First time trip to Rome-Can it be done in 6 days?

Elizabeth,

Yes, I believe you can see Rome in six days. It would be a good idea to plan your sightseeing carefully so that you don't waste any time, and I'd recommend packing along a guidebook, perhaps the Pocket Rome or the larger Rome edition. The book will also help in your planning.

Depending on what you plan on seeing, you may find it helpful to buy a [Roma Pass,2 which will provide some transportation as well as admission to sites. As you'll be there for six days, you may also need something like a B.T.I. ticket. These only have to be validated once and are then good until midnight on the third day (as you'll note from the website, there are also daily tickets). Be VERY careful with the validation of tickets, as hefty fines will result if you forget and are caught with an unvalidated ticket.

I normally use hotels as I often travel solo, but I'm sure the others will have some good suggestions on apartments. You'll first have to decide which part of Rome to stay. I normally like the Termini area as it's so very convenient for transportation, but everyone here has their own preferences.

YES, you can absolutely get around without renting a car. Rome has excellent public transit with Metro, Buses and Trams. Which transit you'll need will depend on which area you stay and which sites you want to visit. Between transit and walking, Rome is very easy to get around.

For some of the significant sites, you might consider hiring a local guide as they can really add a lot to the appreciation and knowledge of the places you're seeing. One of the absolute BEST guides in Rome (IMO) is Francesca and I'm sure you'll all really enjoy one of her tours (but BOOK EARLY).

6 nights is 5 full days. Is it enough? Well of course not. But it is enough to see a good deal and develop the desire to return another day. Rome like all European cities is best seen walking and on public transport. You don't need a car. I have seen groups of Asian tourists be driven around in Mercedeses but it always seemed silly to me. I wondered how much the person in the middle of the back seat was seeing of the Pantheon as they drove around it. My son and I were walking around and photographing it at the time.

Rome is full of interesting things to see and 5 full days will get you to many of them. Let me recommend the little visited Aqueduct Parc reached by metro and that you get reservations for the Borghese museum well in advance. When I was there with my young adult kids, we rented a car for one day to visit the Etruscan tomb sites of Tarquinia and Cervetari and that was pretty interesting. Villa Adriana and Villa d'Este in Tivoli are also a nice day trip. And if you have never been to Pompeii then a visit to Ostia Antica on Rome public transport is well worth the time; take your own map from on line with you and a picnic. With this amount of time you wouldn't want to do all those, but perhaps one of them. I'd probably go with Ostia Antica but Villa Adriana is a magnificent ruin.

An apartment would be a good idea with 4 people and it is just nice to have a kitchen but the norm is Sat to Sat weekly rentals. You may be able to find a partial week rental but it is a bit more of a challenge.

I agree with Janet, it's not enough time but you'll certainly get to see some of what the city has to offer. Rome has hundreds of sites worth visiting and it's impossible to see them all in just 6 days.

Have your sons read through some guide books and make lists of what they want to see and do. Compare those lists with the lists you and your husband make and then you will know what you will be seeing and can plan an itinerary.

There are only a few sites that you'll want to book in advance if you choose to visit them. If you let us know what you want to see we can help you with a day by day itinerary.

Rome is a very easy city to walk. They also have a great public transportation system with the metro, buses and trams. You'll have no problems getting around the city so I wouldn't worry about hiring a driver except to take you to and from the airport.

Donna

It's so refreshing to see a question about six days in Rome rather than two!

Get a good guidebook (I like e-versions) and a map (Streetwise maps are laminated so you can mark a route for a day and then a new route the next day). I like the RS self-guided walking tours if you are not familiar with Rome.

Lonely Planet guides have itineraries based on number of days you have.

While you can't really "do" Rome in 6 days, you can see a lot.
Look at Rick's favorite sites section of his guidebook.

Lots of folks try to do it in one or two days, so you're a lot better off than they are. In choosing a place to stay, you might think about what most interests your family, and also how you feel about public transportation. For example, I don't do buses – they are useless where I live, and I've never mastered the art; trying to figure them out makes me nervous. Consequently, in Rome, I stay near Termini because it has easy access to the metro (which doesn't go many places in Rome), and there's a taxi stand near where I stay in case the weather is wretched. It's also near two of my favorite churches.

I'd suggest planning major activities carefully. The RS guide books are really helpful for that, since they identify what's open late and what days specific sites are closed.

Context Rome provides small group tours, and with a family of four, you could schedule private tours with them. I have used them many times and have always been really pleased with the quality. You can check their website for specifics. I find that a good guide really enhances my understanding and experience of what I see – even when it's something that I think I know well.

You can see it in 6 hours if you want. Just not all of it.

Actually if you arrive on a Tuesday and fly away on Sunday all you have is 4 full days (Wed-Sat). But even with only 4 full days I think you have time to squeeze a day trip to Orvieto and maybe a visit to Ostia Antica.

Depends on your goals (read: the length of your must see list) and your ability to accept that you won't see it all.

A lot of people will tell you that "such and such" time is not long enough. But, I'd take a day in a place like Rome if it were offered to me anytime. Is it enough? Of course not! But I'd go and have a blast all the same.

I think your six days will be plenty of time to get a great sampling of what the city has to offer.

Happy Travels!

I heartily endorse the idea of putting your sons in charge of some of the planning. We took our young adult kids to Rome about 12 years ago for 10 days and rented an apartment near Piazza Navonna. It was our son who took me to Aqueduct Parc and he has uncovered interesting things in other cities we have taken him to e.g. the John Soanes Museum in London. People who help plan are better to travel with and they are likely to introduce you to some things you wouldn'gt discover on your own.

I agree with others in response to your question, yes 6 days you will not see everything, but that is still a good amount of time to see many things and not feel rushed or frustrated that you did not "see" Rome. You will see Rome and you will hit many of the highlights and not fee rushed. If you have not already done so, do buy the Rome RS guide book which will help you map out the days and evenings. Yes, you will be exhausted, but do take a walk that day. No car is needed and is only a pain and you do not need to hire a driver. You will be taking the buses, metro and mostly walking. You do need a map. An apartment is great as you may have more room to spread out and may be cheaper. But a hotel is great as they have good breakfasts and for the first timers in Rome, you will have someone ( staff) to answer questions, where is the restaurant, where is the bust stop, where is the metro, staff can make dinner reservations and tell you how to get to the museum, Vatican, Forum, Pantheon, etc. Where in an apartment you are on your own. I find most people ( not all) get an apartment on their visit back to a city, because they know the city and don't need to depend on the staff. Not to say people don't take an apartment on their first visit. But then you need to buy breakfast foods and clean up after yourself and your not there that long and have to getting going each day. Just a thought, not to say an apartment is not right for you.
I would also look at the RS week long Rome tour ( I took the tour twice) and see what it does every day. This will give you an idea of what to see and in what order. Have a great time! Ann

We will be in Rome for 4 nights this June with our 3 teenagers aged 14-17. We like apartments and condos on our travels with our teens. They have a little more room to themselves which makes everyone a little happier. Its part of the adventure shopping for breakfast and snack foods! We found a nice apartment on VRBO in the Vatican area. Many of them that I looked at booked 3 nights or more no problem. VRBO is easy to navigate and works best when you know what area you would like to stay. It only took 24 hours from the time I picked the apartment to putting down a payment through Pay Pal.

We rented an apt near Piazza Navona & it was a great location (down a little alley with shops) The apt. owner arranged for a driver to pick us up at the airport (for 50Euro) & it was more than worth it- you're exhausted from a trans-atlantic flight & the last thing you want to try & do is figure out a new city. We walked most everywhere except the Colosseum & for that we took a taxi....Rome is a vibrant city & 6 days is a good "introduction"- ENJOY!!! Caio

Everyone, thank you very much for your help, guidance and suggestions. We are looking forward to the trip.