36 Hours in Rome

Rome is a beautiful city brimming with history, culture, art and food glorious food!

The most unavoidable element of Rome is the crowds, which there is no escaping. The best thing we can show you is how to avoid them in the most congested areas, so we hope this blog post helps!

The first thing you need to do is understand your geography and where your hotel is in relation to all the big sights you want to see. Use the map below to get your bearings and see how we have clustered the best sights together in a sample itinerary to really get the most of your city break!

Day 1 - Explore, Eat and Experience

Arrival - Upon arrival make your way to your hotel before a short refresh as you make the most of your first day in the eternal city.

—

The best way to see Rome is on foot. Head towards the Spanish Steps, and see the beautiful 16th-century Trinità dei Monti church, which dominates the skyline creating a picture perfect focal point. The Spanish Embassy can be found here, hence the name and is famous for its unique design and elegance, which has made it a popular place for artists, painters and poets.

—

The Trevi Fountain is within easy reach of the Spanish Steps, as it gives you a great opportunity to meander through the tiny streets and take it all in. Here you can get your first dose of culture and gelato! Don’t forget to make your wish and throw a coin into the fountain for good luck. Standing at 26 metres high and almost 50 metres wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city. It is also the oldest water source in Rome and dates back to 19B.C when it provided water to the Roman baths and other fountains in the city.

—

Heads west and visit the Pantheon, which is temple dedicated to all the gods of pagan Rome. It was once one of the most influential buildings in ancient Rome and still is to this day one of the best preserved buildings.

—

Dinner: Enjoy an alfresco evening meal in one of Rome’s exquisite squares called piazza’s. We suggest Piazza della Rotonda near the Pantheon or Piazza Navona near the Church of Sant'Agnese as it has lots of artists and painters if your looking for an authentic souvenir.

Day 2 - History, Heritage and Hero’s

Start your day early and head down to the Colosseum first thing, as soon as the attraction opens! If you go any later the ques do get out of control. The Colosseum is open everyday from 8:30am until an hour before sunset. We suggest purchasing the Roma Pass, which has a 72 hour or 48 hour option. It is the cheapest and most convenient way to see not only the Colosseum but also the plethora of other attractions included in it as well as the bonus of free use of public transport in the city so great for getting around!

—

From the colosseum head towards the Roman Forum (pre-book tickets) right next door to explore and learn more about the history of the Roman empire. The ruins consist of several buildings, which made up the centre of ancient roman government, where the likes of Julius Caesar and Constantine would have stepped foot.

—

Head on towards the Monument of Victor Emmanuel II, to climb its steps and admire the spectacular views of Rome. There is even an option to head to the top of the monument and get panoramic views of Rome during the afternoon sunshine.

—

Other great sights in the area include Circus Maximus, which is the remains of a marble arena that could seat up to 250,000 romans, which was used for the gladiators to train and race their chariots.

—

Top tip - After dinner, we strongly suggest a night time stroll around the Colosseum. With little to no tourists around, we found this was the best time to truly understand the magic of Rome. Take a stroll around its ruins, to see the detail in its design and take in the surrounds and the atmosphere. We think we did this every night we were in Rome, just for the music and awe factor alone!

Day 3 - Catholicism, Craftmanship and Convicts

The Vatican is an all day affair, so if you have time its certainly worth donating a day to this mammoth undertaking. There is so much to see and so much to do in this area we felt it was worth it, but make sure you have your comfy shoes on, because we have never walked so much!

—

Typically the best thing to do is book onto a guided Vatican tour (pre-book), which can last about 3-4 hours and includes a visit to the Sistine Chapel, to view the famous Last Judgment painting by Michelangelo for yourself. Security is a big deal, so make sure you pack small and don’t bring any big cameras because this won’t be allowed.

—

Once the tour is over and you’ve admired every inch of its fantastic piazza, we highly recommend heading over to Castel Sant'Angelo just a stones throw away. Entry is included in your Roma Pass and we found it gave us a really good picture of what life was like here from not just a religious aspect, but also from a defence perspective. The Castello has had many uses over the years and has sheltered several Popes fleeing persecution, through a series of tunnels hidden within the city. What we loved the most was both the views of the River Tiber and the beautiful rooftop restaurant hidden beneath a canopy of maple leaves.

—

Rome truly is a breath-taking city, which is jam packed full of things to do. There are always more places to discover but with such a short time in the city, it is very hard to try and do it all. We hope you find this guide useful as we felt it really gave us a great understanding of Rome’s highlights to really feel like we got a little taste of Ancient Rome from its Caesars to its Gladiators, there just isin’t anywhere in the world quite like it.