A few days in Rome, Italy

Recently, many friends and family have expressed an interest in visiting Rome and Italy.  I already have my ‘guest room’ booked for a week at the end of August and September.

I believe there will be few more bookings coming our way.  No, I am not a travel agent nor do I have a bed and breakfast (also I wish I did!).  I just happen to have an extra room in the apartment very close to the Colosseum to host guests.

The favorite question I get from guests is ‘I only have a few days in Rome, what can I do?’ For first-timers, a few days is way insufficient to really see Rome.

Rome after all was not built in 3 days! I would say a week is more appropriate.  Those who are back here the second or third time, I always recommend a trip outside of Rome either for a day trip or few nights.  Actually, on my sister’s last trip, she went to Florence for the day and loved it.

Having said all this, if you are like me and prefer to plan your own holidays instead of having an organized tour, I will try to give you some ideas as to what you can do in the few days in Rome.  Let me be upfront – three days or less in Rome is possible but each day will be super packed.

I usually encourage my friends to walk around the city and Do-It-Yourself.  I provide them with a map and information on each attraction they would see. As I have said earlier, I live close to the Colosseum and tell them that is the best place to start.

Just recently,  my friend who was here last summer holds the record for the shortest stay.  She came with another friend who is a first-timer here in Rome.  They were here for just 18 hours and that included a night’s rest.  Did they manage to see the main attractions?  They sure did.

Let me share with you their experience.

Below is the route which they completed in less than 6 hours and walked a total of 14 km. (Comfortable walking shoes are highly recommended!)  Please know that as they knew their schedule was extremely tight, they just passed by the attractions so that her friend can get an glimpse of Rome.

1. From the Colosseum they walked towards Piazza Venezia on Via dei Fori Imperiali.
2. On this route, from the street, they had a view of the Roman Forum on the left and the Trajan Market on the right.
3. They reached Piazza Venezia where the Vittoriano monument is located.
4. From there, they went to Piazza Navona passing through Largo Argentina.
5. After Piazza Navona, they crossed the street to the Pantheon.
6. They then made their way to Via del Corso, and saw the Trevi Fountain.
7. Next was the Spanish Steps.
8. Followed by Piazza del Popolo. At Piazza del Popolo, they took the Metro A (direction Battistini) to St. Peter’s Basilica( Metro stop Ottaviano).
9. From the Metro they walked to St. Peter’s Basilica and went side to have a quick look.
10. Then they walked to Castel St. Angelo.  After that, they walked to Lepanto Metro Station to take the Metro home.

Yes, they came back half-dead but they were able to still walk to dinner and a gelato after that!  Obviously, they didn’t get an in-depth tour of each attraction but still her friend got an idea of Rome and he plans to come back to explore each of them in the near future.

Also don’t miss out on lesser known attractions which are often worth the visit.  The best thing is that many of these attractions are not as crowded as those mentioned earlier.

Please understand that I am NOT a travel agent nor can I claim to be an expert.  However, I love Rome and this site and the information I share is intended to help you make the most of your stay in the Eternal City.

It is basically information I would give my friends to make their stay memorable.  I sincerely hope that every person who leaves this city will leave with fond memories and have the desire to come back to Rome again in the very near future.