I have visited Rome for a couple of times. Rome itself is compact and easy to commute by metro or bus. If you are really on a Europe tour with limited time to travel. I will recommend 2 full days to explore majority of the visitor checkpoints in Rome. I will add an extra day to explore Vatican.
How Many Days
- 3 days in Rome and Vatican City (2 days Rome and 1 day Vatican)
Transportation: Airport to City Center
The main airport in Rome is Fiumicino – Leonardo da Vinci airport (FCO). The airport is well connected to city center by an express train (Leonardo Express). The train is frequent – every 30 mins and takes only 30 mins for a single journey.
Another option is by bus. I remember it is about half the price of the express train ticket but it takes an hour.
Tips: Remember to validate your train ticket before you go on-board of the train. (Validate means to insert your ticket into a ticket machine for a time stamp. Some station operators can also do this for you too when you go through the gate). This is crucial as the Italian has their very own way of doing things. Even though when the express train ticket is purchased for a specific train, without the ticket being validated, the train operator will make you to pay 50 euros as penalty on the spot. I have witnessed this and, I know, this is plain stupid. It is essentially a trap for tourist as other countries will not have a stupid system as such!! So be careful.
Metro and Bus Tickets
The metro and bus tickets can be purchased in advance through local newsagents and tobacco stores. It is always wise to keep a ticket in the wallet so that you can skip the queue in some busy metro stations. Also, bus only sell tickets through automatic vending machines which take coins only. It could be annoying to find a few coins short of the fare.
Day 1: Rome Colosseum, Roman Forum and Pantheon
The Rome Colosseum and Roman Forum are just sitting next to each other. Your ticket will grant you access to Colosseum and Roman Forum. These places are magnificent and truly worth visiting.
Tips: Purchase your Rome Colosseum and Roman Forum online (here) to skip the line. The queue could take an hour in peak time. The ticket is not date / time specific. Just scan the bar code on the ticket and you are in.
Palatine Hill is across the Colosseum too. To me, I did not find it particularly interesting. It could be skipped if you are short of time.
Walking up the road from Roman Forum is Piazza Venezia. Continue up the road for 15 mins brings you to Pantheon. This is not to be missed.
Day 2: Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps
Piazza Navona is a great place to start with if you like to pick up some paintings of Rome magnificent ancient architecture. The sellers will tell you they are not printed copies. Some of the pricier ones are painted in front of you but for the cheaper ones, honestly, I am not sure. Nonetheless, they are great decor for the walls.
For an afternoon tea break, I recommend a slice of authentic pizza with a cup of coffee at Trevi Fountain. Just sit by the fountain and enjoy the time there.
After dinner, spend some time at the Spanish Steps. It’s truly romantic with the street lights around and when it is less busy. I have been to this place day time and night time. I did not enjoy it much at the day time but I could say that feels entirely different when it is dark.
Day 3: Vatican City
It is recommended to reserve a day for Vatican city due to the distance from Rome centre (assuming it is the base of your tour). It is commutable by metro or bus.
Arriving by metro (Ottaviano-S. Pietro. Line A) will take you to the Vatican museum side. It is a short 10 minutes walk from the metro station. This route conveniently takes you to the entrance of the Vatican museum.
Arriving by bus from the Rome city centre gives you an opportunity to drop off at the edge of the Vatican city. The pros of this route is that you could take a short walk through Castel Sant’Angelo early in the morning when it is less packed with tourists. Also, this route will take you right to the front of the St. Peter’s Square. It is a better entrance experience to this holy city.
Once you are in there, the museum has sign posts to guide you through the visit. But I have to say the route was not well designed for wheel chairs or baby stroller at all. The obstruction-free route becomes very awkward. It will take much much longer to go through the tour. The unfriendliness of the Vatican people added much to the poor experience too (Trust me, I have been there twice and they consistently disappoint)
After the visit in the Vatican museum (including the Sistine Chapel), remember to visit the St. Peter’s Basilica too.
Tips: Similar to Rome Colosseum, remember to purchase your ticket online (here). Take note, you have to plan your visit ahead as you are required to select the visit date / time. The ticket is likely to be forfeited if you have missed the time slot. This little planning could save you some waiting time which could be over an hour. Most importantly, they have daily quotas for the visit. You could be turned down for entry.
Find out more: Vatican Museum Official Website
Aside
Be aware of pick pockets
This is very common in Europe. There are Gypsy girls and doggy people trying to pick pocket all the time. Just keep your valuable from sight and in zipped pockets and bags.
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