Example trip

A long weekend in Rome

4 Dec – 7 Dec 2026

The Vatican, the Colosseum and Rome's best carbonara — four days, all on foot.

Monti, the Pantheon and Rome by night

Arrival

Drop your bags in Monti, then an easy first afternoon through the Baroque centre — the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and a late Trevi Fountain once the crowds thin.

Day 1 · Fri 4 Dec

12:30

Arrive at your hotel in Monti

14:00 – 15:15

Ai Tre Scalini

Highlight~1h 15m

Via Panisperna, 251, 00184 Roma RM, Italy

Monti's ivy-covered osteria — open all afternoon, so a late first lunch is no problem.

15:45 – 16:15

Piazza del Campidoglio

AI~30m

Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome

Michelangelo's square; walk round the back for the best free view over the Forum.

16:40 – 17:25

The Vatican and Trastevere

Vatican & Trastevere

Beat the queues into the Vatican Museums, a pizza stop, then St. Peter's; Castel Sant'Angelo, the view from the Gianicolo ridge and down into Trastevere for dinner.

Borghese, Spanish Steps and Testaccio

Art & neighbourhoods

Bernini at Galleria Borghese, the Pincio terrace and the Spanish Steps; afternoon through the Jewish Ghetto, the Bocca della Verità and the Aventine, dinner in Testaccio where Romans eat.

Colosseum and the Forum, then fly

Ancient Rome

Your hotel is five minutes from the Colosseum: walk the arena and the Forum first thing, a last lunch in Monti, then the train to Fiumicino.

Day 4 · Mon 7 Dec

Trip prep

Booking

☐

Book: Colosseum

Due 6 Nov

☐

Book: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Due 6 Nov

☐

Book: Galleria Borghese

Due 6 Nov

☐

Book: Armando al Pantheon

Due 6 Nov

☐

Book: Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina

Due 20 Nov

Documents

Packing list

Documents & Money

☐

Passport or national ID card

Essential

☐

Card with no foreign-transaction fees

Essential

Contactless works almost everywhere, including public transport

Clothing

☐

Comfortable broken-in walking shoes

Essential

Expect 15,000+ steps a day

☐

Light waterproof layer

Make it yours — edit the stops, dates and packing list.

Get this trip — free

Piazza della Rotonda, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

A small ticket is now charged; buy it on the spot.

17:40 – 18:10

Piazza Navona

Highlight~30m

Piazza Navona, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers; skip the restaurants on the square.

19:45 – 21:25

Armando al Pantheon

Highlight~1h 40m

Salita de' Crescenzi, 31, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Family-run since 1961 — book weeks ahead. Order the cacio e pepe.

Book →

21:40 – 22:00

Trevi Fountain

Highlight~20m

Piazza di Trevi, 00187 Roma RM, Italy

Lit up and a little calmer at night; dawn is the only truly quiet hour.

22:30 – 23:59

Drink Kong

Highlight~1h 30m

Piazza di S. Martino Ai Monti, 8, 00184 Roma RM, Italy

Neon-lit cocktail bar on a Monti piazza, a short walk from your hotel.

Day 2 · Sat 5 Dec

08:30 – 11:30

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Highlight~3h

00120, Vatican City

Take the earliest timed slot you can; head straight for the Sistine Chapel, then work backwards.

Book →

11:45 – 12:30

Bonci Pizzarium

Highlight~45m

Via della Meloria, 43, 00136 Roma RM, Italy

Gabriele Bonci's pizza al taglio, sold by weight — mostly standing room. Ten minutes' walk from the museum exit.

12:50 – 13:50

St. Peter's Basilica

Highlight~1h

Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City

Shoulders and knees covered. Free entry; the dome climb is extra.

14:15 – 15:30

Castel Sant'Angelo

Highlight~1h 15m

Lungotevere Castello, 50, 00193 Roma RM, Italy

Go up to the terrace for the view back over St. Peter's.

16:05 – 16:50

The Gianicolo terrace

AI~45m

Piazzale Giuseppe Garibaldi, Rome

Rome's best free view across the domes; golden hour if the season's right. Walk the ridge south, then down the steps into Trastevere.

17:20 – 17:50

Santa Maria in Trastevere

Highlight~30m

Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

Look up: the 12th-century apse mosaics are the reason to come.

19:30 – 21:15

Da Enzo al 29

Highlight~1h 45m

Via dei Vascellari, 29, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

No reservations — join the queue by 19:15. Carciofi alla giudia when they're in season.

21:30 – 23:00

Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fà

Highlight~1h 30m

Via Benedetta, 25, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

Tiny, standing-room Italian craft-beer pub in the heart of Trastevere.

Day 3 · Sun 6 Dec

09:00 – 11:00

Galleria Borghese

Highlight~2h

Piazzale Scipione Borghese, 5, 00197 Roma RM, Italy

Entry is by two-hour timed slot only, and it sells out. The Bernini sculptures are on the ground floor.

Book →

11:25 – 12:05

Pincio Terrace

AI~40m

Piazzale Napoleone I, Rome

Stroll down through the Borghese gardens to the balcony over Piazza del Popolo.

12:20 – 12:50

Spanish Steps

Highlight~30m

Piazza di Spagna, 00187 Roma RM, Italy

No sitting on the steps — it's a fine now.

13:30 – 14:45

Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina

Highlight~1h 15m

Via dei Giubbonari, 21, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Part deli, part restaurant: the carbonara and the burrata are the reason to book.

Book →

15:00 – 15:40

The Jewish Ghetto & Portico d'Ottavia

AI~40m

Via del Portico d'Ottavia, Rome

One of Europe's oldest Jewish quarters; grab something from Pasticceria Boccione if it's open.

15:50 – 16:15

Bocca della Verità at Santa Maria in Cosmedin

AI~25m

Piazza della Bocca della Verità, Rome

Put your hand in the Mouth of Truth (open until 18:00), then cross to the round Temple of Hercules.

16:30 – 17:15

Aventine Keyhole & Orange Garden

AI~45m

Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, Rome

Peek through the Knights of Malta keyhole, then catch the view from the Giardino degli Aranci.

20:00 – 21:45

Flavio al Velavevodetto

Highlight~1h 45m

Via di Monte Testaccio, 97, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

Built into Monte Testaccio's hill of ancient amphorae; classic Roman pastas. Arrive early for an aperitivo at a bar on Piazza Testaccio.

Colosseum

Highlight~1h 15m

P.za del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy

Your timed ticket includes the Forum and Palatine; bring the QR code.

Book →

10:30 – 12:15

Roman Forum & Palatine Hill

Highlight~1h 45m

00186 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy

Enter from Via dei Fori Imperiali; the Palatine Hill has the shade and the views.

12:30 – 13:30

La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali

Highlight~1h

Via della Madonna dei Monti, 9, 00184 Roma RM, Italy

A proper sit-down Roman lunch two minutes from your hotel.

14:10

Leave for Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO)

Check passport validity, EES registration and whether ETIAS applies yet for your nationality

Due 6 Nov

Logistics

☐

Plan your Fiumicino transfer: Leonardo Express to Termini (32 min), then a short walk to Monti

Due 1 Dec

☐

Set up contactless payment — Rome's metro and buses accept tap-to-pay

Due 1 Dec

☐

Download offline maps of the city

Due 2 Dec

Scarf or light layer to cover shoulders

Essential

Required at St. Peter's and the Vatican

☐

Cover-up for every church visit

Shoulders and knees covered in all of Rome's churches, not just the Vatican — trousers or a long skirt

Tech & Accessories

☐

Phone charger and power bank

Essential

☐

EU plug adapter (Type C/F/L)

Essential

Miscellaneous

☐

Small crossbody bag with a zip

Busy sights and metros attract pickpockets

☐

Refillable water bottle