Rome in four days

Day by day

The plan

Times are suggestions. Opening hours and seasons change, so check before you go. Once it’s in your trip, move anything you like.

1. Day 1

   Ancient Rome

   1. 08:30

      Colosseum

      Activity

      Go at opening time, before the heat and the tour groups, to see the arena of the emperors.

   2. 10:30

      Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

      Activity

      Temples, arches and the palaces of the emperors, on the same ticket as the Colosseum.

   3. 13:30

      Lunch: pizza al taglio in Monti

      Food & drink

      Pizza by the slice and supplì, fried rice balls, in Rome’s oldest neighborhood.

   4. 15:30

      Capitoline Hill

      Activity

      Michelangelo’s square and a terrace with the best free view over the Forum.

   5. 19:30

      Dinner: Roman pasta in Monti

      Food & drink

      Carbonara, amatriciana or cacio e pepe, the three classics of the city.

2. Day 2

   The Vatican

   1. 08:30

      Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel

      Activity

      Papal art collections that end at Michelangelo’s ceiling; plan on most of the morning.

   2. 12:00

      St. Peter’s Basilica

      Activity

      One of the largest churches in the world, with Michelangelo’s Pietà just inside the door.

   3. 13:00

      Climb the dome

      Activity

      Stairs and a lift take you to the top for a view straight down the length of St. Peter’s Square.

   4. 14:30

      Lunch in Prati

      Food & drink

      A calm, local neighborhood next to the Vatican with good food markets.

   5. 17:00

      Castel Sant’Angelo and its bridge

      Activity

      Hadrian’s tomb turned papal fortress, then a walk across the angel-lined bridge at sunset.

3. Day 3

   Piazzas and fountains

   1. 08:30

      Pantheon

      Activity

      A 2,000-year-old temple with an open hole in the dome; light moves around the walls all day.

   2. 10:00

      Piazza Navona

      Activity

      Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers in a square shaped like the stadium it once was.

   3. 13:00

      Lunch: Roman artichokes in the Jewish Ghetto

      Food & drink

      Fried artichokes are the dish of this old neighborhood, best in spring.

   4. 16:00

      Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps

      Activity

      Toss a coin over your shoulder at Trevi, then walk to the steps and up to the church on top.

   5. 18:30

      Sunset from the Pincio Terrace

      Activity

      A balcony above Piazza del Popolo with the domes of the city in front of you.

4. Day 4

   Borghese and Trastevere

   1. 09:00

      Borghese Gallery

      Activity

      Bernini sculptures and Caravaggio paintings in a villa; entry is by timed booking only.

   2. 11:30

      Villa Borghese park

      Activity

      Rent a bike or a rowboat on the small lake in Rome’s central park.

   3. 13:30

      Lunch in Trastevere

      Food & drink

      Cobbled lanes and ivy-covered walls across the river; try the gnocchi if it’s Thursday, a Roman tradition.

   4. 15:30

      Santa Maria in Trastevere

      Activity

      One of the oldest churches in Rome, with gold mosaics above the altar.

   5. 18:00

      Janiculum Hill

      Activity

      A short climb to the widest view of the city as the light goes.