My husband and I (both fit, but in our late 60s) will be in Rome from late Saturday, April 28 through Wednesday, May 2. We fly home to NY on May 3. I'm trying to plan our itinerary, juggling regular closures plus the May 1 holiday. Having perused lots of advice sites regarding best days to visit (or not visit) the top destinations, it looks like we'll devote Monday 4/30 to the Vatican (St. Peter's, museum and the dome) and Wednesday 5/2 to the Colosseum, Forum and Pantheon. My problem is this - the only day that tickets are available for the Borghese Gallery is Wednesday 5/2. Am I crazy to think we can do the Borghese from 9-11, then do the Colosseum, Forum and Pantheon in the afternoon/early evening? Is this too much for one day? I'd really appreciate any advice you can give me and thanks very much in advance.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12044 posts
It would definitely be a full day of activity but I do not think it is 'too much'. Would suggest a taxi to get from the Borghese to the Colosseum.
Posted by
Beaverton, Oregon
136 posts
Ditto what Joe said. Don't pass on the Borghese, it's well worth seeing. Pantheon is best early evening/with lights but note closing time. It's probably easily fit on another day too. You can spend a lot of time in the Forum.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
I would start at Colosseum then head to the Forum followed by the Bhorgese in the afternoon.
I’m sure the Pantheon will fit in to your plans elsewhere (with Piazza Navona & Campo Di Fiori).
Posted by
Boston
209 posts
I agree. Borghese is wonderful. Please get there early as they will give away your tickets if you arrive late. Would you be able to go the Pantheon on 5/1? While seeing the Ancient Rome sights you might consider going to the top of the Victor Emmanuel monument as the view of the city is beautiful. Enjoy your trip
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7277 posts
If you do any walking while there, my guess is you will have already visited the pantheon by the 2nd. Since you’ll already have your colosseum tickets and won’t have to wait in line, the forum and colosseum are very doeable in an afternoon. To me the Borghese was interesting, but I could just as easily skipped it. We found Rome to be very easy to walk around. If you need to use the restroom while walking around, we used the one at Hotel Minerva right around the corner from the Pantheon. The staff didn’t seem to mind seniors using the facilities, getting out of the heat, and resting their feet.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
If you have timed entry tickets to the colosseum you'll need to be there for your scheduled time or you'll lose your tickets. If they are the open tickets then I suggest visiting the colosseum area in the morning and getting a later time for the Borghese gallery. This will give you time to visit the colosseum area and get lunch and rest your feet before visiting the gallery. Take a taxi between the two sites.
Donna
Posted by
1064 posts
You can totally do it, and I would actually consider the Borghese to be the critical site of all these. The Pantheon doesn’t take long to see, it’s really just one big space without a lot in it. The line moves fast. You should really be able to pop in and out if you’re in the neighborhood. The Colosseum and Forum are probably better for you to hit later in the afternoon, and again I think they took less time to see than I anticipated. The Forum is probably the one you would linger in a bit. I’m sure plenty of folks will disagree, but I found the inside of the Colosseum to be a weird letdown. It’s a total ruin and I found it hard to appreciate. The audio guide really didn’t tell me anything I didn’t know. In all, I was in and out quick, and for all the effort it can take to get inside I felt it was skippable. It’s really most impressive from the outside.