A friend and I have planned a trip to Rome for 10 days. We are taking two day trips one to Pompeii and one to Tuscany but lately a few people I've told about our trip have commented that 10 days is way too long to stay in Rome that our Rome stay should be 4 days max. I'd like to hear opinions from this forum. We aren't going until September and everything booked has free cancellations within 24 hours so we have time to change our plans. Just unsure of what to do.
Thanks
If you have any interest in Florence, I'd stay there a few days. Orvieto is another good day trip.
I can only speak for myself, but I spent a week in Rome and could have easily stayed longer.
Hi Abrauch,
Opinions will vary greatly on length of stay because interests are different. You mention Tuscany, I could spend 10 days in Florence and feel it wasn’t enough. But for your question; When you say 10 days, is it actually 10 days with the 2 side trips being additional, meaning you have 12 with 10 reserved for Rome or 10 total with 8 for Rome? At any rate, 10 days is plenty and you’ll have absolutely no problem filling each day. Rome is a fantastic city! I would suggest making a list of everything you’d like to see & plan an itinerary around that, then decide if you can do it in less.
Amanda
If you want to spend ten days in Rome then it is not to long. Also if you take day trips the real number of days in Rome are less. Pompeii and Tuscany are for sure full day trips. Add Orvieto, great choice by the way, then a day to Ostia Antica, or Tivoli and you are down to just 6 real days in Rome.
There is no right answer. It is what you want. I have only spent 7 days in Rome and have many more things on my to do list for when I go back.
Amanda's idea of making a list deserves your full attention. What exactly do you want to see and do in Rome?. How much time do you need to devote to each item on the list.? That will give you a good idea of how many days you need. If it is less than 10 days, then I'd recommend spending the extra days actually in Tuscany,not just a whirlwind, limited, day trip.
No, 10 days is not “way too long”. Rome is both fascinating and fun, so you will have plenty to do. I agree with the suggestion of looking more deeply into what you want to see. Beyond the obvious sites, look at smaller museums or churches with art, and also walking tours or food tours of neighborhoods.
Also have a list of “maybe” day trips - if you want a change of pace then have some ideas but not definite plans. It could work out that you have an extra day or two and want to go on a day trip. Or, like me, you could absolutely love the city and not want to go on day trips. So, options are good!
Although 10 days is not too many for Rome, I would like to discourage day-tripping to Tuscany. I think Florence, the capital, must be the fastest Tuscan destination to reach from Rome (because it's a stop on the Freccia rail line). The fastest trains don't make stops in many places. Florence is 1 hr. 36 min. from Rome. To that you must add the time it takes to get from your lodgings in Rome to one of the two stations served by the fast trains: Roma Termini or Roma Tiburtina. So, realistically, you're going to spend at least 4 hours getting to and from Florence. That really doesn't leave enough time even to see that one city. A bus tour to "Tuscany" (however defined) will definitely mean a lot more time sitting on the bus.
If you want to see much of Florence or to see some of the Tuscan countryside and small towns, that would be a reason to reduce the number of nights you have in Rome.
Rome-one of my favorite “10 day Cities” ! My husband and I were there in late April several years ago and found plenty to do. We took food tours, bike rides out of the city, day trips mostly by train, a guided tour or two in the city, stayed up late and slept in. We loved trips like that and took them as often as we could. Rome was one of our favorites!
10 days, meaning 10 nights?
I would suggest you consider a night ( or 2) at, rather than doing day trips to Pompeii and Tuscany.
A couple nights in Sorrento would make the trip to Pompeii far less hectic and allow some time to wander Sorrento.
If you have 10 nights ( and are flying in/out of Rome), consider going to Sorrento on you arrival day,( stay 2 nights); then "Tuscany" for a couple nights and end in Rome.
You could stay in Rome the whole time and not run out of things to do.
What you want to see/do will dictate if ten days is 'too much'
Heck No! We spent two weeks in Rome and it wasn't enough. After seeing all of the big sites, you can still have time to just "be there". Wandering around, stopping to have drinks and snacks, ducking into random churches and being surprised at the beauty, going to church services if that is of interest to you. There is so much to see, you would never run out of things of interest.
Nope…I would say just about right! I think I could spend all that time in Rome without the side trips. Some other day trips, Hadrian’s Villa and the Villa d’Este at Tivoli, Ostia Antica the other complete Roman city, without the tragedy and easier to get to, short train ride from central Rome and 10 min. Walk from the station. The area of the Appian Way; try to do this on Sunday when the road is closed to traffic, walk or bike the Way and if interested in early Christian history visit one of the catacombs.
September can still be very hot and you may find that siestas are a welcome break. Maybe rent an apartment rather than stay in a hotel?
no problem take your time and day trips
10 days too long for Rome? Heck no, not if you can fill your days with the many fabulous things she has to offer. We've stayed there for as long as a week - and not our first time - and still have things we've yet to see, and others we want to do again.
I'm not wild about doing "Tuscany" as a day trip, though, as It's very much a destination worth dedicating more time for. It's also not a singular place but a sizable region encompassing cities and towns (Florence, Lucca, Siena, Pistoia, Pisa, San Gimignano, Arezzo, etc. etc.) and countryside. Heck, I could easily spend 10 days just in Florence but it's rich in the sorts of things that interest me. Your interests might be different so you have to plan for you. :O)
It would be good to know how many nights you'll have on the ground in Italy? The suggestion to make a list of what you want to see and do is Rome is a good one; then you'll know if you do indeed have too little to fill your time. Do be cautious not to short-change her, though, by trying to cram too much into too few days just to try and fit in another destination. Rome is a city best enjoyed at strolling speed, with time to notice the details, for breaks now and again to watch the world go by, and to generally get to know her. You've also been given some good suggestions for other nice day trips you could take to make up for Tuscany: save THAT one for next time.
Pompeii: I would suggest getting there independently by train versus any of the vehicle tours (bus/van/car) from Rome just because it's a longer trip by road - 3.5 hours or so - than by rail (shave at least an hour off that, if not a bit more). If you think you'd like a human guide for the excavation itself, those can be hired at the entrance, or some of the folks on the forum here will have suggestions for good resources they've used. For instance this one (the 2-hour Pompeii Walk) comes up a lot; posters who've taken it have spoken highly of this tour, and it's very reasonably priced.
BTW, you've posted this in the Montenegro forum and not Italy.
I've asked if someone at HQ can move it for you tomorrow. :O)
Good advice to plan what's important for you to see and work backwards. If it was me I'd plan on 6 nights in Rome, 2 nights in Florence and an overnight in Naples so you also have time to visit the Archeological Museum before or after your day in Pompeii.
The last time I was in Rome was for 6 nights, giving me 5 days to see and do some things I hadn't seen or done on my previous 3 visits. I rented an apartment which I found through Booking.com.
10 nights or days is definitely not too long.
Are you planning to go this year or in 2022? You say you have free cancellation options, but for what?
If it's your lodging, I'd highly recommend staying in an apartment instead of a hotel for your time in Rome. But, if you're planning this trip for this year, make sure you can find an apartment before you cancel anything.
The same is true for cutting your stay in Rome short and finding lodging in Florence or Sorrento or Naples. Be sure that you can find a place to stay before canceling anything else. It's not too late to cancel, but it is a little late to find something else for September 2021.
If this is your first trip to Italy, Rome or Europe and you haven't used any of the Rick Steves guidebooks, until you get one, you can find lots of very useful information right here on his website. Below are some direct links to it.
Travel Tips covers the basics about European travel and helps you to learn about what you don't know that you don't know:
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips
Explore Europe covers the major destinations. The section on Italy has links to Rome and to the other areas of interest to you: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy
I agree with acraven, I’d spend at least 3 nights in Florence so you could have 2 full days there. Or, as joe suggested, Sorrento and Rome. I wouldn’t do all 3 in a 10 day trip, pick one. Fyi, I love Sorrento. It would be nice to not spend your whole 10 days in a big city. Balancing your trip and experiencing a smaller town in a beautiful area would be my choice.
No. Enjoy the luxury of feeling like you live there (or anywhere in Italy) a time or two
I agree with other posters that 10 days is not at all too long for Rome. Another good resource is the National Geographic Walking Rome guide, written by Katie Parla. It has a series of day walks that each cover manageable chunks of the city and suggest things you might not find in other books. That should help you more than fill the time.
I also agree that a “day trip to Tuscany” plan needs to be refined as it’s a very large region. If you will not have a car, you’ll need to pick one city to travel to and then walk around. If you rent a car for the day, pick an area and tootle around some smaller roads and towns. But you should pick an area of focus or the day will just be lost in transit time.
I’m in Rome right now and just finishing 10 days. I wish I had kept it to 5 days. Unless you’re doing day trips to other cities from Rome, I don’t think you need that many. Just my opinion!
Oh, the chance to make this “your” city! Not to have to rush sites, stop when you want to see something unexpected, have a real sense of the city layout so you don’t get lost, that would be wonderful. I so wish that we had more time and we were there 6 days. It would have been lovely to not just visit the Borghese, but explore the park. Having more evenings to spend in Trastevere soaking up the atmosphere, or more daytime for that matter to visit the gardens in that area. The chance to find a favorite restaurant and visit more than once would be wonderful.
That said, I agree with deciding what you want to see and then following the suggestion to visit either Sorrento or somewhere in Tuscany for 2 nights if that fits.
18 visits to Rome and there are still plenty to discover. I usually spend about 2 weeks each year. One of the great things (and there are many) about Rome is the variety of centuries to explore. It isn't a joke to say that if you get tired of one century all you have to do is turn the corner and you're in a different one. The differences in neighborhoods makes for another treasure trove of experiences. It's also amazing how different sites and neighborhoods are in the early morning, mid-afternoon, evening and late night. Maybe a day trip to Ostia Antica, Tivoli Gardens or even Orvieto could be of interest. An early morning train to Florence and a late night return train to Rome is pushing it. If you do enough planning, it could b done.
I was going to say 10 days is too many, but I checked how many days we spent there on our trips and on one trip we stayed 8 days and the other 6. We did take one day trip to Ostia. On our 2nd trip we saw some things we didn’t see on the 1st trip, so no, 10 days is not too many.
I would spend three nights in Florence and include a day trip to Siena. I would also buy tickets for the Uffizi Gallery at least two months prior of being in Florence to guarantee a reservation, otherwise, it might be sold out.
Una vita non è basta per Roma!
Rome is my favorite European city. You could do 10 days there easily. However, I recommend 6 days and the rest in Florence.
We enjoy moving around a bit so I'd suggest 4 nights in Rome and then pick 2 other places to base to get your 9-10 nights.
I did not read all the previous replies so I apologize if I am repeating what has already been stated. On one of our trips to Italy we stayed in Rome for 7 days and I was not ready to leave. That said, for some people big cities are intimidating. In my opinion you can spend months in Rome and not see it all. And even if you did - you go back to a few places you so enjoyed. The longer you stay in a place the more you get a real feel for it. However, it sounds like you have maybe 12 days total? And you want to see Tuscany also? Be that the case- I would spend more than a day in Florence. A city worthy of a few days alone. If you have a car driving around Tuscany is delightful. So, no- 10 days is not too long, but if you have limited time and want to see other places, I believe you can get a great experience with less days. Hope this helps
My daughter and I spent a full week in Rome before the pandemic. When my daughter and I were there we found a wonderful neighborhood restaurant and were able to dine there twice. They recognized us on the second night and treated us like royalty. I chatted with the breakfast waiter every morning. He knew my coffee order and didn't even ask by the end of my stay. We went to a opera performance. We spent hours just walking the city. (a very good thing too because the food is divine). We sat in a cafe near the pantheon on a sunny morning and people watched. Those are the kinds of things you can add when you extend your stay. My husband and I are going to Italy for two weeks in October to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We are spending 5 days in Rome and I have no doubt I will want to go again. I love to get to know the rhythm of a place. I like to get to know my way around. There is so much to see and do in Rome, both within the walls and without. I think you could go for a month and never be bored. The only trade off is that there is so much to see more to see in Italy. But I guess that means you have to go back.
I think the # days you spend in Rome depends on your interests. For us, being that we mainly wanted to visit the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, the Trevi fountain, and a couple of other places, two days were enough to get a flavor. If you're really not into art but are visiting the recommended places to check off your bucket list, it's easy to develop art and church fatigue. We realized that getting up in the morning, going to one attraction to stand in line with crowds, then on to the next one and so on is not our cup of tea. But we did enjoy visits to Pisa and Cinque Terre. After our trip to Europe including Italy, the next time we go we will enjoy hiking, relaxing and just enjoying the natural beauty of Switzerland.
I have the same feelings for Rome as New York City. There’s certainly a lot there. But, after 4 nights - I get Rome weary and am ready for another location. 5 nights would be my maximum. You can easily take a train to Orvieto, Florence, and Assisi - as mentioned above. With 10 days - you could do 3 - 4 nights in Rome, 1 - 2 nights in Assisi to relax, 3-4 nights in Florence, 1 night in Orvieto before returning to Rome to fly out.
This will give you a broader perspective of Italy. A “best of” trip and you can focus on the major highlights. Of course - you can delete one or two of these places if you wish. Example: you could delete Orvieto and Assisi and add a day on to Florence. With that extra day in Florence - you can take an easy bus day trip to Siena for the day and return to your hotel in Florence in the evening.
There are many options here. My personal opinion for a first trip to Italy is that 10 days in Rome is a bit much. I have been to Rome twice, seen and done a lot, and have no desire to spend 10 nights there.
We realized that getting up in the morning, going to one attraction to
stand in line with crowds, then on to the next one and so on is not
our cup of tea.
The Vatican Museums and Colosseum are really a couple of the few ticketed places where queues were long, and those can be avoided with timed-entry reservations. St Peter's Basilica and Forum/Palatine might have a shuffle-along wait, and maybe the Pantheon but I can't remember anywhere else in Rome where we had to deal with queues of any memorable size. Galleria Borghese? They require a timed-entry ticket so lines are not an issue. I also know from your past posts, Andy, that you are not into art and churches, not that Rome doesn't have other things to offer, and that's perfectly FINE but the OP might feel differently? So you could have been happy seeing only the Sistine in the Vatican Museums but, well, that's you.
April, what sorts of things are you interested in that we might be able to steer you towards?
"I also know from your past posts, Andy, that you are not into art and churches, not that Rome doesn't have other things to offer, and that's perfectly FINE but the OP might feel differently?"
Kathy, that's exactly why I prefaced my comments by saying: I think the # days you spend in Rome depends on your interests.
Gotcha, Andy. Agreed! Just wanted to make the point that not EVERY attraction involves long lines or even crowds. :O)
I could easily spend 10 WEEKS in Rome and still want to stay longer!
It all comes when to what your interests include.
