So much to see in Rome and not sure how to plan to not miss out on anything? You are at the right place. I will share with you a perfect Rome 3-day travel itinerary.
I will share with you a great plan that combines sites near to each other so you do not waste time wandering around. I will also add the time needed for each site so you can then amend the itinerary as per your needs.
Rome 3-Day Travel itinerary
DAY 1
Start of the day: 7:30 AM
For this day I recommend getting up early and starting at 7 AM, because the sites I am about to offer are only enjoyable early in the morning. After 9 AM there are too many people.
7: 30 AM - Trevi Fountain
8:00 AM - Spanish Steps
Before 9 AM start to queue for Pantheon
9 AM - Pantheon (pre-book the tickets for 9 AM)
10 AM - Have a coffee at Navona Square
11 AM - Visit the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola with its incredible ceiling design
12 AM Have some breakfast, a great brunch place I can recommend is Barnum
2 PM - Check out the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (free entry)
3 PM - Make sure to check out the Church of Santa Maria di Loreto nearby
4 PM - Have a drink at the Oro rooftop bar overlooking the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II & Roman Forum
5:30 PM - Take a stroll to the Piazza di Popolo
7 PM - Dinner and cocktails
DAY 2
Start of the day: 7 AM
Try to get to the Vatican before 7 AM, there will be already a queue since 6 AM.
7 AM - Queue for St. Peter's Basilica. The queue is unavoidable. But if you get there early, before 7 AM, you won't wait too much - about 15 minutes. If you decide to go later, the queue can take up to 2 hours.
7:30 AM - St. Peter's Basilica (free entry). I would allocate at least an hour to explore the basilica, plus you will also find a treasury museum inside the basilica. So if you want to visit it, then you need to add more time.
10 AM - Have breakfast at one of the cafes outside the Vatican walls
12 PM - Vatican Museum (pre-book tickets for 12 PM). This will take around 2 hours.
3 PM - Take a break and have a refreshing drink at the Roof Garden rooftop terrace. You will get amazing views of the Vatican and Rome.
5 PM - Castle Sant'Angelo. For this site, you can get tickets on the spot if you do not want to commit to a time. The queue compared to other sites in the afternoon is nothing. It closes at 7:30 PM, so you just need to get there before then.
6 PM - Cross the Sant'Angelo bridge and take a stroll by the river to the Trastevere neighborhood. The walk shouldn't take you more than 20 minutes.
7 PM - Janiculum Hill viewpoint
8 PM - Dinner in one of Trastever's restaurants.
Then you can decide to finish the day or continue with some cocktails in Trastevere.
To find out the best areas to stay in Rome, make sure to check out my Rome Areas Explained Travel Guide!
DAY 3
Start of the day: 8 AM
Around 8 AM start to queue for Colosseum
8:30 AM - Colosseum (pre-book tickets for 8:30 AM)
11 PM - Have breakfast with a view of the Colosseum
1 PM - Head to Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore
3 PM - And here I want to leave the afternoon free for you to visit any places you might have missed on the days before or to visit the Roman Forum. Roman Forum will require at least 3 hours and a guide so make sure to pre-book. I am not putting the Roman Forum as a must but it is a very interesting part of Rome if you are into history. Also, you can see 80% of the Roman Forum without purchasing a ticket, you can simply view it from the above for free, and that will also take less time.
I have put together a guide of the Must-See Places in Rome so to learn more about all the above-mentioned, check it out!
If you are interested in seeing the above just from the outside then consider booking some of the free walking tours around Rome.