Roma!
Welcome to Rome, Italy, where the past meets the present in an all immersive blend of history, culture, and modern living. Known as the “Eternal City”, Rome offers a journey through the past with iconic landmarks like the Colosseum and the Vatican City. We had the best time unlocking the treasures of Rome and discovering some of it’s hidden gems. Rome offers an unforgettable experience whether it’s enjoying the delicious cuisine or wandering through the streets to find a landmark at every corner turn. This guide will help you prioritize what to do and see in only 3 days in this timeless city!
When I am researching activities and things to see in a new city, I wish I found more itineraries that ranked the list of activities they recommend. Everyone’s time is different in a new city and it’s important to be able to prioritize activities that are a MUST versus activities that are nice, but could possibly be skipped. I like to schedule my days and build an itinerary with one MUST item, one TRY TO DO item, and one SKIP item a day in case something happens or we are too tired, we can always hit the MUST item and SKIP the item that’s not as important.
★★★ MUST SEE
★★ TRY TO DO
★ SKIP (BUT WORTH IF YOU HAVE TIME)
★★★ Colosseum
★★★ Pantheon
★★★ The Vatican City
★★ Trevi Fountain
★★ Borghese Gallery
★★ Mini Car Ride around Rome
★ Arch of Constantine/Roman Forum
★ Capitoline Hill
★ Palatine Hill
★ Spanish steps
Use these jumps to navigate to a specific day or just keep scrolling to read the full itinerary!
When: June 2019
Who: My Family and I (so we purchased 5 adult tickets and 1 teenager ticket
Where we stayed: Across the street from the Colosseum
Day 1 information ~
⚠Airbnb ~ where we booked our accommodation
Arrive in Rome: We arrived in Rome Fiumicino (FMO) around 2PM and our Airbnb host kindly had set us up with some airport transportation. Our driver was waiting for us at the airport and took us quickly to our Airbnb; it cost about ~100 euros for both way airport transportation with a van large enough to fit 6 people and luggage.
Check into Airbnb: We wanted to stay super close to the Colosseum so we rented a nice Airbnb in the area. It had AC and was very spacious; probably our best Airbnb we stayed in the whole trip.
Dinner: We were pretty tired from our day of traveling so we went to a restaurant for dinner just below our Airbnb. It was classic Italian food.
Day 2 information ~
⚠Colosseum (with Palatine Hill) ~ buy tickets ahead of time; timed entry
★Palatine Hill: We really wanted to go to the Colosseum first thing, but we had a little bit of a mix up with our tickets as the Colosseum website’s translation to English back in 2019 was confusing. Our tickets were actually for later in the day so we spent the morning exploring Palatine Hill which is across the street from the Colosseum. Palatine Hill is one of seven hills of ancient Rome; it was a prestigious residential area for Rome’ elite. You can explore the archaeological remains of ancient structures, including the imperial palaces, temples, and private homes. We spent ~1.5 hours exploring the area. Even though we didn’t plan to do this, it was very cool. Palatine Hill was included in our ticket with the Colosseum so we kind of just walked right in.
★★★Colosseum: Finally around 11AM, we were allowed to start standing in line. The line moves very slowly as there is a security check that is similar to a security check at an airport. Once you are inside, you can explore on your own. I recommend downloading an audio guide to explain what things are, where to go, etc. We probably spent about an hour in the line and 2 hours inside the Colosseum. One adult ticket cost ~20 euros and we purchased a timed entry ticket online ahead of time. It was truly amazing to see aspects of ancient Rome.
Lunch: For lunch, since we were so close to the Airbnb, we went back there and ate and cooled off with some AC (it was very hot that summer in Rome!).
★Arch of Constantine and the Roman Forum: After lunch, we went over to the Roman Forum and Arch of Constantine which are also across from the Colosseum. It was cool to see more temples, arches, and basilicas of ancient Rome and we were definitely mesmerized by the beautiful architecture. It is free to enter the Roman Forum and to see the Arch of Constantine. We spent ~30 mins to an hour here.
Dinner: We ate an early dinner at a restaurant named Angelino “al Fori” al 1947. They served classic Italian food and I split a bottle of wine with my mom.
★Capitoline Hill: For magnificent sunset views we walked to Capitoline Hill. It is one of the seven hills from ancient Rome and holds the Piazza del Campidoglio, which is a stunning square designed by Michaelangelo, and the Capitoline Museum.
We climbed up the stairs to the top of the hill and were blown away at the ability to provide such a unique vantage point for watching the sunset over the city’s historic landmarks.
Gelato: On our way home, we stopped at a gelato shop and it was incredible. Gelato is a must try in Italy!
Day 3 information ~
⚠Pantheon ~ buy tickets upon arrival
⚠Borghese Gallery ~ buy ticket ahead of time or when you arrive
Walk through the streets of Rome: We purchased Rick Steves’s Rome book which provided a “Heart of Rome” walk. I will link the book HERE, but if you don’t want to pay for the book, check out my version of the walk HERE. We started at the Palazzo Farnese so we had to take a bus to get there. We walked to the bus stop and only waited a few minutes for a bus. It was crowded, but we were able to get on. We got off at the Rinascimento stop and walked the rest of the way to the Palazzo (3 mins). The “Heart of Rome” walk ended at Trevi Fountain. It took us ~1.5 hours to do the entire walk.
★★Trevi Fountain: We arrived at the Trevi Fountain around 11AM and it was wall to wall people. We were able to meander our way to the front and take some pictures without any other people. I recommend getting here though super early in the morning as it will be less congested.
Lunch: we picked up some quick Italian food in a shopping mall we saw on our walk
★★★Pantheon: After the Trevi Fountain we went back to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a Roman temple that is an enduring symbol of ancient Rome. To go inside the Pantheon is free admission and we hardly waited in line. It’s not very large inside; just one room but the ceilings and statues around the walls are incredible.
★★Borghese Gallery: After the Pantheon, we were running a bit short on time to make our 1PM reservation at the Borghese Gallery so we took an Uber over there from the Pantheon (20 min drive). I purchased timed entry tickets to the Gallery and proceeded to the ticket counter to pick those up; one adult ticket cost ~30 euros. The Borghese Gallery is an art museum renowned for its impressive collections of art and sculptures. Beware that there is a 2 hour time limit inside the Gallery. So everyone with a 1PM ticket entered at 1PM and at 3PM, there was an announcement asking everyone to leave. I recommend downloading their app and listening to their audio guide; it will help you see the best artwork they have in a short amount of time.
After we left the Borghese Gallery we walked around the gardens adjacent to the Gallery. Called the Villa Borghese gardens, it is one of Rome’s largest and most beautiful parks.
Dinner: We were tired after our long day so we proceeded back to the Airbnb where we rested and ordered food in.
Day 4 information ~
⚠Vatican City ~ buy ticket ahead of time; timed entry
⚠Rome Electric Car Tour ~ reserve your car ahead of time
★★★Vatican City: we decided to book a small group private tour of Vatican City so we could avoid the long lines (comes with skip-the-line entrance) and get detailed insight into the City from our guide. We used a company called Walks of Italy and I can’t recommend them enough! We did the “Complete Vatican Tour with Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peters Basilica”. It is a 3.5 hour long tour and starts at 9:45AM. One adult ticket cost ~$77. It was truly amazing to see the Sistine Chapel and all the hours of hard work that Michaelalego and all the other painters put in to paint the ceiling upside down. This is a HUGE MUST DO and I really recommend booking a tour because when we arrived to the outside gate into the Vatican City, the line was literally miles along and we skipped right past it and went to the front with our guide. Now one HUGE thing to be aware of – shoulders and knees HAVE to be covered to enter out of religious respect. You will be denied entrance if you don’t follow this dress code; sometimes outside the Vatican City, people will be selling pants/shawls you can purchase if you still want to go.
Lunch: we ate lunch as soon as we were done inside the Vatican City at a restaurant nearby named Ristorante Arlu. The food was more modern Italian and we got to sit inside with AC which was pleasant.
★★Rome Electric Car Tour: This afternoon we left open as we weren’t sure what we wanted to do. Earlier in our Rome trip, my mom had seen these 2 seater small electric cars driving around Rome and she really wanted to do that. We booked through a company called “1 city tours” which, looking online now, they don’t seem to offer this tour anymore. I will link another one I researched and found HERE. It was awesome though and I recommend it as a way to conserve your energy and see LOTS of sights in a short amount of time (we booked the 1.5 hour tour). The cost of the tour was very affordable; it was ~30 euros per car.
There were 6 of us so we fit into 3 cars perfectly. One person is the driver and one is the passenger. Then you have a guide who is in his own car leading the way. It was pretty easy to drive these little cars around, the only scary part were the hills, but everyone in my group did what they were supposed to do and it was a successful tour!
We got to see so many cool sights like Spanish steps, Vatican, Piazza del Popolo and Castel S. Angelo. Some sights we stopped to get out and look around/take pictures and other stops we just drove by like the Vatican since we went there that morning. My favorite stop was the secret Aventine Keyhole of Rome. There is a giant door with a small keyhole; you look through it and get the perfect view of the St. Peter’s Basilica.
Dinner: We went to a restaurant named Ristorante pizzeria imperiale. The food was pretty good and we really cherished it as it was our last night in Rome.
We flew back home today. After our extensive Europe trip ending in Rome it was time to go home. We found decent priced flights through Turkish Airlines going to Houston from Rome one way. We did have a long layover in Istanbul which was interesting. I got some Turkish coffee, a Turkish scarf, and some Turkish KFC. One thing I did not like about laying over in Turkey was before you board your flight, security opens and THOROUGHLY goes through your bags in front of everyone. That made me uncomfortable having my underwear, etc just lying on the table. Just something to be aware of.
Rome experiences a Mediterranean climate, which is characterized by mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.
Spring: Highs will be around 75℉
Spring: Lows will be around 66℉
Summer: Highs will be around 95℉
Summer: Lows will be around 86℉
Autumn: Highs will be around 70℉
Autumn: Lows will be around 55℉
Winter: Highs will be around 54℉
Winter: Lows will be around 32℉
When planning a vacation in Rome, it’s essential to choose the right neighborhood or area to stay in based on your preferences or interests. Here are some popular areas to choose from:
Getting around Rome is relatively easy thanks to its well-developed transportation system. Here are some common ways to navigate the city:
