What you can see in Rome depends on how long you have arrived in the Eternal City. You can run “upstairs” in 1 day, but if you dig “in depth”, then not a week is enough. That is why BlogoItaliano has prepared for you a short set of ideas for what to see in Rome depending on the length of your stay: for 1, 2, 3 or 4 days.
If all your roads lead to Rome in the near future, then you have probably figured out how to get from Fiumicino Airport to your hotel or apartment in the city. If not already, we recommend our most detailed articles, where all the main options are detailed:
- How to get to the center of Rome from Fiumicino Airport
- How to get from Fiumicino to the Vatican
What to see in Rome in 1 day
If you have only 1 day in Rome, then you need to spend it as efficiently as possible. That is why BlogoItaliano detailed the plan for the day in a separate article. Immediately make a reservation that it does not capture all the sights, but will allow you to cover the maximum within one day.
Recall that it is better to start acquaintance with Rome early in the morning in the Vatican, until the bulk of tourists poured there. Even a cursory inspection of the dwarf state (without visiting museums) will take you at least 3 hours, so calculate your pace and strength in advance.
Getting to know Rome is better early in the morning in the Vatican.
The blame for the delays is at least one long queue to be encountered on the way to St. Peter's Basilica. Another no less long queue awaits at the Vatican Museums (if you still decide to visit them, having only 1 day for the whole of Rome).
In order to somehow reduce the waiting time, which may well stretch for several hours in each place, it is better to purchase tickets to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums in advance through the Internet link.
The further way - to the Forum and the Coliseum - is described in detail in the article with the route for one day, so we won’t repeat it, but even at a fast pace it will also take you at least 2-3 hours.
At least because along the way you will find numerous TOP sights of the Italian capital, including Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Capitol Hill and Vittoriano.
By the evening of a busy day, you will reach the Colosseum and the Forum, and here you also need to reserve about 3 hours for inspection. We recommend that you check in advance the current working hours of both attractions, because it differs depending on the time of year.
In order not to lose time with only 1 day in Rome, tickets to the Coliseum and the Forum (in fact, this is a single ticket for both attractions) are also better to purchase in advance - via the Internet. You can do this on this site.
The central altar in the Cathedral of St. Petra is located above the tomb of the Apostle
Finally, walking around Rome will be much more interesting if you not only see the sights, but also learn the rich history of these places. This will help you with a special audio guide for the iPhone link, which was created just for this route.
The audio guide works as an application with a route map and consists of 60 points along the way of this walk. All excursion points in the application are mapped, equipped with photos and a fascinating story.
Moreover, the audio guide can work even without the Internet, and a convenient map with GPS will make it easy to track your location and find the way to the following excursion points.
The trial version, in which 5 points are available, can be downloaded for free, the price of the entire tour is also very affordable - only about 5 Euro.
What to see in Rome in 2 days
If you have more than one day in Rome, then the plan described above can easily be extended to 2 days. It will turn out even better, because you can more thoroughly explore all the sights and make time for something more.
First of all, with 2 days left, you can devote more time to the treasures of the Vatican - the Sistine Chapel with frescoes by Michelangelo, paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Titian, four rooms dedicated to Raphael, the famous sculpture group "Laocoon and his Sons", etc. .
The length of the museum expositions of the Vatican is 7 km
It is terrible to imagine, but the length of the Vatican's museum expositions is 7 km, so there will definitely be something to do here.
Pay attention to the Capitoline Museums, whose history began back in 1471. Today you can get acquainted with the ancient Roman sculpture and architecture, as well as see the famous statue of the Capitoline Wolf with the twins Romulus and Remus.
From what is worth seeing in Rome in 2 days, be sure to plan a visitGalleries Borghese. Here are collected canvases of Caravaggio, Raphael, Botticelli, Rubens, Titian, Veronese and many other great masters of the brush.
The history of the Capitoline Museums began in the distant 1471
The Borghese Gallery is considered one of the most inaccessible museums in Rome due to the existing restrictions on the number of visitors for each day. That is why many travelers, even when they come here, leave with nothing.
To prevent this from happening to you, it is better to book your tickets in advance. You can do this on this site link.
A more thorough tour of the Vatican Museums and a visit to the Borghese Gallery - this is the main thing, what you should focus on if you have only 2 days (of course, in addition to the Colosseum and the Forum, which were included in the first day program).
At the Roman Forum they traded, debated and worshiped the gods
But with proper planning and luck with the queues, you can try to catch time and more. If you are seriously passionate about the history of Rome, you can choose at least one of the 4 museums that are part of the complex National Museum of Rome: see a collection of classical art in the Palazzo Massimo alla Terme, Terme Diocletian, a collection of antique sculptures in the Palazzo Altemps or archaeological artifacts in the Crypt of Balbi.
Another way to make your second day in Rome unforgettable is to go for a walk along the Appian Way. Some sections of this antique highway have survived to their days in their original form and are located very close to the city.
The Roman district of Trastevere is famous for a huge number of colorful establishments
For every mile, there are a dozen attractions, including one of the branches of the Roman catacombs, where the early Christian martyrs and pontiffs found peace in the underground caves.
Finally, if you have enough museums in the Vatican and the Borghese Gallery, and you don’t want to travel far, you can go for a walk in Trastevere. This is one of the most picturesque areas of Rome, preserving the atmosphere of small Italian towns.
Trastevere has a huge number of atmospheric Italian establishments, so it is perfect for both a friendly and a romantic dinner.
What to see in Rome in 3 days
The plans for the first and second days in Rome, described above, are so saturated that they are suitable for 3 days. This is especially true of visiting the mentioned museums.
Therefore, if you have 3 days in Rome, you can "fill in the gaps" in the described plan for 2 days or, for a change, go on excursions in the surrounding area.
Colosseum translated from Latin (collosseus) means "huge"
The most popular place in the immediate vicinity of Rome is the picturesque town of Tivoli, famous for its villas: d'Este, Gregorian and Hadrian. Each of them deserves attention, but if you have to choose, we recommend staying at d'Este.
On the territory of the magnificent palace complex there are about 500 fountains, and the villa itself served as a prototype for Versailles and inspired Peter I to build Peterhof. In more detail about Tivoli and how to get to the town BlogoItaliano wrote in a separate article.
But in the vicinity of Rome there is not only Tivoli. Therefore, deciding what to see in Rome in 3 days, here are a few more places that you should pay attention to.
Ostia Antica (29 km from Rome) - not quite a city in the usual sense of the word. Once a major seaport by the beginning of the Middle Ages was flooded and buried under a layer of sand and silt. Only at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries the city was discovered and "liberated" in order to become a living testimony of bygone times.
Lido di Ostia (35 km from Rome) - the beach resort closest to the city. Since the railway was laid in this town, the Romans do not miss the opportunity to go to the sea for a weekend.
Another popular destination for a beach holiday is Anzio (60 km from Rome). There are also many archaeological sites, including the Roman Amphitheater.
From Termini Station you can go anywhere in Italy
Cerveter (41 km from Rome) is famous for its ancient necropolises of the Etruscans - the mysterious people who inhabited the territory of Central Italy.
Trip to Tarquinia (75 km from Rome) it will allow you to kill three birds with one stone: swim in the sea with a view of Mount Monte Argentario, explore the Etruscan necropolis of Monterozzi or take a walk through the medieval city.
Charms with the spirit of the Middle Ages and the city Viterbo (82 km from Rome): many monuments here are preserved in their original form. Fortresses, palazzo and towers Orvieto (124 km from Rome), the guests of the city delight no less than the local Etruscan necropolis and gloomy wells that go deep into the earth for many meters.
The list is impressive, so you just have to find a place for you and feel free to hit the road.
What to see in Rome in 4 days
It’s impossible to see everything in Rome in 4 days, but it’s quite possible to cover the most important thing. Therefore, travelers who have more than 3 days in reserve, as a rule, think that such an impressive one can be "reached" in other Italian cities, where it is easy to get as part of a one-day trip.
The choice is huge, but for the first trip to Italy the key destinations from Rome 2. To the South - towards Naples or to the North - to Florence.
What exactly to lean toward depends on your preferences, because each trip promises a lot of emotions and positive impressions.
The Fountain of Mavra (Piazza Navona) was designed by Giacomo della Porta in 1575.
Naples - this is the amazing atmosphere of the "most Italian" city of Italy, magnificent views of the bay, amazingly rich cuisine, as well as the prospect of covering Pompeii or Vesuvius in one day.
Florence is the capital of the Renaissance and one of the most charming cities in the world. The city, which can be safely called an open-air museum with just an incredible amount of attractions and interesting places.
Naples and Florence are so different that it is impossible to compare them. Therefore, if time and opportunity allow, try to visit both. You can get from Rome to each of these cities in just an hour and a half, and train tickets are easy to find here.
All transport options are described in more detail in our separate articles:
- How to get from Rome to Florence
- How to get from Rome to Naples
Finally, no matter which city you choose, you will need a ready-made plan on how to reach the maximum in each of them. To do this, we recommend our detailed articles below:
- What to see in Florence on your own in 1 day
- What to see in Naples in 1 day
At the same time, we recommend paying attention to our most detailed routes to the most interesting cities in Italy. This is a ready-made and step-by-step plan in each city, which will save you a lot of time for preparation and excursions, allowing you to cover much more than 95% of travelers have time to do.
You can clarify all the details on the routes on this page.
You can also go to Florence from Rome as part of an organized excursion.
By the way, both in Naples and in Florence you can go not only on your own, but also as part of organized excursions. You can find out the current schedule and program of such trips from Lela, the organizer of excursions in Rome, with whom BlogoItaliano has been friends for many years.
To do this, you can write her an e-mail email protected or send a message via the feedback form under this article. Lela usually responds within a few hours. At the same time, you can clarify with her the program of excursions in Rome itself, because she organizes a lot of them.
The only thing is that Lele is better to write well in advance, because in the season places for many excursions end many days before the actual date. Therefore, it is better to write to her right now.
If this article about what to see in Rome for 1, 2, 3 or 4 days was useful to you, be sure to save it to your social network, because closer to the travel dates, many of these tips will come in handy more than once.
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