Stories · Italy
5 days in Rome
Not a list: a thread to follow, at your own pace.
In Rome I learned to plan nothing after five. Mornings for ruins and museums, afternoons for a nap or a gelato, evenings for walking aimlessly from the Pantheon to Trastevere. The city is two thousand years ahead of your plans; let it lead.
Day 1 · Museums and culture
Early in the morning, it’s Roman Forum. One ticket, a whole morning. Enter the Colosseum at opening, climb the Palatine for the view over the Forum, and walk down into it while the sun is still low. 4.8 out of 5 across 146,981 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: how to get there, and if you’d rather skip the queue, get your tickets in advance or compare on Tiqets.
Late morning, I make my way to Largo Romolo e Remo. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. To get organised: here is the route by public transport; skip-the-line book your tickets, otherwise go through Tiqets.
For lunch, trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
After lunch, head to Temple of Venus and Rome. Give it a good two hours, and leave before you are full: that is the secret to wanting to come back. Travellers give it 4.8 out of 5 (715 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
Keep the evening free. Rome is a city that tells itself better at night.
Day 2 · Museums and culture
In the morning, meet me at Pantheon. The light falling from the oculus at noon is one of the most beautiful free shows in the world. A coffee on the square afterwards, standing, like the Romans. 4.8 out of 5 across 290,017 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: how to get there, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or compare on Tiqets.
Around noon, it’s Piazza Navona. You’ve seen it a hundred times in pictures; in person it is bigger, closer, more alive. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (219,333 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: how to get there; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise also check Tiqets.
Lunch without a plan: the first noisy room you pass is often the right one.
Later, head to Welcome To Rome. The kids will still be talking about it weeks later. So will the adults, though they admit it less. 4.7 out of 5 across 1,976 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or go through Tiqets.
Once night falls, Opera or concert in Rome: A night at the Baths of Caracalla in summer, or at the Teatro dell’Opera the rest of the year: Rome in music is another city. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or go through Tiqets.
Day 3 · Day trip
To start, meet me at Ostia Antica. Thirty minutes by train and a Pompeii without the crowd: streets, baths, theatre, mosaics. A picnic in the ruins, and the sea next door. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
Day 4 · The icons
In the morning, it’s Trevi Fountain. Before eight in the morning or after midnight: in between, it is the crowd. The coin over the shoulder works; I am proof. 4.7 out of 5 across 527,922 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: the public-transport route · travellers’ reviews.
Then, meet me at Croce di Via dei Lucchesi. It’s the kind of place that makes you go quiet for a moment, even when you thought you knew it all. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or go through Tiqets.
For lunch, trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
In the afternoon, I make my way to Spanish Steps. It’s the kind of place that makes you go quiet for a moment, even when you thought you knew it all. 4.6 out of 5 across 114,179 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or go through Tiqets.
In the evening, let go: a terrace, a walk, and Rome does the rest.
Day 5 · Museums and culture
Early in the morning, it’s Vatican Museums. The morning slot, the Raphael Rooms, then the chapel. Finish with St Peter’s Basilica and, if your legs agree, the dome. Travellers give it 4.6 out of 5 (212,434 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: here is the route by public transport; skip-the-line book your tickets, otherwise go through Tiqets.
Then, meet me at Saint Peter’s Basilica. This is the breath of the trip. Even one hour changes the day. Travellers give it 4.8 out of 5 (184,674 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or compare on Tiqets.
Lunch without a plan: the first noisy room you pass is often the right one.
Later, head to Castel Sant'Angelo. The audio guides are worth it; otherwise, follow a group and steal three anecdotes on the way. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (112,276 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: the public-transport route; skip-the-line book your visit, otherwise go through Tiqets.
Keep the evening free. Rome is a city that tells itself better at night.
If you’re still hungry
I still have a few up my sleeve: Arch of Constantine, Colosseum, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza del Campidoglio, Fontana dell'Acqua Paola and Borghese Gallery. Your call.
My advice
The public fountains (nasoni) give fresh, free water: keep a bottle.
Cappuccino is for the morning; after lunch it is an espresso or nothing.
Book the Colosseum and the Vatican as soon as your dates are set; the rest can be improvised.
Safe travels. And get lost at least once; that is where Rome begins.
A Triovol story · written by someone who would go back tomorrow
Opening hours, prices and closures change: a quick look at the venue’s website before you go avoids bad surprises.