rome visit

[Nathan Ross]

flying in on Thursday and back on Saturday (mid day both).

Looks like that gives you one full day (Friday), allowing time to get to and from airports...

In which case, as others have said, best restrict yourself to the central area. Colosseum, Forum and Palatine on a combined ticket in the morning, then up to the Capitoline Museums (which are huge - you can spend hours in there). Try and get to the Capitoline late in the afternoon, as there's a viewing gallery in the basement of the Tabularium, access from the underground passage connecting the two museums, and if you get there at the right time you can watch the sun set over the forum, after the site's closed and the crowds have all gone.

If you did have another day, you could get a combined ticket to the Museums of Rome (Palazzo Massimo etc) and roam between them visiting the Pantheon on the way. Any more time and you could take a trip along the Appian Way, visit the Baths of Caracalla, or even go down to Ostia or up to Hadrian's Villa. There are loads of other smaller sites around the place too, but for a first visit you probably want to see the big stuff first.

But don't expect to do too much - Rome's big, and you need to give yourself time to take it in. Also allow time for wandering, eating, ice cream and coffee!