Tell me what to do for two days in Rome

[Anonymous]

My family was in Rome last July, and while we are all very interested in art and history—so we did book many sights ahead of time—I think I can understand where OP is coming from on this. Some people enjoy the boulevardier experience, and more power to them for traveling their way and not clogging up the hallways of places they feel they have to see but don’t really want to.

OP, I found the YouTube content and planning website from an American woman who now lives in Rome very helpful for planning our time there, and she has lots of good walking routes suggested.

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEAd_Z-Tx6V32PvdftSywvxhBe-J-8t3i

Check out Romewise.

[Anonymous]

Couple off the beaten path spots: Giuseppe garibaldi hill - killer views.

Villa Pamphili / pamphili park - some nice views - nice place for picnic

There is a lot to see in rome for sure, depends if you “need” to see the colosseum, Vatican, etc.

I think Rome is a lot better the second / third time you go when you can relax and soak in the vibe a bit more rather than being rushed from one museum to another

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rome is not condensed enough to walk around and see sights. They are spread out from one another. You could walk by the colleseum but won’t see what people go to see. Same with vatican, st Peters basicila, Sistine chapel, the forum. You have to go inside with ticket.
I guess you could walk by Trevi fountain if you can get up to it with the hordes of tourists and Spanish steps which is meh. But you can’t walk from one site to another throughout the whole city.

I studied abroad in Rome and disagree with this unless someone in your party is disabled and out of shape. I walked all around Rome all the time and barely ever took public transport and saw everything.

First, skip the vatican. That frees up a lot of time.

You absolutely can just walk around Rome and see a ton. Walk by the Colisseum - you see a lot of it just from the street if you can't get tickets. You can walk by Trevi Fountain. You can walk up the stairs to overlook the Roman Forum. You can walk by the Wedding Cake and the Spanish Steps. Sit outside at cafes and eat pizza.

I really like the Villa Borghese. It's worth getting tickets for, IMO. Calm and pretty and quiet and a nice respite from Rome.

I did a report on the Church de San Clemente's underground and really liked it - not sure if it's still off the beaten path.

Go out in Trastevere, etc.

You absoultely can just spend a couple days walking around Rome and soak up the scenery and vibes without standing in lines and going into museums. And if you are fit you can walk nearly everywhere.

+1 this. If you want to visit the Coloseum or Vatican, yes you need tickets (and I'm with PP I would skip Vatican unless someone has a lot of interest in that kind of art). Also need tickets for Pantheon now. But there are plenty of areas you can just walk around and soak up the sites, have some food, get some gelato. PP didn't mention Piazza Navona but of course that's another area to walk around. Been to Rome twice, once without kids once with, never to public transportation except to/from airport.

[Anonymous]

https://www.brastours.com/tours/walking-tours/piazzas-fountains-of-rome/

3 hour walking tour itinerary highlights key sites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rome is not condensed enough to walk around and see sights. They are spread out from one another. You could walk by the colleseum but won’t see what people go to see. Same with vatican, st Peters basicila, Sistine chapel, the forum. You have to go inside with ticket.
I guess you could walk by Trevi fountain if you can get up to it with the hordes of tourists and Spanish steps which is meh. But you can’t walk from one site to another throughout the whole city.

I studied abroad in Rome and disagree with this unless someone in your party is disabled and out of shape. I walked all around Rome all the time and barely ever took public transport and saw everything.

First, skip the vatican. That frees up a lot of time.

You absolutely can just walk around Rome and see a ton. Walk by the Colisseum - you see a lot of it just from the street if you can't get tickets. You can walk by Trevi Fountain. You can walk up the stairs to overlook the Roman Forum. You can walk by the Wedding Cake and the Spanish Steps. Sit outside at cafes and eat pizza.

I really like the Villa Borghese. It's worth getting tickets for, IMO. Calm and pretty and quiet and a nice respite from Rome.

I did a report on the Church de San Clemente's underground and really liked it - not sure if it's still off the beaten path.

Go out in Trastevere, etc.

You absoultely can just spend a couple days walking around Rome and soak up the scenery and vibes without standing in lines and going into museums. And if you are fit you can walk nearly everywhere.

+1 this. If you want to visit the Coloseum or Vatican, yes you need tickets (and I'm with PP I would skip Vatican unless someone has a lot of interest in that kind of art). Also need tickets for Pantheon now. But there are plenty of areas you can just walk around and soak up the sites, have some food, get some gelato. PP didn't mention Piazza Navona but of course that's another area to walk around. Been to Rome twice, once without kids once with, never to public transportation except to/from airport.

Question for the posters saying to skip the Vatican -

Are you referring to all of the Vatican?

Is it not worth it to see the St. Peter's Square and admire the area?

What about just seeing St. Peter's Basilica? As a Catholic, that's the one place I'm leaning towards investing time (and money) to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rome is not condensed enough to walk around and see sights. They are spread out from one another. You could walk by the colleseum but won’t see what people go to see. Same with vatican, st Peters basicila, Sistine chapel, the forum. You have to go inside with ticket.
I guess you could walk by Trevi fountain if you can get up to it with the hordes of tourists and Spanish steps which is meh. But you can’t walk from one site to another throughout the whole city.

I studied abroad in Rome and disagree with this unless someone in your party is disabled and out of shape. I walked all around Rome all the time and barely ever took public transport and saw everything.

First, skip the vatican. That frees up a lot of time.

You absolutely can just walk around Rome and see a ton. Walk by the Colisseum - you see a lot of it just from the street if you can't get tickets. You can walk by Trevi Fountain. You can walk up the stairs to overlook the Roman Forum. You can walk by the Wedding Cake and the Spanish Steps. Sit outside at cafes and eat pizza.

I really like the Villa Borghese. It's worth getting tickets for, IMO. Calm and pretty and quiet and a nice respite from Rome.

I did a report on the Church de San Clemente's underground and really liked it - not sure if it's still off the beaten path.

Go out in Trastevere, etc.

You absoultely can just spend a couple days walking around Rome and soak up the scenery and vibes without standing in lines and going into museums. And if you are fit you can walk nearly everywhere.

+1 this. If you want to visit the Coloseum or Vatican, yes you need tickets (and I'm with PP I would skip Vatican unless someone has a lot of interest in that kind of art). Also need tickets for Pantheon now. But there are plenty of areas you can just walk around and soak up the sites, have some food, get some gelato. PP didn't mention Piazza Navona but of course that's another area to walk around. Been to Rome twice, once without kids once with, never to public transportation except to/from airport.

Question for the posters saying to skip the Vatican -

Are you referring to all of the Vatican?

Is it not worth it to see the St. Peter's Square and admire the area?

What about just seeing St. Peter's Basilica? As a Catholic, that's the one place I'm leaning towards investing time (and money) to see.

Immediate PP, I did go to the Vatican on the trip without kids. I'm not religious at all, and though parts of it were cool, I honestly would be fine never having gone. I think for kids it would be super boring (and crowded) unless they're really into that kind of thing. Sure St Peter's Square is worth seeing if you want to see it... same as any of the major sites. It really just depends on your interest - for you, it seems worth it.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure if you can just wander into St. Peter’s square the way you can wander into other square or plazas. It’s part of the Vatican complex so you would need tickets, go through security, etc. there might be a tour that skips the museum and just does the plaza, st Peter’s and sistenr chapel. Our museum tour was pretty good — only there less than an hour and they hit the highlights and explained what we were looking at. My kids (12 and 14) are not fans of art museum and they thought it was interesting. Some of it is just the sheer amount of stuff they have — our tour guide would point us to rooms or halls full of stuff that would be the star item at an American museum that was not even worth our time to walk into. For me (and I’m Catholic), St. Peter’s was okay but it wasn’t the most interesting or impressive church I’ve seen—it’s very big so, for me at least, didn’t have the wow factor that some other old European churches have.
If you’re gojng yo do it, I would definitely just get a skip the line highlights tour. It’s a pain to get into and not super close to other things so it’s not the place you’re going to just want to wander into. That would be frustrating and waste most of your time in a not very charming way. It’s just a binary decision I think—whether you are interested enough to give up half a day and a few hundred dollars to do this, or not. It is cool but there are lots of cool things in Rome.

[Anonymous]

I recommend the slim memoir “Four Seasons In Rome” by Anthony Doerr about his young family’s year spent in Rome. It will awaken your senses and give you something to look forward to! He is the author of All the Light We Cannot See and Cuckoo Land.

Rome is wonderful…two days is too short, but better than nothing! Just wander and enjoy.

[Anonymous]

NEW QUESTION:

Has anyone just visited St. Peter’s Basilica without visiting the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel?

Apparently entrance to St. Peter’s is free and you can avoid the two-hour lines if you arrive at 7am.

I can’t find a your specific to St. Peter’s only.

I realize there are fees to climb the dome or take the elevator. Can you easily access that once inside or is it a separate entrance/queue?

Too bad the new thread on this very specific question was locked since the question is now buried here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recommend the slim memoir “Four Seasons In Rome” by Anthony Doerr about his young family’s year spent in Rome. It will awaken your senses and give you something to look forward to! He is the author of All the Light We Cannot See and Cuckoo Land.

Rome is wonderful…two days is too short, but better than nothing! Just wander and enjoy.

Thanks!

I’m sure two days is far too short in Rome, but we will be in Italy for several weeks…so I’m trying to pace ourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NEW QUESTION:

Has anyone just visited St. Peter’s Basilica without visiting the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel?

Apparently entrance to St. Peter’s is free and you can avoid the two-hour lines if you arrive at 7am.

I can’t find a your specific to St. Peter’s only.

I realize there are fees to climb the dome or take the elevator. Can you easily access that once inside or is it a separate entrance/queue?

Too bad the new thread on this very specific question was locked since the question is now buried here.

It was locked bc you already have this thread open for that question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NEW QUESTION:

Has anyone just visited St. Peter’s Basilica without visiting the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel?

Apparently entrance to St. Peter’s is free and you can avoid the two-hour lines if you arrive at 7am.

I can’t find a your specific to St. Peter’s only.

I realize there are fees to climb the dome or take the elevator. Can you easily access that once inside or is it a separate entrance/queue?

Too bad the new thread on this very specific question was locked since the question is now buried here.

It was locked bc you already have this thread open for that question.

?

This is a very specific question about St. Peter’s Basilica only…not what to see/do in Rome generally.

I’m fascinated by travel forums that seemingly don’t want to generate traffic to the forum by limiting the questions.

I’m struggling to find a clear answer on St. Peter’s Basilica.

Can you just show up at 7am or shortly beforehand and get into St. Peter’s? Some YouTubers say you can.

But the dome entry is separate and opens at 8. And there’s a fee.

Should you show up before 7 and enter the basilica and if so can you somehow pay to climb the dome which opens at 8, or is that different line not accessible from inside?

Tours that include this are quite costly, and preliminary research indicates the basilica is free and the elevator to the dome is 10 euros. Trying to avoid $110 euros per person, if possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NEW QUESTION:

Has anyone just visited St. Peter’s Basilica without visiting the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel?

Apparently entrance to St. Peter’s is free and you can avoid the two-hour lines if you arrive at 7am.

I can’t find a your specific to St. Peter’s only.

I realize there are fees to climb the dome or take the elevator. Can you easily access that once inside or is it a separate entrance/queue?

Too bad the new thread on this very specific question was locked since the question is now buried here.

It was locked bc you already have this thread open for that question.

?

This is a very specific question about St. Peter’s Basilica only…not what to see/do in Rome generally.

I’m fascinated by travel forums that seemingly don’t want to generate traffic to the forum by limiting the questions.

I’m struggling to find a clear answer on St. Peter’s Basilica.

Can you just show up at 7am or shortly beforehand and get into St. Peter’s? Some YouTubers say you can.

But the dome entry is separate and opens at 8. And there’s a fee.

Should you show up before 7 and enter the basilica and if so can you somehow pay to climb the dome which opens at 8, or is that different line not accessible from inside?

Tours that include this are quite costly, and preliminary research indicates the basilica is free and the elevator to the dome is 10 euros. Trying to avoid $110 euros per person, if possible.

Again, it was locked bc it’s already being discussed here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NEW QUESTION:

Has anyone just visited St. Peter’s Basilica without visiting the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel?

Apparently entrance to St. Peter’s is free and you can avoid the two-hour lines if you arrive at 7am.

I can’t find a your specific to St. Peter’s only.

I realize there are fees to climb the dome or take the elevator. Can you easily access that once inside or is it a separate entrance/queue?

Too bad the new thread on this very specific question was locked since the question is now buried here.

It was locked bc you already have this thread open for that question.

?

This is a very specific question about St. Peter’s Basilica only…not what to see/do in Rome generally.

I’m fascinated by travel forums that seemingly don’t want to generate traffic to the forum by limiting the questions.

I’m struggling to find a clear answer on St. Peter’s Basilica.

Can you just show up at 7am or shortly beforehand and get into St. Peter’s? Some YouTubers say you can.

But the dome entry is separate and opens at 8. And there’s a fee.

Should you show up before 7 and enter the basilica and if so can you somehow pay to climb the dome which opens at 8, or is that different line not accessible from inside?

Tours that include this are quite costly, and preliminary research indicates the basilica is free and the elevator to the dome is 10 euros. Trying to avoid $110 euros per person, if possible.

Again, it was locked bc it’s already being discussed here.

Fat chance anyone equipped to answer the question will find it buried under the larger discussion.

Interesting approach to generating hits.

Seems like you would want more queries with specific questions…along the lines of what someone might google/search for, prompting more visits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NEW QUESTION:

Has anyone just visited St. Peter’s Basilica without visiting the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel?

Apparently entrance to St. Peter’s is free and you can avoid the two-hour lines if you arrive at 7am.

I can’t find a your specific to St. Peter’s only.

I realize there are fees to climb the dome or take the elevator. Can you easily access that once inside or is it a separate entrance/queue?

Too bad the new thread on this very specific question was locked since the question is now buried here.

It was locked bc you already have this thread open for that question.

?

This is a very specific question about St. Peter’s Basilica only…not what to see/do in Rome generally.

I’m fascinated by travel forums that seemingly don’t want to generate traffic to the forum by limiting the questions.

I’m struggling to find a clear answer on St. Peter’s Basilica.

Can you just show up at 7am or shortly beforehand and get into St. Peter’s? Some YouTubers say you can.

But the dome entry is separate and opens at 8. And there’s a fee.

Should you show up before 7 and enter the basilica and if so can you somehow pay to climb the dome which opens at 8, or is that different line not accessible from inside?

Tours that include this are quite costly, and preliminary research indicates the basilica is free and the elevator to the dome is 10 euros. Trying to avoid $110 euros per person, if possible.

Again, it was locked bc it’s already being discussed here.

Fat chance anyone equipped to answer the question will find it buried under the larger discussion.

Interesting approach to generating hits.

Seems like you would want more queries with specific questions…along the lines of what someone might google/search for, prompting more visits.

Yet again, it was asked on here and is being asked now. Don’t need multiple threads on the same thing.