3 Days in Rome: Perfect 3 day Rome itinerary for first time visitors

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Are you planning a trip to Italy and want to know the best way to spend 3 days in Rome?

Rome is one of the World’s most iconic city break destinations with renowned attractions for every interest. A city filed with history, architecture, sports, art, landmarks and of course, great food. Rome has everything you need for a great city break and this 3 day itinerary will make sure that you maximise the time you spend on your 3 days in Rome.

With so many great options to choose from, planning a Rome itinerary can be a bit daunting. This guide will focus on one key area of Rome for each day; The Colosseum area; The Trevi Fountain area and the Vatican area mixed with Trastevere. This will ensure you can really enjoy what Rome has to offer without needing to move around too far within each day.

SUMMARY MINI GUIDE

How to spend 3 days in Rome

Where to Stay

• Paper Suites Trastevere
• La Residenza
• Horti 14
• HT6 Hotel

Must do Activities

• Colosseum and Palatine Hill
• The Vatican
• Street Food Tour

Best time to visit Rome

The best time to visit Rome is either May or August/September where you will have a better chance of good weather

Is 3 days in Rome enough time?

If you only have 3 days in Rome, that will give you enough time to take in most of the major attractions in the city without feeling like you are in too much of a rush. Ideally, we would suggest spending 4 days in Rome to make sure you see everything the city has to offer.

Within a 3-4 day trip to Rome, you would also have the option of adding a day trip to another Italian city. That is what we did when we travelled to Rome by combining our trip with a visit to Florence, only 1.5 hours away by train. If you are visiting Italy for the first time, one of the great benefits of Italy’s rail network is that you can easily reach other incredible cities within 2.5 hours, like Florence, Naples, Pisa & Bologna.

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How to get from Rome Airport to the city centre

Fiuminicio Airport

1) Train:

The fastest way to access the city centre from Fiuminicio airport is by train. The train station is just a short walk from the main terminal and you can get to Rome city centre from there in around 30 minutes. The first option is the Leonardo express, a direct train connecting to Rome Termini.

Cost: €14 each way

Frequency: Every 30 minutes or every 15 minutes during peak times

Journey Time: 32 minutes

If you are staying in regional areas such as Trastevere, you can also take the FL1, which services a number of neighbourhoods around the city without going to Termini itself. With this service, you can get off at Trastevere, Ostiense, Tuscolana, or Tiburtina stations in Rome.

Cost: €8 each way

Frequency: Every 30 minutes or every 15 minutes during peak times

Journey Time: 30 minutes+

2) Bus:

Cost: €11.20

Frequency: Every 10-15 minutes

Journey Time: 30 minutes

3) Taxi –

A taxi from Fiumicino Airport to the centre of Rome will take around 40 minutes and will cost approximately €50.

Ciampino Airport –

Ciampino Airport is located around 9 miles (15km) from the city centre in Rome and there are a number of options you can use to easily access the city when you arrive.

1) Bus:

Cost: €8 return (only if booked in advance, otherwise €12 return)

Journey Time:

Bus Company: Terravision

2) Train

There is no direct train that runs from the airport to the city centre. However, you can get a shuttle bus from the airport to the nearest train station that takes around 10 minutes. The shuttle bus leaves from stand 2 and will say ‘via Ciampino’ on the front. This bus costs around €1.50 and from there, you can get the train to the main train station, Termini in around 20 minutes.

Where to stay in Rome

There are a huge number of hotels tin Rome to choose from for your trip.

3 days in Rome Itinerary

Day One in Rome

The first of your 3 days in Rome will focus on the Colosseum, one of the ‘7 Wonders of the World’ and a place that lives up to that billing.

Vittoriano

Start your day off with one of the best views of the Colosseum in Rome at the rooftop of Vittoriano. This was one of our favourite places in Rome and not somewhere that gets talked about as much as the other major attractions.

The building itself is stunning and was a built as a monument to the first king of Italy. You can get a guided tour of the palace, with entry to the museum and gardens, as well as an elevator to the rooftop.

But if that does not appeal to you, we would still recommend taking the walk up the steps to reach the rooftop. The rooftop has a nice bar area and a perfect view of the Colosseum to start your day.

The Colosseum

Next up, it’s time to visit the Colosseum itself. The colosseum gets very busy with over 6 million visitors a year, so it is important to purchase tickets in advance. We would suggest getting these tickets to the Colosseum & Palatine Hill, which includes skip the line entry tickets and a guided tour. The tour will take you through the history of ancient Rome, the gladiatorial battles and the best photo spots of the Colosseum.

The Colosseum is generally open from 8:30 am to 7:15pm from March to September so there is plenty of time available to enjoy it while you are in Rome. Visiting the Colosseum is a bucket-list location for so many people and no better way to kickstart your 3 days in Rome.

Best places to get photos of the Colosseum

• Via del Colosseo
• Colosseo Metro Station
• Giardinetto Del Monte Oppio
• Via Nicola Salvi

View on Art

As we said, day 1 in Rome is all about the Colosseum and our pick for lunch follows this theme, View on Art. Book a table on the rooftop terrace to get birds eye views of the Colosseum, directly across the street.

The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum is next up, just a short walk from the Colosseum. By getting the Colosseum and Roman Forum/Palatine Hill Tour Tickets, you will also receive a guided tour of this location.

Alternatively, if you would prefer not to pay the entry fee to the Roman Forum, there is also a great viewpoint you can go to beside Capitoline Hill. As you face the building there is a side street to the right hand side that will give you a perfect view – great if you want to see it without wanting to take a tour etc. especially early in the morning.

The Court/Aroma

In the evening, there is one place we would really recommend visiting if you want to get incredible views of the Colosseum – The Court/Aroma. The Court is a terrace cocktail bar that looks directly at the Colosseum – the drinks are very expensive but it is definitely worth visiting for one drink to get the view alone. Reservations are only available 6 days in advance so make sure set a reminder to reserve a table 6 days before you go.

Upstairs, you have the Aroma restaurant. Again, it has the same amazing view and again, it is expensive. But if you are visiting on a special occasion or just want a one off experience, this place is really beautiful.

Alternative – Ai Tre Scalini

For an alternative, less expensive option with incredible food, try Ai Tre Scalini. This is a small restaurant a short walk from the Colosseum, really well priced and the meatballs here are amazing!

Grab yourself an ice cream at Don Nino or Frigidarium to close out the evening.

Day Two in Rome (Trevi Fountain Area)

Breakfast at the Trevi Fountain

Day 2 in Rome is all about the Trevi Fountain, somewhere that is just as beautiful in person as it is in photos.

Rule number one of the Trevi Fountain – there is no such thing as too early. The area around the Trevi Fountain is quite compact, meaning this incredible monument gets busy, really busy. We have been to the Trevi Fountain early in the morning (around 7am) and late at night (close to midnight) and it was still full of people.

That should not discourage you though and if you have your heart set on getting a perfect photo there, it is still possible. Our simple advice for photos at the Trevi Fountain are to use the angles. Most people will gather at the steps in the centre but you will get a much better shot from the corners, with fewer people obstructing the view.

Once you get here, get yourself one of the famous pistacchio croissants from L’Antico Forno, grab a table outside the cafe and admire the amazing view of the fountain. Start your day like this and you will definitely feel like you have arrived in Rome.

Galleria Sciarra & The Magic Mirror

Just a 2 minute walk from the Trevi Fountain you will also find Galleria Sciarra, a beautiful piece of architecture with stunning frescos – a real hidden gem in this area. Also just a short walk away is the Sant Ignazio di Loyola Church, made famous for its ‘Magic Mirror’ – that reflects the artwork covering the ceiling above.

For lunch, we would recommend Cantina dei Papi, a sandwich shop with amazing cured meats and a great selection of wines – a greta place for a casual lunch. Afterwards, you can head back over to the Trevi Fountain where you can find €5 cocktails at Taberna. A sandwich and a cocktail for under €20 total is a great budget friendly option for your afternoon break.

Villa Borghese

After lunch, we’re going to go a little bit away from the Trevi Fountain to do something a little bit different. Around a 20 minute walk from the fountain, you will find Villa Borghese. This is a large public park with beautiful views of the city and within the park you can rent out row boats for around €8, on a pond with the beautiful Tiempo di Esculapio, a Roman temple on the edge of the water. My rowing skills probably won’t get me to the Olympics any time soon but it’s still a really nice way to spend an afternoon.

The Spanish Steps

As the evening arrives, on your way back to the Trevi Fountain area, you will find the Spanish Steps. The steps are a great place to visit at dusk/sunset time and there is a nice atmosphere around the area. After all the running around during the day, you can just relax here for a little while before getting some dinner and visiting the final attraction of the day – The Pantheon.

The Pantheon

To us, the Pantheon is just as impressive in the evening as it is during the day, so you have flexibility as to when you go there. The Pantheon is such a beautiful piece of architecture and just a 5 minute walk from the Trevi Fountain. There are lots of bars and restaurants with out door seating around the square so it’s a nice place to relax for a while before dinner.

For dinner near the Trevi Fountain, there are a lot of great options. If you want something really casual, there is a pizza place, Piccolo Buco that is a must visit. The queue here gets quite long so you will wait 20-30 minutes but the pizza is incredible. Alternatively, for more if a sit down feel, we would suggest either Roscioli Salumeria or else Osteria da Fortunata.

If you would like to go for a drink after dinner, we would suggest Oro Bistrot. Again, it is quite expensive but the views here are incredible.

Day Three in Rome (The Vatican & Trastevere)

The Vatican

Start your day off with breakfast at Chiostro del Bramante, a quirky (and very colourful cafe) just a short distance from the Vatican. When we visited the Vatican and St. Paul’s Cathedral, we made the mistake of getting our tickets very last minute and this meant a lot of waiting around. There is so much to see at the Vatican that it can get a bit overwhelming.

Ideally, we would suggest doing this guided tour, which includes everything you need for the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica. Most importantly, it includes skip the line access, meaning you won’t be stuck in the long queues we found ourselves in. We would also really recommend going to the rooftop of the Basilica when you are here, which has a beautiful panoramic view of the city.

One thing to also remember when you visit the Vatican as that you will need to bring your passport as it gets checked upon entry.

Castel Sant Angelo

After leaving the Vatican, you will find Castel Sant Angelo just a short walk away, a former burial place of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. As wit many of the landmarks in Rome, Castel Sant Angelo is as impressive inside as it is rom the outside and definitely worth adding to your 3 days in Rome.

After visiting the castle, we would highly recommend Terrazza Les Etoiles for a rooftop drink. This is a great place to stop off and again, has such amazing views of the cathedral and surrounding area that it is worth the visit for that alone.

For your final evening, you will visit one of our favourite areas in Rome – Trastevere. Trastevere is an area filled with great restaurants an a nice area to stay in if you want to get out of the city centre.

For dinner here, you have two great options to choose from, Tonnarello or Nannarella. Honestly, we can’t decide which is better, but if you have come to Rome for great pasta, these are the places for you. The important thing with each of these places is that they do not take reservations so you will likely queue for around 30 minutes. We would suggest trying to be there around 7pm as it gets busier as the evening goes on.

Giardino Degli Aranci

And finally, we have saved you a special view for sunset. Giardino Degli Aranci is a public park filled with orange trees and one of the most spectacular views of Rome you will find at sunset. You can do this before or after dinner depending on what time sunset is when you visit but this will not disappoint. From here, you will get stunning views of St. Paul’s Cathedral and Vittoriano in the distance and it is the perfect place to get some final photos to capture memories of your trip to Rome.

Arund the corner, you could also visit the Aventine Keyhole but to be honest, when we visited, the queue for this wa really off putting. If you happen to get there when it is quiet then by all means add it to your list but we just weren’t willing to wait an hour plus for it.

And that is it, 3 days in Rome packed full of sites, food, culture and a drink with a view…and we didn’t even cover the museums!

Thank You!!

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