How does this sound if you only have 4 full days in Rome ?

Not too much as most stuff is outside not far from each.
Just get out early; the Trevi Fountain was not much to look at with mobs of tourists surrounding it when I was last there.

Actually think it is pretty relaxed. The hop on/off in the center are restricted by pedestrian zones and traffic but the bus to the catacombs is great. Your days are going to be shorter in Nov so that could cause some difference. Brexit will not have any impact on travel schedules. Don't know why people keep thinking the Brexit going to do anything to the tourist.

The only reason my mom is worried about Brexit is we would be arriving there during it (late October early November) and we are visiting the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland UK as well.
Not knowing if there is going to be a border?
Hard border or not ?
Tensions if they put in a hard border ?
Worried that if we are there during this transition there might be delays etc.

Just a safe side. Not thinking it’s going to turn into something scary just being cautious.

So is the Hop on Hop off of any value ? Or are they really useless in Rome ?

I also agree that your itinerary is very reasonable and not too packed (or hurried). Your fourth day will be quite relaxed, as each of the places you list for that day are quick/easy places.

Also good you have the Vatican (and I assume St. Peter's) on your first day, as sometimes St. Peter's can be closed for special events/private masses, so if that is the case for your Day One, you will have other day to try again. It took us three tries (over three different trips) to finally make it inside (we also climbed to the dome, which is great fun, if you are into climbing).

Have a great trip.

We did almost this exact thing, but with the addition of the Borghese gallery and Capitoline museum. We walked everywhere. The one time we took a city bus (to get to the Colosseum), the bus took so long to arrive, and then we had to transfer, that walking would have been faster, so we walked back. We did take a bus to the Borghese gallery in the morning, and that was fine (except the wait for the bus) but then walked back from the villa Borghese park, and passed the Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, Piazza Navona, and ... cant remember the name. Point being, you see a lot just by walking around the city without having to schedule it. We visited most 'must see' things first thing in the morning, and then wandered throughout the afternoon to see other sites as our energy and interest dictated. We had a tour of the Vatican that started at 7am (Roman Guy). Tour of the Coliseum that started at 9a (Coop Culture), and first slot at Borghese (9-11). Out rental was in the trastevere neighborhood, which worked incredibly well, because the area turned out to be like the hub of a wheel, so we were almost equidistant from all the places we visited, so on each morning, we just head out along a different spoke to get to a site. 4 days is a satisfying time. We also had 4 ½ and that was perfect. I know I gave you more info than you asked for. Sorry ; )

Perfect info. We were going to take city busses but with hubby and I both with limitations we will bite the bullet and just take a few cabs when we need to. Trying to find a place in the center and make that an easy place to come and go from. Thank you so much for the idea.

I’m feeling much more comfortable now. We do have a buffer day that has not been allocated to a place yet so if nothing else feels too tight, Rome might get that extra day. LOL

The hop on/off are less useful in the old center city because they cannot get real close to many site because of the pedestrian zones and heavy traffic. Less convenient than cities like Paris and London and sometimes you need to walk a couple of blocks to the pick up areas. But there are several routes so you should evaluate it yourself depending on where you want to go and see.

You are over thinking Brexit. Hard border, soft, or something in-between is not going to make any difference.

When you are visiting the Roman Forum, be sure to take the elevator to the top of the Victor Emanuel Monument. The view of Rome is amazing from there especially looking down on The Roman Forum and across the Forum at the Colosseum. There is an elevator behind the Monument. If you can work it into your schedule, I would do it at the beginning of your stay. From there, you can see most all of Rome and it will help you judge the distances between sites.

So is the Hop on Hop off of any value ? Or are they really useless in
Rome ?

Really useless except for the one which does the Appia Antica route, maybe. Otherwise, don't spend the $$.

One day do : the Vatican ( Museum, Sistine Chapel etc) whatever we can fit in.
Another day : Colosseum and Roman Forum
Another: Castle St. Angelo and Piazza Navona
Another : Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain

Photobear,

I don't know if your list was on purpose, by accident, or you know this -

You can visit Castel Sant'Angelo, The Vaticano, and Basilica di San Pietro on the same day so you are not backtracking and losing time on another day.

It would have to start out as a very early day (at least for the Vatican.) Castel Sant'Angelo is down the road from The Vatican City. You just have to coordinate the timing after St. Peter's.

When you reach St. Peter's Basilica after The Sistine and Vatican, you can find an altar with pews (for a rest.) No one will limit your time.

Also, if interested, there is The Chapel of The Blessed Sacrament. It has gorgeous, ornate sculptures, beautiful altar, and pews you can (silently) rest, reflect and pray. No photos allowed in The Chapel. Guards do spot checks.

The other Piazzas can be visited in one long day or split into two. Check out this map/self walking guide https://www.rometoolkit.com/walks/rome_walks.html

(Scroll to where it starts at "Sightseeing Walking Routes of Rome" There is a list of all the major attractions and their "walking routes/distances."

The above may help to better plan and utilize your shorter stay in Rome.

Yosemite thank you. I had no idea. How cool is that.

Thank you all.

As for “fearing” Brexit, I am at the mercy of what Mom wants to do as I will not tell her how to feel and I would move mountains for her. Just hoping a deal is in p,ace before too long to put her mind at ease.

Here's a map with all the taxi stands in Rome.

https://m.tuttocitta.it/taxi/roma

I agree with Girasole. It makes more sense to visit Castel Sant'Angelo and the Vatican the same day.

Hi Sam,

Regarding:

One day do : the Vatican ( Museum, Sistine Chapel etc) whatever we can fit in.
Another day : Colosseum and Roman Forum
Another: Castle St. Angelo and Piazza Navona
Another : Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain

Piazza Navona is very near the Pantheon, so can be easily added into that day as well. However, the is a lovely church named Sant'Agnese in Agone that is in the piazza that is quite nice to see and is not often open, so if the doors are open, take a peek.

In addition, Castel Sant'Angelo is close to the Vatican, so you can tack that on to the day you do the Vatican and free up an extra day without cramming the others to the brim. If you wish to visit the Vatican, I suggest choosing a day beforehand and purchasing tickets beforehand (a guided tour is quite worth it). If near the Colosseum/Roman Forum, I do suggest the Mercati Traianae museum, highly worth it!

This will allow you to see the main sights, and I agree the Roman catacombs are interesting, they are somewhat out of the way, so that may be to reconsider, but there is an old Capuchin crypt on Via Veneto that is interesting to see as well.

A fellow Canadian,

David

Great ideas. I will look at reworking it. Can’t do Castel Sant’Angelo on the same day as the Vatican because it would be too hard on those with mobility issues. I will be in pain after the Castle but I still want to see it. All those stairs will be a lot for my 75 year old mom too. I think it is best to keep it separate.

Might just have to add that extra Day to Rome. Seems there is so much to see.

Side question. Are the Spanish Steps that important to see ? Is it the area that is worth it ? I’m not sold on that one but seems to be in all guidebooks so I don’t want to miss out if it is really nice.

Hi photobear,

Ok, I understand about the mobility/being tired issues. But, if you change your plans, keep in mind as I suggested above, you can rest on pews at St. Peter's - unless you are not going to visit The Basilica.

Suggesting planning all three in one day - I figured it would be easy "since you are already in the neighborhood" of The Vatican, St. Peter's and Castel Sant'Angelo. But, you know yourself.

Also, keep in mind, you can rest a bit at little cafes or eateries in and around the Piazza of St. Peter's. Around the back of St. Peter's, is a neighborhood of little shops, little restaurants, cafes. And, no one will rush you away.

The Spanish Steps can be a quick visit. Those who can or choose to do so, climb the stairs to the Trinità dei Monti
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinit%C3%A0_dei_Monti

Another point of interest at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is one of the most famous squares in Rome (Italy). It owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, seat of the Embassy of Spain among the Holy See.

Nearby is the famed Column of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. < That is where the Pope gives his Blessing on December 8, The Feast of The Immaculate Mary.

I don't know if you have considered this or mentioned it: Are you bringing canes to help with your mobility issues? Sure, you have to be extra careful on cobblestone, but, it most likely will help as a 'third leg' to take some of the affected pressure off. Just a thought...

Adding - some other fun facts about The Spanish Steps
https://www.thelocal.it/20160923/eight-things-you-should-know-about-romes-spanish-steps

The "ugly boat"

*The fountain at the foot of the steps is called 'Fontana della Barcaccia' or Fountain of the Ugly Boat. But why? A city legend says the fountain was built on papal orders, inspired by a flood which carried a fishing boat all the way to the square.

If it interests you: This is what takes place on the Feast - https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/feast-of-the-immaculate-conception-in-rome-2-2.html

It's crowded as you can imagine, but a sight to witness, for sure. Of course, it's only in December. But, I just wanted to give you ideas of the meaningful area in and around Piazza di Spagna.

Often, I like to suggest watching these https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRomanGuyTours/videos?disable_polymer=1 Browse the videos. You will get good views and ideas of what to expect, what's around, maybe what's off the beaten path, how to navigate around the city, and some fun tips.

Yes we walk with walking sticks. It was very helpful when we visited France in 2015 and the U.K. in 2017.

Haut Koenigsburg Castle in France was a lot of steps and I’m basing Castel Sant’Angelo on how we felt after that. LOL

Great info on the steps. I had not read up on them yet and didn’t understand why so many people wanted to see some steps. Great info. Thanks a bunch.

Photobear, You're welcome :) Have fun!

Too much each day? Not by a long shot, lol! I agree that your itinerary is way too relaxed. You can visit much more than you have listed and still be relaxed.

We'd recommend that you book your tickets to the Vatican Museum early. We booked the one with breakfast and did not have to be in the queue for long.

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/musei-e-collezioni/colazione-ai-musei-vaticani.html

Also, we opted for the audioguide so we could take our time touring the museum.

There are a few cafes in the museum that you can rest and have a bite.

We spent the whole day there! Well, most of our time was spent in Sistine Chapel as we managed to find a seat, and were able to sit and do our reflection and prayer.

From the Vatican Museum, there is a door that leads to St Peter's Basilica. We timed our visit to end at about 4pm so we could go for Eurcharistic Adoration, Benediction at 4:45 p.m and Mass at 5pm.

Here's a good map of St Peter's Basilica which we find it very useful in our planning.
http://stpetersbasilica.info/floorplan.htm

Hope it helps in your planning.

:) KK

When coming back from the Borghese Gallery we used the Spanish Steps. To be honest, not somewhere I would go out of my way to visit. It was very crowded with people sitting everywhere but probably not an issue mid-November. There is an elevator by the nearby Metro station if you want to climb up to the church. For Vatican Museum I would recommend one of the early tours, before it opens to the public, otherwise its wall to wall people, even in the off-season.

Such great information. I cannot thank you all enough. The maps, the hints and tricks.....perfection.

I might have change the itinerary to give us a 5 day in Rome. I am sure I will find a way to fill it. LOL.

Rome will be at the end of 4 weeks in Italy. Hopefully we will get a good taste or several regions.

Hi. We did an evening tour with this company when we were last in Rome, about 4 years ago. We thought it was wonderful and we had no mobility issues, we were walking 10 miles a day and we were just tired. https://golf-cart-tour-rome.com/ Also, as they say on the website "We don’t run on pre-set itineraries, you can decide for yourself which sites you want to see and coordinate an itinerary with your driver/guide.", so that is pretty amazing. Oh, and also, of course they will wait if you want to go in to, say the Pantheon. Last fact, their drivers are realy guides and , if you are interested, will talk a lot about what you are scooting by AND again if you are interested will take you to really interesting small spots that most people never see, like the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola . Not cheap, but 4 hours (or 6) or 2 hours at night being zipped around (as opposed to walking) in a golf cart, which can go where cars can not, seeing great things and hearing fabulous stories … priceless. And, hand to heart, I have no connection to this company