4 DAYS IN ROME: THE PERFECT ITINERARY

The capital city of Italy is truly a fascinating place to visit. Learn more about the rich Roman history, visit the largest standing amphitheater in the world – the famous Colosseum, explore Vatican City and enjoy the best pizza and pasta with a fine glass of wine!

Depending on your travel preferences, spending 4 days in Rome is an ideal length of time if you want to visit all the major sites and yet have some time to enjoy the local restaurants and get a feel for the city. If you are looking to explore Rome in more depth and truly understand its history, I would recommend staying in Rome for at least a week.

DAY 1

Depending on your arrival time, take this time to relax and explore your nearby surroundings. Visit a local restaurant and have some pizza, later enjoy the popular gelato ice cream! You can plan the following activities for your next day.

If you are ready to jump straight in and begin your explorations, make your way to Old Town Rome – Centro Storico. This is the capital’s historical center. Here, you can explore the narrow cobblestone streets full of Rome’s best restaurants, shops, nightlife and even see some of the major attractions along the way.

Once you have enjoyed your meal, stop by the Pantheon Church. This is a former Roman temple where you can see the tombs of two major kings and the great artist Raphael, along with the captivating chapels.

Note: There is no entry fee to the Pantheon, however you are required to make a reservation on the weekends and public holidays as it can get very busy. Prepare to spend around 30 minutes to an hour here, last admission being at 18.30.

Next, conveniently located between the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, make a stop at the Chiesa di Sant’ Ignazio di Loyola (The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius) yikes, that was a mouthful!.. where you can spend some time observing the magnificent ceiling frescos. There is no entrance fee, expect to spend anywhere between 1 – 4 hours.

This is an optional one, but a true hidden gem not to be missed! After leaving The Church of St. Ignatius, make a quick stop at the Galleria Sciarra. Here you can have a glance at the picturesque colorful courtyard with a mesmerizing glass ceiling. A picture-perfect moment for your social media.

Lastly make your way to the famous Trevi Fountain, only a 2minute walk from Galleria Sciarra.

Tip: The Trevi Fountain can get very crowded with tourists, if you are looking to take some nice photos at the fountain, avoid visiting between 12 – 7pm. This is usually the most crowded time at the fountain. I found that going in the morning after breakfast was the perfect time to enjoy the sight and take some nice photos.

By now, depending how tired you feel and the time of the day, you can take the evening to relax at your hotel and enjoy a delicious dinner with a glass of red wine.

If you are looking to have some fun and explore the nightlife in Rome, check out the most popular party neighborhoods of Monte, Testaccio and Ostiense! Here, you can find some of the most popular nightclubs and bars in Rome – where the parties don’t end till sunrise!

DAY 2

After you had your breakfast, prepare for your visit to the famous Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and the Altar of The Fatherland where you will spend the majority of your day.

For these sights, I recommend booking a guided tour to really understand the history behind these magnificent structures. It also makes it easier to understand exactly what you are seeing and paint a vivid picture of the Roman times.

After your 3-hour guided tour, start making your way towards the Altar of The Fatherland (which is only a 5-minute walk from the Roman Forum).

You can either visit this site right away or you might want to have a small food break first – as the 3-hour tour can be quite tiring. I recommend checking out the nice restaurants located directly across the road from the Altar of The Fatherland towards the right. Here, you can enjoy some delicious pasta Carbonara!

After your meal, as you approach the golden hour, climb up the steps of the Altar of The Fatherland and enjoy the panoramic views of the beautiful capital.

If you want to know more about this site, there are short tours available online you can prebook. This is a national monument honoring Victor Emmanuel II who was the first king of unified Italy.

DAY 3

on day 3 of your stay in Rome, plan a visit to the Vatican City – the world’s smallest city-state granted by Lateran Treaty in 1929 in hopes to end the political and religious tension in Italy. This is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and the home of the Pope.

You should allow yourself for a full day to explore the Vatican City-state as it has some of the most iconic religious structures and artwork in the world.

Start your visit with the most famous site – Vatican Museum where you will spend anywhere between 3 – 5 hours, as it is HUGE consisting over 70,000 paintings! Discover the work of the greatest Renaissance artist such as Raphael, Michaelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci with hundreds or artifacts, paintings and sculptures! Witness the significant Sistine Chapel ceiling covered in frescos by Michaelangelo.

Tip: Basic (not guided) entrance fee cost €17 at the ticket desk, however you can get a small discount by pre-booking it online! There are various tickets and tours available online to choose from such as guided tours, prime experience before opening, Vatican gardens and the hidden museums. You can choose your type of ticket here https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home Make sure to pre-book your tickets well in advance as it gets booked very fast, especially during the busy summer months and holiday seasons.

Next, visit the Renaissance style church St. Peter’s Basilica. This is one of the most important and notable sites in Vatican City. This is a significant religious place believed to hold the burial of Saint Peter who was a chief among Jesus’s apostles and burial of the first Bishop of Rome. It is a custom tradition for the visitors to kiss or touch Saint Peter’s feet in return for blessings and good luck.

There is no entrance fee to St. Peter’s Basilica, expect to spend anywhere between 1 hour to 1.5. The que to the church can get extremely long but don’t let that put you off, it moves relatively fast, and the site is definitely worth seeing! Meanwhile, take the time to enjoy the beautiful Saint Peters Square.

DAY 4

On your last day in Rome, depending on your departure – You can choose to visit another major site such as the Baths of Caracalla (minimum 2 hours visit), or the Circus Maximus (which is about a 3-hour visit). After your day trip, you can enjoy the rest of the evening relaxing and preparing for your departure.

Second option, explore the rest of the city’s smaller popular sights! Visit Piazza di Spagna, one of the most famous lively squares in Rome filled with designer shops. Here, you can also find the famous Spanish steps where Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck made an appearance in their movie called “Roman Holiday” in 1953. Climb up 135 steps to see the beautiful Trinità dei Monti church and enjoy the views of Piazza di Spagna square from above.

Next, make your way to the Piazza Novana square, a 15 -minute/1.2km walk from the Spanish steps. You can enjoy the Fiumi Fountain, plenty of nice restaurants and shops.

ITINERARY SUMMARY

Overall, this itinerary is the ideal guide for visiting all the major sites within 3/4 days of your stay in Rome and learning everything you need to know about the capital. For some days, you can adjust the pace and sights to your own preference and swap a few activities around. Also, it can be slightly different depending on your exact arrival and departure time.

I also recommend looking into some of the FREE tour guides here: https://www.romefreewalkingtour.com/walking-tours/

ACCOMMODATION

If you are looking for a budget friendly accommodation, check out:

Rome Vatican Inn

This is a Guesthouse type of accommodation. it is very clean and conveniently located right next to the Castel Sant’Angelo, many restaurants, metro and only 0.8km from St Peters Square.

Note: The ‘breakfast’ was very minimal, every morning we got a fresh croissant brought to our room and that was about it. I wouldn’t consider that a breakfast as such… If that doesn’t bother you, then it’s a great budget friendly accommodation to stay in!

Also, it was a bit tricky to find the entrance so make sure to look up the directions beforehand!

FOOD

I recommend visiting the Borgo neighborhood (Borgo Vittorio/ Borgo Pio streets) near the Vatican City. This neighborhood is filled with many picturesque narrow streets of endless restaurants to choose from!

Also, if you walk to Piazza del Risorgimento, there are even more restaurants, souvenir shops, lots of choice for gelato ice cream, clothing shops, metro and more!

Two of my favorite restaurants in this area that I recommend:

‘Bottega Vittoria Restaurant‘ – amazing true Italian dishes. They do delicious pizzas!

‘Ni Hao Chinese & Japanese Restaurant‘ a really cozy and nice family run Asian restaurant. The owners are so lovely, and the food is amazing. I ended up going back there 3 times!