Itinerary · 3 days · 13 places
Weekend in Rome
Three days in Rome along the ancient axis: the Imperial Fora and Monti to settle in, a full day for the Colosseum, Forum, Palatine and the Baths of Caracalla, and finally the Vatican and Castel Sant'Angelo before the flight home.
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Photo: Görkem Özdemir · Pexels
The route on the map
The plan, day by day
Day 1Arrival, Imperial Fora & Monti
Arrival in Rome
Hotel check-in
Base yourself in Rione Monti, the old artisans' quarter between the Imperial Fora and Santa Maria Maggiore, from where all of ancient Rome is within walking distance.
Imperial Fora on Via dei Fori Imperiali
From the pavement of Via dei Fori Imperiali you look down on the excavated forums of Caesar, Augustus and Nerva, along with the three surviving columns of the Temple of Mars.
Trajan's Markets
This semicircular brick complex, with six levels of shops and the Great Hall, shows how Roman administration and commerce were stacked on top of each other.
Piazza del Campidoglio
Michelangelo's square on the Capitoline Hill with the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius; behind the Palazzo Senatorio a terrace opens onto a view across the entire Roman Forum.
Evening: Rione Monti
Around Piazza della Madonna dei Monti, Romans sit on the fountain steps in the evening, and the wine bars on Via del Boschetto stay open late.
Day 2Colosseum, Palatine & the Baths
Colosseum
The largest amphitheatre in the Roman world held 50,000 spectators; in the excavated underground you can see the passages and lift shafts used for animals and scenery.
Roman Forum
Between the Arch of Titus, the Temple of Vesta and the speakers' platform of the Rostra, you walk the Via Sacra through the political heart of the Republic and the Empire.
Palatine Hill
On the hill above the Forum lie Domitian's imperial palaces and the House of Livia, plus the view from the Farnese Gardens over the Circus Maximus.
Circus Maximus
This 600-metre grassy hollow was the chariot-racing track for more than 150,000 spectators; the central spina can still be made out as a raised strip in the ground.
Baths of Caracalla
The brick walls of this imperial bath complex from AD 216, up to 30 metres high, enclose remains of the mosaic floors of the frigidarium and palaestra.
Evening: Trastevere
In the lanes around Santa Maria in Trastevere and Piazza Trilussa, enotecas and trattorias stay open until midnight, and the church façade is lit up.
Day 3Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo & flight home
Vatican Museums
The route leads from the Cortile Ottagono with the Laocoön group and the Apollo Belvedere through the Gallery of Maps to the Sistine Chapel.
St Peter's Basilica
Beneath Michelangelo's dome stand his Pietà in the right aisle and Bernini's baldachin over the papal altar; the climb to the lantern costs extra.
Castel Sant'Angelo
Emperor Hadrian's mausoleum was converted into a papal fortress; the ancient ramp leads up to the terrace with views of the Tiber and Ponte Sant'Angelo.
Departure from Rome
Make it your trip
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