How long to get from the Colosseum to the Vatican?

Hi Jessica
Yes it is possible. There is a metro stop at the Colosseum (Colosseo) and near the Vatican (Cipro). Three hours for the Colosseum/Forum and Palatine is approx what we found this past March when we were there and we had someone using a wheelchair!
Cathy

They are not that far apart so you could easily walk in that time frame. But if at least two of you, take a cab. Much more convenient and easier than the metro and fare will be reasonable. Just make sure the meter is running.

Thanks, I really appreciate the help. Now I can book both of the tours, and be set for the trip!

An hour and a half is just fine to have lunch and get over to the Vatican without worrying about missing the tour.

It's about 2.5 miles to walk from the Colosseum to the Vatican. I wouldn't do it considering that you also want to have some time for lunch. You can take the metro or take a taxi to save time. It would be about 6-7 Euro for the trip.

I find it easier, quicker and very inexpensive to take the bus from the Colosseum area to St. Peter's. From the Colosseum, you walk to Via Plebiscito where you can catch bus 40, 46, 62, or 64. These buses run every few minutes and drop you off just outside St. Peter's square.

You have enough time but I would definitely recommend taking a taxi for stress-free movement - you can check from before where the taxi stands are at the Colosseum (the meter should start at 2.80 euro, I think).

The metro is doable in the time you have but the Vatican stop is a little way from the actual museum whereas the taxi will drop you right at the museum, and should be around 10 euro or a little more.

Also, if you haven't booked your tours yet, I can highly recommend the welwalkinrome.com tours - we did this last week (Colosseum, Forum, Palatine) and it was absolutely fantastic and well worth it. They also offer Vatican tours and I am sure the quality will be as high.

Enjoy!

Mealtime is never a big deal for us, and if you find yourself rushed for time there will be several panini wagons in the area where you can grab a fast sandwich and drink if time is short. Have fun!

I'm all for public transit in a big city like Rome. But if you are strapped for time as you most certainly are when you have ONE day in Rome to explore I'd definitely consider the splurge for a taxi.

Our experience with taking the bus on a Sunday in Rome ended with sitting at a bus station for close to an hour waiting and waiting to get back to our hotel - and watching taxis zoom by ... Mind you, we did have time that day and just took it in stride as part of our travel experience.

James,

I'm the one taking the picture :-)

But the real question for those who've been in Rome: where were we?

Certainly enough time for both. The metro has two stops somewhat near the Vatican, but both will require some walking. We usually got off at Ottaviano because it was closer to our B&B than Cipro; but I think Cipro and Ottaviano are about the same distance to the main entrance at the Vatican. The metro is cheap and you don't have to wait around long for one to show up. All the signs they have make it hard to get on the wrong one, and once you do get on the right one, you KNOW it's going to stop where you want it to.

being a compulsive planner/scheduler myself, the only thing I might recommend is to maybe go from the Colosseum to the Vatican right after your tour - at least then you'll know how long it takes to get across town and if you have to, you can always get a panini or pizza (hey, why not gelato for lunch? :D When in Rome.....). At least then, you'll be at/near the Vatican and that'll be that much less stress if you're tight on time.

Jessica -
I plan to do something very similar next month. We will be in Rome for a day and a half and I plan to do one of the ancient ruins before lunch and then either head to the Vatican before or after lunch - depending on what food we find and how hungry we are I guess.

Anyway, I was looking at Metro and it seems like it could take about half an hour to get from Metro Colosseum --> Termini, and then Termini --> Cipro.

http://www.metroroma.it/MetroRoma/HTML/EN/Servizi/Muoversi+a+Roma/Gli+Orari.htm

Take a look at the schedules. I don't want to take the cab because I want to save money =P and I don't want to walk because I want to save my feet. Metro seemed the best idea to me.

I agree with the suggestion to consider a taxi. They're not particularly expensive in Rome, especially when you weigh them against the wasted time if you just miss your Metro train. (I believe that's an RS suggestion as well.)