Rome in 3 days
Rome is best crossed on foot, from one ruin to the next: the Colosseum in the morning, an ice cream near the Pantheon, cacio e pepe in Trastevere at night. Two thousand years of history, most of it in the open air.

The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
The Colosseumhalf a dayThe largest amphitheatre of ancient Rome, opened in AD 80, where tens of thousands watched gladiator fights; book ahead and come early.
Day 2
- Morning
The Vatican and the Sistine Chapelhalf a dayThe Vatican Museums end at the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo's ceiling; St Peter's Basilica next door is free to enter.
- Late afternoon
The Trevi Fountainfree · a few minutesRome's largest baroque fountain, finished in 1762; tradition says a coin thrown over your shoulder brings you back to the city.
Day 3
- Morning
The Pantheonabout 30 minA Roman temple nearly 1,900 years old, whose unreinforced concrete dome, open to the sky at the centre, is still the largest of its kind.
- Evening
Trasteverefree · an eveningAcross the Tiber, a neighbourhood of cobbled lanes, ivy-covered houses and trattorias, busiest in the evening around Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Where to sleep in Rome
- The RomeHello · €40 a night
- Hotel Aphrodite · €100 a night
- Hotel Arenula · €120 a night
- Hotel Artemide · €180 a night
- Albergo del Senato · €200 a night
- Donna Camilla Savelli · €190 a night
- Hotel Eden · €750 a night
- Hotel Hassler · €900 a night
- Hotel de Russie · €900 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.