Rome in a Day: Timeless Highlights

Question: Can you “do” Rome in 24 hours?

Answer: No. Not even close.

But, even if you only have 24 hours, you can see many of the highlights that make Rome timeless, as we discovered on our first visit – really, more of a long lay-over transitioning from airplanes to ships. We chose to take an extra day before a Mediterranean cruise, and we highly recommend both the cruise and the extra day (or more).

How to “Do” Rome in a Day (or Die Trying)

The key to making the most of any short visit is having a plan: Know where you want to go, what you want to see, and what you want to do. This is where you pull out your bucket list and choose the top few things to scratch off. Of course, Rome deserves so much more than a “check the box” visit, but it is the Eternal City. You can always come back. We’re pretty sure it will still be there.

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If it’s your first visit, or you’ve just never done it before, we recommend staying in the Centro Storico. The historic city center is home to some of the world’s best known sites with easy transportation options and lots of quality hotels. We also recommend booking “skip the line” guided tours, especially for the Colosseum and the Vatican. They can be pricey, but it’s the best way to see the most because, if there is one thing you can count on in such a popular destination, it’s a line for pretty much everything. Overall, you’ll get more bang for your buck when you cough up a few for the tours. If you’re a seasoned DIY tourist, you can skip many lines with advance-purchase tickets and self-guided tours, also.

Although we managed to visit all of our Must See Sites, we came away with even more places on the list to tempt us back. Aside from the monuments, museums and fountains, though, we really want to return with more time to just be in Rome. It’s an amazing city with an energy and vibe that’s truly contagious. We can’t wait to go back, but here’s How We Conquered Rome in 24 Hours.

Getting Around Quickly

Historic Rome is very walkable. It’s just about five kilometers from Roma Termini, the main train station, to Vatican City, which is pretty much “all the way across town.” A stroll from Piazza Navona to the Spanish Steps will take you about 20 minutes…provided you don’t stop at every café and gelateria along the way. Still, in the interest of time, and as first-timers in a city of narrow twisty lanes, we chose to take a taxi for some of the longer distances, which generally ran about 10 Euros (with tips).

Why not Uber?

While Uber is almost always less expensive, taxi’s are readily available almost everywhere you go in Rome. You can hop in one and be halfway to your next destination in the time it sometimes takes Uber to get to you. The balance of time versus cost generally fell in the cab’s favor during our visit. This is not always the case, though, so check your Uber app.

The Colosseum & Roman Forum

We booked an afternoon “skip the line” tour for the Colosseum far in advance with Walks of Italy, and it paid off almost immediately as our guide escorted us past throngs of waiting tourists to a group entrance. We were inside and exploring the incredible structure in less than twenty minutes, and spent the next three hours walking through the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum with our guide. Having actually worked as an archaeologist in the Forum, she had great insight and anecdotes related to Roman life, architecture, history and culture. We definitely had a better experience with a guide than we would have on our own – and not just because she got us past that line!

If you’re on a tight schedule, you could certainly see just the Colosseum, and see it all in an hour or less, but the adjoining ruins of Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum are easily worth the extra time. Palatine Hill, one of Rome’s famed Seven Hills, is literally the birthplace of Rome, as well as the word “palace.” This is where generations of Rome’s elite lived, building their grand estates – or palaces – on the remains of earlier construction. During his reign, Caesar Augustus declared it the site of the original Roman settlement, based on bronze-age fragments found there. Ironically, modern archeologists found what they believe to be the home where Augustus himself was born on Palatine Hill. Both excavations are on view.

The Forum was the heart of the ancient city, where Citizens and Senators alike attended to their spiritual lives at the many temples, and their secular needs at shops, restaurants and businesses. It was here that the Republic was formed, and where it ended with the brutal assassination of Caesar. Even afterwards, it was the center of the Roman Empire for centuries.

Time spent: 3-1/2 hours. Cost: 54 Euros (per person) for the tour, 10 Euros for the taxi.

Piazzas and Pizzas

Rome is home to many truly amazing restaurants. However, if you’re trying to squeeze everything into one day and venturing to La Pergola didn’t make your bucket list, despite their three Michelin Stars, you can find good, though sometimes touristy meals at many restaurants found at – and between – every piazza. We stopped for some great gnocchi, and disappointing pizza, while we gawked at four of the main sites on everyone’s Roman walking tour: the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. Nicely, they form a rough triangle, with the Pantheon in line between Piazze Trevi and Navona.

Of these stops, the Pantheon is where you’re likely to spend the most time. The iconic structure is now a church, and is free and open to the public, which means it can also be very crowded. Inside, you’ll find the tombs of Renaissance artist Rafael, King Emmanuel Vittorio II, and others, along with some beautiful art. Unfortunately, the Trevi Fountain was dry during our visit, but still seemed to be the most touristy stop on the route, with tons of street vendors crowding the small square.

We ended our Do It Yourself tour at Piazza Navona, the former chariot raceway turned into a beautiful public square fronting Pope Innocent X’s former home, the magnificent Palazzo Pamphili. It is much larger – and therefore seems less crowded – than Piazza di Trevi. Bernini’s fantastic Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of Four Rivers) is a good stand in for its more famous counterpart at Trevi. As the evening got later, the atmosphere got livelier. The square filled with artists and performers, a band (playing Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” from beginning to end!), and people from around the world enjoying a warm Roman evening.

Time Spent: 6 hours (walking, shopping & dining) Cost: Sightseeing is free! Meals ranged from 5 to 9 Euros, gelato about 2 Euros each. (We enjoyed several and didn’t even feel guilty!)

Vatican City

Once again, a pre-arranged “skip the line” tour saved a very long wait in line, and an early start got us to the heart of the Vatican while most visitors were still waiting to buy tickets. Our Vatican tour with Walks of Italy met at a corner café at 7:30. By 8am (a full hour before opening to the general public) we were walking through the Vatican Museum and soon had the Sistine Chapel almost to ourselves. Our group of 12, and another small group were the only ones inside the small but stunning space. Afterwards, we toured the Museum and papal apartments, and St. Peter’s Basilica. Looping back through the Sistine Chapel later in the morning we realized how privileged we were to enjoy the quiet of morning without wall-to-wall people.

While our tour was almost four hours long, you could easily spend a full day or more in the Vatican Museum and several hours in St. Peters. We chose to spend some extra time at the Basilica to see the Vatican grotto and tomb of St. Peter. You can also climb the dome of the Basilica if time allows; the line is usually quite long. If you’re truly pressed for time and just want the highlights, there are shorter tours and self-guided tours that include the Sistine Chapel, the Rafael Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello), and the Basilica, which is free to enter.

Time Spent: 5 Hours. Cost: 84 Euros (pp) for the tour, 10 Euros for the taxi

Easy Additions that are Hard to Pass Up

Il Vittoriano – It takes almost as long to list the various names of this landmark as it takes to visit the site, which is close to the Colosseum and Capitoline Hill. It’s officially the Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland), but is also known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II), and locally as Il Vittoriano. It’s a huge monument built in honor of the first king of a unified Italy, and thus houses the Museum of Italian Unification. For most, the highlight is taking the panoramic elevator to the top for stunning 360-degree views of Rome.

Castel Sant’Angelo – Situated near the Vatican, the beautiful castle is also known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian. It was commissioned by the Roman Emperor, later used as a Papal castle and fortress, and is now a museum featuring works of art and displays of ancient weapons. Most tours dedicated to Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons” make a stop here. It really was once (and maybe still is?) connected to the Vatican when the castle served as a papal residence.

Borghese Gardens sits at the top of the Spanish Steps. It is one of the largest public parks in Rome and home to a handful of magnificent museums. The area includes the opulent Villa Medici, once belonging to the powerful Medici family but home to the French Academy of Rome (off and on) since 1803. Inside of the Villa Borghese is the stunning Borghese Gallery, one of the best museums in Rome, featuring works by Renaissance masters in their original settings. And in one of the buildings built for the 1911 World Exposition is the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, with a collection of 19th- and 20th-century paintings emphasizing Italian artists. You can exit the Borghese Gardens at the sprawling Piazza del Popolo, where we recommend a bite and espresso while people-watching at the iconic Caffe Rosati, serving Romans (and tourists) for nearly a century. With all of the museums and the expansive gardens, a tour through the park can take the better part of a day.

Two Tips for Which Day to “Do” Rome

Let’s start with when not to try making a day of it in Rome: Lunedi. Many attractions and businesses are closed on Mondays. If you pick another day, your visit will be much richer. As for which other day…

You may have heard or read that many museums in Rome have free admission on the first Sunday of every month. The program is called Domenica al Museo, or Sunday at the Museum. From October to March, the Ministry of Culture extends fee-free entry to 20 state run museums and archeological sites. While Sunday at the Museum is officially a program for state-run museums, many local and private museums mirror the program, and some offer free Sunday admissions throughout the year. It’s worth checking with the museums you plan to visit to visit.

Una buona prova e una fantastica giornata!

A good try, and a great day! We gave it a good shot, but you really can’t “do” Rome in a day. Still, with so much to do just in the historic city center, a day in Rome can certainly be fantastic!

Our best recommendation is to make a list of the top six things (at most!) you want to see or do in Rome. It helps if you keep everything in close proximity; within walking distance works best. Know that you probably won’t get to all of them, so prioritize your list. If you can, hit the ground running right from the airport. After all, jet lag hates fresh air and sunshine!

Details & Disclaimers: We booked our tours with Walks of Italy anonymously, and had a great time with them. They neither solicited nor compensated us for inclusion in this article. This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service by following a link on our site, your price remains the same though we may be compensated. All views are our own, and are based on our experiences.