Rome, Italy

Benvenuti a Roma! — Welcome to the Eternal City!

When we think of Rome, we picture strolling through centuries of history, tasting the best pasta and pizza on Earth, and standing in awe before one of the world’s most iconic landmarks — the Colosseum.

From the moment we arrived, we were blown away by the grandeur of the ancient architecture, the energy pulsing through every piazza, and the mouthwatering aromas drifting from trattorias on every corner.

We spent three unforgettable days exploring Rome, joined by our friends Kelly and Ole, who traveled down from Germany. It was Ole’s second visit, but for the rest of us, our very first — which meant we were determined to see (and eat!) as much as possible in just three days. Of course, you could spend a month here and still not experience everything this city has to offer — which only gives us an excuse to come back!

If you’re dreaming of incredible food, ancient history, and the very best of what Rome has to offer, keep reading for our three-day itinerary through the heart of Italy’s capital, or for a bonus, download our free three-day itinerary for Rome!

Feel free to also check out our 3 days in Rome video for a more detailed Itinerary!

What to do & see in Rome

Wander the Streets!

One of our favorite things we did in Rome was roaming around the ancient city, looking for quaint little shops, trattorias, and picturesque buildings. We loved getting lost in the streets, taking photos, and seeing where the locals lived (including the many seagulls). We fell in love with the colorful buildings, arched doorways, and all the tiny Italian vehicles.

Visit the Colosseum!

It wouldn’t be a trip to Rome without seeing the iconic world wonder, the Colosseum! We highly recommend visiting this early in the morning and booking tickets in advance. We visited in the off season (in March) and were lucky enough to still get tickets on site, but many of the areas/tours were sold out. If booking in advance, please be sure to visit the official site or book through a trusted vendor like Get Your Guide. Be on the lookout if you are booking in person as there were many people trying to sell overpriced tickets in the area. Be sure to visit the official ticket offices – locations of which are noted on the official Colosseum website.

Funny Story: We got pizzas across the street from the Colosseum before we went inside the Colosseum, and HallyAnn set hers down, trying to take a cute photo of her pizza with the Colosseum in the background and a seagull came by and stole her pizza – so learn from us and watch out for the birds or they might nab your pizza!

Visit the Roman Forum

After your visit to the Colosseum, we suggest touring the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill are next to each other and you can walk freely between the two. Be sure to plan plenty of time for both of these in the same day (unlike we did) as the Roman Forum closes early with the last admission being around 6pm. We thoroughly enjoyed walking through the Roman Forum, but even better was the walk up Palatine Hill. The views from the top of the hill were stunning, and you could even see the Colosseum from up there!

Note: You can purchase tickets for both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum together.

See the Trevi Fountain

No trip to Rome is complete without seeing the iconic Trevi Fountain! Be warned that this gets extremely packed and we suggest getting up early in order to get a good view (or the chance for a good photo). Even in the off season of March, it was packed! It was even raining pretty hard and that didn’t deter the tourists, it just meant that we had more of a view of the umbrellas than of the fountain itself.

See/Visit the Pantheon

Just a few short steps from the Trevi Fountain, you will find the Pantheon. There is an entry fee to get inside, but if you are lucky like we were you might be able to snag some really great photos without entering the building. Note that this can be extremely crowded and have really long lines to get inside.

Walk around Borghese Park

Now that you have seen the more iconic/touristy areas of Rome, we suggest taking a stroll with the locals, at Borghese Park. This park is large with various walking/running paths, a spot to rent bikes, a little grab and go cafe, a zoo, statues, fountains, and so much more! We were able to stroll around the park for a bit on our last morning in Rome and got one last maritozzi (the best Italian pastry) and a few cappuccinos before leaving for Florence.

Take a cooking class!

We all know that Italian food is one of the top cuisines in the world, and what’s better than learning to make it yourself? Whether you take a pasta, pizza, tiramisu, or a gelato making class, we definitely think that you won’t regret your decision! We took a pasta, ravioli, and tiramisu cooking class on our last day in Rome and now we are making pasta from scratch at home all the time! If you are interested in booking the same class we took, click here.

Places to eat in Rome

Crazy Pizza Rome

Although some may consider Crazy Pizza to be a tourist trap, we throughly enjoyed the ambiance and meal we had here! We all split three pizzas, trying the classic margherita, the burrata, and the salame & gorgonzola. Our favorites were definitely the burrata and the gorgonzola! If you are lucky to dine at the right time you can see the chefs tossing the pizza dough in the air – even tossing the dough with the guests in the dining room during busy hours. 

Allegrio

We visited Allegrío on our first night in Rome, trying both pizza and pasta and let’s just say that this restaurant really surprised us –  we couldn’t believe we hadn’t seen it on any travel blogs before eating there. It had great vibes and fulfilled all of our Italian food desires! Note: This restaurant is closed on Mondays.

Xtra One Coffee

This coffee shop was near our hotel so it made for the perfect place to get our morning coffee fixes – and they also had pastries and sandwiches as well. We visited this coffee shop every day of our stay!

Antica Salumeria

Located in the piazza right outside the Pantheon, Antica Salumeria is not one to be missed! This sport had some of the best prosciutto we have ever had, and as an added bonus the staff was incredibly kind and welcoming. I’d definitely return here if we ever go to Rome again!

Tip: It’s been rumored that people with gluten (not celiac) and dairy intolerances in the US can eat these items in Italy and not be affected. HallyAnn is lactose intolerant in the US, but didn’t seem to be affected by any of the dairy products she consumed on this trip!

General Rome Info:

• For transportation from the airport we took an Uber. The US based Uber app will work in Rome as well which we found to be very handy. Otherwise, we suggest a good pair of walking shoes as you will be getting in a lot of steps walking around the city! For transportation between cities in Italy, we suggest taking the train. We booked our train tickets on Italiarail. 
• Bring a water bottle! There are several water stations around Rome in which you can fill your bottle (and save some $ along the way!) You do have to pay for water at restaurants in Italy so the free water stations are super helpful for your wallet. 
• Tipping is not custom or expected in Italy unlike it is in the US. However, we did notice that many places would charge more if you wanted to be seated vs a to go order or eating/standing at the counter which seemed to be very common throughout Italy.
• Rome is known for pickpocketing and we unfortunately spotted a few tossed wallets in the bushes near the colosseum during our visit. We suggest buying a bag with a lock on it to keep your items safe. We found one on amazon that worked well for us during our trip. 

Check out our Wanderlog map to help you plan your trip!

If you enjoyed our Rome Itinerary, here is a free three day guide to Rome that we put together that you can download here! This guide includes places we visited, as well as some places we didn’t quite make it to, but feel you absolutely can make it to within your three day timeline.