2 Days in Rome

By Robert Heaney
Dome of St. Peter's Basilica over the Rome skyline

One of Europe’s most popular city break destinations, the eternal city of Rome houses some of the continent’s most sought-after sights and attractions. As such, it can often seem overwhelming to try to fit everything in if you find yourself with only a short amount of time to explore it all.

Fret not, though, as we’ve put together this brief guide to some of the city’s most lauded attractions to help you decide how best to spend your time. With this guide, we’ve gathered a selection of popular attractions that you should easily be able to cover with 2 days in Rome, alongside average visit times to help you draw up your ideal itinerary.

Top Attractions

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Colosseum

Renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Colosseum is easily one of the most globally-recognized icons. Once the site of many battles, re-enactments and theater performances in ancient Rome, this impressive venue serves as the world’s largest standing amphitheater.

Average Visit: 1 hour

Pantheon

Another iconic UNESCO site, the Pantheon stands remarkably intact as both a former Roman temple and later Catholic church. Although famous for its pillared entrance and domed interior, the site’s main draw is the open oculus in the ceiling, permitting all natural light and weather into the vast space below. Visit on a rainy day for a true spectacle!

Average Visit: 20 minutes

Trevi Fountain

If you come across any front-page photos of Rome, chances are many of them include this iconic fountain. Built upon one of Rome’s oldest water sources, at the end of the Aqua Virgo Aqueduct, the elegant sculpture work of this fountain has undergone various transformations and reconstructions over the years to become the popular tourist hotspot we know today. As the local legend says, throw in a coin if you hope to return to Rome, or two if you hope to find love.

Average Visit: 10 minutes

Spanish Steps

Alongside the Trevi fountain, this famous stairway joining Piazza di Spagna to Piazza Trinità dei Monti is most popularly photographed with the emblematic Trinita dei Monti Church looming at the top and the quirky Fontana della Barcaccia at the foot. Built between 1723 and 1726, the site now stands as one of the most popular photo ops in Rome, making it a particularly busy destination the later into the day you choose to visit.

Average Visit: 10 minutes

Roman Ruins

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Roman Forum & Palatine Hill

Atop the most central of Rome’s seven hills sit the oldest ruins in the city. Considered the cradle of all Roman civilization, Palatine Hill is replete with ancient history, with an added flair of mystique given its fabled reputation as the site of the Lupercal cave of ancient Roman myth.

Once the center of many important social, political and religious activities in Rome, the Roman Forum was originally the site of a number of impressive and important administrative buildings. Located at the foot of Palatine Hill, visitors can stroll among the remaining ruins and columns, now mere whispers of their former glory in an era long since passed.

Average Visit: 2 – 4 hours

Pyramid of Cestius

Though somewhat of a lesser known monument, the Pyramid of Cestius is nevertheless very much worth a visit if you can fit it into your route. Resting place to the once priest and magistrate Gaius Cestius and his family from the 1st century BC, the understated site is a prime example of Egyptian influence in ancient Rome ahead of the Empire’s conquest of Egypt.

Average Visit: 30 minutes

Rome Catacombs

Certainly not quite so mainstream as many of Rome’s most popular attractions, the Rome Catacombs are worth a visit for those with a penchant for the macabre. Over sixty subterranean passages stretch out for miles beneath the busy city streets, lined with the many skeletal remains of those who once walked them long ago. Though somewhat unsettling, these tunnels offer a unique insight into a more hidden side to the eternal city’s ancient history.

Average Visit: 1 hour

Vatican City

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St. Peter’s Square

Think of the Vatican as a whole, and it’s likely that the first image in your mind is the impressive vista of its vast courtyard. Named after the apostle St. Peter, believed by Catholics to have been the very first Pope, the square stands as a stunning example of Italian Baroque architecture and serves as the site of several annual religious events.

Average Visit: 20 minutes

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Founded during the early Sixteenth Century by Pope Julius II, the Vatican Museums are home to one of the world’s greatest collections of art and historical artifacts. Comprising roughly four miles of exhibits housing everything from Egyptian mummies to Old Masters paintings, the museum’s impressively lavish halls intersect with the Apostolic Palace, the official residence to the Pope himself.

Tucked away within the halls of the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel houses perhaps the world’s best-known Catholic works of art. Though impressive enough in its vaulted, Renaissance-style architecture, the true jewels of the chapel’s crown are the renowned frescoes adorning the chapel’s ceiling, painted over the course of five years by the legendary Italian artist, Michelangelo.

Average Visit: 2 – 3 hours

St. Peter’s Basilica

Among the many outstanding churches and religious sites spread throughout Rome, none quite match up to the glory of St. Peter’s Basilica. Consecrated in 1626 after 120 years of construction, the basilica’s cavernous interior houses three of Italy’s most lauded masterpieces – Michelangelo’s Pietà sculpture, his imposing dome, and Bernini’s baldachin standing over the high altar, itself placed atop St. Peter’s grave.

Average Visit: 2 – 3 hours

Getting Around

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To make the most of your two days in Rome, you’ll want to be able to fit as much as possible into your itinerary. Although most of the city’s top sights and venues are easily accessible on foot and within relative walking distance of one another, you may find yourself looking for quicker and more convenient means of getting around.

Fortunately, Rome has a fairly extensive transport system covering much of the city. The fastest options are naturally the metro and tram services, but with only a small few serviced lines running through the city center, they aren’t always of much use to most tourists. Buses, on the other hand, operate a much more convenient alternative, with over 350 lines servicing over 8,000 stops throughout the city center and wider suburbs.

However, most public transport in Rome tends to get rather busy at the best of times, let alone over the weekend. For somewhat of a more convenient, comfortable and entertaining means of getting around, a Big Bus Rome tour runs a main route passing by most of the capital’s top attractions, along with a hop-on, hop-off policy and optional audio commentary in several major languages

Robert Heaney
Go City Travel Expert

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Statue of Caesar and a rainbow in Rome
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Things to do in Rome for Pride Day

Rome has more layers than a prize-winning onion. It’s a city where deeply held religious beliefs (*cough* the Vatican *cough*) can live side by side with a thriving LGBTQ+ community, and an annual Pride celebration that turns the ancient, timeworn streets into rainbow-colored rivers of love, joy and inclusion. There’s stacks to do across Roma Pride weekend and indeed through the rest of the hot Italian summer. So, without further ado, here are some of the best things to do in Rome for Pride Day and beyond. Roma Pride Parade While not as fulsomely flamboyant as Pride parades in more progressive Italian cities like Milan, Rome’s June party still packs a punch. The parade has been running here since 1994, drawing thousands of revelers keen to catch a glimpse of the ostentatious floats, outlandish costumes and fabulous drag queens as they weave their colorful way south from the Piazza della Repubblica to the ancient Roman Baths of Caracalla, passing such little-known Rome attractions as the Colosseum and Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica along the way. The parade usually takes place on a Saturday in mid-June, kicking off in the afternoon, around 3PM.  Roma Pride: Art and Culture The Pride Croisette is a festival of art and culture that runs for the two weeks up to and including Pride Day, promising music, comedy, debates and more drag acts that you can shake a pink feather boa at. The Pride festival culminates on Saturday night with a huge ticketed event: Rock Me Pride brings together dozens of acts – from rock stars to drag queens – at the Capannelle Racecourse. Get info and listings for the Pride Croisette and Rock Me Pride party on the official Roma Pride website here. Gay Street The clue’s in the name here. Ok ok, so the real name of this LGBTQ+ enclave opposite the Colosseum is ‘Via di San Giovanni in Laterano’, but just try asking for directions to that after a couple of aperol spritzes. There’s a party going on along this lively cobbled lane year-round, but things hit a high on Pride weekend when crowds of colorful punters make a beeline for the bars here after the parade, filling the street with laughter, song and often incredible garb as the festivities continue well into the night. Rome’s LGBTQ+ Nightlife Rome isn’t exactly heaving with LGBTQ-friendly bars and clubs outside of Gay Street. But those that have established themselves will certainly be running special events and Pride-themed parties on the Saturday night after the parade. Try the 101 Club near Rome’s Termini Station. Or hit up its near neighbor, the smoky basement bar that is Company Roma (note: you’ll need to purchase a membership card at the entrance for this one). Over in the Pigneto district, the Malo Glitter Bar is your place for cool cocktails and craft beers, with a side order of cabaret, drag shows, comedy and other live entertainment on its small stage. Gay Village The party doesn’t stop just because Pride proper is over. No sir! Gay Village is a summer-long shindig and the largest LGBTQ+ festival in Italy, running between June and September in the Parco del Ninfeo south of the city center. For 15 weeks, the historic park is transformed, becoming a vast outdoor entertainment complex complete with bars, dance floors, an outdoor cinema, open-air gym and more. Expect a great big joyous love-in with theater, fun competitions, art shows and – on weekends – the biggest, most hedonistic LGBTQ+ party in town. The park is free to enter Sunday-Wednesday but there’s a fee Thursday-Saturday. Some events in the park – generally those involving the biggest international DJs and performers – are also ticketed. But what price an unforgettable summer of love? The Baths of Caracalla… and Beyond When in Rome, do as the Romans do… and head for the thermal baths. Hit up the Insta-perfect Baths of Caracalla for a taster: this ancient complex features beautifully-preserved floor mosaics, soaring honey-stone arches, and a tepidarium, and would have accommodated some 1,500 bathers in its 3rd-Century heyday. Having boned up on your Roman bathing history, try the real thing at some of the city’s top gay saunas and bathhouses for men only; Adam, Apollion and Illumined are among the most popular. LGBTQ-Friendly Neighborhoods in Rome Clinging to opposite sides of the Tiber, just south of the Centro Storico, the hip ‘hoods of Trastevere and Ostiense are among some of the most welcoming and inclusive in Rome. Trastevere’s café-lined piazzas and cute ocher-colored houses are manna for Insta addicts, while Ostiense has a cooler, more industrial vibe. Both are chock-full of trendy young bars, trattorias and gelaterias, as well as some of the finest contemporary galleries and street art in town. Hit up Tridente in the center for high-end Italian fashion boutiques and the chance to make a wish at the Trevi Fountain, or make for the tiny fairytale enclave of Quartiere Coppedè, with its ornate fountains, Florentine towers, baroque palazzi and swoonsome Moorish arches.  Read our guide to Rome’s best neighborhoods here. Best of the Rest: Rome’s Top Attractions So you’re in Rome for Pride and to sample the best of the Eternal City’s LGBTQ+ nightlife. But don’t let that stop you from also checking out Rome’s many, many attractions. You could save up to 50% on a wide variety of tours, activities and attractions with a Go Rome pass. We’re talking some of the biggest and best bucket-listers in town, including… Skip-the-line entry to the Vatican and Michelangelo’s extraordinary Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes. An audio-guided tour of Ancient Rome’s big three: the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The immersive Leonardo da Vinci Experience, featuring faithful reproductions of the maestro’s paintings and inventions. Pizza and wine-tasting experiences by the Colosseum. Cocktails by the Spanish Steps. A sweet-lover’s dream-come-true: an epic gelato, espresso and tiramisu tour. … and many many more! Find out more and get your Rome attractions pass here.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Couple descending the Spanish Steps in Rome, with the Trinità dei Monti church behind them
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Free Things to do in Rome

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the best things in life are free, and perhaps nowhere more so than in Rome, where access to some of the finest churches and monuments on the planet is absolutely gratis. Visiting Insta-perfect attractions like the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon won’t cost you a cent, while many popular museums throw open their doors for nada on the last Sunday of the month. Follow our guide to free things to do in Rome and the only thing you’ll have to pay for is the irresistible gelato. Tick Off the Big Hitters Many of Rome’s most famous monuments are yours to visit for free. Let’s begin with the Trevi Fountain, that gloriously baroque 18th-century water feature where you must face the existential question: can an attraction truly be said to be free if you feel compelled, almost against your own will, to throw a coin into it? As you contemplate this conundrum, remember that must-see attractions with no entrance fees tend to lead to hordes of camera-toting tourists. Night owls can dodge the crowds by visiting during the quieter hours: between 3am and 6am, to be precise. Much like wading in the Trevi Fountain, pausing to sit on the nearby Spanish Steps is no longer permitted, so steel yourself for the 135-step climb up this national monument to the majestic Trinità dei Monti church at its summit. Like all of the Eternal City's near-1,000 churches, this Renaissance confection is free to enter, and has riches inside to rival the very best of Rome's museums and galleries. Expect stunning decorative features including a pair of anamorphic frescoes from the 17th Century that give wildly different perspectives depending on where you stand. The Pantheon is one of the best-preserved examples of Ancient Roman architecture on the planet. Better still, you can visit for free. Step between the iconic Corinthian columns and inside this vast masterpiece of Roman engineering, its vast roof still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, a mere 2,000 years after its construction. Visit during a heavy downpour to experience the column of water that cascades down from the oculus (an opening in the center of the dome) and drains away through discrete holes in the floor 142 feet below. Admission is free from Monday to Friday. Some of Rome’s other bucket-list attractions offer free entry on select days. This tends to be the first or last Sunday of the month for museums including – deep breath – the Galleria Borghese, the Roman Forum, the Baths of Caracalla, the Vatican Museums, the papal audience and the Colosseum, as well as dozens more obscure sites. Dates are subject to change, so do check in with your chosen attraction(s) before turning up on a random Tuesday in August insisting on free entry. Then there are the free walking tours, like this one. Ok, so they’re not strictly gratis in that you’re expected (but not required) to pay your expert guide whatever you think the tour is worth, but they do represent great value and are a fine way to find your bearings among the Eternal City’s cobbled lanes, ancient ruins and baroque piazzas. Get Snap Happy! It goes without saying that romantic Rome is one of the most photogenic cities in the world, so grab your camera, compose your image, and get ready to capture shots that will make you the envy of even the most seasoned Instagram influencer. Quirky Quartiere Coppedè is a photographer’s dream, with fairytale fountains, Moorish arches and a fantastical jumble of architectural styles, from Ancient Roman to Art Nouveau, that just beg to be snapped. Don’t miss the elaborate Fountain of Frogs, and the enormous iron chandelier that dangles over the Via Tagliamento entrance. Hidden away through the unassuming Arco degli Acetari archway just off Campo de' Fiori lies another picture-postcard scene – a tiny medieval courtyard with quaint rust-colored houses festooned with lush green foliage and flower-filled window boxes. Cats snooze on the cobbles in the afternoon sun, providing budding snappers with some fine shots of Rome at its sleepiest. Peep through the otherwise unremarkable Aventine Keyhole at the Villa del Priorato di Malta for one of the most Instagrammable views you’ll find anywhere in Rome. For through that keyhole lies a perfectly framed image of distant St Peter's Basilica flanked by the villa’s manicured cypress trees. It’s not known whether the door and its lock were deliberately designed this way, but it’s an almost unbelievably serendipitous result if not. Parks, Piazzas and Ancient Avenues There are worse ways to while away a few hours than to roam Rome’s stunning parks, or find a spot on a busy piazza to devour a gelato and watch the world go by. There’s plenty of free entertainment to be had in Villa Borghese, where charming tree-lined avenues lead to formal gardens, babbling fountains and grand villas and monuments. View the 18th-century Temple of Aesculapius from the lake shore or pay the nominal fee to rent a boat and get up close. The Carlo Bilotti Museum is also free of charge and contains a collection of works by Italian surrealist Giorgio de Chirico as well as pieces by Andy Warhol and Gino Severini. There’s also an excellent playground where kids can let off steam while parents perk up with an espresso from the café. Don’t miss Rome’s most celebrated public squares. Sprawling Piazzo Navona contains not one but two Bernini masterpieces, including his magnificent Fountain of the Four Rivers. Visit in the evening, when its waters are illuminated and the piazza is abuzz with locals out for an evening stroll, or on their way to dinner. Meanwhile, gelato and people-watching is the order of the day on the Campo de' Fiori, where a daily market fills the air with heady aromas of warm bread, farm-fresh cheeses and just-picked flowers. Last but by no means least, a walk on the Appian Way is hands-down one of the best free things to do in Rome. This ancient Roman road stretches south out of the city, with much of it remaining unchanged in centuries. Indeed, some of the views will be much the same as those seen by Julius Caesar and his armies as they marched this strategic route over 2,000 years ago. It’s a superb cobbled avenue flanked by soaring pine trees and fields in which evocative Roman ruins and tombs can often be spotted. Take a bike or take the bus but – most importantly of all – take a camera and a picnic. Save on things to do in Rome Save on admission to Rome attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Table of food in Rome
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Unlock a veritable bacchanalia of food and drink with Go City’s Rome sightseeing pass

Tick off Rome big-hitters including the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and St. Peter's Basilica while gorging yourself Caesar-style on pizza, pasta, Trastevere street food and more.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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