keep going and meet the tour in the next room we'd be visiting. It was absolute gridlock and, despite the beauty of Raphael's work, a most unpleasant experience. Maybe the afternoon would be better, but I'd count on a big crowd at any time. And, yes, you'd have to wait in another line to get into the Basilica, unless you're on a tour that gets to go through the "back door" in the Sistine Chapel.

I find that I'm much better off staying out in the fresh air and doing a lot of general wandering around on my first day in Europe, as opposed to intense sightseeing. If that makes sense to you, maybe on Friday you could get settled in, and then take yourselves on one of the walking tours outlined in the RS Italy book (his app has free audio versions of the tours).

The outdoor market you mention is probably Campo di Fiore. It's interesting though relatively touristy; it's worth seeing in the morning if you're free but I wouldn't schedule your weekend around it.

You asked about nighttime tours of the Colosseum. I went on one that ended right after sunset. You don't get to see the upper rings of the Colosseum (those are only visited by special tours), but you see the underground and levels 1 and 2, and the best part is that the building is almost empty. You could do that some evening, and then have a nice dinner or do an after-dark walking tour of Roman monuments.

Maybe someone here can weigh in on the Vatican Museums on a Saturday, and how bad it really is. Also, if you booked an early-morning "skip the line" tour, you'd get to the Sistine Chapel before it was completely full of people, regardless of how busy things might get later.

Sunday would be a good day for the Colosseum/Forum area; you could add a walk down part of the Appian Way and there are no cars allowed on Sunday. Regarding the Forum, without a guided tour or a very good guidebook, you may not understand the significance of much that you will see.

I have a new question. We are going to do a nighttime tour of the Colosseum on our last night in Rome - Sunday night. But this tour does not include the traditional walk through the Forum and Palatine Hill (there are some views - but not a good exploration), so I want to go ahead and get separate admission tickets to the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill for our own exploration. If I'm not worried about entrance to the Colosseum with this general ticket - do I need a timed entry to avoid lines or could I just get the open-ended one and enter pretty easily directly into the Forum?

Thank you again!

Susan

Susan, if all you're going to use it for is the Forum and Palatine, then there's no need to purchase a timed-entry ticket. A general-entry one will do.

Thank you, Kathy. So I just need to get an "OPEN 2 PM" tickets and we'll be able to enter directly into the Forum at any time (within its hours) - is that correct? (I believe the after 2:00 pm restriction is only for the Colosseum itself.)

I bought two "open" tickets. I thought I picked "Print at Home" but I did not. Can I take this receipt to an entrance that goes directly into the Forum (rather than the Colosseum)?

Thanks!

Susan

Yes, the 2:00 restriction is only for the Colosseum.

As far as picking up tickets, this is what the coopculture website says:

If you have selected the pick up at the ticket booth option, at the
end of the transaction you will receive an email confirmation of the
service carried out and the reservation code to show the cashier when
you pick up your ticket."

If you have selected the print out at home option, at the end of the
transaction you will receive an attachment with the ticket on pdf
format which you can print out on a sheet of A4 paper, or if you have
a smartphone with a display larger than 3 inches, you can view it on
your display and show it directly to access control.

So if you didn't choose the print-at-home option, you should have received an email with a reservation code. You take that to either the Forum or Palatine entrance to pick up your tickets. Do understand that the Forum and Palatine must be visited together as you will pass from one to the other inside a secured area: they're considered a single attraction even though they're different things.