Vatican City, Borghese Gallery and National Museum of Rome all in ONE day

Thank you so much! This is very helpful! I will drop the National Museum of Rome.

Should I visit the Vatican or the Borghese first?

While I suppose it might be possible I think the bigger question is would it be enjoyable and could you get the most out of your time. For me, I would not but I also like to linger a bit. With the connections between etc I would feel more rushed than I like but Rome is not that big and with taxis etc it is possible.

With all there is to do at the Vatican, and the long lines to get in, it could be a challenge. We booked a tour for noon. My guys made it just in time for the last group to go up the dome and I made the 5 p.m. mass. Supposedly, the lines into the Vatican are a lot shorter in the afternoon. So, you could make a reservation for the Borghese in the morning. It's not an extremely large museum. Rent the audio and you could probably see everything in 1 1/2 hours--depending upon the crowds. For the Borghese, I had the last reservation slot for the day, 5 p.m., and almost had the museum to myself. It was wonderful. I haven't been to the National Museum--can't help you there. Have fun!

I think once you get to Rome/Italy you'll find out it's not about how many places I can visit in one day but rather how much can I enjoy one place at a time? If you do just one place that day, you'll get more out of it instead of sprinting from one place to the other. Slow down and enjoy your time in Italy.

I'd axe the National Museum for the day and focus on enjoying the Vatican and the Borghese. This way you can be more relaxed, find a couple good restaurants and track down a few amazing gelaterias. This is especially important because both venues are quite a ways apart and part of the greatness of Rome is just being in the moment.

Re Todd's post: Yep, there's a whole website, Slow Travel Italy.

Figure 1 hour or so to climb the dome. Figure 2 hours for the Borghese Gallery. The Nat'l Museum is actually several sites but if you just did a portion of it, let's say 2 hours there. Vatican Museum is immense but if you moved through at a reasonable pace, let's say 2 hours there. That's 7 hours just at the various sites without accounting for crowds, bathroom breaks, eating, resting, or getting from place to place. And the three sites are not exactly close to one another.

I would say it might barely be possible but you will be stressed out and running the entire time. Drop one place and you will be a lot happier.

Scheduling is a matter of when there is availability for tours. Plan well in advance.

I'd do the borghese first because as good as bernini's works are in order to get the most impact from them I'd wait on the Vatican since it can be sensory overload for some.

The Vatican is easily a 1/2 day affair once you figure in time getting there, waiting time, the tour, time spent in the Sistine Chapel, and then St. Peter's and the dome. You may want to linger in any of these places once you get there. You certainly won't be able to see the entire Vatican Museum, only that portion leading up to the Sistine Chapel. Then you will have to get transportation to the next museum, etc..., and you will have to be ON TIME for the Borghese Museum. They may not let you in if you miss your time slot. I always put the Borghese and Vatican on separate days. It's a little much to take in and digest in one day. I wouldn't count on getting in a third museum on the same day taking into account that they close at around 5 to 6 p.m. That is very ambitious.

I plan to visit the Borghese Gallery from 9-11am and the Vatican starting at 2pm. Will four hours from 2-6pm be enough time to (climb the dome, tour the museum and see St. Peter's)?

Amanda, you MUST reserve in advance your tickets for the Borghese Gallery; work everything else around that...Carefully follow the directions given (ex: you must be there at least 30 minutes before your ticket time). I'd hate for you to be disappointed...

According to your most recent post, you want to tour the Borghese Gallery from 9-11 and tour the Vatican from 2-6 (including a Dome climb). I'm not sure when you are going[INVALID]that will make a difference on how late St. Peter's is open. I realize you only have 1 day to do this. We took a tour of the Vatican that started at 12 pm. By the time we had a briefing out front and got through the line for tickets & security, it was at least 1 p.m. The tour then took us through the museums, the Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's with enough time at the end to get in line by 5 pm to climb the dome. St. Peter's is open until 7 pm April-Sept so you can go back in after your climb. So, I would get to Vatican City by 1 pm. Pack a lunch and eat on the way or in line. You should be able to pull it off.