Rome in 5 days

What do you want to see and do? Museums, cathedrals, etc. ?

Lauren we who post on the travelers Helpline are merely folks who love to travel and may have been where you want to go. We like sharing but can only help when we have an idea of what you'd like to see and do; museums, markets, galleries, shopping. Might be a poster who would like to "devise" an itinerary but without some vital information: likes, dislikes, budget, not likely. A private guide is only necessary at the Forum if you feel you need one. Rick's audio tours that you can download are excellent overviews of what you'll be seeing. Simply depends on how you prefer traveling. Tell us a bit more about what it is you want to explore and experience while in Roma and I know may of us will be happy to share.

Strongly suggest you get Rick's book because it has exactly the scenario--- if you have 3 days, if you have 5 days, etc. Once you breeze through his book- it is painless reading, I promise- you'll know what you're interested in. If you have the book, there is a perfect walk thru the Forum/Palatine Hill that may be enough info for you!
Great time of year to go- enjoy!

Do buy Rick Steves' book, it is invaluable for details, but here is a starter link for planning http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/rome3.htm.

We had 5 days in Rome - one day we took a day trip to Naples and did Herculaneum and Mt Vesuvius...otherwise, it was Coliseum and Roman Ruins - museum which I totally forget the name of...afternoon trip to the catacombs at Appia Antica and walking the ancient Roman road, St Peters and Castel San Angelo...general roaming to Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi and other sites...we didn't do Vatican Museum...and honestly, I felt kinda hurried with what we did do...it was our 1st big trip anywhere so were trying to squeeze a lot in...

We did Rome in 4 nights; here's what we did roughly 1. National Museum of Art Baths of Dioclesian Rick Steves Night walk 2. Borghese Gallery Cappuccin Crypt Piazza del Popolo Spanish steps Trevi Fountain Pantheon 3. Colleseum Roman Forum Palatine Hill 4. Vatican St pete's Bascilica Trastevere Walk
Dolce Vita Walk

Check out Old Bridge for perhaps the best gelato in Rome - located across the street from where people line up to get into the Vatican Museum. In Rome they have a saying: Roma, non basta una vita - For Rome, one lifetime is not enough.

Lauren: I got the following list out of a pocket Rome guidebook: ROME MUST SEE SIGHTS: The Pantheon The Colosseum Piazza Navona--Fountain of the Four Rivers and Borromini's super-theatrical Sant'Agnese Roman Forum--Guides are not required. They have a new tour behind the scenes, however. The Campidoglio Trevi Fountain The Spanish Steps Castel Sant'Angelo
Trastevere oldest church of Rome--Santa Maria If you run out of things to do inside Rome, the outlying 20-30 miles has a bunch of tourist sights to visit. You could spend a month in this region and not see it all.

Thanks, all.

Hi Lauren, When my husband and I went in September, here was our itinerary: Day 1: arrived mid afternoon via train. Checked into B&B, took quick nap, explored neighborhood and did night walk. Day 2: this was our Vatican day... Including a full tour and the Scavi tour Day 3: we took the high speed train to Naples, then the local train to Pompeii. Had a 3 hour private tour, returned to Naples, and explored/ ate pizza at Da Michele (we still dream of it!) Day 4: this was an open, exploring day. We ended up seeing the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, and Castel St. Angelo in our travels. We also shopped for souvenirs,
Day 5: we had a guided tour for the coliseum underground and 3rd level, as well as the forum and Palantine Hill. We walked there (stayed near the Vatican) to take in more sights.

Lauren, I did the Forum twice by myseld, the 2nd time a friend had bought me one of those books that show how it looks today (ruins) and how it "might" have lookedit's a clear plastic overlay. hard to explain but you'll see those books nearby that they're selling at little kiosks. They also have an explanation of what the building were for. Buy one of those, it will really help. ALthough, I will say that I did a guided tour at the Colosseum and it was great, but I think you always get info in a guided tour that you don't get from books. But, no, it's not necessary...just depends on how much you want to know.