Wondering what you can see and do in Rome in 3 days? You have come to the right place! Today I will be sharing my Rome in 3 Days Itinerary, which made me see and do everything I wanted on my trip to Rome!
Traveling to other cities in Europe too? Check out my 2 weeks in Europe by train guide, with all my spendings and bucket lists! (it also mentions how much money I spent on this Rome in 3 Days Itinerary)
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Day 1
Piazza Navona
Let’s start the first day with one of the very famous places to visit in Rome, Piazza Navona. When I was in Rome May 2019, Piazza Navona was under construction, so I don’t have a picture of it, unfortunately. Here is how it looks like though.
Pantheon
The Pantheon was one of my favorite spots in Rome to visit. It is free to enter and a great photo location too. The good thing is that all the places on day 1 are within walking distance.
Fontana di Trevi
You can’t miss the Trevi Fountain, even on your 10th trip to Rome! I love getting there early in the morning to avoid crowds, but it can look really pretty at night too. My sister and I actually managed to get clean pictures at 9 am!! (we went offseason though, maybe that’s something to consider when booking.)
The good thing about today’s itinerary is that all the spots are pretty close together. You can switch up the order if you’d like to see a less crowded Trevi Fountain for example!
Spanish Steps
Our next step will be the Spanish Steps! Our hotel was pretty close to Piazza del Spagna, so it was easy to get there even early in the morning. It is new that you aren’t allowed to sit on the steps (besides the logic that standing on them is allowed?!) so keep that in mind.
Piazza del Popolo
This is the next stop on our list. Before visiting this piazza, it would be best to get some lunch (or eat any time between these places). The whole street after exiting the piazza is full of shops, so if you have some time or want to buy some souvenirs, this is a good place to do that.
Pincio Promenade
If you take the steps at Piazza del Popolo, you will get to one of the best sunset spots for seeing Rome from above.
There is always a guy playing music and singing, so make sure to thank him:)
The park is super nice and you can even walk to the House of the Medici! (who remembers history class?)
Have a Pizza Dinner
After your visit, you can get some dinner or make a picnic up there, but what would be more perfect for your dinner in Rome than PIZZA?
Roman pizza is honestly the best- and the real- pizza. Nothing gets even close to it. Make sure to try some wine with it to round it up! (if you are 18 or older of course)
Day 1 at a glance:
Day 2
Colosseum
Our first stop is the world-famous Colosseum! I recommend getting there first to avoid paying for skip-the-line tickets, but in case you want to be sure to get in and see everything else that’s on our list today, you can book ahead here.
What I linked is a ticket with the Roman Forum/ Palatine Hill and the Colosseum combined since that is the best deal. We will get to the Roman Forum in the next stop though.
Parco del Colle Oppio
If you don’t want to go inside the Colosseum or just looking for some good photo spots, here are my favorite places for taking pictures of the Colosseum!
This name is just the name of the whole park up there. It is located next to the street across the colosseum (I’m sure you will see it) and the perfect place to go for Colosseum pictures.
Here are the ones we took:
Lunch at Colosseum
I know the plan says lunch is after the Roman Forum, but I figured it would be better to have it before entering the big area to stroll around.
There are lots of restaurants at the Colosseum, and if you go into one of the parallel streets, the prices will be less too.
I recommend eating pasta since we had pizza last night, but if you’re into that, you can just eat pizza every day too!:D
Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Yes, I first thought those were different places too. But it actually needs just one ticket. Palatine Hill is basically what surrounds the Roman Forum, which is the middle part of the “park”.
I personally loved walking through the whole place and enjoyed every single view, while my sister got tired of it pretty fast since it all kinda looks the same. Either way is okay!
We spent about 2-3 hours there, while I easily could’ve walked through it all again (besides the fact that my feet were burning) or leave after an hour too. So it really is up to your preference and what else you’ve got planned that day.
Another Colosseum picture tip is a place you will find when walking the Palatine Hill. This one was one of my favorite spots!
Piazza Venezia
I promise you, you will walk by the Altale della Patria so many times. Haha. It is that beautiful huge white building, almost like a palace. I love it and the flowers in the Italian flag colors in front. It’s definitely worth a separate visit in our Rome in 3 Days Itinerary.
After that, you can stroll through Rome and discover places you haven’t seen before, or saw them when walking by.
Rome is huge and there is a lot to discover! However, you can also get some rest in your hotel (or wherever you spend your nights in Rome) if this day has been too long already!
Make sure to get some dinner (maybe for take-away?) and enjoy your evening.
Day 2 at a glance:
Day 3
Palace of Justice
This hidden gem of Rome is perfect to stop at on the way to the Vatican. After crossing the bridge to get to the Castel Sant’Angelo, you will see that beautiful building, which is the Palace of Justice.
Castel Sant’Angelo
This museum was initially instructed to be Emperor Hadrian and his family’s mausoleum, but it became a castle and fortress to popes.
And it truly does look like a castle! You can either pay a few Euros to climb it to the top or just enjoy it from the outside. I am so in love with this picture by the way!
Vatican City
The Vatican is definitely a must when visiting Rome! Even though it’s kinda cheating, it makes you check off another country off your bucket list!
The Vatican mostly contains museums. You can either get a ticket to see all of them (because the lines are insanely long) or just stroll around the square. Yes, the Vatican is free to enter, only entry into museums costs.
Don’t be afraid of all those sellers, they just want you to buy tickets. You can simply say you already have tickets. That will push them off the best. You can just walk by them and enter the Vatican WITHOUT getting tickets. (They just stand there to sell better. Trust me.)
Travestere
The Roman district of Travestere is the perfect place for a food tour! You can either take a self-guided tour or get a professional one for some more money. Either way, it’s a great experience! Here is a really affordable self-guided tour, or you can try to find a food itinerary on Pinterest if you are tighter on budget.
Travestere is an about 40-minute walk from the Vatican, busses would make it in about 35 minutes. I would totally enjoy the walk and find some hidden spots. The walk also goes along the river Tiber.
Ponte Garibaldi
This bridge is located in Travestere as well, leading you back to the city center and the colosseum. It is a really good picture spot and a good way to get back to your accommodation.
Since my sister and I stayed for 2 days, a food tour like that didn’t fit in our schedule. There are plenty of food guides for Rome for you to check out though! Here is a good one I found through Pinterest.
This was the Rome in 3 Days Itinerary! I hope you will look back on it when visiting Rome and enjoy traveling with it!
This itinerary is also available as a PDF download, whether you want to print it or keep it on your phone.
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Hope to see you there!
Until soon,
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