RS Heart of Italy Tour- where to go before it starts?

It might be fun to go tour Ostia Antica. Walking around would help with jet lag. Hats, sunscreen, and water highly advisable.

There is SO much to see in Rome that you won't get to on Heart of Italy, I would not try to go anywhere else. Borghese Gallery! Capitoline Museum? National Museum? San Clemente Basilica? There are also suggestions in the tour materials on what to see.

I would stay in the tour hotel if you can get a room there.

This is a fun tour!

My husband and I took a food tour during one of our free days. It was a fun and delicious evening. Also, I had booked a bike tour for one our free days. Unfortunately, it rained and the tour was canceled. It is still on my to do list for the next visit.

For one jet-lagged day, I would stay there and visit some attraction in Rome that won't be on the tour. Plenty of things to see.

Your tour starts the day after you arrive? If so, I wouldn't leave Rome: get in, get settled, and spend the day walking in the fresh air to stay awake until close to normal bedtime hour. That will have you acclimated to Rome time and ready to go by the next day. Some of the piazzas are lively and fun.

Then again, if you were able to get a lot of sleep on the plane, you may be awake enough to able to do some interior sightseeing. I'm big on the churches as practically all of them are free, and many don't demand lengthy visits so you can just pop in and out.

Where are you staying? Your location may help us make suggestions near your hotel.

If you're staying just one day extra, it's easiest to stay at the same hotel where your tour starts. If you haven't received this information, contact the Tour Department to find out the name of the hotel. Then email them directly and say that you're on a Rick Steves tour and want to stay one day early, and ask what the rate would be. Unless it's exorbitant, just stay there.

If you go to this link and scroll down to Planning Tips, you'll see suggestions for things to see in Rome that are not covered on your tour. I agree that with only one extra day, focus on these, or just on getting out in the sunshine to get over jet lag. https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/heart-italy

Heart of Italy 2010- reverse direction. Still wish we'd done Borghese gardens at the end and Venice at the beginning.

Borghese gallery and Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (near Termini station).

Also 2010 Heart of Italy (reverse) ... and we started in Venice, met our group in Florence, and spent an extra day in Rome. We booked the Borghese Gallery in advance. It's a definitely not-to-miss. Another favorite experience of ours was Cooking Classes in Rome with Chef Andrea Consoli.

http://www.cookingclassesinrome.com/

We are doing the same Heart of Italy tour in October and also arriving the day before the tour begins. On the day before the tour starts (which is a Saturday, the day we land in Rome) we have reservations to tour the Galleria Borghese. We plan to have an early evening, get plenty of sleep, then an early Sunday a.m. walk, followed by the Angelus Blessing at Saint Peter's Square. Then lunch, another walk and meet the tour group and guide at 3 pm to start the tour. We also planned a Testaccio food tour (through http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/rome/tours/testaccio-supper-stroll/) for one of our free evenings in Rome during the tour. I can't wait!