Visiting Rome is the dream of many people, suddenly finding yourself in the presence of iconic destinations that you have always dreamed of has a disruptive effect of immense amazement and wonder. But how many days do you need to visit Rome? The eternal city is very rich in art, history and culture: an open-air museum, full of treasures! The enormity of the possibilities present may frighten you for its breadth and it may seem impossible to establish the duration of your visit, but no hesitation!
In this article we will give you various options to evaluate, starting from a minimum time enough to visit the main attractions up to an optimal time that includes full days, in case together with the main attractions you also want to give yourself some relaxing moments and include the visit of less iconic, but infinitely beautiful places, also immersing yourself in the culture of the city. How many full days do you need in Rome? you will find out by continuing reading.
How many days in Rome?
Rome is a city so full of opportunities that you must consider that no matter how much time you spend there, it will always leave you with the desire to get to know it even better. Starting from the concept that there is no perfect time to visit it and that each choice must be calibrated according to more personal factors such as budget, days available, especially if you have included Rome in a broader trip, which also includes other Italian or European cities, here we will focus on 3 options to choose from.
The minimum time, enough to visit the essentials is 2 days, with 3 days you can enrich the destinations to include and choose to dedicate yourself to one area rather than another, while a week is the optimal time if you decide to visit the attractions in a more relaxed way and also want to mix a little with the culture of the city. For any of these options it is essential to organize yourself in advance, prepare a well-defined itinerary of the destinations to see, have the entrance tickets in hand, better if skip-the-line to avoid queues, this will help you not to waste time on site. We suggest you evaluate a pass that includes all the entrances and access to means of transport to move freely, such as the Visit Rome Pass, a single card that includes both entrances to the attractions, the use of means of transport and some fun and interesting diversions, such as a ride on a panoramic bus. The advantage of having a single card that includes everything will be very useful.
Visiting Rome in 2 days
Visiting Rome in two days is possible, and it is the minimum amount of time you can choose to leave satisfied. If you have decided on this option, the organization of your visit cannot leave anything to chance. On the first day we suggest you start with a panoramic tour of the city on an open bus to have a relaxing start that will allow you to take some reference points on orientation and see the major attractions up close. Once the tour is over you will have an overall idea and will be able to orient yourself better, you can now move independently with Rome public transport and concentrate on a good visit to the fundamental attractions, the iconic ones that you cannot avoid discovering.
We recommend that you dedicate yourself to the Colosseum area, starting with a visit to the most famous Amphitheater in the world, from there then head to the Roman Forum and then to the Palatine, from which you can enjoy a splendid panorama, once you get off the Palatine, conclude your first day with a visit to the Mamertine Prison, the oldest prison in ancient Rome, where St. Peter was also locked up. For the second day we suggest you visit St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. For this option perfect organization is essential, we highly recommend using the Visit Rome Pass, which includes all the attractions mentioned, as well as the use of public transportation and to optimize time also the round trip from Fiumicino airport.
3 days in Rome
If the question keeps ringing in your head: are 2 days enough for Rome? Then it's time to consider the second option, let's add a day and we get to 3! 3 days in Rome is not a lot, but not a few either, let's consider starting as in the previous option, on the first day a nice panoramic tour on an open-bus will allow you to have an overall view and admire the main beauties comfortably seated, if you have just landed in the capital there is nothing better than catching your breath and observing; at the end of the tour get off near the Colosseum and visit the amphitheater, the Roman Forum and the Palatine. Wake up early for your second day it will be intense, we move to the area of St. Peter, visiting St. Peter's Basilica in the Jubilee year and being able to pass through the Holy Door (open only on the occasion of the Jubilee) will give you a great satisfaction, then go and see the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums and to end the day take a walk to Castel Sant'Angelo and climb to the top. As a reward treat yourself to dinner in a local pizzeria.
For the third day if it is a nice day take advantage of the good weather for a walk in one of the most beautiful and largest villas (park) in Rome: Villa Borghese, green lawns, a lake, historical-artistic finds will accompany your steps, take a trip to the Galleria Borghese, a beautiful building that boasts a precious art collection: Bernini, Caravaggio, Canova, Raffaello, Leonardo paintings, sculptures and the refined interior spaces will leave you speechless. Also, in this case it is very useful to use the Visit Rome Pass, where you can also decide to vary the itinerary that we have recommended by inserting different attractions, inside the pass you will have a choice of more than 50 attractions.
A week in Rome
Spending a week in Rome is the right amount of time to enjoy it to the fullest, without bouncing from one destination to another without pauses. If you have chosen this option, you want to experience everything more intensely by spending more time admiring each attraction and you also want to spend your visit with the right amount of relaxation and immersing yourself in the local culture. Spending a week in Rome will allow you to visit not only the iconic destinations such as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, St. Peter's Basilica, Castel Sant'Angelo and many others depending on which ones you prefer; in 7 days you can also include trips out of town, there are many possibilities, for example you could go towards the sea and visit the ancient port of Rome: Ostia Antica which has a well-preserved town from the Roman era, or you could prefer the roman castle area and see: Villa D'Este, Villa Adriana and Villa Gregoriana, a UNESCO world heritage site. To gather ideas, look at the complete guide on what to do and see in Rome in a week.
If you are thinking that 7 days is too long in Rome, don't worry, you will see that you will not have time to get bored and at the end of your holiday maybe you would have wanted a few more, in Rome there are never too many days! If within the 7 days you find some gaps, insert time for a nice dinner in a pizzeria or trattoria, a tasty breakfast or an aperitif, but make sure it does not become a habit, otherwise when you return home you will miss it. We suggest you plan your destinations as best as possible before leaving, map in hand, selecting the attractions according to their proximity. Remember to arrive with the entrance tickets in hand (better if skip the line) so in those 7 days you will not have to think about anything, once again we suggest you consider the Visit Rome Pass, a single card that includes both entry to more than 50 attractions and unlimited use of public transport, plus various accessory activities that will help you organize everything in the best way, such as transport to and from Fiumicino airport. How many days in Rome is enough? At the end of your vacation your heart will tell you.
