Two Days in Rome

What to see and do if you have only two days to spend in Rome, Italy

Tourist info:
www.turismoroma.it
City museums:
www.museiincomuneroma.it
Ancient sites:
archeoroma.beniculturali.it

» ROME BOOKSHELF

TOURS FROM TRUSTED PARTNERS

Note: This is the itinerary to follow if you actually have two full days in Rome. I say that because many of you will be arriving in Rome from North America to start your Italian vacation, in which case—sad to say—you don't actually have two full days to spend here, since much of the first morning will be spent arriving, clearing customs, and getting into town.

Below is the itinerary if Rome is just another stop on your itinerary and you genuinely have two full days to spend. (This separate page has a two-day itinerary for those arriving in Italy by plane on "Day 1.")

Day 1 in Rome

The Sistine Chapel cieling.Take a tour
If you prefer an expert guide for your sightseeing, here are some walking tours from our partners at Viator.com that cover many of the sights featured on Day 1:

• Skip the Line: Vatican in One Day
• Private Tour: Vatican Museums and St Peter's Art History Walking Tour
• Skip the Line: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, & St Peter's Half-Day Tour
• Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Walking Tour including Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms and St Peter's
• Skip the Line: Vatican Museums Tickets
• Private Viewing of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums
• Private Tour: Vatican Museums Tour
• Skip the Line: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Tour

Afternoon in the Tiber Bend:
• Best of Rome Afternoon Walking Tour
• Rome Photography Walking Tour: Learn How to Take Professional Photos
• Baroque Rome Small Group Day Tour
Be up bright and early so that you beat the legions of tour buses to the grandiose church of St. Peter's Basilica, which opens at 7am.

See Michelangelo's Pietà and the other amazing sights inside, and tour the tombs of popes under the basilica before climbing its dome (opens at 8am) for a panoramic sweep of the city across the river.

By 8:45am, have exited the church, turned left under the start of the colonnade surrounding St. Peter's Square out front, and be walking around the Vatican walls to get to the entrance to the world-famous Vatican Museums, which open at 9am.

You'll have time only for the highlights of its artistic wonders : the Pinacoteca painting gallery with Raphael's Transfiguration and Caravaggio's Deposition, the Raphael Rooms, and Michelangelo's incomparable Sistine Chapel ceiling.

The Pantheon.By 11am, head out of the galleries and back across the River to spend the afternoon in the Tiber Bend area of the old city.

After a quick bite, pay homage to the ancient Pantheon—the only ancient Roman temple to have survived the centuries intact—and the nearby church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, with its Michelangelo Risen Christ statue and Filippo Lippi frescoes.

Head to Rome's prettiest square, Piazza Navona. Station yourself at Tre Scalini's outdoor cafe tables to enjoy their famous tartufo dessert while watching children play soccer under the shadow of Bernini's fountains. If you have the energy or interest, you might squeeze in a visit to San Luigi dei Francesi (just off the piazza's east side) for its Caravaggio paintings, and/or the ancient Roman collections in the gorgeous Palazzo Altemps just off the north end of Piazza Navona.

Head over to the medieval Trastevere district for dinner.

Day 2 in Rome

Take a tour
If you prefer an expert guide for your sightseeing, here are some walking tours from our partners at Viator.com that cover many of the sights featured on Day 2:

• Private Tour: Imperial Rome Art History Walking Tour
• Skip the Line: Ancient Rome and Colosseum Half-Day Walking Tour
• Private Tour: Ancient Rome and Colosseum Art History Walking Tour
• Ancient Rome Half-Day Walking Tour
• Capitoline Museums and Origins of Rome Walking Tour
• Private Tour: Ancient Roman Art History Walking Tour
• Imperial Rome Afternoon Tour

The Roman Forum.Have the earliest reservation possible at the Galleria Borghese villa, packed with baroque paintings by Caravaggio and sculptures by Bernini. Swing by the antiquities-filled Palazzo Massimo alle Terme branch of the Museo Nazionale Romano on your way down to tour the Roman Forum.

Try to arrive at the Forum by 11:30pm or noon to spend an hour or so wandering the ruins where orators once held forth, senators debated, and Julius Caesar strode the streets.

Unfortunately, little is left to see, but so much the better so you can be out by 12:30 and on your way past the Imperial Forums to lunch at the old-school wine bar Cavour 313.

(If the timing works out, afterwards you can continue continue up Via Cavour a few blocks and climb up the steps of a tunnel-like street on the right to the tiny piazza hiding the church of San Pietro in Vincoli, home to Michelangelo's Moses, but it doesn't reopen for the afternoon until 3:30pm, or 3pm in winter. If you do work it in, it means you are running a bit late, so don't spend more than 15 minutes in here.)

Next, pay a visit to the Colosseum. You just kind of look at it, take a peek inside at the floor plan, and you're done (save time in the often long lines by booking your entry ahead).

If you manage to get out of the Colosseum by 4pm, you're in good shape and have time for both of the next sights. If it's closer to 5pm, you only have time for one, so pick.

Walk around the back of the Colosseum and a few long blocks southeast along Via San Giovanni in Laterano to tour the church of San Clemente, with medieval mosaics glittering in the apse, Renaissance frescoes in the chapels, and a door off the gift shop leading down to the first of several basements that provide an unparalleled tour through Rome's layer cake of history: below the current, medieval church is a 4th century church, and below that is a pagan temple to Mithras and the remains of several ancient Roman buildings, streets, and the splashing waters of a still-functioning aqueduct (go ahead and fill your water bottle; the water is clean, cold, and delicious).
Catch bus 60 to head back up Via dei Fori Imperiali to Piazza Venezia (2 stops), at the north end of the Forum. Nearby is the elevated square Piazza del Campidoglio, where the Capitoline Museums will entertain you with ancient sculptures and Renaissance and baroque paintings until 7pm.

Make sure that before sunset you nip around the back of the right side of the central building on Piazza del Campidoglio where you're treated to a surprise panorama of the Forum from above, with the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum as a backdrop.

Make your way over to the lively Spanish Steps. Mingle for a while, then window shop down fashionable Via dei Condotti and the surrounding streets. By the time you get to the Corso, one of Rome's main drags, the evening passeggiata stroll will be in full swing and you can strut your stuff with the Romans until it's time for a hearty and well-deserved dinner in the old city.

Before you turn in for the night, be sure you stroll to the famous Trevi Fountain, into which it is tradition to toss a few coins in order to ensure that, one day, you'll return to the Eternal City.

Tips

This is merely a blueprint. You really should spend your time on whatever catches your own interest. Some people would rather get a root canal than spend a day strolling the boutique-lined streets radiating from the Spanish Steps, but for others a day of window-shopping would rank as the highlight of their trip. Same goes for cramming a dozen churches and museums into a single day: heaven for some, hell on earth for others. For some less-famous sights to visit, check out Reid's List: Rome.
Adjusting the schedule: Keep in mind that you may have to adjust these itineraries in case one of the days you're in town happens to fall on a Monday (when most museums are closed) or a Sunday (when many things are closed, and those that remain open tend to operate on shorter hours).
Consider daily tours: Prefer to leave some of the planning and information-providing to a professional? Consider signing up for a guided tour—doesn't have to be a standard bus tour; our partners at Viator.com offer loads of neighborhood and thematic walking tours, private guides, and other fun ways to explore the capital as well.
An alternative day in Rome: All these itineraries are designed for the first-time visitor who wants to be sure he or she gets to all the highlights—all the must-sees. But what if you want to avoid the crowds that pack those highlights, or you've already done the Vatican, St. Peter's, the Forum, and the Colosseum and are looking for less famous—but still rewarding—sights? As luck would have it, I have whipped up Reid's List of Rome sights and experiences devoted entirely to this purpose. These are sights from the B-list (sometimes the C-list) that I happen to love and that are definitely worthy of your time—in some cases, perhaps more worthy than some of the more famous sights.
Seeing Rome for cruise passengers: If you're arriving in Rome by ship (or, more accurately, arriving into Civitavecchia, which is the cruise ship port for Rome but is actually located an hour north of the city), you are not prisoner to the cruise ship's overpriced shore excursions. You can arrange your own tour (or your own transport into Rome), either with our partners at Viator.com, or completely D.I.Y.

Full-day itineraries for one, two, or three days in Rome
"Arriving" itineraries for one, two, or three days in Rome
Rome city layout
Top sights in Rome
How to get around Rome
Rome FAQ
Itineraries for Venice
Itineraries for Florence
Itineraries for Italy (one week, two weeks)

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This material was last updated December 2010. All information was accurate at the time.

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Two Days in Rome

What to see and do if you have only two days to spend in Rome, Italy

Day 1 in Rome

Day 2 in Rome

Tips

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