Itinerary for first night in Rome

Easy! You are in a great area just to stroll with gelato. You can easily see Sopra Di Minerva, Pantheon, San Luigi, Piazza Navona, Santa Agnese. Just go "exploring" and have fun.

If this trip will be your first transatlantic flight, do not underestimate how exhausting that experience can be. I once read a post on this Forum, and remembered that my husband and I had taken a trip to Greenwich - but we had done it on the afternoon of our arrival and I have absolutely no memories of that trip.

My point is - don't do any of your must-sees or must-dos on the day you arrive. I would just take a stroll around the neighborhood, maybe find Bernini's elephant statue and walk into Santa Maria Sopra Minerva and check out the Michelangelo statue of the Risen Christ inside - unless these are some of your must sees!

Try not to sleep too much. Try to get used to the local time instead. Just walk around and wander, have a leisurely dinner later, then go to sleep and start the next day fresh with all your sightseeing.

We have taken three overnight flights to Europe, all arriving late morning to early afternoon. After arriving at our hotel or B&B, what works for us, but maybe not for everyone, is to walk around and get some fresh air, get a bite for lunch, nothing too heavy. Then we go back to the room and take a 2-3 hour nap, then we get up and eat dinner around 8-9PM. Take a nice walk after dinner, maybe a little gelato, then back to the room and to bed. Next morning we usually feel pretty good with no signs of jet lag.

To each his/her own...

I agree with Jay regarding the “to nap or not to nap” conundrum. On all the trips I’ve taken to Rome, I landed mid morning, arrived to my lodging midday, and found ways to stay awake till early evening when I would crash. Doing so enabled me to acclimate to local time as soon as the next day.

Good plan to stay close to the Pantheon! The location is ideally suited for every activity. I agree with the others wholeheartedly about popping in to Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. One of my favorite churches in Rome.

Create an itinerary or activity that keeps you moving, thus overcoming the sleepy factor. Mosey over to Piazza Navona, then stroll down Via dei Coronari, stop for gelato at Gelateria del Teatro. Then, stroll along the Tiber to Tiber Island and cross over to Trastevere. Explore the little streets that are so picturesque in this neighborhood. It’s quieter than the chaos that can be Centro Storico. You’re still getting a truly Roman experience, just minus the intensity. I did a similar walk on my trip to Rome last month, and loved every minute.

I recommend visiting the Pantheon on a different day when it first opens. It gets intensely crowded very fast, and i found that very overwhelming the first time I popped in there. Rather, go when they first open so you can take your time, enjoy the unique architecture, and say hi to Raphael.

Happy planning!

If you do take a nap, I suggest you keep it to 30 minutes. Enough to refresh, but not so much you are not ready for bed at night. Perhaps others are different but if I took a 2-3 hr mid day nap, it would be into the AM before I went to sleep.

Otherwise just plan on wandering the nearby neighborhood, with no 'agenda' to complete.

Jay has given great advice! We like to unpack, shower, then get out and have a light bite and a walk. Then we set the alarm for 90 minutes and nap from about 16:30-18:00. We go to dinner at 20:00 and by the next morning, we are sleeping through to 5:00 or 6:00. Usually we nap the first two afternoons, then we are good for the trip. As mentioned, do not schedule a "must see" for that first afternoon. Just soak up Rome!

Thanks for the excellent advice and ideas. I think we'll push ourselves and, at the very most, grab a quick cat nap.

Much appreciated.

If you do take a cat nap, be sure to set an alarm. Many times (before I did this) I meant to get only an hour of sleep, but ended up with much more - then ruining my sleep-wake cycle for several days.

Our first day ritual always includes a shower, quick nap and then staying awake by being outdoors and soaking up the wonderful atmosphere of the historic area near the Pantheon. We try to stay up until 9 or 10. Our first day always includes great pizza at Dar Poeta in Trastevere and gelato at Frigiderium (near Piazza Navona) or Giolotti (about a 15 minute walk from the Pantheon). Enjoy!

One more thing--your posts don't say what day of the week you'll be arriving in Rome. If it's a Sunday, just to be safe I'd make advance dinner reservations at a place to your liking within walking distance of your hotel. Reason is that not all restaurants in Rome are open on Sunday, and you want to make sure that your first evening in Rome you can have dinner when you want, where you want.

Other nights you're probably fine wherever without a reservation, unless it's a real hot spot. The area where you're staying, you can stumble out the door and find great places all over.