2 Days in Rome, Italy: A Guide to your First Time Visiting the Eternal City
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So you’re planning a visit to Rome, one of the most popular cities in Europe. This is your first time visiting, you only have a few short days, but you want to soak up as much as Roma as you can!
In this blog post, I will outline what we did for two days in late August of 2019 in the Eternal City of Rome, Italy. While you could spend months here and probably still feel like you haven’t seen everything, if you have only a limited time to spend, I think two days is sufficient to visit Rome.
From touring the charming alleys of Trastevere, walking under the Sistine Chapel ceiling’s impressive paintings, tossing a coin into the Trevi Fountain, and eating your weight in pizza, pasta, and gelato- you are guaranteed to enjoy yourself with this two day itinerary!
Looking for more content for a trip to Italy? Check out my blog posts on Hiking the Path of the Gods on the Amalfi Coast, 4 Days on the Amalfi coast, or One Day on Capri!
Where to Stay
We stayed in an Airbnb a bit outside of the ‘center’ of Rome. Rome is a very large city so even if you do get a place to stay near the center, you’ll probably need to take a bus every now and then to get somewhere unless you have some really strong walking legs!
Our Airbnb was a private apartment just $50 a night and had A/C- something you need to look for if you are traveling to any of Italy in the summer.
It was in the San Lorenzo district where we felt very safe. Plus there were quite a few restaurants, cafes, and a gelato place within a block or two! There was also a bus stop one block away that went to the center of Rome so we didn’t mind saving the money to stay ‘outside’ the center.
How to Get Around
The one thing I would not recommend doing is renting a car or moped, unless you have successfully rented one in another very busy European city. It just would not be safe, and you will know where I’m coming from when you get here!
There’s a good public bus system that will take you where you need to go. If you search where you want to go on Google Maps when you are in Rome such as “The Roman Forum” and select ‘Public Transportation’ it will tell you the certain bus line you should be on; and the bus stops and buses will be clearly marked.
You will see many people get on the bus and it seems like it is.. free? However, it is certainly not! The bus driver will likely never ask you for a bus pass, but most people on the buses are locals that have monthly passes, etc.
If you get caught on a bus without a ticket you could get a hefty fine. Don’t do this to ruin your vacation- just get a bus ticket! These can be purchased at tobacco and news stands, coffee shops, and other little random stores near bus stops; usually they will have signs in their windows that they sell them. The bus tickets are only 1.50 euro and they are valid for 100 minutes! Just don’t forget to stamp your ticket when you get aboard the bus. If you don’t, this could also get you in trouble if an officer asks you for your ticket aboard the bus.
Day One: Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, The Vatican, & Trastevere
Our first full day in Rome we woke up early to get to the Trevi Fountain. We were there around 7am, and even then it was filling up with people. The Trevi Fountain was actually a lot more impressive than I thought it would be. The statues are very commanding and a lot bigger in person that in the photo. Also, the morning light was very pretty on the stone!
I would 100% recommend the early morning wake up call to get here. I can’t imagine how ridiculously crowded it gets midday, especially in the summer.
From the Trevi Fountain, it is a pretty short walk to the famous Spanish Steps! You can easily knock out these two tourist attractions over an hour or so.
Later in the morning, we stopped to get a cappuccino before our time to go into the Vatican and Sistine Chapel!
I highly recommend buying tickets in advance with a time slot for the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. It will save you a lot of time and a headache! They are 17 euro a person. You can get them at this website.
We spent about 2-3 hours here and I have to say seeing the Sistine Chapel painting was a once in a lifetime experience, and I’m not even religious. Also, remember to bring a scarf or jacket to cover your shoulders if you are wearing sleeveless or spaghetti straps. They will not let you enter with your shoulders not covered. And- you are not allowed to take pictures of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Bonus tip: Download the Free Rick Steve’s Audio Europe App. There is one you can listen to for the Vatican and Sistine Chapel instead of getting a tour or the audio guides for pay at the museum. Bring some wireless headphones and listen along. I used this app for our whole trip to Italy and it was the best!
After the Vatican, we headed over to the Trastevere neighborhood. On the way, we stopped for some lunch and got pasta of course. 🙂
In Trastevere, we simply strolled around, eating gelato and stopped to enjoy an aperol spritz. This neighborhood has a lot of character and charm, and most definitely worth a stop if you are in Rome.
After we wandered around the Trastevere neighborhood and relaxed after a busy morning at the Vatican, we headed back to our Airbnb for a little while before going to get dinner.
We went to this cute, cheap pizzeria right around the corner from our Airbnb in the San Lorenzo neighborhood, called Pizzeria il Grano. I got fantastic gnocchi here!
After eating dinner, we went back to the center of Rome to see how things look at night.
It was rather early in the night, around 8pm, and on a Saturday, so everything was very crowded! But it was really neat seeing everything lit up and I would definitely recommend taking a stroll after the sun sets around Rome.
Day Two: The Colosseum, Palatine Hill, The Roman Forum, & The Pantheon
Day two actually started the same way Day One did because.. we didn’t have a coin to toss into the Trevi Fountain when we there the day before LOL.
So on our way to the Colosseum, we stopped off at the Trevi Fountain to toss a coin in to make our wish! Cue, ‘This is what dreams are made of.’
Next, we made our way over to the Colosseum. I can not stress this enough: buy tickets beforehand with a reserved time! We did and were so glad because the line for those without a reservation was ridiculously long, like so long if I had to wait in it I wouldn’t go in!
Tickets are 16 euro online per person. Purchase them here.
Here, we again listened to our Rick Steves Free Audio Europe App. Listen as he walks you through time and history. We also used the app again at Palatine Hill, the Pantheon, and the Roman Forum.
It’s so much more enjoyable to learn and listen about what you are seeing right in front of you. It often gives me a deeper appreciation for the history, art, and architecture.
We spent 1- 1/2 hours in the Colosseum, which I think is plenty of time to spend to walk where the gladiators once did! 😉
Next, we visited The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. It is literally right across from the Colosseum so it is a good idea to knock them all out in one day!
I would give yourself a good 3-4 hours to really see the whole historic area of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. I would recommend getting the first time slot for the Colosseum, probably 8am. This way, you can see everything before the major crowds and tour groups set in and then have a nice lunch after all of your exploring! Be sure to bring water, a snack or two, and a hat with you as well since there is no shade.
Visit this site for an interactive map between the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.
Again, we listened to our Rick Steves audio app for a guided free tour. The whole area is very photogenic and beautiful in the Roman Forum and there is SO much history and stories to soak up while you are there!
There are seven hills in Rome, and Palatine Hill is often regarded as the founding site of Rome. The entrance to walk to the top of the hill is in the Roman Forum.
The Roman Forum itself is filled with ancient government buildings and structures almost 2000 years old!
Next, we stopped to eat some pizza because we were absolutely famished after our long, hot morning on our feet.
After a filling lunch, we visited The Pantheon which is the oldest building in Rome dating from 27 B.C.! It is a former Roman temple that was built for the Pagan gods. Now, it is a church that they still hold services for every Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
After visiting the Pantheon, we walked around the center of Rome a bit more in the afternoon, admiring all the old buildings and warm architecture.
After strolling around the center of Roma for a while, we went back to our Airbnb to relax before getting dinner.
We went to another restaurant in the San Lorenzo district where our Airbnb was, called Ristorante Pizzeria Griglieria Armando. Everyone here that was eating were locals, so we knew it had to be good! The wine was super cheap here and food was delicious!
After dinner, we stopped to get gelato on our way back to the Airbnb to rest before jetting off to Florence the next day! 🙂
And that concludes our two day itinerary for first timers in Rome!
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