“How long should we spend in Rome?” This is something we get asked practically every day, and the answer is “it depends”.
If you’re short on time and your wish list is long, it’s okay to do a quick two-night spin through Rome to see a few highlights and move on. But if you really want to experience Rome, and have the time to do more than just scratch the surface, you could easily spend a week in this fascinating city
Realistically, most of our clients choose “option A”– the quick hit – in order to spend more time in Florence, Venice, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, etc. And our first few visits to Rome looked like that too. But we just spent six nights there. And it opened our eyes to new neighborhoods, hidden gems, fabulous restaurants, and cool daytrip possibilities. So we thought it might be interesting to compare what you can see/do in two nights versus a longer stay.
A Weekend in Rome
With just two days in Rome, you’ll need to be ruthless about cutting back your wish list. Most importantly, the two marquee attractions, the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum. Each merit a half-day (3-4 hours minimum). And you’ll want to pre-arrange skip-the-line visits for both, so that you don’t waste time waiting in long lines. There are some early-morning and early-evening time slots. These help free up more of your day. But you should still anticipate that you’ll have just two half-days to explore the rest of the city.
One of those mornings or afternoons could be spent walking around the central historical district to see the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, etc. (If you want to go inside the Pantheon, be sure to pre-book those tickets as well).
With the remaining half-day, you could choose another neighborhood to explore (Testaccio, Trastevere, Ostiense, etc). Or dive deeper into a specific interest (churches, shopping, food/wine, etc)
In conclusion, in two days you can get a great introduction to Rome. Try a couple of restaurants, and knock the Vatican and Colosseum off your bucket list. And hopefully, that will leave you wanting more!
A Week in Rome
It’s interesting that people will happily spend a week in Paris or London but resist spending that much time in Rome. If you’ve already done a quick visit and are ready for a deeper dive – or if you’re embracing the idea that Italy is meant to be lingered over, region by region, and not “done” all at once in one trip – then there is MORE than enough to fill a full week in Rome and its surroundings.
Consider devoting a full day to Vatican City. Linger longer in the Vatican Museums to see the lesser-known galleries. And spend a few extra Euros to climb to the top of St Peter’s and explore the crypts underneath. While you are on that side of the river, check out Castel Sant’Angelo and the views from its rooftop.
Take a food tour. Rome has some great foodie neighborhoods with outdoor markets and fabulous local restaurants. It makes all the difference to have an expert guide you through them and show you the best spots. For example, we ate in Trastevere one night and were underwhelmed. But when we came back later in the week on a guided food tour of the same neighborhood, it was a highlight of our trip.
Find some smaller lesser-known museums to explore. Whatever you are into (history, art, fashion, architecture, photography, and more) we can guarantee there’s a museum you’d find fascinating. Spend an hour or two in one that looks interesting. We absolutely loved the Doria Pamphilj Gallery and the Museo Boncompagni Ludovisi.
Seek out green space. Stroll through the Borghese Gardens, or the Appian Way.
Act like a local. Visit a less-touristy neighborhood like Prati or Testaccio and linger over aperitivos at a neighborhood cafe. Similarly, pop into a grocery store to see how Romans live (and grab some snacks to picnic on.)
Take a daytrip. From Rome, you can easily spend a day in Naples (one hour by train) or Florence (90 minutes) and be back in time for dinner. In the summer, you could even hit the beach (Ostia is just 30 minutes outside the city).
If you’re ready to really appreciate Rome’s charms, let us know. We’d love to help you plan a fabulous itinerary!
