Rome for First Time Visitors: A 3-Day Itinerary

Visiting Rome for the first time? Have three days to explore? This itinerary covers the city’s essential sights, from the Colosseum and Roman Forum to the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica. It’s based on our own three-day visit, with tips on booking tickets, avoiding queues and finding time for coffee, gelato and Roman food along the way.

Rome glinted and glimmered in the distance as we headed to the airport at the end of our honeymoon.  Mr CW promised that we would return soon and he would introduce me to the Eternal City.  Seventeen years and two children later, we finally made it.  I relinquished my customary holiday organisation and handed over to Mr CW.  We were in Rome for three days, saw all the major sites and were not completely exhausted at the end of every day. 

Rome 3-Day Itinerary: At a Glance

The Colosseum, the Forum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, St Peters and the Vatican; these were the places that were on my list to see in Rome.  Thankfully Mr CW agreed.  Added into the list was drinking coffee and eating ice cream.  Here is Mr CW’s three day guide to Rome for First Time Visitors.

Day 1 – Immerse yourself in Ancient Rome

See the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Arch of Constantine and for a bit of modernity the Vittoriano.

Day 2 – Explore the Historic Centre

Throw coins in the Trevi Fountain, marvel at the Pantheon, climb the Spanish Steps, stroll in the Piazza della Minerva and explore the Centro Storico.

Day 3 – Discover the Vatican City

Visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, explore St Peter’s Basilica, meander alongside the Tiber and see the Castel Sant’Angelo.

How Many Days Do You Need in Rome?

Three days in Rome is perfect for your first visit.  In three days you can see all the main sites and not feel overwhelmed.  You could see everything in two days but three days gives time to enjoy the atmosphere.  We talked about how long to spend in Rome and thought about a week, but decided that three days was enough for the first time.

Getting Around Rome

Rome is the perfect walking city.  All the main sites are within the compact city centre.  We walked everywhere, except for a train at the beginning and end of our trip.  If you don’t want to walk everywhere the metro and bus network will get you around.

How to Get from Rome Fiumicino Airport to the City Centre

Getting into Rome from Rome Fiumicino Airport is easy.  The Leonardo Express departs from Fiumicino every 15 minutes and takes 32 minutes to arrive at Rome Termini station.  You can also catch slower stopping trains that go to other Rome stations.  You buy tickets in advance or from machines on the station. https://www.adr.it/web/aeroporti-di-roma-en/pax-fco-to-and-from

Day 1 First Time Visitors to Rome Itinerary: Ancient Rome here we come

Ancient Rome was on MR CW’s Rome Itinerary for day one.  Comfy shoes on, water and snacks packed.  We headed off to discover  the Colosseum and the Forum.  On the way we took in the Arch of Constantine and the Vittoriano

Visit the Colosseum in Rome

The Colosseum was the sports arena for Ancient Rome, so brilliant is its design for getting lots of people in and out quickly and then offering a tip top view that it has been copied by pretty well every stadium since.  So iconic is the Colosseum that it was on every Olympic winners medal until the Sydney games in 2000.  You will have seen pictures of the Colosseum.  You may even have visited other Colosseums around the world, like I have in Tunisia. But you will still be awestruck when you step into the OG Colosseum.  

Whatever else you do when visiting Rome for the first time the Colosseum is one thing that you must, must do. Turns out that it is the top of lots of other peoples lists too – expect queues, really, really long queues.  To avoid the queues book ahead and arrive 10 minutes before your time slot. 

• Rome Colosseum 
• Open: Daily 8.30am – 7.15pm (4.30pm in winter)
• Admission:  Tickets also cover entry to the Forum and Palatine Hill and are valid for 24 hours, you can get a 48 hour ticket but on your first time, a day is probably enough.

TOP TIP:  if your visit coincides with the first Sunday of the month you are in luck as visiting the Forum and Colosseum is FREE on the first Sunday BUT tickets are first come, first served so you will need to be up very early and be prepared to queue.

Admire the Arch of Constantine

As you stroll from the Colosseum to the Forum you will pass the Arch of Constantine.  Anywhere other than Rome this huge arch dating from the fourth century would be a major talked about landmark, it would be on all the posters.  Here it is just another magnificent monument.  Take time to look up and admire the inscription that dedicates the arch to Constantine for his wisdom. Constantine was the emperor who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

• Arch of Constantine
• Open: All day, every day
• Admission: Free

Explore Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

Before visiting Rome I confess that I thought that the Forum was a building and was maybe a bit small.  How wrong I was.  Nothing had prepared me for the sheer scale of the Forum, it is bigger than many English villages.  The ruins are quite simply amazing.  Look here and you will see the Temple of Vesta where the Vestal Virgins lived, over there the Temple to Julius Caesar built just two years after his death, turn round and behind you rises the Palatine Hill site of the palace of the Emperor Augustus.  

Excavations of this enormous site did not begin until the nineteenth century and are still going on today.  The Forum is all ruins, you need quite a bit of imagination to envisage the place thronged with life but it is amazing.  The queues at the gate opposite the Colosseum can get quite long, the Palatine Hill entrance is usually less crowded and less than a 5 minutes walk away.  Head toward the arch of Constantine, keep on walking down Via San Gregorio and the entrance is about halfway along the road.

• Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
• Open: Daily 9am – 7.30pm (4.30pm in winter)
• Admission: Tickets to the Colosseum include the Forum and Palatine Hill

TOP TIP: Take water and snacks with you when you visit the Colosseum and Forum as there are lots of places to sit but nowhere to buy a coffee/snack.

Vittoriano – extraordinary architecture

As you leave the Forum and Ancient Rome behind, head toward the Centro Storico you will encounter the Palazzo lined Piazza Venezia.  Turn around and look behind you at the HUGE white marble edifice rising up between you and the Forum.  This is the Vittoriano built at the end of the nineteenth century to celebrate the unification of Italy and the new King Vittorio Emanuele II. Some call it the wedding cake due to its vast tiered whiteness.  Right in the centre sits Vittorio Emanuele astride a horse in what is one of the world’s largest statues.  You can go inside the monument but we thought that this was a treat best saved for another time.

• Vittoriano
• Free to look from outside the railings but you need to buy a ticket to go inside

Day 2: Explore Rome’s Historic Centre

Another early start to beat the crowds on day two of our Rome for first time visitors itinerary but with lots of stops for ice cream, coffee and lunch.  Exploring the Centro Storico especially the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon is what Mr CW had planned for us on our second day.

Trevi Fountain

You will hear the Trevi Fountain way before you see it, rather you will hear the chattering crowd that surrounds it.  Everybody is trying to get close enough to throw a coin into the fountain to ensure their return to the Eternal City, whilst taking a selfie of the moment.  Don’t for a second think about not joining them.  The water gushing around the fancy Baroque statues is stunning.   Simply turning up and jostling with the crowd is not an option, you need to buy a ticket.  It is best to book online, then you simply join the ticket holders queue.  If you wait until you are there you will have to queue to buy the ticket and then queue again with the ticket holders.  Outside the ticketed hours you can still visit the fountain for free.

• Trevi Fountain
• Open: 9am – 10pm, except on Fridays when they open at 11.30am.  Check the website for sudden random closures.
• Admission: Book tickets via the Trevi fountain website, if you are a Rome resident admission is free

Pantheon

The Pantheon is the most complete ancient Roman building in Rome today.  This spot has been home to a temple since 25BC. Emperor Hadrian (the same one that had Hadrian’s Wall built) had the Pantheon built in AD125.  About 500 years later it became a Christian church.  Officially the Pantheon is called Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres and is still a church.

Look up to see the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome.  Yes it is still the largest in the world getting on for 2,000 years after it was built. Lets just stop for a moment, not only has it been world beating for nearly two millennia, it is also beautiful.  Light spills into the interior from the oculus in the roof, creating shafts of light reaching down highlighting the dust motes as they go.

• Pantheon 
• Open: Daily 9am – 7pm
• Admission: Tickets include an audio guide book via the Pantheon website.  Free on the first Sunday of the month

Climb the Spanish Steps

Just a set of steps really, but what steps.  Three flights, each divided into three leading up to the church of the Trinità dei Monti.  People have been gathering on these steps just to soak up the Roman atmosphere for centuries.  However since 2019 sitting on the steps is a no, no.  Sit down on one of the 136 steps and you face a hefty fine.

• Spanish Steps
• Open: All day, every day
• Admission: Free

Elafantino or the Elephant Statue

As you zigzag through the narrow streets of the Centro Storico just behind the Pantheon in the Piazza della Minerva you can see the most wonderful elephant statue.  Bernini designed the tiny elephant with an enormous 6th century Egyptian obelisk rearing out of his back. It celebrates the reign of Pope Alexander VII showing that strength can support wisdom.  It made me smile.

Gammarelli: The Pope’s Outfitters

Making clerical garments is big business in Rome and the tiny streets behind the Pantheon are the centre of the trade.  If you have ever fancied owning a set of clerical robes this is the place to look.  Right next door to the elephant on Via di Santa Chiara is Gammarelli.  Every time a new Pope is elected Gammarelli sends over three sets of snowy white papal garments to ensure that there will be one in the new Pontiff’s size.

Day 3: Discover the Vatican City

Day Three of Mr CW’s Itinerary for first time visitors to Rome was the Vatican and St Peter’s taking in a stroll along the Tiber.

Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel

You can’t visit the Vatican, as the Pope lives there.  What you can visit is the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.  Not Museum singular but Museums plural.  The Popes have acquired many works of art over the centuries and the collections range from ancient Egyptian right up the most modern of art. 

We pre-booked tickets for as soon as the Museums opened.  We still needed to queue.  Inside the crowds were insane.  Essentially we were in what seemed to be the longest and most lavishly decorated queue in the world.  The works of art are astounding.  Step out of the main stream and you find yourself in virtually empty rooms.  Most people are here to see the Sistine Chapel. Whilst we crept through the magnificent map room many people didn’t look up from their phones, it isn’t the Sistine chapel.  

Once at the Sistine Chapel, you are herded in, packed in like sardines. Silence and no photo taking is the order of the day.  There are Swiss Guards who shout at people sneaking a shot.  They are the unlucky ones.  Most people are chattering and taking snaps.  Your time is strictly limited and you are herded out.  Next time.  I will pay to go on an early morning tour and hopefully escape the crowds.

• Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
• Open: Monday – Saturday 8am – 7pm, last Sunday of the month 9am – 2pm when admission is free
• Admission: Book tickets via the Vatican Museum website and make sure you book early, they sell out fast.  When you get to the Vatican Museums you will need to show either a digital or paper version of your ticket and proof of identity (passport).  Once booked the tickets can not be changed to a different name. 

St Peter’s Basilica

I have to confess that we didn’t get inside St Peter’s the queues were huge …. four hours long and they can be longer.  We were besieged by touts offering to sell us fast track tours including the Sistine Chapel.  When we explained we already had tickets for the Vatican Museums they had an answer for that too.  We satisfied ourselves with looking at the outside of St Peter’s and wandering round the impressive square.  Next time I will either get up very, very early or book a tour.

• St Peter’s Basilica
• Open: Daily 7am – 7pm
• Admission: Free

Meander alongside the Tiber

After visiting St Peter’s and the Vatican we strolled alongside the banks of the Tiber on our way to the Spanish Steps.  You get great views across the river to Castel Sant’Angelo (opera buffs will know that this is where Tosca throws herself down to her death).

Where to Eat in Rome: Coffee, Gelato and Roman Food

Everywhere we ate in Rome was excellent.  We selected at random, when we were hungry or saw a really tempting gelato.  I realise this doesn’t help, but everywhere really was very good. 

Coffee and breakfast

We headed out to the nearest coffee bar, ordered coffee how we like them.  Black for me, with milk for Mr CW, pointed at tiny cakes and ate them standing up at the bar. 

Antico Caffé Greco, Via Condotti 86.  As we were staying in the building where Keats and Shelley stayed when in Rome we thought that we should go for coffee and cakes where they did.  It was expensive and we were put in a back room that didn’t have the Byronic vibe of the salon we walked through to get to our table.

Gelato

In many ways our visit to Rome was powered by gelato.  We stopped often and tried many flavours.  Ordinarily I favour a fruit flavour but in Rome I decided that Stracciatella was best, essentially vanilla flecked with chocolate. 

Lunch

For lunch we popped into delis.  Pointed at the meats or cheese that we fancied, watched as they were carved and made up into sandwiches for us.  

Aperitivo and dinner

For dinner we ate pasta at randomly chosen places that looked nice. We visited in January, I suspect that in high summer you would need to be more organised an book.

L’Antica Enoteca, Via Della Croce, 76b   Mr CW and I headed out on our own for an aperitif at L’Antica Enoteca.  My Negroni was perfect.  When we revisit we will come back for dinner.

Where to Stay in Rome for First Time Visitors

If you’re looking for somewhere memorable to stay in Rome, our accommodation was extraordinary and hugely convenient. We stayed in the Landmark Trust apartment in the Piazza di Spagna, at the base of the Spanish Steps in the building that Keats and Shelley stayed in when they were in Rome.  We had views across the Spanish Steps, even the view from the loo was spectacular.  We could walk to everywhere that we wanted to visit.  You need to be pretty fit as the apartment is at the top of several flights of stairs and there is no lift.  Piazza di Spagna is not cheap either, we visited in the first week of January when prices were lower than high summer.  Staying on the Spanish Steps was very special, read more about our stay in the Rome Landmark Trust in my blog post.

Rome First-Time Visitor Tips

• Book the Colosseum in advance, pretty well as soon as you have booked your ticket to Rome.
• Allow plenty of time for the Forum and Palatine Hill.
• Take water and snacks into the Colosseum/Forum area as there are no snack vendors on site.
• Book Vatican Museums tickets before you travel.
• Expect crowds at the Sistine Chapel.
• Get to the Spanish Steps early if you want photographs without huge crowds.
• Don’t underestimate the queues at St Peter’s Basilica.
• Wear comfortable shoes, we walked everywhere.

We loved our stay in Rome.  Mr CW has promised that next time we can stay for a month.