My wife and I are taking a Mediterraean cruise and will be in Rome on October 7, 2009 for only one day :(. We are taking the train from Civitavecchia into Rome and will be touring the Colosseo and Forum first. After that, we hope to get to the Pantheon and then Vatican city in the afternoon. Neither Metro A or B seems to be the quickest way to the Pantheon from the Colosseo area. Is taxi, bus, or some other option better? What about the Electtrico Minibuses? After the Pantheon, it appears we could take the Electtrico bus 116 to Metro Barberini station and then on to Ottaviano or Cipro for Vatican tour. Help from anyone who has encountered this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Posted by
The Hague, NL (AMS)
2207 posts
Colosseo, Forum, Pantheon, and Vatican Museums all in one day - on a cruise schedule? Remember, you probably have to be leaving San Pietro station no later than 16:30. Are you also planning on going inside St. Peter's? This is a very ambitious schedule. And if the Pope is back in town on Wednesday, October 7 it gets even more ambitious.... I'd probably scale some of this back unless you know Rome - and the buses well (or you plan on taking taxis).
That said, there is a taxi stand across the street from the Colosseo, just to the right of the Pantheon, and just in front of both St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum entrances.
You can take the bus from the Colosseo to either Via Corso (try 85, 850 for example) or to Largo Argentina (try 87 and 571)... and then walk about 500 meters to the Pantheon - from either bus direction...
After visiting the Pantheon, I would not wait on the 116 (puts all your eggs in one basket and you STILL have to ride the metro). I'd head back towards Largo Argentina which has MORE bus options to the Vatican area.... All of these buses get you close: 81, 62, 64, and 492. The 492 would be closest to the Museum entrance (closer than Ottaviano metro) and the 62 would be just outside St. Peter's (actually closer than the 64).
But I stil think you may have too much packed in if you plan to enter any of these sites.... Good Luck!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Those locations are not that far apart. Could easily be walked but probably a little quicker with a taxi. Another option could be the hop on/off bus. Don't know the order but they start in front of Termini and hit all the major sights on a regular schedule.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Same advice as Frank (above): Given your schedule (which is not feasible, BTW) speed trumps cost, therefore, consult a map (link given below) and estimate whether walking will be faster than a taxi
input roma, italy to get zoomable map of Rome
Posted by
Victor, NY, USA
62 posts
Don, We got around easily using buses and we planned our routes using a very helpful map of central Rome that is available on-line: http://www.atac.roma.it/docunet/file.asp?mid=3&rid=3
But I agree completely with Ron -- you may be packing too much into too short a visit.
Posted by
Edmonton, Canada
98 posts
I agree that's a bit much for one day. We were just in Rome and spent a day on Colosseo-Forum-Pantheon and then another day on Vatican Museum-St. Peter's.
Public bus is the best option between the Colosseo and the Pantheon. As mentioned above, it's not that far.
Bus 492 goes past the Vatican and it goes near the Pantheon area.
Posted by
OP
Greer, SC, USA
10 posts
Thanks everyone. This has been very helpful. Seems I'd better scale back my ambitious schedule. Thanks again. We can't wait to get there!!
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
1170 posts
The Forum and Colosseum are must sees and will take up a large chunk of time as the area is quite large. Will you be taking a guided tour? It helps to know what you are looking at. My favorite in all of Rome is the Pantheon, but it does not take long so see it; take a few pictures and then move on. I'm afraid you won't have time to do the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel tour. It is half a day easily when you include St. Peter's Basilica. If you must fit in The Vatican, you may only have time to take a look around St. Peter's. Even that will take a while as the place is like a Zeppelin hangar. Definitely take taxis from site to site as this will be the fastest. Watch the meter!