Suggestion for 3 day itinerary in Rome

What I tend to suggest for 3 days.

Rome - Day 1
•Colosseum (Book)
•Forum & Palatino
•Campidoglio
•Victor Emmanuel II
•Trevi Fountain
•Spanish Steps
•Piazza del Popolo & Pincio Gardens

Rome - Day 2
•Vatican Museums (Book)
•St Peters Basilica
•Castel San Angelo
•Piazza Navona
•Pantheon

Rome - Day 3
•Campo Di Fiori
•Villa Farnesina
•Santa Maria Trastevere
•The Gianicolo
•Trastevere
•Jewish Quarter

David has some good ideas, perhaps sites you had not thought of. I think Galleria Borgheae after a morning in the Vatican Museums would be too much for one day, but if you just want to go to the park, which is what Villa Borgheae is, it is nice for walking around.

I am not a fan of Pizzeria Emma. We lived in Rome and it was some of the most expensive least desirable pizza we ate. You have to leave the area, but a more Roman experience is to be had at Pizzeria da Remo in Testaccio. Some of the best pizza, Roman style, we’ve ever had. In Prati you might try Pizzeria La Pratolina, but you must reserve.

Try Taverna dei Fori Imperiali in Monti on your Colosseo day.

David, thank you for the suggested itinerary. I just realised I totally forgot about the Roman forum and Palatine hill. Going by your suggestion, I have to do Day 3 on my first day, and then followed by Day 1 and 2.

Laurel, oh dear that is not good to hear. I came across it on Romewise and some other guides, which is why I even know of it. Thank you for your suggestions. I shall look into them. Have you heard of Roscioli?

Ahh yes I hear you about the Borghese gallery. If we do want to go there, which day do you think I can fit it in?

Laurel, oh dear that is not good to hear. I came across it on Romewise and some other guides, which is why I even know of it. Thank you for your suggestions. I shall look into them. Have you heard of Roscioli?

Ahh yes I hear you about the Borghese gallery. If we do want to go there, which day do you think I can fit it in?

I would do the Borghese on any day you are not doing another art museum. It only takes two hours but as you know, reservations are required.

A lot of the dining apps and lists seem to focus on places in the center that have hit a chord with a certain crowd of reviewers. Some are fine, but Pizzeria Emma was soooo unimpressive to us after experiencing fine pizza elsewhere in Rome that I just had to speak out. The newer restaurants (like Emma) have higher prices to go along with their refurbishment. Roscioli is crazily crowded, but I think mostly with tourists. Good food? Yes. Expensive? Yes?

Walking along the Foro is very special at night when the lighting is "ghostly". The Pantheon (or at least the piazza) is a special place for dinner or drinks at night. Trastevere is also a great evening place to be especially around Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. The street performers in Piazza Navona can be a lot of fun too. I always end my night there, sitting on the steps of Sant' Agnese with a gelato. Great ending to a great day.

We will be in Rome for 4 full days in June, and my plan for the first 3 days happen to be very similar to what David outlined, with Borghese museum fit into day 3. What would you all recommend for the 4th day? A friend suggested Tivoli garden, and I am looking at Ostia Antica. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Mike,

The Via Appia Antica is closed to traffic on Sundays so that day would be perfect for a visit. (https://www.rometoolkit.com/whattodo/appian_way.htm) Maybe pick up bicycles and stop by the Aqueducts Park..?

I did opt for the early Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel (small group) tour. The crowd was just insane and only got worse throughout the day. I wouldn't have missed it for the world but the crowd immense.

Wow thank you to everyone who replied! You have all given me many good suggestions. Appia Antica, for one, is something I hadn't thought of, which might be a good thing to do on Sunday. On hindsight, now it feels like I may be doing too much. I do want time to just do nothing and wander around, and not have to tick off another attraction.

Maybe I might be wrong in feeling it is too much, and the feeling might stem from the fact that it seems like a long list, but in actual fact it is not really all that much? I do see that some of the itinerary is just walking around and doesn't involve too much rushing. I am trying to limit myself to one or two "attractions" per day, which I am referring to museums/big monuments, and not things like piazzas and monuments like the Pantheon. I would love to hear your opinions on whether I am trying to do too much.

I would also like time to take some photographs during/after sunset. for eg. Vatican city lit up from Ponte Umberto, colosseum/roman forum. Is it pretty safe to do that? Just have to be careful of my gear. Robert, is the Pantheon area at the time you mentioned also safe?

Any thoughts, anybody?

We went to Italy in 2015 for our honeymoon and had a blast.

Some thoughts:

-Vatican City is a day unto itself. Would highly, highly recommend doing an after hours tour of the Vatican museum. I didn't know this was an option when we went and I wish I did. The museum is mobbed otherwise and feels like a conveyor belt to the Sistine Chapel - which was actually fine when we were there as it was our last day and I wasn't in a huge mood to see everything in the museum, but next time will definitely use this option.

-The Borghese Gallery is excellent and I believe a must see. It was our favorite museum of the trip. You can use the Roma Pass for admission. Have your hotel contact the Gallery to make a reservation for you in advance.

-Ostia Antica is a fantastic hidden gem, often overlooked by many who scramble to get to Pompeii as a day trip from Rome (crazy in my opinion). The metro ride to the site is simple. We had a great time strolling in the ruins, with no crowds to speak of.

Have fun!

-

As to safety at night, I never felt unsafe in Rome. Sure, you want to be aware of your surroundings and protective of your gear, but I would not worry about violent crime at all, and even petty theft is avoidable if you mind yourself. Yes, Rome is safe even at night.

Emergencydoc,
Thanks for your tips! Yes I'm seriously considering the Early entry tours for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel due to the crowd I've heard about. As for the Borghese Gallery, the more I read of it, the more I wish to visit! Ostia Antica I would have to see if I can squeeze it in, as our days seem quite packed as it is.

Laurel,
Thank you Laurel! I would love to hear your opinion on the rest of my thoughts, as to whether I'm trying to do too much.

I don't think you are spreading yourself too much.
If you are not leaving the city or spending much time in museums I think 4 nights is an ideal time to see all of the highlights.

Make sure to plan extra time for revisiting places in the historic center (area around the Panthenon / Navona / Trevi Fountain / Spanish Steps ; not the Collesseum/Forum which is south of the center). That area never gets boring and really has a different look in the day time vs. the evenings, both of which are great to experience so visit those places twice or more than twice if staying in that area (which I also recommend) Set some time aside for just wandering around those streets and piazzas ; enjoy a gelato while you walk and take a seat at a café in a piazza and get an espresso as you watch your surroundings for a bit.

As far as safety Rome feels very safe in the evening and early morning. I generally don't go by the Termini area because there is no reason to unless catching a train and that is said to be sketchy some times.

Knowing violent crime is rare if I am out alone for photographing at odd times, I felt very secure alone carrying my tripod which is similar to a baseball bat in my hand. Pick pockets are the main issue in terms of your gear but they would be looking for someone letting their guard down in a crowd or laying a bag down on an unattended chair. Crowds and chaos are their friends they are not interested in physical confrontations.

I try to do Rome in "clusters" based on map location. There is so much there. For example - Pantheon: Sopra Di Minerva, San Crispino gelato, San Luigi, Piazza Navona, St. Agnese would be one cluster for me. Borghese Art gallery is fantastic. Another cluster would be San Clemente, St. John Lateran complex, Holy Stairs, Obelisk. Colosseum, Roman Forum, St. Peter in chains, St. Damien, palatine Hill is a cluster. Capitoline Hill Complex and Victor Emmanuel Monument. Anyway, I could go on.
Make a list of what you most want to see - then, give yourself some wiggle room to explore nearby sites.

Hi, my family will be arriving in Rome via train at noon. Could anyone on this thread please tell me if doing the Colosseum/Forum/Paletine area is a good choice for filling the afternoon? According to the book, crowds are thinner after 2pm, so we were thinking of getting a Roma Pass and tackling that first. How much time should we expect to spend there? What should we do after that? PIZZA SUGGESTIONS for the kids too! Thank you!

To answer the above question - though you may want to post your question independent of this thread. I don't know how old your kids are. I would combine the Colosseum with the Roman Forum and skip palatine hill. The forum is hot and dry during Summer months - so carry water. The Roman Forum is not crowded - only the Colosseum entrance before 3 pm.. So, you can take the kids to forum first - then go out the back of the basilica of Constantine to the Colosseum. You use your combo. pass from the forum to skip the Colosseum ticket lines and head straight to the entry turnstiles. (You use your Romapass to obtain the combo. ticket at roman forum.). Review the free RS audio download/podcast to learn about the forum and colosseum.

I second Taverna dei Fori Imperiali for lunch on your colesseum day. That’s what we did, and after all of our walking around the Colesseum and Roman Forum, their pasta (especially their al’matriciana) completely hit the spot.

Thanks for the replies everyone! Apologies for the late reply as I have been really caught up with work and stuff.

mreynolds

I'll keep those useful suggestions in mind. I do plan to visit the sites in daytime as well as evening to experience the different look and of course just take some time to relax like you mentioned. I need to keep an eye on my gear at all times.

Sun-Baked in Florida

Ahh that is very useful to know some other sights around the main ones that I have planned! Some of them I haven't really heard before you suggested them so thank you! I shall follow your last line of advice on planning.

shekinahmacmillan

Thank you for seconding that! I have put it on my list of restaurants to go to.