Rome wasn’t built in a day and you can’t see all of it in a day. But if you have just a weekend or a few days for the Città Eterna? You’ll read hundreds of travel guides and a million tips on blogs and forums, most of them accurate in their own way. Here is the extra-intel you need to navigate Rome with your sanity intact – and actually enjoy it.
INTEL
- When to visit: anytime. but, as usual, avoid July and August if you can. My go-to window is around Easter – early May
- Where to stay: If you’re a first timer, be close to the center so you can enjoy the long walks, especially at night. My choice would be Trastevere or the Via Merulana or Barberini/ Via Sistina area if you want to splurge.
- Dine with a Purpose: Do not, under any circumstances, spoil your Rome experience by eating near the city’s landmarks. These places are culinary graveyards. Rome is a city of neighborhoods; the real flavor is in the hidden alleys.
- The War on Waiting: Your time is currency. Do not spend it in line. If there is a monument you are dying to visit, book it online. Ignore the “guided tours,” the “skip the line” touts, and any other form of harassment. They are a tourist tax.
- A Radical Suggestion: As a first-timer, you might find more joy by rejecting the obvious. The lines for the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums are a pilgrimage of their own, but not a spiritual one. You will be happier bypassing these for the sheer pleasure of Rome’s street life.
- The Sistine Reality Check: The only way to see the Sistine Chapel is as part of the Vatican Museums tour, a minimum 2-3 hour commitment, even with a pre-booked ticket. Temper your expectations for a quiet, spiritual moment. It is almost always a sardine can of humanity. Your only hope for an epiphany lies with a night tour.
- The Wednesday Morning Surprise: The entrance to the Basilica di San Pietro is free, but the lines are a brutal lottery. The key intelligence: do not go on a Wednesday morning. That is the Pope’s day. He holds open audiences in the Piazza, which means both the square and the Basilica are closed until noon.
- To See the Pope: If you want to attend a papal audience, you must arrive at the entry points to the Piazza between 7-8 AM to pass security. It’s a different kind of queue, a different kind of Rome.
ONE: THE ICONS
Let’s cut to the chase. You are in the most magnificent city that has ever ruled the world and there are quite a few heavy hitters you absolutely can’t skip. Stand in the shadow of the Colosseo, then climb Capitoline Hill for that epic view over the Roman Forum. Pay your respects at the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina, where Caesar met his end. The Pantheon with its stunning oculus is a revelation, as is the gothic beauty of the Basilica di Santa Maria sopra la Minerva. Get lost in the drama of Piazza Navona and the chaos of Campo de’ Fiori, toss a coin in the Fontana di Trevi, and walk the hallowed walls of Castel Sant’Angelo. End your pilgrimage at the Basilica di San Pietro to witness the heartbreaking genius of Michelangelo’s Pietà and to marvel in the piazza where Bernini’s geometric genius made 284 Doric columns appear as God’s giant hug. No, if you only have two days for Rome, I wouldn’t spend hours and hours in Musei Vaticani, no matter what the tourist guides tell you.
TWO: PIAZZA SPAGNA & TRINITA DEI MONTI
Piazza di Spagna is high on the must list, but the best thing here is the scalinata in fiore – a cascade of steps leading to a classic climb up to Trinità dei Monti. The Spanish steps are only decorated with hundreds of azaleas in April and May, so that is the most romantic timeslot for it 🙂 Romance on the steps is not what it used to be, though: since 2019, the city of Rome has officially banned sitting or eating on the steps, which kind of spoils the tradition of kissing and eating gelato while sitting on the famous steps.
Take your time in the serene Piazza della Trinità dei Monti and inside the little white church before you walk over to the terrace and Instagram the view. Then walk some more.
THREE: PINCIAN HILL
Walking is everything in Rome, although transport is good and Uber works perfectly. Let your hair down and enjoy the most famous Roman hill, the Pincio. Hold hands and walk from Piazza della Trinità dei Monti to Terrazza del Pincio via Viale Della Trinità/ Viale Gabriele d’Annunzio. The whole walk is a huge, green promenade over Rome that takes you away from the crowds and the sadistic merchants in Spagna. Spend a few hours in this superb, noble green area: visit Vila Medici or Villa Borghese, go for a picnic in the glorious park, and walk back downtown to either Barberini and luxury Via Veneto, or down the stairs from Pincio to Piazza del Popolo.
FOUR: COLOSSEUM & MONTI
Beyond the grand spectacle of the Colosseum and the nearby Roman Forum, you are stepping into the heart of Monti, Rome’s oldest neighborhood, and one of its most theatrical. Forget the broad avenues; here, the streets are a tangled spaghetti of cobblestone alleys and hidden courtyards, a place where ancient Roman slums – the Suburra – have turned bohemian cool. It’s an artisan chaos of vintage shops, trattorias and studios tucked between shadowy walls.
In a city that is eternal, the most enduring symbol is the Colosseum. After the fall of Nero, the Flavians, seeking to erase his lavish and obscene memory and win the favor of the people, built the Colosseum as a public gift, a massive amphitheater rising from the site of the former tyrant’s private pleasures. The very name “Colosseum” comes from the colossal statue of Nero that once stood there. Yes, it is colossal, it is soaked in blood and brutally beautiful, nevertheless.
This is a neighborhood that breathes, where a quiet street can suddenly erupt in the laughter of children and the clinking of glasses and where ancient bricks of crumbling walls often serve as the skeleton for a modern apartment. It is a living, breathing testament to the city’s refusal to be a museum.
FIVE: TRASTEVERE
While no longer a secret to tourists, the liveliest neighborhood in Rome is still best enjoyed by savvy and returning travelers. Go to Trastevere, especially after sunset, when its local vibe is particularly captivating. Eat the true cacio e pepe like a Roman and wander the cobbled streets from the river (Ponte Sisto, Piazza Trilussa) up to the Santa Maria in Trastevere and Porta Settimiana and all the way to Piazza di San Cosimato.
SIX: GIANICOLO
One of Rome’s most aristo-cool green hills, Gianicolo is for #thehappyfew who want to completely ditch the tourist traps. A stone’s throw from the Vatican and just up the hill from Trastevere, it has a killer view over the city, a select residential area, and the exquisite Doria Pamphili domain. It’s Rome from a whole different perspective, and a good haven of serenity to keep for yourself.
SEVEN: THE NIGHT WALK
Rome is on the shortlist for the most beautiful cities in the world, but old Rome at night—that’s when its its magic leaves you speechless. Here is your itinerary:
Fontana di Trevi – Via di Pietra – Piazza di Pietra/ Tempio di Adriano – Piazza della Rotonda/ Pantheon – Piazza Navona – Ponte Sant’Angelo – Castel Sant’Angelo – Via della Conciliazione – Piazza / Basilica San Pietro.
I much prefer this itinerary reversed, starting from the Vatican and finishing the walk at Trevi, because the crowds thin after 11 pm. The order is your choice, as long as you do it anyway.
