My itinerary minimizes the travel time between the attractions and allows you
to see the most in the shortest amount of time. As a tour guide i
want to show you the best way to see all main attractions of Rome, Italy.
The best place to start is Piazza Venezia. Every street leading from this square takes you to one
of the main tourist attractions. Stairs of a colossal white national monument nicknamed
Vittoriano lead to various viewing terraces and admission is free. Monument is dedicated to the
creation of modern day Italy and offers great views. If you have time for a deep dive, wait
for the change of the honor guard for the unknown soldier that occurs every hour. You can also take
a lift to the very top of the monument with the best lookout point. The interior can also be
visited as it is housing a museum of unification of Italy and creation of the modern day state.
Just a couple of minutes walk from the base of the monument will get you to a staircase leading
to one of the seven founding hills of Rome. It is topped with a renaissance elliptical square
designed by Michelangelo. Square is dominated by the city hall with a clock tower and a statue
of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. If you have about an hour to spare, visit two renaissance
palaces opposite to each other, housing Capitoline art and archaeological museum.
Descend from the square and in less than five minutes you will walk on Via dei Fori Imperiali,
a beautiful avenue leading straight towards the Colosseum. Its course takes it over parts of the
ancient roman ruins seen on both sides. Here are the Forum of Trajan, Forum of Augustus and Forum
of Nerva. If you have time, you should get the ticket and enter the Forum of Trajan and explore
the Museums of Imperial Forums. Otherwise you can simply admire the remains from the street.
The Colosseum is the most famous landmark of Rome and the largest ancient amphitheater ever built.
It hosted gladiator fights, contest between men and wild animals, and even mock naval battles
as the arena could be flooded. If you're in a hurry, skip the extra options, like access
to the arena or the underground, but be sure to get the tickets that also include Roman Forum and
Palatine Hill that are opposite to the Colosseum. The very heart of ancient Rome is one of the
most important archaeological sites in Italy. Here was the main town square of ancient Rome,
surrounded by the most important and the oldest Roman buildings, arches and temples. Above the
forum rises a Palatine Hill once the seat of Roman imperial power with the ruins of ancient palaces.
The hill has a terrace with a spectacular lookout point of the Roman Forum. It makes a lot of sense
to see the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill with a guide, so check my favorite guided tours in the
description below. From the entrance to the Roman Forum, walk by the triumphal arch of Constantine,
one of three surviving roman triumphal arches. In less than 10 minutes, you'll get to the ancient
Roman chariot racing stadium, the Circus Maximus. After seeing the ancient stadium, hop on a bus,
metro or get a taxi to get you to Piazza di Spagna to see the Spanish steps. In about 30 minutes,
you will get in front of one of the widest, longest and most popular staircases in Europe.
135 steps were built in the 1700s to connect the French monastery church with a Spanish embassy
at the lower Spanish Square, hence the name Spanish steps. After walking up and down the
famous staircase, take a 10-minute walk to Trevi Square. Small square features the largest and
the most famous fountain in Italy. The fountain from the 1700s takes over the entire front wall
of the palace. It includes a triumphal arch and mythological statues with Roman god Oceanus riding
a shell shape chariot in its center. After tossing a coin in the fountain, take a ten-minute walk
towards Piazza della Rotonda. It is dominated by the best preserved ancient Roman building in the
world, the Pantheon. Round Roman temple has the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world,
and in the middle it features a hole called the Oculus. Since 609, the temple has served as a
Catholic church and as all churches in Italy, entrance is free of charge. No tickets means no
time slots and queues can get very long. The trick is to book a guided tour with a specific time
slot. This way you can save a lot of time and you also get a 45-minute tour of the site and I'll put
the link in the description below. Less than five minute walk away is the most beautiful Baroque
square in Rome. Unusually long square used to be an ancient Roman stadium until houses replaced the
stands and the athletics field became a square. It features three beautiful Baroque fountains. The
central fountain with an Egyptian obelisk stands right in front of an impressive church, worth
popping in. If you have time, you should sit down for a meal or a drink in one of the restaurants
and cafes to soak up the lively atmosphere. If you want a deep dive, go under the square where you
can still see the remains of the original Roman stadium. On the square is also a Museum of Rome.
Less than a 10-minute walk away is a beautiful bridge across the Tiber River.
It is lined with angels and leads straight to the Castle of the Holy Angel. Originally,
the castle was built by the Romans as a circle mausoleum, but due to its strategic position it
was later converted to a military fortress. It was used by the Popes, who built a long covered,
fortified corridor and connected the castle with St. Peter's Basilica. From the top of
the fortress you will get a wonderful view of Rome and the Vatican city. From the castle you
can walk straight to the Vatican City and you should try to get to the Vatican Museums at
least two hours before the closing time. One of the world's best museums holds an immense
collection amassed by the Catholic church throughout the centuries. It includes some of
the world's greatest masterpieces. Part of the museum is also a Sistine Chapel painted by the
greatest Renaissance painters and still used for the papal conclave, where a new pope is selected.
From museum entrance walk to the other side of the smallest state in the world where you can end your
tour on a huge elliptical st. Peter's Square. Two arm colonnade embraces the visitors and
directs them to the largest church in the world. The Papal Basilica was built by the greatest
Renaissance architects and artists over Apostle Peter's tomb. Entrance to the Basilica is free,
but everyone has to go through a mandatory security check that can create very long
queues. Breathtakingly spacious interior of the church offers amazing attractions. Above st.
Peter's tomb rises an impressive dome. If you have about 30 minutes to spare, you should climb the
dome as it offers impressive views, although the view is a bit obstructed by the fence.
Be aware that the timings in this itinerary don't include the time spent in queues. Still,
if you stick with my Quick Visit Plan, you start early, skip lunch and you buy tickets online,
it is possible to see everything in one very long summer day. On the other hand,
the Deep Dive Plan allows you to properly explored the sights. You should also add time for lunch,
drinks and coffee to properly soak up the atmosphere of beautiful squares and streets.
In this case, you should plan at least three full days to see the main attractions of Rome.
In both cases, I would very much recommend you to buy tickets online and I'll put the
links in the description below. But before you go to Rome, you should also check this video.