Angela, can I see Rome in two days?
I lost count of how many times I’ve been asked this question. While it’s a fact that deciding to visit Rome in 2 days is pretty challenging, it’s also true that if you have a well-crafted itinerary, things are much easier.
There are a few things you need to consider when planning a two-day Rome trip. For example, do you want to pack your days with landmarks as much as possible or would you rather take some time for relaxing?
Moreover, is it your first time in Rome or do you want to see the most famous landmarks? If so, make sure you plan your schedule and entrances carefully to try to find fewer crowds.
In my custom itineraries, for example, I add important tips for a smooth trip such as suggesting great hotels, how to use public transport, where to find great restaurants near the landmarks you are visiting, and how to optimize your limited time.
The simple 2-day Rome itinerary I have sketched below is designed with first-time visitors in mind. If you have already seen major sights like the Colosseum or the Vatican Museums, you can explore lesser-known districts to get to know the city more deeply.
Check out my custom Rome itineraries to build an unforgettable holiday
What to do in 2 days in Rome?
If it’s your first trip, in 2 days in Rome I recommend exploring the art-packed Centro Storico, the quaint Trastevere neighborhood, and the Vatican marvels, without missing the important ancient vestiges from imperial times.
The first day of your 2-day Rome trip will mainly focus on the Vatican, while on the second day we will explore the city center and Ancient Rome. I’ve included some tips on how to save time and see as much as you can in your two days.
If you can afford more time and feel like including more sights to visit, you can check our guides to a full 3-day Rome itinerary or even how to spend 4 perfect days in Rome.
Rome in 2 days – Day 1
Vatican Museums
While I suggest heading to the Vatican Museums as early as you can in the morning (they open at 9 am but the queue starts earlier), you will save time and make things much quicker by booking online either a skip-the-line ticket or a private tour.
Spending only 1 day in Rome might not be enough to include a full visit to the Vatican Museums, but if you plan your trip and itinerary properly, in 2 days in Rome you can (and should!) definitely enter this magnificent gallery. The masterpieces of some of the most famous world artists are kept here such as the Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s Rooms, and the Gallery of Maps.
IMPORTANT! It is not mandatory to book your visit but especially in the high summer season, it’s a good idea because it’s very crowded and those who booked have priority entry. You should also plan in advance because entrances get sold out pretty quickly for a couple of days ahead.
Booking a hotel near the Vatican will make it easier to reach your first sight early and without having to use public transport.
Read everything about our experience alone in the Sistine Chapel with LivTours!
St. Peter’s Square and Basilica
After the museums, head to St. Peter’s Square to admire Bernini’s colonnade, the beautiful fountains and statues, and obviously to enter the stunning St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the best things to do in Rome in 2 days and one of Rome’s most famous churches.
Entrance to the church is free and there is only one way to skip the long queue, booking a Vatican private tour. If you only book a tour of the basilica, you can’t skip the line, but if you book a full Vatican tour, you will because you will access the basilica from another entrance.
Apart from the Basilica itself, here you can visit also the necropolis in its undergrounds where the tomb of Saint Peter is kept and also climb to the dome to enjoy one of the most famous masterpieces by Michelangelo in Rome and a beautiful view of St. Peter’s Square and the city.
For the necropolis, you need to book directly with the Ufficio Scavi (check our guide to the Vatican necropolis for all the info). To climb the dome, you can join the queue at the entrance of the basilica or book a private tour.
Tip: If you want to climb the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica, between standing in line and visiting, you should consider adding another extra hour or two. Since it might take too much time out of your itinerary, booking a guided tour inclusive of Vatican Museums, Basilica, and Dome climb such as this one is your best bet. It starts early morning and takes some 5 hours. So, consider half a day.
Castel Sant’Angelo (Hadrian Mausoleum)
Built as the mausoleum of the Roman emperor Hadrian, Castel Sant’Angelo has served several purposes throughout history. From a funerary complex to a prison to a residence, set along the river it’s one of the most photogenic landmarks of Rome’s city center.
Depending on how much time you have or how soon you want to get to your next destination, you can decide whether to enter the Hadrian Mausoleum or not. To visit some of the areas such as the prison, you need to book the official guided tour at the ticket booth.
IMPORTANT! While a prior reservation is not mandatory, in the high season is highly recommended because the line is very long and priority is given to those who have booked online.
Have lunch
Since you spent all morning sightseeing in the Vatican, you can decide to have lunch nearby or in Trastevere, which is the next stop on the first day of your 2-day Rome itinerary.
Suppose you are hungry after visiting the Vatican. In that case, some good pizza places street-food-style in the area are Pinsa ‘mpo in Via dei Gracchi near St. Peter’s Square and La Pratolina in Via Rialto some ten minutes on foot from the Vatican Museums.
If you are not too hungry yet and make it to Trastevere for lunch, you can have a delicious hearty meal at Da Enzo Al 29 (Via dei Vascellari 29) or Aromaticus (Via Natale del Grande 6/7).
If you prefer a quick bite on the go, stop at Trapizzino for a street food-style meal.
Stroll around Trastevere
Trastevere is a historical and picturesque neighborhood with plenty to see. Since you are staying two days in Rome, you can afford to spend here a couple of hours.
The best way to discover Trastevere is by getting lost in its cobbled alleys and also visiting the local historic places such as the beautiful Santa Maria in Trastevere Basilica and Santa Cecilia in Trastevere Basilica.
And if you want a sweet treat after lunch, here you can find some of the best gelaterias in Rome!
Make sure you read our post on the best things to see and do in Trastevere.
Tiber Island and Jewish Quarter
From Trastevere, you reach Tiber Island via the Ponte Cestio bridge. On the Tiber Island, is San Bartolomeo church built on the site of the ancient temple of Asclepius, the god of medicine. Historically, the island has always been linked to healing the poor and sick people, and today there are two hospitals, Fatebenefratelli and the Israeli hospital.
Take the ancient Pons Fabricius bridge to get to the Jewish Quarter. This is the only bridge that was kept in its original construction.
Here, you will find several things to see and do such as the archaeological site of the Portico di Ottavia, the Turtle Fountain (Fontana delle Tartarughe) in Piazza Mattei, the Synagogue, and the Jewish Museum.
Have dinner
Dinner time, at last! We have tried to pack as much as we could on the first day of our Rome itinerary, so if you have followed our plan, chances are you are pretty tired.
For dinner, lay back and relax to prepare for your second day of sightseeing in Rome. Some places we suggest for your dinner are between Trastevere, Tiber Island, and the Jewish Ghetto.
Rome in 2 days – Day 2
Start early at the Colosseum
A bit like for the Vatican Museums, also for the Colosseum you need some extra planning. You are spending two days in Rome, so you can totally devote a couple of hours to visiting the amphitheater inside.
However, even if you can afford to navigate Rome in 2 days, you still need to save time, so purchasing a skip-the-line ticket or a Colosseum private tour is highly recommended. To avoid spending an hour just for the line, that is.
IMPORTANT: To visit the Colosseum you MUST book your spot so that you have an allocated date and time, otherwise you can’t enter. You can do so in two ways:
- online by purchasing the ticket from the official website or online vendors like Get Your Guide. If you have already purchased a Roma Pass or Omnia Card and have free skip-the-line access, you still need to reserve your entrance.
- over the phone by calling the number +39 06 39967700.
Read our complete guide to visiting the Colosseum for all the information on different tickets and tours.
Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
The natural continuation of a visit to the Colosseum is a stroll around the Roman Forum, one of the places to visit in Rome in 2 days. This was the pulsing heart of ancient Rome and the place where trading, politics and social life happened.
The ticket you have purchased for the Colosseum will be valid for the Roman Forum too, so you will have your time slot scheduled for this part of the archaeological park.
Usually, if you booked a private Colosseum tour, this archaeological site will be included in the package.
Visit Piazza Venezia
Piazza Venezia is a busy traffic and bus hub in central Rome and from the Colosseum, you can get there by walking the beautiful and partially pedestrian Via dei Fori Imperiali, one of the most famous streets in Rome. As soon as you arrive, the first thing you will see is the Altar of the Fatherland (Altare della Patria) and the Vittoriano Complex.
You can access the Vittoriano complex to visit both the Altare della Patria with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as the Museum of the Italian Risorgimento, the series of battles that ended with the Italian unification in 1861. Rome was incorporated in 1870 with the end of the Papal States. On March 27th, 1871, Rome was officially declared the capital of Italy.
Piazza Venezia is usually one of those busy hubs mainly taken as passageways to get to the Trevi Fountain or the Centro Storico. But right in the Piazza is a fantastic sight not many know and visit. Right now, the whole square is under renovation as they are building a stop for the metro line C and an underground museum.
Have lunch
After visiting the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, I suggest you make your way directly to Piazza Venezia because there is a good choice of options here and around Fontana di Trevi.
Snap your best pictures at the Trevi Fountain
The stunning Baroque Trevi Fountain is a must-see if it’s your first time, even if you have only one or two days in Rome. The Assembly of Rome’s Council ruled to put a barrier in front of the fountain to preserve one of Rome’s most important landmarks from the vandals. This will allow you to take much clearer pictures of this majestic building without the usual crowds.
It’s been recently cleaned so you can see it in all its original white splendor.
A fascinating and more complete experience linked to the Trevi Fountain is to visit some of the ruins of the aqueduct that supplies its water, Aqua Virgo. A few steps away is the fantastic archaeological site of Vicus Caprarius (Vicolo del Puttarello 25) where you will see the cistern as well as parts of an ancient Roman neighborhood.
Enter the Pantheon
Built as the temple to all gods, the Pantheon is now a Catholic church. Famous for its hole in the dome, it’s the burial place of some members of the Savoys, the former Italian royal family, and painter Raffaello Sanzio.
One of the best-kept Roman temples and one of the largest concrete domes in the world, the Pantheon is a must-see in your 2-day Rome itinerary.
Check out our full video about the Pantheon in Rome!
Stroll around Piazza Navona
This is one of Rome’s most famous and beautiful piazzas. The first thing you will notice is that it’s not round but stretched oval-shaped. Piazza Navona, in fact, was built on top of the Domitian Stadium. This is an ancient Roman stadium the emperor Domitian wanted to devote to Greek games and you can visit the archaeological ruins from the entrance on Via di Tor Sanguigna.
Piazza Navona is famous for its gorgeous fountains, especially the Four Rivers Fountain in the center, one of the masterpieces by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Rome.
Another sight not to miss in Piazza Navona is the gorgeous Baroque church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, the work of the great 17th-century Italian architect Francesco Borromini.
Want to learn everything about Piazza Navona? Check out our video!
Climb the Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps are one of the most popular historic landmarks that you will want to visit even on short trips of 2 days in Rome. Built to connect the church of Trinità dei Monti to the Bourbon Spanish embassy.
Apart from the famous staircase, Piazza di Spagna features also the beautiful Barcaccia fountain by the father of famous artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Actually, here, there are several things to do. You can visit the house of John Keats, the British poet buried in the Protestant Cemetery, have a coffee at the historic Caffé Greco, or tea at Babington’s Tea Rooms.
Explore Piazza del Popolo
This might seem a bit of a stretch, but I think in 2 days in Rome you just cannot skip the gorgeous Piazza del Popolo. A true glamorous entrance to Rome’s Tridente and Centro Storico, there are so many landmarks that you can’t just miss it without regretting it later.
Enter the artwork-packed Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo and see the two Caravaggio paintings in the Cerasi chapel on the left side of the main altar. From Raphael to Bernini to Bramante, many of the most famous artists of their time have contributed to making the church a jewel of Rome’s city center.
Make sure you read our guide to the spectacular Piazza del Popolo.
Have dinner
So it’s your last night of an exciting and exhausting 2 days in Rome. You need to make it count and have a fabulous dinner. Check out our guide to some great restaurants in the city center.
How do I plan 2 days in Rome?
With so much to see and do, if you are only staying two days in Rome, you will need some solid planning to avoid wasting your already limited time.
I have created a full course including everything you need to keep in mind when planning your trip to Rome, from deciding in which neighborhood to book your hotel to understanding public transport to tips on what to pack. Once you are done making your travel plan, you can send it to me and I will give you personalized feedback and extra tips to save time and money!
Click here to see all the details of my course
Book a tour
Booking a Rome tour can be a great way to save time, especially for landmarks with a larger crowd and line such as the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum. For the most time-consuming attractions, joining a tour is very convenient for a few reasons.
First of all, your tour leader can sum up the most important sights and historical facts in two hours or less. Secondly, by joining a tour, you are going to skip the line and speed up your entrance quite a lot.
Book your tickets online
If you don’t want to book a guided tour, an easy way to save time is to book your skip-the-line tickets online. Especially when it comes to busy sights like the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, this helps hugely.
By booking your fast-track entrance online, you can get to the landmarks with the peace of mind that you won’t have to spend hours in line.
Plan in advance
While it’s impossible to plan everything in advance, whether it’s a landmark or a specific restaurant, having a well-organized itinerary is of great help to see as much as possible in 2 days in Rome.
IMPORTANT: If you are planning a weekend in Rome, don’t forget to check the opening hours of museums, landmarks, and restaurants to make sure they are open. Some museums are closed on Monday, some restaurants decide to close on Sunday, and some don’t do both lunch and dinner.
Is hop on hop off worth it in Rome?
I’m not the biggest fan of hop on hop off experiences, but if you have very limited time and are interested in viewing as many landmarks as you can, this is a great option to consider. You can book one here.
Can you just walk around Rome?
If you are on a short Rome trip and are mainly visiting the city center and imperial Rome, I recommend walking. Do include some gelato and coffee breaks to recharge and make your trip more pleasant and less of a marathon, but take your time to walk everywhere.
Rome is packed with art and history around every corner, so by walking from one major landmark to the other, you will be able to include more masterpieces to your list, be it a Renaissance fountain, a medieval church, or a stunning piazza.
How to reach Rome from the airport
From Fiumicino
From Fiumicino international airport there are several ways to reach Rome’s city center or other areas. The easier and quicker is by train, albeit not always the cheaper.
Trenitalia’s Leonardo Express train will take you to Termini station in 30 minutes and 14€. From Termini, you can reach most areas in the city because there is a large bus hub and two metro lines, A (red) and B (blue).
From Fiumicino, there is also another train that for only 8€ will take you to Rome stopping in several minor stations such as Villa Bonelli and Magliana and other larger ones such as Trastevere, Ostiense, Tuscolana and Tiburtina.
Another way to travel from Fiumicino to Rome is by coach with companies such as Cotral, Schiaffini, Tam, Sit Bus Shuttle, and Terravision. While Terravision goes directly to Termini, the others stop in other areas such as Cornelia, Aurelia, and the Vatican. For around 6 to 7€, by coach is the cheapest option. You can book your shuttle bus from Fiumicino airport online.
You can also opt for a taxi that you take just outside the exit of the airport. Fees are fixed at 55€ from the airport to anywhere inside the Aurelian Walls.
From Ciampino
From Ciampino airport, you can reach Rome’s Termini station by coach with SIT, Terravision, and Schiaffini. You can book your shuttle bus to and from Ciampino airport online.
Atral bus company connects Ciampino airport to Anagnina metro stop (line A), while Atac transport company connects Ciampino airport to metro station Laurentina (line B) with bus 720 and metro stations Cinecittà and Subaugusta (line A) with bus 520. Atac’s option is the cheapest because bus + metro is included in a standard single ticket of €1,50.
Since 2019, Trenitalia launched a connection between Ciampino and Termini station by bus + train. You will find the bus in front of the exit of the airport and it will take you to Ciampino train station and from there you can take the train to Termini. This is one of the cheapest options because it costs only €2,70.
Best time for a 2-day Rome city break
If you are to stay in Rome for only two days, I would probably suggest coming when it’s not too busy. During high season everything is slower because you are likely to find long lines in all the famous landmarks, whereas, in lower months, the lines are much easier to handle.
Rome is an easy weekend gateway from Europe because connected with direct flights to all European capitals and many major cities. The airlines landing in Rome airports are both ordinary ones and low cost, so a 2-day Rome city break can definitely be a budget trip.
>> If you are coming for the winter festivities, don’t miss our guide to the best things to do in Rome at Christmas.
>> If you are coming in the summer, don’t miss our handy guide to Rome in August.
Where to stay in Rome for 2 days
Here are some good hotel options to consider for your 2-day Rome stay.
- High-end:
- Eitch Borromini – A luxurious 5-star hotel set in a 17th-century palace designed by Francesco Borromini, nonetheless. Right on Piazza Navona, you are bound to wake up to some pretty gorgeous views.
- Hotel Hassler – Another sumptuous luxury resort in the city center, this time overlooking the monumental Spanish Steps. Pamper yourself at the on-site wellness center and at their Michelin-starred Imàgo restaurant.
- The St. Regis Rome – The St. Regis is as opulent as it gets. Expensive and sumptuous, it’s the perfect addition to a dream holiday. Near Termini station.
- Bio Hotel Raphaël – Relais & Châteaux – Classy and finely furnished, this château is equipped with all the amenities you need for a comfortable stay. Courtesy set by Bulgari among its perks.
Make sure you check out our guide to the best 5-star hotels in Rome.
- Mid-range:
- Escape Luxury Suite – A mid-range accommodation near Piazza Barberini with well-furnished rooms and all the necessary facilities.
- Relais Giulia – A mix of traditional and elegant décor welcomes the guests of this cozy hotel near Piazza Navona set in an ancient cloister.
- Villa Laetitia – A 20th-century Liberty villa redesigned by Anna Fendi Venturini finely decorated and surrounded by a private garden right in the Prati neighborhood near the river Tiber.
Don’t miss our guide to the best budget hotels in Rome.
- Budget-friendly:
- Arts & Rooms – A simple, no-frill guesthouse well furnished and equipped in Prati near the Vatican.
- B&B Alexander – Affordable bed & breakfast equipped with all the basic modern facilities near Termini station.
- Ronda St. Angelo Suites – Lovely guesthouse near the Hadrian Mausoleum featuring a private bathroom in each room.
Check out our suggestions for the best cheap hotels in Rome.
Do you need some extra help deciding what to do in Rome?
Check out my custom Rome itineraries to build an unforgettable holiday!
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