Rome 4 day itinerary

I definitely wouldn't want to tour the Vatican right after arriving. My wife and I went the day after our arrival, and we were still so exhausted that I don't think we got the most out of it. I'd spend thursday wandering Rome and stopping for food or snacks along the way. See the Vatican on Fri or Sat.

I, personally, would not want to do the Vatican on the day of my arrival in Rome. I prefer to arrive at the Vatican early in the morning to be ahead of the biggest crowds.

Similarly... I would expect St. Peter's Square to be jammed beyond imagination on Easter Sunday... so, again, if it were me I'd go early.

I agree that it's too ambitious to do a tour of the Vatican on the same day you arrive. For one thing, you should count on travel delays. Our flight was due to get into Rome at 7am but we had a 5-hr delay & didn't end up landing until 12 noon so by the time we got our luggage & got to our apartment, it was around 2:30pm. I would take it easy the first day & schedule your tour for another day. Have a wonderful trip.

whoever said getting to the vatican early was absolutely right. I would wake up early and get to the vatican when it opens to beat the crowds. Also, Easter sunday might be a good time to check out the outdoor fountains and squares because museums and things will probably be closed. Im sure you will want to see Trevi fountain, piazza navona, the spanish steps, and piazza del popolo. Also, taking a walk down the street from the vatican toward the tiber will give you nice views of castle sant angelo and the bridges over the river.

Thanks so much to everyone. Hopefully I can get in to see the Vatican on Friday morning. Fingers crossed!

If you love the movie "Roman Holiday", go find the Mouth of Truth. It's free, it's pretty much free of long lines, it's just fun.