THE DAY-BY-DAY GUIDE TO A PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO ROME 🇮🇹
I've been fortunate enough to visit Rome multiple times and even more fortunate to have been guided by true Italian friends. Here I take all that I've learned from those travels and distill it into one perfect 3-day introduction.
This itinerary is perfect for someone visiting Rome for the first time and then continuing on to other parts of Italy for the rest of your trip. You'll visit all the truly must-see sights like the Colosseum and the Vatican, but you’ll do so at a pace that won’t make you exhausted and miserable.
Generally I recommend that people spend even longer in Rome (because there’s just *so much* to see here), but I know the stats say 3 days is really typical. I completely understand. Europe is expensive and you want to make the most of your trip. But, I think you'll find that these 3 days barely scratch the surface of the Eternal City, and you'll be itching to come back to see (and eat) everything Rome has to offer!
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🛎️ Leading Hotels of the World & Anantara
Not only is this a beautiful hotel with an extremely rare rooftop pool, it's in a great location with easy access to places in Rome and the train for when you want to explore more of Italy!
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🏆 Forbes 5-star
🛎️ Dorchester Collection
Absolute luxury with panoramic views from one of the best locations in Rome - between the Spanish Steps and the Borghese Gardens!
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🏆 Forbes 5-star
🛎️ Rocco Forte
Check out the chic, secluded walled-garden restaurant and bar at this luxury hotel near the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese.
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🛎️ Small Luxury Hotels of the World
You can't get much closer to the Colosseum than this!
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DAY 1: A Stroll through the Historic Center
Start your trip off with a classic walking tour through the historic center. Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain are quick stops & closer than you think. After lunch, head to Santa Maria della Vittoria and the Baths of Diocletian to see works by Bernini & Michelangelo.
Morning
Trevi Fountain
⏳ Fly-by (less than an hour)
💡 Tip: Start here as early as possible if you don't want crowds (or at least have fewer crowds). Otherwise, just be patient and play with camera angles.
Also, here's a fun fact: Whether you throw 1, 2, or 3 coins each has a different superstition. Most just throw one over their shoulder to "guarantee" their future return to Rome!
Toss a coin (or three) in the fountain and you'll guarantee your return to Rome (or that you'll find a spouse) - at least according to Three Coins in the Fountain. Yeah it's touristy, but it's big, it's beautiful, and it's a must when you're in Rome.
💡 Tip: Whether you throw 1, 2, or 3 coins each has a different superstition. Most just throw one over their shoulder to "guarantee" their future return to Rome!
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🚶♀️ Walk about 8 minutes
The Pantheon
⏳ Quick (about an hour)
💡 Tip: Make sure you reserve a timeslot in advance!
As impressive today as it was when it was built (~128 AD), the record-setting concrete dome of the pantheon has inspired architects and artists a world over - Michaelangelo, Bernini, Brunelleschi, and Thomas Jefferson among them.
💡 Tip: Make sure you reserve a timeslot in advance!
Come stroll & check out the street artists. The Piazza was once an ancient Circus. Now it's baroque, headlined by Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain, which depicts the then Christian world's main rivers (Nile, Danube, Ganges, & Rio della Plata).
DELI & ROMAN CLASSICS IN CENTRO STORICO
Known for having some of the world’s best Carbonara and Amatriciana Pastas as well as Cacio e Pepe and a strong cocktail program.
Once an elaborate villa, Borghese is now one of the world's preeminent museums with works by masters like Bernini, Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian, and Rubens. The surrounding gardens are also home to Rome's zoo and a variety of idyllic sights.
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🚶♀️ Walk outside of the museum to the surrounding grounds.
Admittedly, the history here is a little lacking, unless you count their appearance in Roman Holiday. But, the steps are beautiful, especially when the azaleas are in bloom, and a quick and easy stop when you're in the city center.
💡 Tip: You can’t sit on the steps anymore! Check out the azaleas in late April to May.
EMILIA-ROMAGNA CUISINE IN THE PIAZZA DEL POPOLO
For when you want to try some classic dishes from another region including tortellini en brodo, tagliatelle Bolognese, or the trolley of boiled meats.
Today your jaw will drop - no joke. Book an early-entry or exclusive after-hours tour to see the Sistine Chapel with few(er) crowds. Spend the rest of your time gawking in the museums and Basilica. Be sure to climb the dome! Start or end with a walk around Castel Sant'Angelo - it'll be plenty for one day!
Morning
Musei Vaticani & the Sistine Chapel
⏳ Few hours (or more)
💡 Tip: Book a tour for early-entry to help limit the crowds! You can also shift this to the end of the day for an after-hours tour!
Most people dash past these star-studded galleries on their way to the Sistine Chapel, but you'd be missing out on one of the most incredible collections of art in the world!
💡 Tip: Book a tour for early-entry (or after-hours) to help limit the crowds! It's worth it, I promise. Also, do some homework about the Sistine Chapel and its art in advance because you and your guide will have to stay silent once inside.
It's perhaps the most impressive room of art you will ever set foot in. Stars including Botticelli, Perugino, Pinturicchio, and Ghirlandaio painted frescoes in the chapel, and Michelangelo's ceiling and Last Judgement are the headliners.
💡 Tip: Book a tour for early-entry (or after-hours) to help limit the crowds! It's worth it, I promise. Also, do some homework about the Sistine Chapel and its art in advance because you and your guide will have to stay silent once inside.
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If you are on a tour, you won't have to walk extra to get to the Basilica. Your tour will get to go through a special entrance that bypasses security.
St. Peter's Basilica
⏳ Few hours (combined with square below)
💡 Tip: If you haven't done it before, I highly recommend the climb to the top of the dome. You can see the mosaics up close and the views of the city are incredible.
Standing on the site where St. Peter, the first Pope, was buried after his upside-down crucifixion, the Vatican is a feast for the eyes. It's one of the most impressive churches in the world - featuring masterpieces by Michelangelo, Bernini, & others.
💡 Tip: Make sure you plan to have your shoulders & knees covered. Also, if you haven't done it before, I highly recommend the climb to the top of the dome. You can see the mosaics up close and the views of the city are incredible.
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St. Peter's Square
💡 Tip: Stand on the dots in the square to make all the columns line up!
The square is a masterpiece of art and geometry in itself, spend some time soaking it in!
💡 Tip: Stand on the dots in the square to make all the columns line up!
This charming, colorful neighborhood across the Tiber is a favorite for tourists to wander thanks to its bohemian vibes and meandering cobblestone streets. Catch a hilltop view from Piazzale Garibaldi, visit the mosaics and frescoes of the Basilica of Santa Maria, get lost at the Porta Portese (Rome's largest flea market), or dine al fresco at one of the neighborhood's many restaurants.
SUPPLI IN TRASTEVERE
A suppli is a deep-fried risotto ball filled with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. This spot is known for some of the world’s best suppli including fun variations of this Roman street food.
GELATO IN TRASTEVERE
Known for creative, ever-changing flavors made from fresh ingredients.
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DAY 3: Ancient Roman Icons
Take a guided tour to bring the excitement & history of Ancient Rome alive at the Forum and Colosseum. You'll be ready for lunch after walking in the sun, but there aren't great options nearby, so head to Trastevere for a relaxing afternoon stroll with a stop at the kid-friendly Bocca della Verite.
Morning
Altare della Patria
⏳ Fly-by (photo-op only)
💡 Tip: You have a big day ahead of you, so just grab some quick shots of this famous "Wedding Cake"
This colossal monument to Italy’s first King, Victor Emmanuel II, is known as the wedding cake for its opulent white exterior.
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🚶♀️ Walk about 10 minutes
Roman Forum
⏳ Half-Day (combined with Colosseum)
💡 Tip: A guide can really help bring the Forum to life. I also highly recommend looking up before and after photos to help visualize what life was once like in this bustling place.
Once a hub for Roman life, the forum is still alive and abuzz today (now with tourists). Gone are the markets and public speeches, but the history is still palpable as you walk among the ruins of temples, palaces, and government buildings.
💡 Tip: A guide can really help bring the Forum to life. I also highly recommend looking up before and after photos to help visualize what life was once like in this bustling place.
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🚶♀️ Walk about 10 minutes
The Colosseum
⏳ Half-Day (combined with Forum)
💡 Tip: Lines at the Colosseum can be very long, and "skip the line" tickets only help so much. A guide is the only real way to skip to the front. Bring water for while you wait, especially at midday or in the summer.
Lions and Tigers and Gladiators! The Colosseum is one of the must see stops in Rome. Men and beasts once fought here in what was not only the largest ancient amphitheater, but a feat of engineering that has survived since its grand opening in 80 AD.
💡 Tip: Lines at the Colosseum can be very long, and "skip the line" tickets only help so much. A guide is the only real way to skip to the front. Bring water for while you wait, especially at midday or in the summer.
ROMAN CLASSICS IN ESQUILINO
Considered to have some of the best pasta Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe dishes in the city - the Cacio e Pepe is prepared in a massive pecorino wheel!
DELI & ROMAN CLASSICS IN CENTRO STORICO
Known for having some of the world’s best Carbonara and Amatriciana Pastas as well as Cacio e Pepe and a strong cocktail program.
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Afternoon
Capitoline Museums
⏳ Few hours
💡 Tip: Check out the views of the Forum from the museum!
An impressive square designed by Michelangelo in honor of the Holy Roman Emperor's visit
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Optional add-on
Add this nearby (but gorgeous) stop onto your day if you still have any energy left. Alternatively, if you are completely exhausted and "museumed-out," spend a little extra time at lunch (then grab gelato or appertivi...), and consider adding this church as a final easy stop for your trip to Rome!
Il Gesu
⏳ About an hour or so
💡 Tip: The church is closed in the early afternoon - pay attention to the opening hours!
Look up! This church is known for its extraordinary ceiling, painted by Baciccia to fool the eye into feeling like the church opens into the heavens. This church is also prime example of Baroque architecture, has several important relics, and was the first Jesuit church in Rome.
MODERN ITALIAN IN CENTRO STORICO
This moody spot serves updated Italian dishes with modern gastronomic twists. Our concierge asked us if we were okay going somewhere owned by the French - there are definitely influences in the food here. A great spot to shake up the mainstay Roman dishes.
GELATO IN CENTRO STORICO
We asked our waiters for their favorite gelato in Rome, and we have to admit we were very skeptical when multiple people suggested a place known for having so many flavors. We did a head to head with Giolitti and suddenly understood why it was a locals’ favorite.
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Return Home!
And start planning your next trip...
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Recent travels include:
🇫🇷 France | Paris, Loire Valley, & Normandy
🇸🇬 Singapore
🇰🇭 Cambodia | Siem Reap
🇹🇭 Thailand | Bangkok & Phuket
🇬🇧UK | London & Stonehenge
🇭🇷Croatia | Split & Dubrovnik
🇹🇿Tanzania | Arusha & Serengeti
🇰🇪Kenya | Maasai Mara, Chyulu Hills, & Nairobi
🇸🇨Seychelles | Mahe & La Digue
🇮🇹Italy | Rome, Tuscany, Florence, & more
🇺🇸USA | NYC, New England, Texas, Florida Keys, DC, Charleston, California, Las Vegas, and more
Planned travels include:
🇺🇸 USA | Denver, Seattle, & St. Louis
