Hi, I need help! There is so much info. out there on tours in Rome, I dont know where to begin. My wife and I would like to see the Coloseum and Sistine Chapel both in one day. Should we go on a tour? Recommended tours? OR should we buy a ticket online in order to see both on our own time? If so, where can we buy these tickets, and what is the line-wait time in April, day after easter?
Grazie!
Book a reservation to the Vatican Museum and go directly to the Sistine Chapel (book an early time.) The Sistine Chapel is amazing. In the afternoon, you could go to the Coloseum (invest in the audioguide.) Both are awesome. You don't need to book a tour. On your own, your time is flexible.
You can easily see both but not much else. You have to go through the vatican museums in order to get to the sistine chapel. You can book entrance tickets to the museums directly through the vatican at:
biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=en&do
Try for an early entrance as the chapel gets very crowded as the day goes on.
From there you can either walk or take a cab to the colosseum. You can buy your tickets at the palatine hill or forums entrance as this is a combo ticket which includes all three sites. This will allow you to bypass the line at the colosseum which is usually very long. The other way to bypass the line is to join one of the tours that are offered outside of the colosseum. These are usually very good and are not expensive.
The day after Easter will be very busy. Just see the sites you have your heart set on and then with any extra time wander the city.
Donna
Matt - Since I was born in Roma I would suggest taking an open air bus from The Via Veneto which allows you to get off and back on as often as you like. No long periods of off time because you only have a day but you will see the highlights of the city and be ready to return for a longer stay.
Ciao, Greg
My husband and I did Rome in a day in 2003. We arrived on a train at 7:30 am. We bought day passes for the public transportation (used it on the subway). We went straight to the Vatican where we spent the morning touring St Peters and the museum. We did get into the Vatican Museum to see the Sistine Chapel, but not much else (It was a free day, so it was mobbed) Took the subway to the Spanish steps where we ate lunch. Then walked to Trevi Fountain. From there, we took the subway to the Coloseum where we spent the afternoon touring it and the forum. From there, we walked past the Victor Emmanuel monument, trajan's column and ended at the Pantheon. We bought a gelato and took the subway back to the train station where we caught a 7:30 train back to Orvieto. It was a whirlwind day and we absolutely loved it. It worked because we were very organized. I had the routes all mapped out, we stuck to our schedule, and did not spend a lot of time eating. (our lunch was a sandwich, dinner was groceries we picked up at the train station) As I said, this was a special day and both the Vatican museum and the Coloseum were free and all of Rome was mobbed. It was so much fun. Pack a good attitude and some walking shoes and go for it!! (BTW, my husband and I were 47 at the time...although we still feel like we are 25. Many people told us it was "not advised" "Rome needs more time", etc. All we had was a day so we put our heads down, ignored all the wisdom and went for it. No regrets!!)
I was formulating an answer in my head...then saw Connies response and could not agree more, we did about the same. To just point out the pluses of her itinerary:
St Peters is open early, so you get an early start. Get the Vatican Museum out of the way as soon as it opens. HOWEVER, This does not work on most Wednesdays due to the Popes Audience.
The Spanish Steps are a natural starting point a few Metro stops from St Peters, I would also suggest Ricks Rome walk as a guide.
The progression naturally takes you through all of the major old town sites into the Trajan Forum area, the Forum, and Coloseum at the end.
The best part is the only cost is the Vatican Museum and the Coloseum/Forum Ticket.
I would suggest not doing a tour, only because it is easy to do yourself and this allows you the flexibility to slow down or speed up depending on your own interests.
