Rome on Sunday

[weston gal]

I am staying 2 nights post cruise in Rome.  The 2nd day is a Sunday.  Is the Vatican and that area closed to visitors?  Any suggestions?  I have seen most of the must sees in Rome.

[euro cruiser]

St. Peter's basilica is open seven days a week:  Opening hours and times of celebrations (basilicasanpietro.va)

 

The Vatican museums (includes the Sistine Chapel) are closed on Sundays, except the last Sunday of each month when it is free:  Vatican Museums – Official Website (museivaticani.va)

 

You may have seen the "top ten" sites that every website, guide book, blog entry, intragram feed etc. mention, but there are about a hundred other fascinating things to see and do in Rome that many people never get to.  What kinds of things/subjects/topics do you enjoy?

[weston gal]

I love the charm of historic areas and scenic beauty of nature.  Thank you for any suggestions.  I am 81 traveling with my 55 year old daughter who has never been to Italy.  We leave the ship on Saturday and plan to get to our hotel, check in and walk around seeing the Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, the Forum and whatever we can cover in the afternoon.So I need a plan for Sunday.. 

[cruisemom42]

So....you really only have about a day and a half to see Rome and both are weekend days....not the most ideal.

 

You say you've seen the major sites already but it sounds like you want your daughter to see them. The first thing would be to find out whether seeing the Vatican museum and Sistine chapel are important to her (or both of you). If so, you'd need to make that a priority on Saturday afternoon by reserving tickets or a tour in advance. You can also see St. Peter's, which may or may not be included in your tour.

 

After that, if your hotel is centrall located (and I hope it is), you could rest for a bit, then go back out before dinner for a little walk that would include the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona -- all of these are fairly close. Trevi and Piazza Navona look wonderful in the evening and there are plenty of places to dine around all of them. Take a tip and skip the Spanish Steps, they are not a big deal on such a short visit.

 

Finally on Sunday you can go to the area close to the Forum and see the Colosseum, Forum, and if you like a couple of other sites. (I'd recommend the Baths of Caracalla and Palatine Hill). For the Colosseum, having a ticket in advance is critical to save time.

 

 

[weston gal]

I love the charm of historic areas and scenic beauty of nature.  Thank you for any suggestions.  I am 81 traveling with my 55 year old daughter who has never been to Italy.  We leave the ship on Saturday and plan to get to our hotel, check in and walk around seeing the Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, the Forum and whatever we can cover in the afternoon.So I need a plan for Sunday.. 

[weston gal]

I love the charm of historic areas and scenic beauty of nature.  Thank you for any suggestions.  I am 81 traveling with my 55 year old daughter who has never been to Italy.  We leave the ship on Saturday and plan to get to our hotel, check in and walk around seeing the Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, the Forum and whatever we can cover in the afternoon.So I need a plan for Sunday.. 

[weston gal]

Thank you cruisemom.  I will check out the baths of Caracalla.  I read reviews that say they were not impressed with Palatine Hill.  
I do agree that the Spanish steps can be missed.

Since we are Jewish, I don’t think my daughter will think the Vatican and Sistine Chapel are a must.

our hotel is the Trevi Collection, recommended by my travel agent.  It seems centrally located.

i would appreciate any suggestions you have.  

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, weston gal said:

Thank you cruisemom.  I will check out the baths of Caracalla.  I read reviews that say they were not impressed with Palatine Hill.  
I do agree that the Spanish steps can be missed.

Since we are Jewish, I don’t think my daughter will think the Vatican and Sistine Chapel are a must.

our hotel is the Trevi Collection, recommended by my travel agent.  It seems centrally located.

i would appreciate any suggestions you have.  

 

How about a visit to Rome's traditional Jewish ghetto then? Rome's Jewish population dates back to before the diaspora. There is a synagogue and a small area with a lot of restaurants. Roman Jewish cuisine probably best represents the traditional food of Rome from way way back. 

 

I would still suggest doing the Colosseum/Forum/Baths/Palatine on your Sunday, and add the Ghetto (not a bad walk from the Forum area but you could also take a taxi if tired) in the afternoon?

 

Use your Saturday time for doing the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona areas, which sound walkable from your hotel.

 

Rick Steves' Rome guidebook offers self-guided walking tours for both the Ghetto and also a nice stroll that takes in the Trevi/Pantheon/Navona sites. Come of think of it, he also covers the ancient Roman sites. I suggest you see if you can check it out from your library, or purchase on Amazon. It's a great source of info for those who like to do things on their own.

 

[weston gal]

Thank you again cruisemom.  I looked at the Jewish ghetto and it was of interest to me.  I found a tour on TripAdvisor, but do you think we should do it on our own,  my daughter is very good at navigating cities with google maps.   How far is the Forum from our hotel?  How long would it take to do the Coliseum /Forum/Baths/Palatine.  I am a good walker and thankfully good health.  Since I’ve seen the Coliseum I wasn’t sure about doing it again, but I know my daughter would appreciate it.

.

[kohanfam]

We are planning on doing this tour for a quick familiarization of area and because we are going with a couple that don’t want to walk so much.

3-6 golf cart tour.  Rollingrome.com.  $100/person.  4 in cart.  3 hours

Another option was to do Rick Steves heart of Rome walk.

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, kohanfam said:

Another option was to do Rick Steves heart of Rome walk.

 

That's the one I mentioned from his book that covers Trevi, Pantheon, etc.

 

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, weston gal said:

Thank you again cruisemom.  I looked at the Jewish ghetto and it was of interest to me.  I found a tour on TripAdvisor, but do you think we should do it on our own,  my daughter is very good at navigating cities with google maps.   How far is the Forum from our hotel?  How long would it take to do the Coliseum /Forum/Baths/Palatine.  I am a good walker and thankfully good health.  Since I’ve seen the Coliseum I wasn’t sure about doing it again, but I know my daughter would appreciate it.

.

 

Your hotel is about a 20 minute walk to the Forum. The other sites (Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Baths of Caracalla) are nearby. 

 

Map:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/S2BXcijhztkMQX346

 

You probably do not want to do all four of the ancient sites. The Colosseum and Forum are usually the most popular. Skip Palatine unless you are really interested in ancient Rome. I like to recommend the Baths of Caracalla because they are such a well preserved example of what Roman baths were like, in all their grandeur.

 

I again would suggest that you (or your daughter) take a look at the Rick Steves' self-guided tours and see whether you think you could do them on your own. I prefer to do it on my own, but I realize everyone is different and maybe you get a lot more out of a guided tour. (I do a lot of research and reading in advance.)

 

[weston gal]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Your hotel is about a 20 minute walk to the Forum. The other sites (Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Baths of Caracalla) are nearby. 

 

Map:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/S2BXcijhztkMQX346

 

You probably do not want to do all four of the ancient sites. The Colosseum and Forum are usually the most popular. Skip Palatine unless you are really interested in ancient Rome. I like to recommend the Baths of Caracalla because they are such a well preserved example of what Roman baths were like, in all their grandeur.

 

I again would suggest that you (or your daughter) take a look at the Rick Steves' self-guided tours and see whether you think you could do them on your own. I prefer to do it on my own, but I realize everyone is different and maybe you get a lot more out of a guided tour. (I do a lot of research and reading in advance.)

 

 

[weston gal]

Thank you. Your help has given me clear direction and I now have a much better idea of what to do.