Rome, Italy 1 Day Itinerary

Day 1:  We heard a lot of horror stories about Rome before arriving – mostly around chaos, tourist traps, charter buses full of people,  overwhelming road systems, etc. We took some time to read up on Rick Steves book to help navigate this city – make sure you are prepared before visiting!

From the airport or train station, catch a taxi (€17) to your hotel. We stayed at the Orange Hotel in Vatican City.  Location is key in Rome, so investigate the best options based on what you are most excited about seeing / experiencing. After dropping your stuff off at the hotel, head to St. Peter’s Basilica to get acclimated with this area (it will come in handy later today when you have your scheduled tour).

Leave Vatican City and walk to The Pantheon. We got lost multiple times on this walk – the roads are not in a grid form like the United States, so it gets tricky. Getting lost in Rome is the norm we learned – so don’t sweat it.

Leave The Pantheon and head to your pre-booked afternoon appointment at The Vatican (we booked a 2pm tour). On the walk, grab a sandwich and eat it on the way.  We recommend taking the walk to The Vatican by the river for the best views. The Vatican is WOW! The inside is full of marble, statues, a summer AND winter house for the Pope, and a courtyard where they used to race chariots hundreds of years ago. After the Vatican Tour, your ticket will bring you to the Sistine Chapel which is the private chapel of the pope. This is also the place where Michelangelo painted the fresco on the ceiling that took him 4 years to complete. The painting describes biblical stories including the creation of Adam. In fact, this caused him temporary blindness due to the paint containing lead. You cannot take pictures in the Sistine Chapel so take as many mental notes/images as you can! After that, walk through the doors to the right at the back of the Sistine Chapel which will allow you to pass the line into St. Peter’s Basilica. We walked into this the basilica overwhelmed with the pristine, incredibly detailed, tall church. The length of alters for worship are unbelievable. The Duomo in Florence could fit inside of this basilica which holds 60,000 worshippers. Take your time in here and observe the massive statues, the beautiful ceiling, the grandness of it all and the history. From here, you can climb to the top of the Basilica’s Dome (€16/pp; 551 steps).  These steps are wider, less steep, and it is a one-way climb; all things that the Duomo and Bell Tower steps in Florence were not. The elevation is not as beautiful, but the ability to see St. Peters Square from that angle is worth it. You can take the elevator halfway up or down (€2/pp) if you want.

Your day has been packed already, but it isn’t over on this one day itinerary!  It will likely be around 5pm at this point, so catch a taxi (€15) to the Colosseum while there is still daylight. Upon arrival, you will see this massive structure where men and animals used to battle to their death, and many Christians were killed here until Constantine’s coup overtook the Roman Government and made Christianity legal. Constantine’s Arch is also near the Colosseum if you have time to walk over to it. If you are on a time crunch, it will be hard to fit in a tour of the Colosseum, but check out options ahead of time if this interests you. We opted to walk the outside and get our photos without going inside.

Next, walk to the Trevi Fountain while enjoying historic Roman architecture on the way. The Trevi Fountain is likely going to be packed, so take in what you can, grab some dinner nearby, and come back at nighttime when it is lit up for what is usually a less crowded observation area. On your walk back to the hotel, take the path that leads you by The Spanish Stairs.  If you are staying in Vatican City, it is going to be a 45min walk back – so plan accordingly.  Once you lay those tired legs & feet in your hotel bed, you will feel so proud of all that you accomplished in 24hrs in Rome.  They may not have built Rome in a day, but you can globetrot your way through it (if you need to) in a day!

As you can see, it would be best to do Rome in 2-3 days to spread out all the tourist spots.  This would also allow you to truly take in the culture.  Whatever your schedule allows, Rome will be busy – full of history – and leave you in awe.