Exactly How To Spend 4 Days In Rome, Italy (Our Step-by-Step Itinerary For First-Timers)

“Okay, let’s find out if 4 days is enough time for our first trip to Rome.” They are the exact words Mark said to Kristen as we boarded our Rome bound high speed train at Pisa station back in July 2018. We’d done a bit of research, planned out what we wanted to see and do, booked a budget hotel for 4 nights, and felt cautiously optimistic that 4 full days would be ample time. It turned out to be more than enough.

What made us unsure was the sheer amount of history, ruins, museums and famous attractions on offer in the Eternal City. But we felt the same about Paris, London and New York City, and 4 days was easily enough time for those places too. Later, as we rolled out of Rome’s Termini station towards Naples, we agreed that 3 days would have been doable but rushed, and we definitely didn’t need 5 days.

Now, our first trip was great but Italy was just one country we visited on our 18-month honeymoon around the world, so we had to do Rome on the cheap. We didn’t book guided tours and we had to be selective over which paid attractions we visited. Plus, it was July so the city was boiling hot and ridiculously busy. Not a great combination, right?

So when we returned to Rome in May 2022 for another 4 days with a healthier budget and knowledge of the city from our previous trip, we did it properly with excellent tours, lesser-known attractions and amazing food. But we still made mistakes and realized what we should have done instead, so in this guide we’re going to show you exactly how we’d plan a 4-day trip to Rome if it was our first time again.

We know a lot of first-timers planning Italy trips will only have 2 or 3 days in Rome, and that’s fine. The Colosseum and Vatican can easily be visited across 2 days. But we found 4 days gave us enough time to do the top sites slowly, find the less visited places, and not feel too hurried at meal times. This is how to see pretty much all of Rome’s highlights in one trip. Let’s dive in.

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Day 1: Centro Storico

The focus of our first day is an easy introduction to the famous attractions in Rome’s historic center. It’s designed to be a soft landing after traveling the day before. There’s very little walking involved and the route loops around the popular Centro Storico, so it’s essentially an orientation day combined with a relaxing day to get over any jet lag.

Itinerary base: If it was our first time again, we’d book our hotel in the Centro Storico to have a central location and a lively atmosphere. Here’s our guide on where to stay in Rome for a breakdown of the neighborhoods. Our itinerary is based on staying within easy walking distance of the Trevi Fountain. We stayed at a cute mid-budget B&B called Residenza Sciarra in 2022 and it did the trick, but next time we’d like to book Albergo del Senato a bit closer to the Pantheon.

See The Trevi Fountain Without Crowds And Tickets (8:00 AM)

Knowing the Pantheon wouldn’t be open until 9:00 AM, we’d grab espresso coffees and pistachio croissants from Di Noto at around 7:45 AM before walking a few minutes to see the famous Trevi Fountain.

From February 2026 onward, €2 tickets are required to visit the lower portion of the Trevi Fountain (near the fountain where tourists throw a coin in) – but only between certain hours and 9:00 AM is the earliest time all week that tickets must be presented. The fountain can still be seen from the upper part of the square without paying or having a ticket. But by arriving at 8:00 AM, we’d avoid having to deal with any tickets or one-way systems.

Kristen’s breakfast tip: We actually ate breakfast at Di Noto each morning because it was near our hotel and it opened at 5:00 AM, which worked perfectly for our early starts. If you stay near the Trevi Fountain and your hotel doesn’t include breakfast, Di Noto is a solid option.

At 8:00 AM the Trevi Fountain wouldn’t be jam-packed but we also wouldn’t expect it to be empty. We had to arrive by 6:00 AM on our last morning to get people-free photos. The few evenings we visited before tickets were introduced, the amount of people was honestly outrageous. It reminded us of the front rows at a concert, absolutely not for us.

After snapping a few photos and enjoying the small Piazza di Trevi, we’d get cracking and head west into the heart of the Centro Storico.

Mark’s hidden gem tip: Our Rome trip was Sunday to Wednesday, but if you’ll be in the Centro Storico on a Friday or Saturday there’s a hidden gem gallery inside a private palace you must visit called Galleria Colonna. It’s only open early in the morning on Friday and Saturday, so do it first before picking up day 1 of our itinerary. We would 100% book this next time.

Beat The Crowds At The Pantheon (9:00 AM)

From the Trevi Fountain, we’d walk past the Column of Marcus Aurelius and along the narrow cobbled Via dei Pastini (which was a great spot for dinner) to the striking Pantheon. In 2023, we paid €5 each to enter and look around the small interior ourselves. We did not pay the extra €10 each for an audio guide or €25.50 each for a guided tour. As of July 2026, basic entry tickets are €7.

For this itinerary, we’d pre-book audio guides for 9:00 AM right as the Pantheon opened to be first in and beat the crowds. Or if we really wanted to do the official guided tour, we’d book the 10:00 AM time slot. If there were no tour slots left our backup would be this guided tour with Viator, which also has better 9:00 AM time slots on Sundays.

It didn’t take us long to explore the inside of the Pantheon but it was well worth paying to go in. The enormous 2,000-year old unreinforced concrete dome with light beaming through the oculus was awesome, the marble interior was stunning, and we saw Raphael’s tomb. A quick and easy ancient history fix.

Take A Stroll Around Bustling Piazza Navona (10:30 AM)

After the Pantheon we’d walk less than 5 minutes to the enormous Piazza Navona to see swarms of crowds, the fountains of Neptune and Four Rivers, and people sat drinking overpriced coffees on the perimeter. We found it to feel a bit tacky and commercialized (at least during the day), so we wouldn’t plan to sit down for food.

Instead, we’d walk north to south through the long and narrow piazza that was once the Stadium of Dometian and hosted athletic competitions, then we’d visit Two Sizes as it opened at 11:00 AM to eat delicious tiramisu – trust us, you have to try one!

Sample Local Foods At Campo de’ Fiori (11:00 AM)

Fighting the urge to go back for another tiramisu, we’d walk less than 5 minutes south to spend a half hour or so browsing the local produce on sale at Rome’s most famous open-air market called Campo de’ Fiori. Yes, it was touristy and overpriced. But it also felt very authentic and charming with vibrant colors, strong smells, and loud Italian energy.

We kind of wanted it to be more like a street food market than a “vegetables and cheese for sale” market. But it was still fun, and it really worked up our appetites, so we checked our maps app and looked for a nearby restaurant with high ratings and found Ristorante Pancrazio. It didn’t look like much from the outside but it went down into an old vaulted cellar and the pasta was delicious. We’d go again.

See Sculptures In The Capitoline Museums (1:00 PM)

After lunch and wine, we’d walk past Largo di Torre Argentina to see an old ruin close to where Julius Caesar was killed that now houses a bunch of stray cats. Then we’d head south through more small but attractive piazzas until we reached the Portico d’Ottavia and Teatro di Marcello, two ancient ruins that we thought were well worth the short detour.

Next, we would pay €20.50 each to go in the Capitoline Museums to see some of the most famous sculptures from ancient Rome – including the Dying Gaul, Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, and the Capitoline Wolf. We didn’t actually do this one during our 2023 trip (instead we worked through a second glass of wine at lunch) and that was a mistake. We’d do it next time, despite what we consider to be a steep entry price.

Explore The Monument To Victor Emmanuele II (3:30 PM)

From the museum we’d walk a few minutes around the corner and climb the white steps leading to the impressive Monument to Victor Emmanuel II. We did do this one in 2023 – it was free to enter, it had a museum, sculptures, a superb viewpoint overlooking the Roman Forum, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

It was a bright sunny day when we visited and sunlight was blindingly bouncing off the pure white surfaces all around us, so our sunglasses saved us there. We spent maybe an hour or so walking through and enjoying views from the rooftop terrace before heading back to our hotel, which was just 10 minutes walk straight up Via del Corso, to get changed for dinner.

Grab Dinner In The Centro Storico (6:00 PM)

During our morning walk from the Trevi Fountain to the Pantheon we really liked the look of the restaurants along Via dei Pastini. So we looked at ratings and found Achille Al Pantheon, which turned out to have excellent food and a lovely atmosphere.

After dinner we went back to see the Trevi Fountain in all its chaotic glory in the evening, ate gelatos and slowly ambled through random cobbled streets and alleys before calling it a night. But now we’d need to reserve tickets for the Trevi Fountain, unless we went after 10:00 PM once tickets are no longer required.

Kristen’s foodie tip: If you’d rather skip the sit-down dinner and get hands-on with food, this top rated cooking class near Piazza Navona includes fettuccine and ravioli and has a 7:00 PM start time. It looks great!

Day 2: Vatican + Trastevere

The focus of our second day is visiting everything on the west side of the Tiber, which basically means exploring the Vatican Museums in the morning and walking around the trendy Trastevere neighborhood in the afternoon and evening. It’s a slow-paced day, with a wonderful contrast between intense museum and relaxing foodie scene.

From our hotel near the Trevi Fountain, it would have been a 15-minute taxi ride or a 40-minute walk through the Centro Storico and Prati to reach the Vatican Museums entrance. Walking to the Vatican is totally doable, but instead we walked a little over 10 minutes to Barberini and took the red line metro to Ottaviano, where we met our tour group right outside the metro station exit (we’ll explain our tour next).

After the Vatican we walked to Trastevere and back to our hotel, so it was just the one metro required on day 2. That said, if we weren’t up for the long walks, we’d just take taxis from the Vatican to Trastevere and from Trastevere back to the Centro Storico after dinner.

Tour The Unmissable Vatican Museums (7:15 AM)

We independently visited the Vatican Museums in July 2018 and honestly it was an awful experience. It was a blazing hot day and we turned up at midday, stood in disgustingly long lines for what felt like a lifetime only to be packed inside the museum and basilica like sardines. We didn’t enjoy our visit at all and left frustrated.

So the number one item on our list in 2023 was to avoid making the same mistake at the Vatican again. Instead, we searched online and found this popular guided tour called “Pristine Sistine” with Walks of Italy. And it genuinely turned out to be the best decision we made on the whole trip.

Not only did we have an expert guide take us straight to the main highlights and properly explain them to us (which made a huge difference), but it also got us inside before anyone else, so we had entire galleries and halls just to our small group, which was really cool. The guide took us inside the Sistine Chapel when it was super quiet, and then we were able to use the “secret passage” that connects the museum to St. Peter’s Basilica. The “secret passage” is only available on guided tours and it saved us exiting the museum to join another 1-2 hour line to get inside the basilica.

Now, along with the Colosseum, the Vatican is one of those true top Rome experiences that simply can’t be missed. But even between those two gargantuan tourist sites, we think the Vatican is still the one place we’d splurge on a trusted top quality guided tour. Whenever Mark does travel planning video calls with clients who want help planning Italy trips, he always recommends booking a tour of the Vatican over anywhere else on the whole Italy trip.

The Sistine Chapel was as amazing as we expected, but honestly we thought the whole experience from start to finish was equally as fantastic – especially because we weren’t rubbing shoulders with dozens of strangers every time we moved. And aside from enjoying many of the 70,000 pieces of artwork, we also loved taking photos of the stunning snail-like Bramante Staircase. We thought the 4 hours flew by and we still spent another hour exploring St. Peter’s Basilica by ourselves at the end.

Now, if for whatever reason we wanted to see the museum independently without a tour again, we’d book basic tickets in advance for €20 plus €5 to skip the line. We’d also try to book the earliest time slot of the morning to beat the crowds and keep the rest of the day free. And there are official guided tours available for an additional €20 per person, but they sell out quickly and aren’t as extensive as third-party operator tours. We’d consider this 3-hour tour with Viator or this 3.5-hour early entry tour with GetYourGuide, but only as backup options to Walks of Italy’s premium Pristine Sistine tour that we did and loved.

Important: In 2024, the Vatican Museum changed its opening hours from 9:00 AM to 8:00 AM. The Pristine Sistine tour we took in 2023 actually got us in an hour before it opened to the public, but now it begins as the museum opens. Despite that, we still think it offers the best value for money of any Vatican tour because it goes in first and it includes a special side entry access to St. Peter’s, rather than having to leave the museum and join a separate 1-2 hour line for the basilica. Plus, Walks of Italy specialize in premium Italy tours, so they’d be our first choice anyway. This is the tour our friends and family take based on our recommendation.

Eat Lunch Along Borgo Pio (12:00 PM)

After a long and tiring morning exploring the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, we’d need to sit down, eat and recharge the batteries. From St. Peter’s Square, we’d walk a few minutes to the charming cobbled Borgo Pio and find somewhere to grab lunch.

We ate at pasta inside the intimate and quaint Rione XIV Bistro near the eastern end and it was excellent. We’d definitely go again after the Vatican next time. Then we’d follow up with a milky ice cream for desert at the nearby L’Arena del Gelato.

Visit Castel Sant’Angelo (1:30 PM)

What we should have done after lunch and ice cream was pay to go in Castel Sant’Angelo to see Hadrians Tomb and enjoy elevated views of St. Peter’s Basilica – but instead we had an extra glass of wine at lunch. We know that’s becoming a theme, but wine is so good and so affordable in Italy!

The Vatican is a lot, so even though we’re sharing our Rome highlights itinerary with you which would mean going straight to Castel Sant’Angelo after lunch, we’d honestly have to see how we felt after the Vatican and lunch.

If we had the energy and we really wanted to see the mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian, we’d pay €16 each to go in. But if we felt burned out and wanted a more relaxing afternoon, we’d skip Castel Sant’Angelo and continue with our itinerary below after lunch. A good way to put it is that we don’t think Castel Sant’Angelo is a make or break attraction.

Spend The Evening Eating And Drinking In Trastevere (4:00 PM)

From Borgo Pio or Castel Sant’Angelo, we’d cross the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II and walk down the full length of Via Giulia, passing by posh boutiques and trendy art galleries. It’s a super photogenic cobbled street so we’d have our cameras out looking for unique perspectives.

At the end we’d arrive onto the Ponte Sisto which would take us back over the Tiber and into Trastevere – our favorite neighborhood in Rome for food, drinks and atmosphere.

We’d basically arrive without a plan, aiming to just get lost in the narrow maze-like streets. That’s kind of the point here. In 2023, we walked up Vicolo del Cinque and stopped in at Mr Brown’s for a quick Aperol Spritz, before continuing to see the Basilica di Santa Maria, which didn’t look like much from the outside but was lovely inside.

After a few more Aperol Spritz, Amaretto Sour cocktails and glasses of wine, we eventually landed in Tonnarello for a superb dinner. Then we found a few more easy going cocktail bars, before walking all the way back to our hotel near the Trevi Fountain to enjoy a different side of Rome at night. There’s loads of other dinner spots we’d like to try in Trastevere like Nannarella or Otello, and for lunch or late night snacks we’d definitely hit up Trapizzino.

Trastevere is also the best place in Rome for food and drink tours. So next time we visit we will 100% book one or two with Devour Tours (sister company to Walks of Italy) like this pasta cooking class, this Trastevere sunset food and wine tour or this VIP food tour with private rooftop spritz making. They all look excellent.

Day 3: Colosseum + Southeast Rome

With the center and west side of the city done, we decided to head south and east to tick off more historical sites on our third day. Starting our day at the Colosseum was essential to beat the crowds and heat, but we knew there was tons more to do, so we scoured our maps app and plotted a fast-paced, action-packed route to several lesser known attractions beyond the Colosseum.

We walked the first half and hopped on city-scooters to cut down on walking time between the next few stops. But then because we had Go City Rome passes to use, we had to go all the way back into central Rome to get a coach to the Catacombs, which wasn’t far from where we already were.

The moral of this story is we shouldn’t have used attraction passes, they work very well in some cities, but not in Rome. We’ll show you how we did it and what you should do instead to be more efficient on day 3.

Step Inside The Famous Colosseum (8:30 AM)

We did the Colosseum all wrong in 2018. It was peak season, hot, and crowded – and we thought we’d be okay turning up without tickets. We spent ages waiting in line, eventually got inside, and it was like sharing a brick oven with hundreds of other people at the same time. Not fun.

You’d think we’d get it right the next time, but we still messed it up. We had Go City Rome passes with three attractions, and we decided to use one at the Colosseum thinking it would save us having to deal with complicated ticket options.

But with the pass, we could only get the most basic entry ticket which meant we couldn’t see the Arena floor, the Underground or the Attic. Those “extra” areas are only available on upgraded tickets. To be fair, we at least had pre-booked tickets and arrived as it opened to beat the crowds and heat, so it wasn’t a total disaster.

Now, getting back to the itinerary, we’d have pre-booked Colosseum tickets with the earliest possible time slot. The ticket options are complicated, but Full experience – Underground levels and Arena is the ticket we’d try to buy if we visited independently without a tour, although they sell out instantly when released so we’d have to be organized. Read our guide on how to visit the Colosseum to learn more about the various tickets.

One thing we struggled with both times was the audio guide. It’s okay, it does a job. But it got boring fast and we lost interest. So next time we’d definitely book a guided tour of all three sites with Walks of Italy like this premium Colosseum tour, or this Gladiator’s Gate tour with special access through the door Gladiators once used. The start times change through the seasons, but we’d want an early tour to beat the crowds and heat.

Explore The Roman Forum And Palatine Hill (9:30 AM)

It would only take around one hour for us to see the Colosseum (unless we were able to get tickets with access to the Underground, Arena or Attic – any of these extra areas would add 30 minutes). After leaving the Colosseum, we’d enter the Roman Forum on Via Sacra near the Arch of Titus. And we’d either follow our audio guide or tour guide around the Forum and Palatine Hill for the next 1 hour 30 minutes or so.

We loved seeing the Colosseum, but we’re going to go against popular opinion here and say that we actually preferred the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill because they represent most of the remains of ancient Rome. The Colosseum just happens to be in better repair all these years later. We made sure to explore the whole Roman Forum and Palatine Hill area to make sure we didn’t miss anything, and we’d do the same next time.

Mark’s top combo tour tip: If we wanted to see the Colosseum and Roman Forum, the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, and all of the Centro Storico (Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona etc) in one day with private transport and expert guide, we’d 100% book this popular Rome in a day tour with Walks of Italy. This would free up our other days to relax, eat, and drink.

See The Remains Of Circus Maximus (11:00 AM)

Exploring the Colosseum and Roman Forum would be tiring work but there’s a lot to get through on day 3, so we’d skip a sit-down lunch and instead walk 10 minutes south to see Circus Maximus.

Circus Maximus certainly wasn’t as well preserved as we’d hoped. In its heyday this famous chariot racing arena once held 250,000 Romans, but we’d seen it a hundred times on TV and it was still cool to be there in person.

Walk Through The Orange Garden To Aventine Terrace (11:30 AM)

We’d cut through the first half of Circus Maximus on its southwest side, climb the steps to get out, walk through the Rose Garden, and arrive into the Orange Garden to see a “tunnel” of tall orange trees.

After walking through the tunnel, we’d eventually arrive at a viewing terrace called Terrazza Aventino with striking views over Rome and the Tiber. The park wasn’t empty but it also wasn’t swarming when we visited in 2023, so it felt like a bit of an escape after the Colosseum crowds.

Explore The Baths Of Caracalla (12:30 PM)

We’ll admit, the 20-minute walk we took from Aventine Terrace to the Baths of Caracalla was annoying. Not because it was a long way, but because it was hot and we’d already been on our feet for hours. Plus, we’d be on a bit of a time constraint with a tour coming up in a few hours, so at this point we’d either hop on scooters or take the hit on paying for a very short taxi ride.

We loved the Caracalla Baths during our 2023 trip. Entry cost us €8 each, and we paid maybe €6-7 extra to get 4D goggles so we could see exactly what the baths would once have looked like as we self-toured the ruins. We didn’t book in advance, there were barely any people inside and it felt like we were actually in a real Roman ruin.

Tour The Appian Way And Catacombs (2:15 PM)

Had we continued further on our trip back in 2023, our next stop would have been the Aurelian Walls – a well preserved section of Roman walls built in 275 AD that look a bit like the Roman bar walls where Mark grew up in York, England.

And after that we would have rented a bike to cycle a portion of the Appian Way, Rome’s first ancient road. This top rated guided eBike tour of walls, baths, Appian Way and catacombs would have been high on our list.

But instead of the walls and bike ride, we hurried back to Piazza Venezia so we could make our coach to the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian, which we’d pre-booked as one of three attractions included with our Go City Rome pass.

It worked out well in the end because we’d never been in a catacomb before so it was a new experience for us. But in hindsight, our logistics were pretty poor on day 3. What we should have done is book this top rated guided tour with Walks of Italy that goes along the Appian Way to the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella and Roman aqueducts before ending with a closing time entry into Rome’s Catacombs.

So after the Baths of Caracalla, we’d walk another 20 minutes (or take a scooter or taxi) to Piramide metro station to join the tour group starting at 2:15 PM.

Eat Dinner In Monti (7:00 PM)

After the tour, we’d make our way back to the Colosseum area to see ruins like the Forum of Augustus and Trajan’s Forum lit up against the dark night sky. Then we’d walk into the nearby Monti neighborhood for dinner and drinks, taking our pick between all the less touristy places to eat like Benso 215, Iari The Vino, La Prezzemolina and La Nuova Piazzetta.

We stayed in Monti the first time we visited Rome in 2018 and enjoyed the lively, low-key, more local feeling neighborhood. After eating dinner in the touristy Centro Storico and the chaotic Trastevere, Monti would feel a lot more calm and steady.

Day 4: Borghese Gallery + Northeast Rome

With all the major attractions and areas ticked off, we wanted to have a nice and relaxing final day on the north side of Rome. Our plan was to walk up through Rome’s main shopping area, see the Borghese Gallery, and then finish with a concert that was the final part of our 3-attraction Go City Rome passes. It didn’t go to plan, but we’ll explain how you can make sure it does when you visit.

We walked the whole day, but we were tired by the end. Looking back we probably should have jumped in a taxi – or at least used a scooter or pedal bike for the park – but overall this is a great way to end a Rome highlights itinerary with one final push.

Climb The Spanish Steps (9:00 AM)

We know it’s unlikely you’ll do this but on our last day we woke up before first light, grabbed our cameras and quickly flashed between the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and finally the Spanish Steps to get photos of Rome’s most famous tourist spots with no people.

It worked well, except at the Spanish Steps when we had to wait ages for one person’s never-ending selfie video shoot to end. That was annoying, but we finally got onto the steps for a quick photo of our own. Here are our favorite photo spots in Rome if you’re interested in photography.

Next time, we’d have a relaxing and slow final morning, before making our way to Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps, aiming to arrive around 9:00 AM. It would more than likely already be swarming, so we’d just walk up the steps to see the French-run Trinita dei Monti, turn around and head back down again.

Walk Via Del Corso To Piazza Del Popolo (9:30 AM)

From the Piazza di Spagna we’d walk west on Via delle Carrozze until reaching The Baker of Sardinia where we’d pick up a few tasty pistachio and chocolate croissants with coffees. Then we’d continue west to Via del Corso, Rome’s major shopping artery, which we thought felt like a less polished but equally as chaotic version of London’s Oxford Street.

We’d head north on Via del Corso for 10 minutes, and that would bring us out into the vast and exceptionally photogenic Piazza del Popolo. After walking to the Flaminio Obelisk in the center, we’d turn around for a striking view of Via del Corso starting between the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli and the Basilica di Santa Maria in Montesanto. It’s a cool spot.

Explore The Massive Villa Borghese (11:00 AM)

If we arrived between 9:45 AM and 10:30 AM, we’d definitely take a quick look inside Basilica Parrocchiale di Santa Maria del Popolo at the back of Piazza del Popolo. Then we’d take a staircase leading up to a hill and a stunning elevated viewing area called Terrazza del Pincio.

Next, we’d walk along Via delle Magnolie and Viale Pietro Canonica into Villa Borghese – a massive 200-acre park that we found to be similar in some ways to Central Park in NYC.

If we had energy and time, we’d take a walking detour to the Temple of Aesculapius on our way to the Borghese Gallery at the far side. The total walking time would be 30 minutes, so we’d strongly consider hiring a park pedal bike or jumping on a scooter to blast through the park.

Kristen’s skip tip: Rome’s National Gallery of Modern Art and zoo are both on the edges of Villa Borghese, but we’d skip both on this trip. In fact, we don’t even think we’d visit them on our fifth trip to Rome.

See Artworks Inside The Borghese Gallery (12:00 PM)

One of the biggest mistakes we made on our 2023 trip to Rome was expecting to turn up to the Borghese Gallery and walk straight in to see Bernini’s sculptures and Caravaggio’s paintings. You know, it’s not the Colosseum or Vatican, and it was a Wednesday afternoon in May not a Saturday in July. Oh boy, we were so wrong.

Not only is the Borghese Gallery an extremely popular tourist attraction, it’s also very small and they severely limit the amount of people allowed in at once. So of all Rome’s attractions, this is the one we’d prioritize booking in advance first next time. At the other places we’d still eventually get in without a pre-booked ticket, but they straight up turned us away and laughed us out of the building at the Borghese Gallery.

With that said, we’d already have pre-booked tickets for €18 each with a 12:00 PM in and 2:00 PM out time slot (they work in 2 hour windows). But the truth is, we’d have to get very lucky to get any time slot, let alone the one we want at midday because the tickets sell out almost instantly when they’re released, which seems to be 5 weeks in advance.

If there were no tickets left for the date and time we wanted to visit the gallery, our backup plan would be to see if we could book onto a guided tour like this one with Walks of Italy which includes skip the line entry. Again, there are very few tickets available and they’re usually for later time slots on days around 5 weeks ahead. If we snagged one, we’d adapt this last day on the itinerary to suit the later entry.

Explore The National Roman Museum (3:00 PM)

If we managed to get that coveted 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Borghese Gallery time slot, after leaving we’d make our way to the Baths of Diocletian (the National Roman Museum) to see the largest ancient bath halls in Rome. It’s a 30-minute walk, so we’d consider hopping in a taxi if we didn’t have the energy for yet more pavement pounding. Unlike Caracalla, this one isn’t grand, it’s more like a museum.

After being rejected from the gallery in 2023, we should have gone straight to the National Roman Museum. But we were frustrated, we had museum fatigue, and we were hungry so we decided to skip it. Looking back, that was a mistake. So next time, whether we made it into the Borghese Gallery or not, we’d definitely pay €15 each to go to the Baths of Diocletian next.

Grab Dinner And Drinks Near Repubblica (5:00 PM)

After the National Roman Museum, one option would be to go back to our hotel, get changed and head out into the Centro Storico for a splurge meal to end the trip. But in 2023, we ate dinner at a fantastic Indian restaurant called Gandhi 2, not far from Via Nazionale. We’d been in Italy for over 2 weeks by this point and we love Indian food so it made a nice change.

There aren’t tons of highly rated places to eat in the area, but the few good ones are certainly way less touristy. And for this itinerary, it makes more sense to eat near Via Nazionale because it’s on the doorstep after leaving the National Roman Museum and it’s also where we’d end our last day with a concert. Going back to our hotel wouldn’t be efficient at all.

Catch A Concert At St. Paul’s Within The Walls (8:30 PM)

After dinner, we’d stop in somewhere for a glass of wine before finishing the trip with an impressive classical music performance at St Paul’s Within The Walls. In 2023, we watched the Three Tenors perform with the Mandolin Orchestra inside the church and the show honestly surprised us in the best possible way.

We’d booked St Paul’s within the Walls using our Go City passes and if we’re being real, we expected it to be average, but it really wasn’t. Next time, we’d check to see if there were any performances at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma first, and if not, we’d happily go again.

Mark’s “less walking” tip: We walked a lot in Rome. If you don’t want to clock up thousands of steps, take a look at top rated day tour options like this one and this one that take you to most of the places we’ve covered in this guide but in just a few hours by golf cart. This is how to see Rome’s highlights with the least amount of effort.

Route Map

Map key:

• Red – Day 1
• Blue – Day 2
• Orange – Day 3
• Purple – Day 4

Each day also has a walking route map you can use (blue lines). Remember, you don’t have to follow our route exactly, but it’s a great starting point for you to build from.

How to use this map: Click the map above to activate, zoom in and out, and tap any icon to see more information. See a list of all attractions by clicking the arrow icon in the top left, or see a full version of the map by clicking the “view larger map” icon in the top right. When you’re in Rome you can open the map, tap the next place you want to visit and get directions. Stops for each day on the map are listed in order, so you can easily follow the route.

How to save this map: Click the small star next to the map title – this will add the map to your Google account. Open your Google Maps app, tap “saved”, then tap “maps” and open this map.

Budgeting For 4 Days In Rome

We actually found Rome to be reasonably priced when compared to the likes of other global hotspots like NYC, London and Tokyo. Our first trip doesn’t count because we were on a shoestring budget, but during our 2023 trip we were pure mid-range travelers and we easily managed to keep costs for hotels, food and attractions to a minimum, without making too many sacrifices.

Our hotel called Residenza Sciarra was fairly priced. Pizza, pasta and wine is cheap in Italy, and we never splurged on any meals. Getting around by foot with the odd metro and taxi kept transit costs down. And finally, attractions with a few premium guided tours averaged out very reasonably for a place with such historical significance.

Everyone travels differently, so it’s tricky to pinpoint exactly what your Rome trip will cost – it really depends on your travel style, preferences and budget. That said, here’s a rough idea of what a mid-range couple might spend following our 4-day, 4-night itinerary:

• Hotel: €1,000 (US $1,150)
• Food & Dining: €400 (US $450)
• Attractions: €400 (US $450)
• Transport: €30 (US $35)
• Total: €1,830 (US $2,150)

Bear in mind this is for a mid-range hotel (you could go cheaper or more expensive), three meals a day, and the top attractions with a few worthwhile guided tours. As typical mid-range travelers ourselves, this is a best-guess estimate of how much we’d spend if it was our first time in Rome following this itinerary.

Next Steps

We hope our 4-day itinerary helps you figure out how to spend your time in Rome.

If you’d like more personalized help, we offer expert travel planning consultations where we answer any questions you have, help you avoid tourist traps, and plan out your entire itinerary step by step. See our reviews and packages.

Still researching for your trip?

• Take a look at our 14 days Italy itinerary.
• These are the places you can’t miss in Italy.
• Don’t miss these top attractions in Rome.
• These are Capri’s top attractions.
• Here’s our 10 day Amalfi Coast itinerary.
• Here’s what you can’t miss in Florence.
• This is how to plan a Florence itinerary.

Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Italy travel guide for helpful tips and advice.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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