How To Day Trip To Rome

Rome has to be one of my favorite cities in all of Italy! I’ve spent the last four months studying abroad in Florence and Rome is just an hour and a half train ride away, making it the perfect destination for a quick day trip. Don’t get me wrong, there’s more than a day’s worth of stuff to do and see in Rome but if that’s all the time you’ve got, don’t fret. You’ll be able to pack plenty in!

Sharing my ideal itinerary for a day spent in the “eternal” city. Enjoy!

Take The Train 

Rome is one of the easiest cities in Italy to get to with hundreds of trains going in and out of here each day. Look into tickets a minimum of two weeks in advance for the best prices; I always use Trainline to book mine. I recommend taking the earliest train of the day. Rome is incredibly touristy so visiting these popular picturesque locations gets more chaotic as the day goes on.

I arrived in the city around 10:30 am both times,

the weekdays being the least busy.

Wish At Trevi Fountain

Of course, stopping by the iconic Trevi Fountain is a must. This fountain was built as a water source for Rome and has since become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Truly the perfect place to live out your Lizzie McGuire dreams. Don’t forget to bring three coins with you so that you can make your wishes— 1) To return to Italy, 2) To find true love, 3) Make your own wish!

I recommend making this your first stop of the day. It’s about a twenty-minute walk from the train station and is best to hit as early in the day as possible. Even in the morning on a weekday, it’s packed here—getting that perfect Instagram photo can be quite the challenge. Be patient and watch your purse; pickpocketing is huge in this area. 

Go Inside The Pantheon

From there, I recommend walking over to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is the oldest functioning building in the world that’s still in use. I spent much of high school studying it’s history and was dying to to go inside. To do so, you must book a reservation/tour through a travel agency a day in advance. They don’t do any same-day visits, unless you get lucky like me and someone cancels while you’re asking the woman at the counter and a free spot opens up, lol. 

The inside of this church is unreal with some of the most intricate interiors I’ve ever seen. So much beautiful architecture and even crazier paintings by some of the most famous artists in the world. The dome is open which means that on days it’s raining outside, it’s also raining inside the building. Plan accordingly and don’t skip out on this beautiful site. 

Domus Aurea Ruins 

From there, you can walk about a half a mile toward the Domus Aurea ruins. This city square is always hopping with hundreds of people, lots of live music, and even a parade on the weekends. As you walk along this strip you see about five centuries worth of architecture/history/ruins all at once. It’s truly a sight like no other! 

Visit The Colosseum

Of course visiting the iconic Colosseum is a must. There are tours that happen all day long where you’re able to go inside of it. I however, have not done of this myself. I’ve only looked at the building from afar, still snapping some adorable photos. I’ll leave the coordinates of this spot so that you can grab a cute photo—it’s best to be a little further away from the structure so that you can see it in all of it’s glory. 

Spanish Steps 

To be honest, the Spanish Steps are rather underwhelming (if you ask me). I know they have some historical significance but they really are just steps to look at. I reccomend saving this for the evening time/once It gets dark out as it’s nothing super special. 

Right around the Spanish Steps is some of the best shopping in the city. This is where you can find popular chains like H&M and Mango, mixed with Italian favorites Gorgio Armani and Ferragamo, mixed with luxury like Louis Vuitton and Longchamp (I bought items here both times I was in the city!). Definitely worth walking over here.

Food Recommendations 

Of course, you can’t come to Rome with our trying some of the amazing Italian food. There are hundreds of restaurants packed into this city, with the most authentic being tucked away into small side streets, further away from all of the popular sights. 

However, I can’t resist a good rooftop view. We came to Ristoro Della Salute for a yummy lunch with an amazing view of the Colosseum. I definitely recommend making reservations here as it fills up quickly, especially in the upstairs area. I had their shrimp pesto flatbread pizza and it was very tasty. I hadn’t had this combination here and was thrilled to try something new. By no means was this a life-changing Italian meal but it’s hard to be sad sipping Moscato and looking at one of the most priceless works of art in the world. 

That’s Amore is another spot I recommend. This is near the Trevi Fountain and is family owned with thousands of 5-star reviews. They have a huge pizza/pasta menu with large portions. Their pizza comes in the shape of the heart too which makes it even better—I recommend the Cinque Terre and trying one of their fettuccini dishes. This noodle is home to Bologna, Italy which is the neighboring city. Don’t forget to grab an Aperol spritz; all the locals can be found drinking these regardless of the hour. 

What To Wear 

Make sure to wear comfy shoes here!!!! I can’t stress this enough—I walked over 11 miles on both of the days I visited. The city is much bigger than I expected and there really isn’t an ideal public transportation option to get you from one place to the next.  There’s beauty all around so don’t worry, it’s not a miserable walk, but it is one where you’ll want comfortable shoes on. 

If you’re stumped on what to wear in the city, be sure to check out this post where I break down some outfit ideas to wear there this fall! 

Rome really is the prettiest city. It’s so much bigger than Florence with a whole new layer of history to it. While I feel like I was able to see so much during my day trips here, I know there’s so much more to the city I’ve yet to see. I hope my Trevi Fountain wish comes true and that I’m back in beautiful area again someday soon! 

With love, McKenz 

Latest Post: What to Wear In Rome, Italy
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