Ultimate 3 Day Rome Itinerary for First Time Visitors

Traveled in May 2015

The first time I visited Rome, it was on a guided tour where we blitzed through all the sites in the heat of the summer. Honestly, all I really remember is how unbearably hot it was. On this trip visiting Italy at our own pace, I wanted to slow down and actually take the time to savor the experience. And you do need plenty of time, because many of the sites in Rome are CROWDED, even when you book ahead. This 3 day Rome itinerary covers all the must-see highlights while building in realistic time for lines and space to actually enjoy what you’re seeing once you’re inside. Follow this plan for your first Rome trip if you want to see it all without feeling rushed.

3 Day Rome Itinerary

When to Go

I prefer visiting Italy in the Spring or the Fall for the weather. April, May, September, and October tend to be sunny without the intense heat. However, those are also the most popular times and can be more crowded. We did this 3 day Rome itinerary in May and the weather was beautiful and sunny without being too hot.

I’ve visited Italy in the middle of summer and sightseeing in those temperatures is pretty unbearable, especially in the south of Italy. Winter is low season, so prices are more affordable. But there is more chance of rainy weather.

How to Get There

The main international airport in Rome is Rome-Fiumicino (airport code FCO).

Booking tip: certain flight searches like Kayak, Skyscanner, or Google flights allow you to set price trackers that will alert you when the price of your flight changes. I never book a flight without tracking prices first because there is no better feeling than snagging a good deal! And if you book your flights with a travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire card, the card usually includes some travel insurance protections (like lost luggage reimbursements, trip delay reimbursements, or trip cancellation insurance) to save you the cost of buying extra travel insurance. Use my contact form if you’re looking for a credit card referral with bonus sign up points!

Bonus Booking tip: sign your kiddo up for frequent flyer accounts with airlines to start earning airline miles for them! Most airline miles do not expire for minors so your kiddo will thank you later.

Where to Stay

Rome

We stayed near the Colosseum in Rome in the Monti district. This central location made sightseeing really convenient. It also felt safe to walk around, and there were plenty of food options nearby. We walked to most of the sights below from this location, but the Cavour metro station was also just down the street.

• Hotel Paba ($$$) – spacious, modern rooms in a great location down the street from the Colosseum. Many different room sizes to choose from, including triple and quadruple for families.
• Guest House Cavour 278 ($$) – charming, family-run guesthouse just down the street from the Colosseum, where you’ll feel right at home.
• Condominio Monti Boutique Hotel ($$$) – a little further from the Cavour metro station, but has larger room sizes (triple, quadruple rooms) and a suite with a kitchenette for families.

How to Get Around

Since we stayed in such a central area, we were able to walk to most of the places on this itinerary. We also took the Metro, though tried to limit it to avoid pickpockets because it was often crowded. Rome’s Metro uses contactless “tap-to-pay” systems, where you just tap your contactless credit card at the turnstiles and tap on the way out. (Note that only one credit card can be used per person for this.) Taxis are not too expensive, but we were wary of getting scammed so did not use them often. Uber is now available as well. While Uber may be more expensive than the taxi, you can have the peace of mind of knowing exactly how much you will pay.

Italy Travel Tips

• Pickpockets: pickpockets in Italy can spot a tourist a mile away. We never felt unsafe like someone would mug us, but because of the crowds pickpockets can be very successful. We actually used hidden belt wallets for our passports and extra cash in Italy. And I always kept my purse and backpack in front of me.
• Buy tickets ahead of time: Italy is definitely not a hidden gem. There are hordes of tourists and lines everywhere. We bought tickets early online whenever we could to reserve a time slot. Because we only had a couple days in each city, we did not want to waste time standing in lines.
• Dress modestly for churches: even in hot weather, there is a dress code for visiting most churches. Usually no bare shoulders and no shorts are allowed, so dress accordingly.
• Tipping & service charges: some restaurants charge a “coperto,” or cover charge which basically covers the cost of bread, linens, and cutlery. It is required even if you don’t eat the bread. Tipping is not required, but some restaurants may include a “servizio,” or a 10-15% service charge. You don’t need to tip additionally on top of this. Otherwise, tipping isn’t expected (and definitely isn’t as generous as in the US). Usually just rounding up the bill by a couple euro is fine. Credit card receipts don’t provide a tip line here, so you would have to pay the tip in cash or let the server know to enter a different amount including the tip before paying.
• Travel adapters: Italy’s plugs use 2 round prongs, so you will need a travel adapter for electronics.
• Credit card pins: in the US, we are used to having a PIN for debit cards, but we often don’t need one for credit cards. However, you may rarely need a PIN for your credit card as well when traveling abroad. I learned the hard way that there is no immediate way to get your credit card PIN when you’re traveling. The bank usually needs to send it to you through snail mail, so request it before your trip.

Show Me the Money

Italy is part of the European Union, so the currency used is the Euro. Credit cards were widely accepted, so we mostly relied on our no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card. We use the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and American Express Gold card. Always choose to pay in the local currency rather than USD for a better exchange rate. We did withdraw a small amount of Euros after we arrived just in case, but we didn’t really need it. If withdrawing any cash, look for ATMS run by the local banks and always choose to withdraw the amount in Euros rather than USD for a better exchange rate.

Saving tip: to avoid ATM fees (from the foreign bank and your bank), look for a checking account that offers ATM fee reimbursements. I can personally recommend the Schwab investors checking account and the Betterment checking account for this purpose.

How to Stay Connected

Because we took this trip before e-sims were commonly used, we bought tourist prepaid sim cards for our cell phones during this trip. Orange and Vodaphone are two popular cell phone companies in Europe and sell prepaid tourist sim cards that can be used throughout Europe.

However, now we always use e-sims from Airalo.

If you have an unlocked phone, then you can either purchase a prepaid sim card or you can use an e-sim. The e-sim is the cheapest way to get international cell phone data. We had a great experience using Airalo to purchase an e-sim on our trip to Canada, Switzerland, and Japan and it worked seamlessly. The downside is that you only have data and no phone service when using Airalo e-sims, so it’s a good option if you don’t anticipate needing to make phone calls.

• The Airalo website has great tutorials and I also watched this Youtube video for more installation tips. We usually start the installation process at home to load the e-sim into our phones, and then once we land at our destination we turn off our US e-sim and turn on the international e-sim.

Airalo offers local e-sims for specific countries or regional e-sims for all of Europe. For this trip to Italy, you could either buy an Italy e-sim, or get the regional Europe e-sim if traveling to other European countries.

• Get an Italy Airalo e-sim here and use my referral code ATEASP4988 for $3 off

3 Day Rome Itinerary at a Glance

Day	Activity	Sleep In
0	Arrive in Rome La Passegiata	Rome
1	Colosseum, Pantheon, Forum Piazza del Popolo, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps	Rome
2	Vatican City	Rome
3	Borghese Gallery	Rome

Day 0: Arrive in Rome

The quickest way to get from the airport to the center of Rome is to take Trenitalia’s Leonardo Express train from the airport (Fiumicino Aeroporto) to Rome’s Termini train station. Then transfer to the Metro or take a taxi to your accommodations.

• Buy tickets for the Leonardo Express train on the Trenitalia website, Trenitalia app, ticket machines at the station, or ticket offices. There is a discount if buying 4 tickets at a time.
• From arrivals at the airport, follow the signs to “Stazione/Railway Station” to get to the Leonardo Express train.

If you have a larger group, it can be just as budget friendly to hire a car rental to take you from the airport to the hotel. It may take a bit longer than the train depending on traffic, but it will save yourself from having to figure out Metro station transfers when jetlagged.

• Book an airport transfer from the airport to your hotel here.

La Passeggiata (Evening Stroll)

“La passeggiata” is a beloved Italian tradition where people head out in the evening for a stroll, catching up with friends and neighbors along the way. When in Rome, do as the Romans do! We arrived in the evening and it was so refreshing to see locals out and about, chatting and laughing with friends on their evening walks. There was much more of a community feel, even in a big city like Rome. It was a nice reminder at the beginning of our trip to slow down and be present, and make time to connect with loved ones – basically a lesson in the essence of la dolce vita.

We went to the area around Via del Corso between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps for the most lively atmosphere, since it is the most popular place for passeggiata.

Day 1: Main Sights in Rome

If it’s your first visit to Rome, you have to see the Ancient Roman sites. In my opinion, it’s worth braving the crowds to see these pieces of history. To save time, we always bought our tickets ahead of time online. But sometimes, even the line for ticket holders was super long! We definitely had to mentally prepare ourselves for the crush of people for this day of sightseeing. Like going to Costco on a weekend.

Colosseum & Roman Forum

Seeing the Colosseum in real life feels surreal. To behold something that has existed since Ancient Roman times is mind-boggling. We stayed near the Colosseum and seeing it lit up at night was beautiful. The best view of the Colosseum is from the north side (near the Colosseo Metro station), where it’s most intact. If you can handle the crowds, we thought it was worth it to go inside. We already traveled all this way – might as well do it all!

The tour of the interior of the Colosseum follows a one-way route. There are some exhibits with reconstruction models and drawings showing how the Colosseum was built and used. Note that you can’t actually go onto the reconstructed arena floor unless you get the Full Experience ticket. If you have the cheap tickets (like us), then you just get to see the arena floor from a viewing area.

From the Colosseum, we walked to the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum was the birthplace of Ancient Rome and was the center of the Roman life. Visiting the Roman Forum takes a bit more imagination since the buildings are not as fully intact. But it is amazing that we were walking on the same stones as Caesar!

We were young and fit during this trip, so we walked the 20 minutes from the Roman Forum to the Pantheon after lunch. We stopped for a gelato break at Tre Scalini Gelateria at Piazza Navona on the way. The Four Rivers Fountain in the piazza was a picturesque place to sit and enjoy our gelato. The Pantheon is only a 5 minute walk away.

Pantheon

Rome’s Pantheon is amazingly well preserved for something dating back to Ancient Rome. One of my favorite things about Rome is that these historical structures seem to sprout up in the middle of modern structures and neighborhoods.

From the Pantheon, it’s about a 10 minute walk to the Trevi Fountain.

Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is a symbol of Rome. Once you’re standing in front of it, you really feel like you’re in Rome! The location of the Trevi Fountain seems designed for maximum impact as well. We couldn’t see the fountain on the way there, we just knew we were getting closer because we could hear the liveliness and then all of a sudden we arrived at the square! Even though the fountain was being restored when we visited, standing in front of it still felt like a movie magic moment.

Another 10 minute walk away is the Spanish Steps.

Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps are another of Rome’s iconic sights. When we visited, the Spanish Steps were a popular hangout, and the “thing to do” there was just to sit, people watch, and enjoy the view. Now, the city has banned sitting on the steps. It’s a reminder to be a thoughtful tourist to avoid drastic measures to combat overtourism (this is why we can’t have nice things).

Day 2: Vatican City

Vatican Museums

The gigantic Vatican Museums holds an immense number of artworks, including the famous Sistine Chapel. It would be nearly impossible to see everything, so we tried to stick to the highlights. We visited the Octagonal Courtyard for Greek and Roman statues, the Raphael Rooms, and the Sistine Chapel. One vivid memory we have from being in the Sistine Chapel is the booming voice of the guards shouting “SILENCIO!!” whenever the crowd chatter became too loud. Note that photos are not allowed in the SIstine Chapel.

Back when we visited, there was a side door from the Sistine Chapel that connected to St. Peter’s Basilica. However, that may not be available anymore and you may need to return to the museum entrance to exit the museum.

St. Peter’s Basilica

Even if you’re not religious, seeing St. Peter’s Basilica is a must do. The interior of the church is grand and ornate, and there a new masterpiece to appreciate everywhere you look. I took an art history class as an elective in college, and it was amazing to see some of these artworks in real life. That seems to have been the theme of this trip – awe that I was seeing things I had only previously read about or seen photos of in real life.

The church is free to enter, but there is a fee to go up to the dome. There is an elevator up that saves you a couple hundred stairs, but you will still have to climb more stairs from the roof to the top of the dome. Tickets for the elevator are slightly more expensive than taking the stairs all the way. Note that it can take a while to get up to the dome because the path gets full of people when it’s busy. We love bird’s eye views of any city, and the views of Rome and St. Peter’s Square from the top of the dome did not disappoint.

Day 3: Borghese Gallery

Borghese Gallery

The Borghese Gallery is a plush art museum located in a corner of the Villa Borghese Gardens. This museum holds some of the most famous Baroque statues, like Bernini’s David and Apollo and Daphne.

Villa Borghese Gardens

After a couple days of busy sightseeing, it was nice for us to take a relaxing afternoon to walk around the Villa Borghese Gardens and have a park day. There are paths criss-crossing the garden that go by the park’s many fountains and lakes. You can also rent a bike or Segway if you’re done with walking.

Extend this Italian adventure with a visit to Tuscany or see our full 2 week Italy itinerary!