Will be in Rome for 3 days for our (my mother and I) first time.
Any suggestions on tours to go on, we have been looking at walking food tours through Viator.com. Restaurant recommendations for the trip including wine bars!! Also, anything to avoid doing that is just a tourist trap or not worth the time.
You have a lot options that generally are well covered in guide books. Check out Steves' Rome book for lots of recommendations. It should be your bible. Remember Viator is a consolidator of tours and not the tour company. Rome is big so it is hard to make a restaurant recommendation without knowing where you are staying and what your interests are. Personally I would not view any of the major tourists attractions as tourist trap. There maybe some some side shows that are marginal but you don't have the time for that. You can barely scratch Rome in three days. Again, I come back to Rick's Rome book as your starting point. Do a little homework then come back with specific questions.
Romeo in Prati is an excellent wine bar with a very interesting menu if you want dinner.
There are many things you can do after dark for free - Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Strolling the Via Del Corso, etc. I would select the sights you want to see and schedule those. If you want to visit the Borghese Gallery, you must get a reservation. Also, if you want to see the Vatican Museum, I recommend getting a tour set up for that or at least buy your tickets in advance as the line can be very long. You can also buy the ticket for the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill ahead of time.
There's a great gelato place by the Pantheon "Giolotti"!
Use any of Rick's audio guides for Rome. I found the Roman Forum, Pantheon, and Sistine Chapel ones particularly helpful since I was able to view everything at my own pace.
Unfortunately, while Piazza di Spagna is open, the Spanish Steps are closed for a much-needed restoration. However, Piazza San Pietro is really lovely in the evening when the crowds are gone.
As for restaurants, I found that the further away from famous and "touristy" piazzas one gets, the better (and cheaper) the food gets.
Our first couple of trips (before we moved here) we guided ourselves a lot using the book "24 Great Walks of Rome." It was fun to see some things off-the-beaten and weave in the usual suspects.
For something rather different consider
Palazzo Farnese, the French Embassy with an English tour at 5:00pm Weds nights. Must reserve a few weeks in advance online
If you are here on a Saturday, Galleria Colonna, only open Sat mornings.
Palazzo Valentini le Domus Romane, which is maybe the coolest thing in town. Reserve well in advance online as there are only a couple of English tours each day
If you are here during summer, check out the Viaggio nei Fori that returns in April. Both "shows" are fabulous and at night
Cavour 313 on Via Cavour is very nice for wine, as is Cul de Sac. Cul de Sac is not great for dining, but good for aperitivo and lunch.
Galleria Borghese is my favorite gallery (so far) in Europe, IMO not to be missed.
If you really want a non-tourist restaurant experience La Fraschetta del Pesce cannot be beat. You would probably want to splurge and take a cab rather than try to figure out public transportation. English is not really spoken but the food is super and the prices more than fair.
Oh and best gelato? Come il Latte just off Via XX Settembre, not far from the American Embassy. THE BEST. Gelato al Teatro in near Piazza Navona is excellent, too. Giolitti is pedestrian by comparison.
Walks of Italy offers many tours. With your limited time, maybe the Rome in a Day Tour: https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours/rome-in-a-day-tour
Enjoy you trip.
There is a pass that combines metro use with some benefits regarding entry to museums. I believe it may be called the Roma pass. A few years back this meant that you got expedited access to museums (e.g. walked right in to the coliseum bypassing a hundred or so people in the regular line) in addition to some potential savings.
Read about those passes carefully to be sure you understand this year's benefits and consider if the cost matches your intended use of the metro and museums.
Is there anything at all in Rome that you're interested in beyond food and wine? It's a city FULL of so many fascinating things to see! Honestly, don't limit yourself to just what can be eaten or drank.
The Roma Pass is only a good buy if using public transport enough to make it pay: I almost never recommend it outside of specific circumstances.
