3 days in Rome

As summer approaches, I've had a lot of people asking me about the best things to do on their vacations in Italy. I've put together itineraries of varying lengths, since some people just pass through and want the highlights, and others want to spend a long time there. Here is my 3-day Rome itinerary, since a lot of people who pass through Italy on their European adventures make a stop in Rome. One of the great things about visiting Rome is that most all of the popular attractions are right on the metro. Driving and parking in Rome is tricky anyway, and the metros work super well! I would recommend staying near any metro stop on the A or B line. That way, you will be able to see a lot of sites with minimal travel time. That being said, I've organized this itinerary based on following the A metro or the B metro, perhaps dedicating a day and a half to each line.  

A Metro

Metro Stop: Barberini

Trevi Fountain - It will probably be very crowded at any time of the day or night, but it's so amazing! Probably my favorite thing in Rome. You have to walk for 8-10 minutes after getting off at the Barberini stop to get to the fountain. It's a little bit hard to find, as it's tucked away off of main streets. There will be a few signs pointing the right way though. I'd suggest getting a little map and/or asking people to point you in the right direction. Or if your phones will work in Europe then just use google maps!

Pantheon - Another one of the best things in Rome. It's an 8-10 minute walk from the Trevi Fountain. It's in a great piazza with a ton of restaurants and gelato places. It's also free to go inside the Pantheon.

Piazza Navona - this piazza is like a 5 minute walk from the Pantheon. It has a huge amazing fountain in the middle of it, and during the day there are usually a lot of artists who set up and paint there.

Metro Stop: Flaminio

Piazza del Popolo - just another big piazza with a fountain, and it's famous for its two twin dome buildings. It's cool to see and it's the beginning of the...

Via del Corso - a big long street with lots of shopping

Metro Stop: Spagna

The Spanish Steps. You exit the metro and you're literally right there. This is a great place to hang out, shop, lots of places to eat. This is a super iconic spot and one of my favorites.

Metro Stop: Ottaviano

The Vatican City & Saint Peter's Basilica. It's free to go in the piazza in front of Saint Peters. It's also free to go inside the basilica, though you have to wait in a line and go through a security. Worth it to wait in line though! The inside is amazing and Michelangelo's Pieta sculpture of Mary holding Jesus after he was crucified is in there. You can also climb a bunch of stairs up to the top of the dome for about 5 or 6 euro and get a great view. I wouldn't recommend doing this if it's super hot outside though. It's extremely hot and humid and stuffy climbing up those tiny stairways. So if you're claustrophobic or are out of shape I'd say don't pay to climb to the top haha.

Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel - The Sistine Chapel is inside of the Vatican Museums. What most people do is they pay the 16 or 18 euro to see the Vatican Museums and then they just speed walk straight through the whole thing to see the Sistine Chapel at the end haha. And if seeing the Sistine Chapel is the only thing you care about, I actually think it's worth paying the full price! It's pretty amazing. The entrance to the vatican museums is on the north side of the vatican city. There's a huge brick wall surrounding the whole vatican city, so you'll probably see people lining up on the north side of that wall to go in the museum.

Castel Sant'Angelo. If you walk straight out from Saint Peter's and follow that street, on your left will be a huge brown circular building called Castel Sant'Angelo. Nothing really to see inside, but it's pretty interesting to see from the outside. More than that building though, I love the bridge right in front of it that crosses the river. It has huge statues of angels on it.. You also get a sweet view of the Vatican from there.

Old Bridge Gelato - This is on the north side of the vatican city, like right outside the city wall. It's a small gelato shop and it's very yummy. You'll probably see tourists lined up there.

B Metro

Metro Stop: Colosseo

Colosseum! You literally exit the metro and the colosseum is like BAM right there. You can pay like 12 euro or so to take a tour of the inside. I've done it and it's cool, but I honestly think seeing the outside is much more impressive. So if you're short on time, just stick to staying outside the colosseum.

The Roman Forum - it's right next to the colosseum. It's all ancient ruins. I think this is super super cool to see. I would pay for that before paying to go in the colosseum. I think it's like 7 euro to get in if you're a student or under age 25.

Metro Stop: Circo Massimo

This stop has a church called Santa Maria something, and inside it has the Bocca della Verita. I don't know if you've heard of it or seen it in a movie or anything, but it's this big circular stone face with an open mouth and people like to take pictures with their hand inside the mouth. You don't have to pay, and the line moves very fast usually.

Il Vittoriano/Piazza Venezia - a 10-12 minute walk from the bocca della verita is one of Rome's more modern government buildings. It's huuuuge and white marble and it kind of looks like a wedding cake. It's very beautiful and cool to see. (This building is also the ending point of the Via Del Corso - mentioned earlier on the A metro - so you can actually start at the Piazza del Popolo, and walk straight down between the twin domes there, down the long shopping street, and end at il vittoriano. Hope that wasn't confusing ...)

Rome is also a pretty safe city. One of the best things to do is just explore the streets and wander around, or find a random square or park and hang out and eat gelato or pizza. More posts to come on Rome/Italy travel!