Rome was actually my first trip abroad. It was for 7 days (I cover 6 here since the 1st day we arrived at around 8PM), during possibly the worst time of the year: end of June, beginning of July. I still remember the sunburns I got after the first 2 days.
Being my first trip and me being a perfectionist, I had planned an itinerary for the whole week. Suffice to say, it was packed. I wanted to do everything. Thankfully, my companions didn’t have a problem with me dragging them around and basically planning our whole holiday.
I loved Rome! I loved that everywhere you turned you saw something beautiful (at least in the centre). A bridge is not just a bridge, a building is not just a building.
A phrase I always use to describe the architecture and the general vibe of the city is that they wanted to be extra. Whatever they were building, a fountain, a bridge, a building, a square – they had to be extra. The detail in everything is amazing, and also the fact that they are preserved for so many years is something I absolutely adore!
Before you go!
Do yourself a favour and book online the visits to the Colosseum, the Vatican and any other activities you wish to do. Not only you don’t have to wait in queues, be anxious whether you’re going to get in or not, but you can plan your trip better if you know already which days are going to be fully booked for certain activities.
To and From the Airport(s)
There are many ways to travel between the 2 airports and Roma Termini. I have only tried going by bus and by car, but they are all reliable means.
Ciampino
Fiumicino
From Fiumicino there are also the bus options which take approximately 50 minutes, and cost 6 euros one way too. However, there is a discount if you get a return ticket too.
Another option is to take the train. There’s a direct train connection from the airport to Rome Termini, it costs 14 euros one way and it takes 30 minutes.
Generally, I would pay attention to the time of the outbound flight to Rome because the majority of transportation happens before midnight and after that, only buses and/or taxis will be available.
Where to Stay
Being the first ever trip abroad, I didn’t really know where to stay or what to expect in terms of safety. Of course, I did some research but in the end, the hotel was booked by someone else for me. We were staying near Termini. Later and upon arriving in Rome, I realized that the majority of people do stay near there.
However, not all places/streets are the same and of course it depends on the wants of each person. Maybe it’s more suitable to find a place at the centre or closer to the monuments you want to see. But generally expect a fair amount of hotels/airbnbs to be located there.
A huge advantage of Termini is the connection it offers to the rest of the city and the major attractions. It is the central train station, there are plenty of bus connections to the city and also a metro station. Great network hub!
7 Day Itinerary
Day 1
First stop : Villa Borghese
Huge park to explore or just lay down and chill with a morning coffee in hand. It’s so big that you can rent a bicycle or an electric car to go around, giving you a map with directions where you can and cannot go. It is definitely worth it if you don’t want to miss an inch of the park.
A noteworthy place in the park is Tempio di Esculapio, a beautiful temple inside a lake. Picturesque spot and very peaceful too.
Totally worth it.
You have the option of renting a boat but I haven’t tried it.
My absolutely favourite spot in the park is Terrazza Viale del Belvedere, a terrace from which you have the perfect view, a panorama of the city. In general, I love viewing spots, I love to hunt them down in trips. Unfortunately, I didn’t stay until the sunset but it still is an amazing place to linger for a while. Usually, there’s a street performer playing the piano or guitar.
When I was there for the first time, we kinda stumbled upon it, we didn’t know that the viewpoint existed and I remember just walking and listening to this beautiful piano piece playing and then wow the view in front of us.
It was so magical…well, the piano makes everything more magical either way but the view is truly magnificent.
Admittedly, my photos are not the best ones, they are only taken by the phone I owned during that time, and generally you can find professionally taken pictures of everything on the internet. I still like mine though…
After spending the first half of the day in the park, we descented to Piazza del Popolo to eat something.
Second Stop : Piazza di Spagna
Just a walking distance from Piazza del Popolo and a beautiful road at that. I’ll never get tired of the view of the Spanish Steps when standing in front of the fountain. Especially at night, it’s awesome, however it’s very crowded as can be expected.
We all climb the stairs, but the view from above is nothing spectacular to be honest. There’s not a lot to see there apart from taking in the scenery, people walking up and down the busy road and climbing up and down the stairs.
Walking further for 10 minutes, you reach Fontana di Trevi.
My first impression was “Wow it is literally on the road”. I fully expected it to have bigger surrounding space but it doesn’t take anything from the experience. You could stare at it all day and still find some details you didn’t see before. Very impressive.
I highly recommend for people to visit the fountain at nighttime as well.
No pictures I’ve taken will do it justice, but again I didn’t want to pick one from the internet.
In the Evening
For a fun night out, head out to Trastevere. Vibrant area with lots of restaurants and bars to choose from. I was told this is where the nightlife happens. Also cool to just walk around and explore.
Day 2
A very tiring day, but always up for a stroll around the city in the evening. We’re on holiday after all!
Please, please do not miss out on going to Fontana di Trevi at night
Day 3
Another beautiful monument is the Altar of the Fatherland. You literally cannot miss it, standing above Piazza Venezia in all its white glory.
Everything in Rome is so extravagant, that monument as well! From the pillars, to the sheer size of it in general, it’s very impressive.
Next Stop: Piazza Navona & Pantheon
I have to admit, I was impressed by how little back and forth this day had compared to the previous days. Meaning, we usually don’t think to plan to visit places that are next to each other. Often, we have a destination in mind and then maybe the next one is backwards. And even if they are close my point is the same – back and forth.
Anyway, you can get piazza Navona and Pantheon in one go, they’re 5 mins on foot from each other. Looking back at pictures to write this, I’m once again impressed by the intricate details the Romans put into everything. They have countless squares with countless fountains and each is a beauty to look at.
The fact that Pantheon is still standing, it’s a feat of its own. According to Wikipedia, it was build in 113–125 AD. Phew!
On the inside, I honestly don’t remember much – just that we had lost our friend and her phone had died of battery so it was funny trying to find her in the hoards of people around us.
Kidding, the dome is very impressive. An interesting fact is that there are holes in it allowing rain to fall through, so on the floor you can see drains which was totally unexpected. When I visited after COVID, you had to book your place online (it’s free) because they’re allowing a limited amount of people every day. Depending on the season you’re visiting, it may be too risky to go on the same day and try to find a ticket.
Day 4
One added stop that can totally be skipped (as was the Colosseum) but we did visit because I don’t like to leave not even one stone uncovered was the Capitoline Museum.
It is located on Capitoline Hill as the name suggests, it houses a huge collection of paintings and sculptures and it is one of the oldest public museums in the world. If you’re a history enthusiast, you will appreciate it. Of course, it’s also pretty to look at.
After that, we ended up at Santa Maria del Popolo…which is not good planning from our side, as we did the back and forth thing again but you can’t have everything in life.
The church’s architectural style is Baroque and it’s quite interesting inside because you will find a collection of paintings from artists such as Caravaggio, Raphael, and Bernini. As it is located next to Villa Borghese, it is advised to do both at the same day.
Since we ended up there, we took the chance to walk again through the most famous/beautiful parts of the city (in my opinion as a tourist). And it’s quite easy since they are essentially in one straight line.
Piazza del Popolo -> Spanish Steps -> Fontana di Trevi.
Day 5
Probably the most tiring day of the whole trip, up there with the Colosseum-Roman Forum-Palatine Hill trifecta.
The Vatican Museums & St. Peter’s Basilica
When you book the tickets online for the Vatican Museums (which I recommend), you have to pick a time slot, so choose wisely because you will probably spend the whole day there if you go early in the morning – which we did. In addition, there are different tickets you can buy and other sites, e.g. the Vatican Gardens. We visited only the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, price is 17€ the regular one and 8€ the reduced.
There are two types of people visiting museums. One goes to the most famous spots and spends max 2 hours, and the second explores the whole museum and spends 5 hours. I fall into the second category.
Unfortunately for me, the Vatican Museums are not that interesting. One thing I spotted immediately is the wealth. It shows that they threw money there and of course it is historical, so you can see some interesting stuff, but nothing unique that you haven’t seen elsewhere.
Have to say, I was pretty impressed by the ceiling below. I don’t think I’ve seen so much gold colour concentrated in one place before. I really like the special touches, how the paintings come in different shapes and sizes and then you have art in the outlines complimenting and connecting the whole piece without leaving any empty space between.
However, the main attraction is by far the Sistine Chapel. I actually didn’t know that it was underground, got pleasantly surprised.
It can get crowded since everyone wants to go and stay there but the main issue is at the entrance. Once you go in, people spread a little.
For me, the ceiling painted by Michelangelo is magnificent. The colours are vibrant, it depicts a whole story and aside that the chapel is important still now as it holds the papal elections and other ceremonies. But well…since I’m not religious at all, I spent maximum 10 minutes there. Still a spectacular sight though.
The second part of the visit goes down to St. Peter’s Basilica. One of the best photos I’ve ever taken (idea copied from the internet of course) was there. The square itself is huge and stunning, surrounded by imposing colonnades and with an obelisk at its centre. Tried to capture a panorama to show the sheer size of it but on the downside, it doesn’t capture the details.
The most interesting part for me came when we went to climb the dome of the church and see the “aerial” view from the opposite side of what we’re seeing in the picture.
Day 6
On our last day, our flight was kinda early in the afternoon, so we went for a little stroll near the river and the castle.
Managed to catch this bird while I was taking the photo.
In the end, I had an amazing time, sure it was tiring and the heat didn’t help at all but Rome was beautiful and I was happy we managed to do a lot of sightseeing.
