Rome in 3 days: itinerary, where to eat and what it costs
The Colosseum, the Vatican and the Baroque piazzas in three days, with the new rules that catch visitors out and what to eat without falling into the tourist traps.
In short. In three days you can see ancient Rome on the first (the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine), the Vatican and Trastevere on the second, and the Baroque centre, from the Pantheon to Piazza Navona, on the third. Excluding flights and hotel, budget around €75 per person per day, and few cities in these guides feed you better for less (October 2026 prices).
- Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine, with a timed slot and your name on the ticket
- €18
- 100-minute bus and tram ticket, including one metro ride
- €1.50
- per person per day, excluding flights and hotel (example)
- €75
You don’t so much visit Rome as cross it. Between the Colosseum and the Vatican lie two thousand years of history and about an hour on foot, and almost everything in between demands a stop. The best way not to get lost in it all is to give each day an era: ancient Rome on the first, the Vatican on the second, the Baroque city of fountains and piazzas on the third.
And Rome has new rules. Colosseum tickets carry the name of the person going in, the Trevi Fountain started charging €2 to get close to the water in February 2026, and the Vatican sells online with a booking fee. None of this is expensive, but all of it catches out anyone who arrives unaware. On the bright side, you eat well for little: a cappuccino at the bar costs less on average than in Lisbon.
Where should you stay in Rome on a first visit?
In the historic centre or around it. Rome is a city for walking and the metro barely serves the old centre, so location matters more than the size of the room.
Centro Storico (Pantheon and Piazza Navona)
Everything on foot, from the fountains to the restaurants. It’s the most expensive area and the noisiest at night, but the one that saves you the most time.
Monti
Just above the Colosseum, with streets of small shops and neighbourhood trattorias, and a metro stop at Cavour.
Trastevere
Across the Tiber, cobbled lanes draped in ivy. The best area for dinner, lively at night and linked to the centre by tram 8.
Prati
By the Vatican, quieter and more elegant, with the metro (line A) to Piazza di Spagna.
How do you get from the airport to the centre?
Rome has two airports and low-cost airlines use both. Check which one is yours before choosing how to get into town.
| Airport | How | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiumicino (about 30 km) | Leonardo Express direct to Termini station, every 15 minutes | 32 min | €14 |
| Ciampino (about 15 km) | Bus 520 to Cinecittà metro, or 720 to Laurentina, then the metro into the centre, all on the 100-minute ticket | with a change | €1.50 |
On the Leonardo Express, four people travelling together pay €40 with the group ticket instead of €56.
What can you do in Rome in 3 days?
The Vatican Museums close on Sundays, except the last Sunday of each month, and the Colosseum can only be visited with a timed slot. Book both before you leave Portugal and the rest falls into place.
Morning
The Colosseum at your booked time
Go into the Colosseum in the first hour of the day, with the ticket that already bears your name. The amphitheatre was inaugurated in AD 80 and held around 50,000 spectators, who came and went through numbered gates, just like a modern stadium. Inside, time is rationed: the standard ticket gives you 75 minutes, enough for a full circuit.
Practical. €18 including the Forum and the Palatine, valid for 24 hours. Buy only on the official website; the name on the ticket can be changed once, up to seven days before.
Afternoon
The Roman Forum and the Palatine
With the same ticket, cross over to the Forum, the heart of public life in ancient Rome, and climb the Palatine, the hill where the emperors lived and which gave us the word ‘palace’. Bring water and closed shoes: it’s all dust, stone and almost no shade. In the late afternoon, leave on the Capitoline side and climb up to the Piazza del Campidoglio, designed by Michelangelo, to look down on the Forum.
Practical. Forum and Palatine included in the Colosseum ticket, for up to 24 hours.
Evening
Dinner in Monti
Have dinner in Monti, the neighbourhood of sloping streets just above the Colosseum. In Piazza della Madonna dei Monti, Romans sit on the fountain steps as the day ends. After dinner, walk down to Via dei Fori Imperiali to see the Colosseum lit up.
Morning
The Vatican Museums
Book the first entry slot of the day on the official website: the museums open at 8am and by 10am the corridors are already packed. The route is long on purpose, with kilometres of galleries before you reach the Sistine Chapel, where you can’t take photos or talk loudly. Allow three hours.
Practical. €20 at the door or €25 booked online, only at tickets.museivaticani.va. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm; free on the last Sunday of the month, 9am to 2pm.
Afternoon
St Peter’s Basilica
The basilica is free to enter, with a queue for security. Just to the right, behind glass, is Michelangelo’s Pietà, which he carved when he was barely in his twenties. The dome, also his, has the best view over Bernini’s square for anyone with the legs to climb it.
Practical. Free entry. Shoulders and knees covered, or you won’t get in.
Evening
Trastevere
Cross the Tiber on the Ponte Sisto and get lost in Trastevere, the prettiest neighbourhood in Rome for dinner. The Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, with the church’s golden mosaics, is the heart of the evening. Steer clear of restaurants with photos of the dishes by the door and look for the ones with a short, handwritten menu.
Morning
The Trevi Fountain before 9am, then the Pantheon
Go to the Trevi Fountain early, while you can still see the water without the crowds and without paying: since February 2026, getting close to the basin has cost €2 between 9am and 10pm. From the square, you can see it for free at any hour. Ten minutes’ walk away, the Pantheon is almost two thousand years old and has the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, with a hole at the top that lets the rain in.
Practical. Trevi: €2 to reach the basin, 9am to 10pm, card payment only at the entrance. Pantheon: timed ticket online, free on the first Sunday of the month.
Afternoon
Piazza Navona and Campo de’ Fiori
Piazza Navona keeps the shape of the Roman stadium it was built on and, in the middle, Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers. Campo de’ Fiori is five minutes away: a market in the morning, it fills with café tables by late afternoon.
Evening
Sunset from the Pincio
Climb the Spanish Steps, without sitting on them, which will get you fined, and carry on to the Pincio terrace above Piazza del Popolo. This is where you watch the sun go down with the dome of St Peter’s on the horizon. Then a gelato and one last stroll along Via del Corso.
Direct flight from Lisbon to Rome: about 3h00. See the flight estimate for your dates.
What if you have one more day?
With a fourth day, either stay in Rome at a gentler pace or head out to see how people lived in the days of the Empire.
Galleria Borghese
Bernini and Caravaggio in a villa inside one of the largest parks in the centre. Entry is by reservation only, in two-hour slots, so book well ahead.
Ostia Antica
Ancient Rome’s port city, with streets, baths, a theatre and whole houses still standing, about half an hour by regional train from Piramide station.
Practical. The train accepts the €1.50 ticket.
Where can you eat well and cheaply in Rome?
Rome has four pasta dishes that tell the city’s story: cacio e pepe, gricia, amatriciana and carbonara. All of them use pecorino romano, three use guanciale (cured pork cheek), and none of them uses cream. At an inexpensive restaurant, a meal costs around €15, the same as in Lisbon.
Two local rules spare you surprises. Many trattorias charge ‘pane e coperto’, a per-person charge for bread and table service, which must be shown on the menu. And cappuccino is a morning drink: after lunch you ask for un caffè, an espresso, which costs far less standing at the bar than sitting at a table outside.
- Carbonara
- Egg yolk, guanciale, pecorino and black pepper. The creaminess comes from the egg and the pasta water, never from cream.
- Cacio e pepe
- Just pecorino and black pepper, bound with the cooking water. It looks simple, and it’s the test of any Roman kitchen.
- Supplì
- A fried rice croquette with tomato sauce and a mozzarella centre that stretches as you bite into it. Rome’s favourite street snack.
- Pizza al taglio
- Pizza by the slice, sold by weight, to eat standing up. You choose your piece, it’s weighed and you pay.
- Carciofi
- Artichokes, either Jewish-style (alla giudia), fried whole, or Roman-style (alla romana), braised. Best from winter to spring, and in the old Jewish ghetto.
- Maritozzo
- A brioche bun split open and filled with whipped cream: Rome’s sweet breakfast.
How much does a trip to Rome cost?
For food and public transport, Rome is one of the most affordable cities in these guides. The entry fees are what add up, and almost all of them need booking.
| What | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | ||
| 100-minute BIT ticket (including one metro ride) | €1.50 | ATAC |
| Roma 24h, unlimited travel | €8.50 | ATAC |
| Roma 72h, unlimited travel | €22 | ATAC |
| Leonardo Express, Fiumicino to Termini | €14 | Trenitalia |
| Monuments and museums | ||
| Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine (24 hours) | €18 | Parco archeologico del Colosseo |
| Vatican Museums, at the door | €20 | Musei Vaticani |
| Vatican Museums, booked online | €25 | Musei Vaticani |
| Trevi Fountain, at the basin (9am to 10pm) | €2 | Turismo Roma |
| St Peter’s Basilica | free | Vatican |
| Eating and drinking (averages) | ||
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | €15 | Numbeo |
| Dinner for two, mid-range restaurant, no drinks | €60 | Numbeo |
| Cappuccino | €1.86 | Numbeo |
| Draught beer, 0.5 l | €5 | Numbeo |
Rome next to Lisbon
| What | Rome | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino | €1.86 | €2.70 |
| Draught beer, 0.5 l | €5 | €3 |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | €15 | €15 |
| Dinner for two, mid-range restaurant | €60 | €55 |
A day in Rome, per person
| Roma 24h ticket | €8.50 |
|---|---|
| Cappuccino at the bar | €1.86 |
| Lunch at an inexpensive restaurant | €15 |
| Dinner (half of a dinner for two) | €30 |
| One entry ticket (Colosseum, Forum and Palatine) | €18 |
| Total per person | €73.36 |
Example for one adult, using the prices in the table. Excludes flights, hotel, tourist tax and shopping.
Is the Roma 72h pass worth it?
Only if you use public transport a lot. It costs €22, while three days of four journeys a day on 100-minute tickets come to €18. Since the centre is best seen on foot, almost everyone spends less on single tickets.
What mistakes should you avoid in Rome?
- Buying Colosseum or Vatican tickets anywhere but the official websites. Lookalike sites charge more for the same ticket; the official ones are ticketing.colosseo.it and tickets.museivaticani.va.
- Putting a name on your Colosseum ticket that doesn’t match your ID. It can only be changed once, up to seven days before.
- Going to the Vatican on any Sunday other than the last of the month: the museums are closed.
- Turning up at St Peter’s in shorts or with bare shoulders. Security won’t let you through.
- Sitting on the Spanish Steps. You’ll be fined.
- Forgetting to validate your ticket on the bus. An unvalidated ticket counts as travelling without one.
- Tossing your coin into the Trevi Fountain any old way: tradition says with your back to it, right hand over your left shoulder.
When is the best time to visit Rome?
April, May, October and early November are the best months: mild temperatures and lovely light in the late afternoon. July and August are hot, and around 15 August, Ferragosto, many neighbourhood restaurants close for the holidays.
Winter is mild, with shorter queues at the Vatican and the Colosseum. Unless they’re the reason for your trip, avoid the big religious celebrations, such as Easter: the city fills up.
Frequently asked questions
- How many days do you need to see Rome?
- Three days is enough for the Colosseum, the Vatican and the Baroque centre. With four, you can add the Galleria Borghese or Ostia Antica.
- Do you have to pay to see the Trevi Fountain now?
- Only for the area by the water. Since 2 February 2026, stepping inside the perimeter of the basin has cost €2 from 9am to 10pm. From the square it’s free to see, and outside those hours access is free.
- Does my Colosseum ticket have to carry my name?
- Yes, tickets are named. The name can only be changed once, up to midnight on the seventh day before your visit, and only in cases such as a spelling mistake.
- What’s the best time to visit the Vatican Museums?
- At opening time, 8am, with a booking made on the official website. Entry is free on the last Sunday of the month, but the queues are usually long.
- Is Rome more expensive than Lisbon?
- For food, it’s almost the same: a simple meal costs €15 on average in both cities, and a cappuccino is actually cheaper in Rome (€1.86 against €2.70). Beer costs more: €5 against €3.
Sources and price dates
All prices were checked on 2 October 2026 on the pages below. Restaurant and café averages come from Numbeo, which collects prices submitted by people who live and travel there.
- Parco archeologico del Colosseo: Colosseum, Forum and Palatine ticket
- Parco archeologico del Colosseo: online sales and named tickets
- Musei Vaticani: opening hours
- Musei Vaticani: prices and tickets
- Turismo Roma: the new Trevi Fountain entry fee
- RomaToday: how access to the Trevi Fountain works
- Pantheon, Rome
- ATAC: BIT ticket and passes
- Trenitalia: Leonardo Express
- Numbeo: prices in Rome (updated 2 October 2026)
- Numbeo: prices in Lisbon (updated 2 October 2026)
Lisbon → Rome, return flight with hotel.
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