First 1/2 day in Rome?

I'll be guilty of a "touristy" answer here, but the first thing we have done in past trips (Rome, Paris, London) is hop on one of those double-decker tourist buses that drive throughout the city showing the major sites. We purchase a 24 hr pass, and you're allowed to get on-and-off the buses at your leisure. It's a very relaxing way to start the vacation, PLUS you'll take note of some areas you definitely want to return to during your trip (areas/sites you hadn't planned on).

I would just wander around and visit some of the sites like the pantheon, piazza navona and the trevi fountain. You can also stop into any churches you find along the way. The problem with the HO/HO buses in Rome is that they don't get you close to most of the sites. A lot of sites are in pedestrian only zones so the buses drop you several blocks away, you can't ride past them. Donna

We follow a pattern similar to Brain. Find the hop on/off buses to be a good way to get oriented in a short time to a new location. We ride a complete loop and then decide where we want to get off and on later. Second we tend to buy mid day of the first day so we can continue to use it during the second day. And sometimes the bus can serve as a little local transportation.

The HO/HO buses are a great intro to the city. You can do that for a few hours, get a bite to eat, then take Rick's Night Walk. It's one of my favorite walks, and we do it every time that we're in Rome. The darker, the better, so you can really appreciate the ambiance of Rome at night.

My arrival is similar, arriving in Rome about 1 p.m. Since the Moses @ St. Peters In Chains church is one of my must sees and near my accommodations, I plan on seeing tha t then heading into Trastevere and starting the RS Night walk from there. If it turns out that I am bushed from my flight, I will cut out Trastevere and just do the night walk after the church.

Walk out the front door of your hotel and simply start exploring. The metro is fairly close. Ask the front desk personnel how to get to the Colosseum. About 15 blocks by foot and walking is a wonderful way to explore Rome. I've traveled many places in Europe and seen some spectacular sites. Seeing the Colosseum for the first time nearly brought me to my knees. The historical significance took my breath away. Yes, now traffic zooms by and vendors and faux gladiators want your money but it's THE Colosseum. You're in Rome, a thriving city that has been on the planet since the 8th century.

I would go to the Spanish Steps it's right off the Metro and is always "open" so you don't have to worry about that. plus in the streets around it is great shopping for souvenirs. and bonus! late in the afternoon it's less crowded

Okay, this is kind of cheesy, but my teens enjoyed it - on our first night we went to Time Elevator Roma, on Via S.S. Apostoli (from Piazza Venezia, walk north up Via del Corso and turn right on Via SS Apostoli (it's a small side street, easy to miss) and Time Elevator is on the right about halfway down the block. After that, we went to a restaurant on Piazza SS Apostoli (exiting the Time Elevator, turn right, then right at the first corner and you'll walk straight into the piazza - there is a restaurant there called Bibobar. We ate at the restaurant next to Bibobar on the left, but we had friends living there who said both restaurants were equally good. Excellent meal at reasonable prices - both pizza and pasta were delicious! Time Elevator was a quick overview of Roman history which the teens enjoyed. Piazza Venezia has the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuel which is lit up after dark and it's a major bus hub. It's also a straight shot down Via die Fori Imperiali to the Colosseum from there, so it would be easy to walk or hop on a bus and head down to the Colosseum after dinner...seeing the Colosseum all lit up at night is breathtaking! Have a great trip!

Thanks so much for the responses! I have Kindle versions of the various travel books...handy, but really hard to get my bearings with them for some reason. So this really helps. Also, to have a couple of different ideas is great because I can of evaluate everyone's mood (plus weather) and decide at the time. Thanks again.

I too like the HOHO overview bus tours on my first afternoon in a city. However, keep in mind around the time you will be starting the traffic gets congested and you may not get anywhere quickly-but that gives you more time to really get a good look. Just walking with lots of stops for coffee &/or gelati is a great way to start your trip, too.