3 days in Rome

Day by day

1. Day 1: Colosseum and Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

   Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill and Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, then Trevi Fountain in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Colosseum

      The largest amphitheatre of the Roman world was inaugurated in AD 80 and held an estimated 50,000 spectators for gladiator fights and animal hunts.

   2. Late morning

      Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

      Climb to the Farnese Gardens on the Palatine for the best overview of the Forum, and carry water — shade is scarce.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Spaghetti alla carbonara

      Trattorias across the city, particularly in Testaccio, Monti and around Campo de' Fiori.

   4. Afternoon

      Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel

      The popes' collections fill kilometres of galleries: classical sculpture such as the Laocoön, the Gallery of Maps, the Raphael Rooms with The School of Athens and finally the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo painted the ceiling and The Last Judgement.

   5. Evening

      Trevi Fountain

      Come early in the morning or late at night to see it without a wall of people, and keep a hand on your bag in the crowd.

2. Day 2: St Peter's Basilica and Pantheon

   St Peter's Basilica, Pantheon and Spanish Steps, then Piazza Navona in the evening.

   1. Morning

      St Peter's Basilica

      Arrive early to beat the security queue, and cover shoulders and knees or you will be turned away.

   2. Late morning

      Pantheon

      Rebuilt under Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century, the Pantheon still has the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, about 43 metres across, with an oculus open to the sky at its centre.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Cacio e pepe

      Traditional Roman trattorias; it is on almost every menu in Trastevere and Testaccio.

   4. Afternoon

      Spanish Steps

      Walk up the steps and continue along to the Pincio terrace above Piazza del Popolo for a sunset view over the domes.

   5. Evening

      Piazza Navona

      Skip the terrace prices for coffee and come back after dark, when the fountains are lit and the crowds thin.

3. Day 3: Borghese Gallery and Villa Borghese park

   Borghese Gallery, Villa Borghese park and Trastevere and Santa Maria in Trastevere, then Campo de' Fiori in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Borghese Gallery

      Cardinal Scipione Borghese's villa holds one of the city's great private collections: Bernini's marble sculptures Apollo and Daphne and The Rape of Proserpina, a room of Caravaggio paintings, Titian's Sacred and Profane Love and Canova's reclining Pauline Bonaparte.

   2. Late morning

      Villa Borghese park

      Hire a four-person pedal cart near the Pincio for a family loop of the park, then watch the sunset from the terrace.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Bucatini all'amatriciana

      Trattorias citywide, often listed alongside carbonara and gricia as the Roman pasta quartet.

   4. Afternoon

      Trastevere and Santa Maria in Trastevere

      Trastevere is best explored on foot from Piazza di Santa Maria, where the basilica's medieval gold mosaics glow in the apse.

   5. Evening

      Campo de' Fiori

      Buy a piece of pizza bianca from a bakery just off the square and eat it in Piazza Farnese next door.

Before you go

• Colosseum: Timed tickets are required and sell out days or weeks ahead in high season; buy from the official Colosseum site or authorised resellers.
• Roman Forum and Palatine Hill: Entry is included in the combined Colosseum ticket; reserve in advance.
• Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel: Timed tickets bought on the official Vatican Museums site avoid queues that can last hours.
• Pantheon: Buying tickets online skips the ticket queue on busy days.
• Borghese Gallery: Reservations are compulsory and sell out weeks ahead in high season.

If it rains

• Swap in Capitoline Museums (Capitoline Hill): Do not miss the Tabularium windows over the Forum, and stop at the museum's terrace café for the view.
• Swap in Basilica of San Clemente (Celio): The upper basilica is free; pay for the excavations below, which are the real reason to come.
• Swap in Palazzo Massimo alle Terme (Termini): Go straight to the top floor for the Villa of Livia frescoes and the mosaics, then work down to the bronzes.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Centro Storico keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Tridente and the Spanish Steps ($$$$) suits luxury, shopping, couples and first-timers. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 18–23 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.1 hours in December to 15.2 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Rome
• 2 days in Rome
• 4 days in Rome
• 5 days in Rome
• 7 days in Rome

Questions travellers ask