Hello, I have limited time in Rome in August and I am trying to decide if I will have enough time to see the Colosseum, Forum, Capitoline Museums and the Pantheon. It is the day I arrive that I am planning these visits and it will probably be around 1pm for my first stop. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks Debbie
Hi Debbie -
By "the day I arrive" do you mean your arrival day in Italy (not just Rome) so you'd be doing this right off a transatlantic flight? If so - and given that it's never 100% certain than a flight won't be cancelled or delayed - I sure wouldn't purchase any time-entry tickets in advance as most are non-refundable. As well, these 4 attractions would be a LOT to try and squeeze into 1/2 a hot, possibly VERY hot, August day, IMHO.
We're all different but it's not unusual not to be at one's best off a long, overnight flight. If your heart's desire is to see some of the attractions on your list, I might skip the Capitoline Museums as outdoor walking will help keep you awake. There's that heat factor, though, which is at its worst in the afternoon, and the museums are air conditioned so there's a comfort factor. They also wouldn't require advance, timed-entry tickets which are pretty much mandatory for the Colosseum. I guess it may depend on what's top of your personal-interest list?
Are you coming off a cruise, or coming into Rome to link up with a cruise in Civitavecchia? I see on another of your posts that a cruise is in your plan.
Hi Kathy, thanks for replying. Yes I am flying in that day, and I would like to see as much as physically possible. You are right about flight arrivals being unpredictable. I already booked the Vatican Museum and The Basilica for the second day, and the next day we board our cruise. Maybe I will just have wait and see if we can still get entry on the day.
Thanks again,
Debbie
You can see the gee-whiz exterior of the Colosseum and look at the Forum from above just by walking around outdoors, trying to stave off jetlag. That would be my plan. If you are in good shape after the flight, the Capitoline Museums can be a last-minute decision, since they don't require pre-booking. It would be better to spend most of your time outdoors, though, and those museums are really large. Popping into the occasional small church might be a better plan. They are many and varied. At least the smaller ones tend to close for a period in the middle of the day, and some might be open only in the morning.
Popping into the occasional small church might be a better plan.
That's a really good suggestion, IMHO. Beside most of the them being free and not requiring advance tickets, they're all different, and good escapes from the heat. :O)
Regarding waiting to "see if we can still get entry on the day", that's not a great strategy for the Colosseum. It is THE most-visited attraction in Rome - if not all of Italy - and while there are a couple of ticket booths near the thing, lines promise to be long and hot. Standing around in a queue isn't a good use of your limited time so view it from the exterior if you don't have advance, timed-entry tickets.
I am in Rome now. Our first day (the day after our flight arrived, 3 hours delayed!), we did colosseum, Roman forum, Trevi, and shopped. We were all exhausted and grumpy and hot. Do not recommend unless you are a great traveler and don’t have any kids or teens with you! It was a lot. I would suggest seeing them from the outside, or if you have to choose one just go Roman forum. It was much more enjoyable than the colosseum.
Hey there, sounds like a lot, especially in the heat of August. But Day 2 'just' seeing the Vatican is very wise. So I'm going to say the opposite of some others - NO WAY would my family tolerate visiting the inside of the Colosseum or the Forum on a hot August day. I"d suggest checking out the Capitoline Museum first. From the square between the 2 museum buildings, if you walk straight ahead and slightly downhill, there's a great terrace that looks out over the Roman Forum. OR go to the cafe on the top floor (you can access without tickets, but much easier to take the lift.) From there the views are magnificent.
What about a sunset golf cart tour or walking tour of the historic center the day you arrive, when everything is lit up and it's slightly cooler? The area between the Colosseum and the Capitoline museum is lovely at night, when it will be cooler.
And if you can get onto the Pantheon website that day after you arrive, you could possibly book tickets when you know what time you'd be there? OR wing it and book those tickets ahead, as I don't think they're very expensive. Walking from the Capitoline to the Pantheon isn't far, maybe 10-15 minutes. The Pantheon is cool inside, not a long visit, and waiting in line without tickets could take 45min or longer, in the HOT sun. https://direzionemuseiroma.cultura.gov.it/pantheon/.
Where's your hotel and what's for dinner?? LOL, getting to sit down and say ahhhhh over a good meal would ease the stress of the day. Good luck!
What time does your cruise sail? It sounds like you have two pre-nights in Rome. We did this in June 2023 and since our cruise didn’t sail until 7pm we were also able to use that morning for sightseeing. Here’s what we did:
Arrival day-dropped luggage at hotel and explored Rome on foot seeing the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon (no tickets were required at that time but I believe they are now) and Piazza Navona. We also ate lunch somewhere along the way and took a cab back to the hotel to check-in and have some down time. Our hotel had a lovely roof-top restaurant that hit the spot that night after which we crashed.
First full day- took a morning tour of Ancient Rome-Coliseum, Forum etc. Did the Borghese Gallery in the afternoon but you could easily do Capitoline. Returned to hotel late afternoon for a little down time the out to dinner and gelato.
Second day/embarkation day-booked an early morning tour of the Vatican and Basilica. Returned to hotel for lunch, to pick up our bags and transfer to ship.
This was late June and yes it was hot but that is when we were all able to travel. We were happy with what we saw and felt we made good use of the time we had. Enjoy your trip!
Why does everyone try to overload their schedules? You will be jet-lagged, it will be incredibly hot and humid, there will be crowds.
I would walk around the outside of the forum and colosseum, and enjoy the mostly air conditioned Capitoline museum- which includes a terrific view of the Roman forum as well. Then pantheon.
