Italy - 4 Days in Rome

I am going to Rome the end of October and was wondering if 4 days was too much to spend in the city OR if I should plan some day trips out of the city.

I am open to suggestions but right now I am looking at

Spanish Steps
Colosseum
Trevi Fountain
Pantheon

Any other must see places in Rome?

Any other must see places near Rome that I could do as a day trip?

Thanks in advance!

We just did a 4 day trip to Rome. Visited all the places you've listed and also spent a day visiting Vatican. We felt we had just about the right amount of time. We didn't spend time doing shopping or relax much, as we were touring around quite a bit (walking mostly).

I am going to Rome the end of October and was wondering if 4 days was too much to spend in the city OR if I should plan some day trips out of the city.

I am open to suggestions but right now I am looking at

Spanish Steps
Colosseum
Trevi Fountain
Pantheon

Any other must see places in Rome?

Any other must see places near Rome that I could do as a day trip?

Thanks in advance!

4 days is a decent amount of time. You'll want to add St. Peters/Vatican museums to your itinerary. Whether you are Catholic or not, it is magnificent structure, and one of the finest museums in the world. The Gallery Boghese/Borghese Gardens is also a must.

As for side trips: Pompeii will take an entire day, as would Florence. Rather than losing an entire day, I would add the Catacombs.

Four days is a nice amount of time, although you could accomplish most of that list in a single long day if you wanted; if you take Metro A to Spagna (the Spanish Steps) you can see those and then take a nice walk down Via del Corso to the Capitoline and the Forum (maybe a twenty or thirty minute walk, but always lively; I would spend another whole day there seeing the Musei Capitolini myself) and then a ten minute down Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Colosseum and you can hop back on Metro B from there...

Thanks for the help ...

Does it make sense to fly into Frankfurt and spend the time to take a train to Rome? I expect to see a lot of country sides.

Thoughts?

One more thing - are museums closed on Mondays?

Thanks for the help ...

Does it make sense to fly into Frankfurt and spend the time to take a train to Rome? I expect to see a lot of country sides.

Thoughts?

IMO, no it doesn't make sense to take the train.

One more thing - are museums closed on Mondays?

Some are but not all.

Agree with other posters: You must try to fit the Vatican City during your visit. No visit to Rome is complete without a trip there, whether you are Catholic or not.

Go by Piazza Navona. Soak in the atmosphere. Sit outside and enjoy a cup of coffee or gelato. Check out the people selling art of Rome.

Thanks for the advice -

Any great / must go to restaurants in Rome?? I hope this list won't be too exhaustive!

Thanks

Thanks for the help ...

Does it make sense to fly into Frankfurt and spend the time to take a train to Rome? I expect to see a lot of country sides.

Thoughts?

Nope, You'll be best off flying. A quick search showed me that it would take more than 18hrs. Fist an ICE to Munich and then a night train to Roma Termini.

Thanks for the advice -

Any great / must go to restaurants in Rome?? I hope this list won't be too exhaustive!

Thanks

If you never listen to anything on FT, listen to this: Go to La Capricciosa and order the lasagna

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d716277-Reviews-La_Capricciosa-Rome_Lazio.html

I'll just link this thread here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/italy/1379188-rome-things-know-about-monti.html

You must have pizza at da baffetta at piazza navona

We, too, are going to Rome for 4 days at the end of October. I wanted to see some of the sculptures at the Borghese Gallery and read somewhere that one must make a reservation, even if you have the RomaCard. I think that museum is closed on Mondays.

Planning on going to Ostia Antica on Sunday. Our last attempt to do that was a disaster. They were closed that day and the taxi driver dropped us off in the middle of Ostia where no one, apparently, spoke a word of English nor understood our attempts at Italian. Finally found the train station and took a taxi back to our airport hotel.

We, too, are going to Rome for 4 days at the end of October. I wanted to see some of the sculptures at the Borghese Gallery and read somewhere that one must make a reservation, even if you have the RomaCard. I think that museum is closed on Mondays.

Planning on going to Ostia Antica on Sunday. Our last attempt to do that was a disaster. They were closed that day and the taxi driver dropped us off in the middle of Ostia where no one, apparently, spoke a word of English nor understood our attempts at Italian. Finally found the train station and took a taxi back to our airport hotel.

Regarding the Galleria Borghese

First here's the official website (and yes, it's closed Mondays):

http://www.galleriaborghese.it/default-en.htm

And yes, you must make reservations even with the RomaPass. RinR's excellent blog covers this topic exhaustively and these links should address any and all questions (including making your reservation and using the RomaPass):
Galleria Borghese (http://www.roninrome.com/%20transportation/galleria-borghese)

Getting to the Galleria Borghese (http://www.roninrome.com/sites-and-attractions/getting-to-galleria-boghese)

Regarding Ostia Antica

I've only visited there once and it was within a ContextRome (http://www.contexttravel.com/city/rome/walking-tour-details/ostia-antica) tour and I was very fortunate to have as my guide Darius Arya (http://www.romanculture.org/page/darius). I too want to go back (this site is massive, and so much to see!).

For the logistics to get there see this RinR piece:
Day Trip from Rome – Ostia Antica (http://www.roninrome.com/sites-and-attractions/day-trip-from-rome-ostia-antica)

Also you might find interesting the videos that Prof. Arya of the AIRC (http://www.romanculture.org/) and Northeastern University produced regarding Ostia Antica. I've posted all the links on a ST thread (my user name there is Jady):
Recommended Sources for Rome Trip Planning (http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/862600685/m/790007924001)

And here are some additional links on Ostia Antica from the official sites, and note that it's closed on Mondays and the holidays Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25:

From Turismo Roma (http://www.turismoroma.it/itinerari-a-tema/parco-archeologico-ostia-antica?lang=en)

From 060608 (http://www.060608.it/en/cultura-e-svago/beni-culturali/beni-archeologici/scavi-di-ostia-antica.html) (Always advisable to check this site for opening hours, especially if venturing outside of the Centro Storico).

From MiBAC (http://archeoroma.beniculturali.it/en/archaeological-site/ancient-ostia)

Ostia Antica Online (http://www.ostiaantica.info/excavations.php)

OSTIA: HARBOUR CITY OF ANCIENT ROME (http://www.ostia-antica.org/)

Hope this helps! :)

Generally, 4 days for a walking tour are fine.
If you add the visit of some of the hundreds museums in town (mandatory in my opinion) the time allowed narrows

We, too, are going to Rome for 4 days at the end of October. I wanted to see some of the sculptures at the Borghese Gallery and read somewhere that one must make a reservation, even if you have the RomaCard. I think that museum is closed on Mondays.

Planning on going to Ostia Antica on Sunday. Our last attempt to do that was a disaster. They were closed that day and the taxi driver dropped us off in the middle of Ostia where no one, apparently, spoke a word of English nor understood our attempts at Italian. Finally found the train station and took a taxi back to our airport hotel.

Definitely need to make a reservation for Borghese. We went during culture week and it was the only place where we didn’t get to step inside because we didn’t make a reservation beforehand. Walked from the Spanish Steps all the way there, in the rain, only to be told “no”.

I think a reservation is 3 Euros online.

also recommend restaurant sofia on capo le case near Spanish steps - best sign of a good restaurant to me = no tourist menu! went in, loved the food, v chilled ambience and crowd.Came back the next night. Steaks and pastas were excellent.

The Steps and Environs hold no allure for me, and never did. That said, even the worst parts of central Rome are more captivating than the best parts of most cities. For a day trip, I like Tivoli. The trick is to avoid the crowds...

http://www.the-world-heritage-sites.com/pics/villa-deste_tivoli.jpg