I know what you're thinking, three days how can that possibly be enough? I was right there with you, Rome was one of my top three places to visit and I wanted to pack in as much time there as possible.
We tacked on Rome as part of our 8-day Euro trip where we visited Dublin, Venice, Naples, Pompeii and Rome. It was absolutely incredible! Each city had it's own identity, all so unique and beautiful in it's own way. Being the history nut that I am, I was absolutely in awe over Pompeii and Rome!
There were no words to describe seeing Rome in person, there's so much history and beauty everywhere you walk your mind runs absolutely wild. Especially on my second day walking through the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum, where you truly step back in time to ancient Rome (that was by far a dream come true).
Prior to our trip I mapped out an itinerary as guidelines to ensure we were seeing all the sites within an area instead of going back and forth (included below). This worked out great to make sure we hit all our priority spots but once you start walking through the city you end up finding numerous landmarks and piazza's that were that weren't even on your list. The best part if many of these are free entry as well!
Travel:
Arrival: Naples - Rome
Travel Time: 1hr 10 min
Transportation: Train / ItaliaRail
Price Per Person: $27/Euros
Departure: Rome - Dublin
Travel Time: 3:15min (Rome is an hour ahead of Dublin)
Transportation: Air / Ryanair
Price Per Peron: $37.82/Euros
Hotel: Comfort Hotel Bolivar
Review: The hotel is central to most major tourist spots, only a few minutes walk to the Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum and the Colosseum. The rooms were quaint and had a beautiful roof top view of the city with continental breakfast. I highly recommend this hotel - and better yet, if you're a huge points collector like us you can use redeem your Choice points for free stays!
Itinerary:
DAY ONE:
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps
Piazza Barberini
Pantheon - Free Entry
Fiumi Fountain
Piazza Novana
Campo de' Firior
HELPFUL TIPS: If you're looking to capture the perfect photo in front of the Trevi Fountain or even the Spanish Steps, I highly recommend visiting these spots early morning or late in the evening before the crazy crowds.
DAY TWO:
Colosseum - Paid Entry
Roman Forum - Paid Entry
Palatine Hill - Paid Entry
Altar of the Fatherland - Free Entry
HELPFUL TIPS: We pre-booked the Colosseum through Tiqets which included skip the line, arena floor access, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The price per person was $39.32/cad and I highly advise! The main benefit is that you can by-pass the hour long wait and gain assess to the Colosseum during your designated time slot. We walked through as a group but there isn't a true tour guide with this option. This was for us as we wanted to take advantage and explore the Colosseum. I highly recommend bringing water bottles and snacks with you as access to all three was back-to-back with our ticket without a re-entry option.
DAY THREE:
Vatican Museums
Sistine Chapel
St Peter's Square
St Peter's Basilica
Castel Sant'Angelo
HELPFUL TIPS: We booked our tickets for the Vatican Museums directly from Vatican website for $17/Euros per person and also included the Sistine Chapel. To gain access to St. Peter's Basilica we found two options 1) wait in line or 2) upgrade your ticket on site (you'll have plenty of tour groups approaching you with this option). When we arrived in the morning the line for St Perter's Basilica was massive, however by the time we finished with the museums and Sistine Chapel (around 1pm) the line had completely diminished. P.S. Don't forget to send off a postcard from the smallest country in the world!
How did I forget about food and entertainment? Everywhere you look in Rome there are pizza and pasta spots, you can grab and go or stop and sit down for a glass of wine at one of the many Piazzas. There's no short of amazing food and entertainment throughout the city.
Rome, we absolutely loved you and look forward to visiting you again.
Alla prossima Roma!
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