Rome in November

We were in Rome in February a few years ago and the only places we encountered lines were the Vatican and the Colosseum. Palatine Hill was pretty empty. We did have reservations already for the Borghese Gallery but not any restaurants. The Churches, trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, Capitoline Museum were all busy but not overwhelming crowded. We had to walk past the Pantheon to get to our hotel and we stopped in a few times, no lines. I don’t know if November is the same but it is an off month like February.

goldvsmith, I would definitely buy advance tickets to the two most-visited attractions - the Colosseum and Vatican Museums - if those are on your list. Both involve timed-entry ticketing, which means entry on a specific day at a specific time. If willing to spend more, tours are available as well either through the institutions themselves or private services.

Official ticketing site for the Colosseum:
https://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm
https://ecm.coopculture.it/index.php?option=com_snapp&view=products&catalogid=A4CC149C-BEE1-5773-5E59-01675F3EA81C&snappTemplate=template3&lang=en

This is a really inexpensive tour of the Colosseum (non-restricted areas only):
https://ecm.coopculture.it/index.php?option=com_snapp&view=event&id=E6A1B5B3-BFDA-AC94-6929-0161B2E3A0C0&catalogid=BDB46B8C-0C49-10F2-6036-0167A8502B26&lang=en

Vatican Museums:
http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html

Note that when a ticket is listed as "open tour", it means seeing the museums on your own without a guide.
http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/visitatori-singoli.html

Pre-purchasing timed-entry tickets for Galleria Borghese is mandatory; there is a dropdown for changing to English in the "Selezione lingua" box on the lower right of the page:

https://www.tosc.it/tickets.htm?affiliate=T2C&sort_by=event_datum&sort_direction=asc&fun=erdetail&doc=erdetaila&erid=912678

Hi gold,

"Around mid November" is usually the beginning of the off-season. So you may encounter some long lines still.

Keep in mind about other tours going on. -- Guided tours in general, school children and their day trips, patrons too visiting from other parts of Italy, etc. It is hard to tell. Still, I doubt you will see the mass mayhem that overtakes Rome during the peak spring and summer months.

I think the major attractions will draw lines of some sort.

If you are intending to visit The Vatican, it is advised to go very early in the AM -- either buy your ticket online from their website or if interested, go with a guided tour such as Walks of Italy or The Roman Guy. I can list the links of other tours too for your comparison. It will also give you an idea about an itinerary.

You also want to map out your interests. The Vatican, St. Peter's and Castel Sant'Angelo are in close proximity.

Piazza Navona, The Pantheon, The Spanish Steps and The Trevi Fountain can be done in half a day (or less) depending on how you visit the sites.

The Colosseum needs a ticket. You can buy online or go with a guided tour.

The Borghese Gallery can be tough to secure and availability may not coincide with your short time in Rome.

Be mindful of dress codes in Churches - knees and shoulders must be covered by all women and men.

No large, bulky bags will be allowed. You would have to check it, and that will cut into your valuable time going to retrieve it.

Best to carry a day bag or backpack or tote of about 15". I had no trouble anywhere with that size. Although my bag is a cross body, so it does not look as obtrusive as a backpack.

Water bottles were allowed but no food.

Check out these tour companies and their itineraries you can most likely do on your own.

The Roman Guy -- https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/vatican/skip-the-line-vatican-and-sistine-chapel-tour and other tours to choose from -- https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/vatican

Walks Of Italy -- https://www.walksofitaly.com/vatican-tours/

Dark Rome Tours (City Wonders) -- https://darkrome.com/vatican-tours

Angel Tours -- https://angeltours.eu/tour/vatican-city/

Through Eternity Tours -- https://www.througheternity.com/en/vatican-tours/

Check the tour sites for discounts offered.

Also, you can visit St. Peter's Basilica (free) on your own with no time constraints -- http://stpetersbasilica.info/index.htm