The moment I read about Shane’s visit to Rome in the book ‘Again, But Better’ by Christine Riccio was when I decided to visit Rome. The city has so many beautiful sights to offer to its tourists. But if you don’t follow a proper itinerary while visiting the Eternal City, you might miss many things.
I spent 2 days in Rome, Italy, which turned out to be one of my most beautiful travel experiences. Just so you can do the same, I am sharing with you my 2 days Rome itinerary spiced with some insider tips and tricks so that you can make the best out of your trip.
This 2 days Rome itinerary answers all your important questions like-
How to reach Rome? Where to stay in Rome? When to go? How to spend 2 days in Rome? etc.
So, let’s get started with our 2 days Rome itinerary.
2 days Rome Itinerary: How to Reach
There are two airports in Rome- Fiumicino and Ciampino. Fiumicino has flights from different cities worldwide, and Ciampino has flights from Europe only. So, if you are visiting Rome from a country of Southeast Asia, for example from Malaysia then your flight will land at Fiumicino Airport.
You can reach the Rome city centre by taxi, train, or bus from the Fiumicino Airport. Stepping out of the airport, you will see many cabs queued. You can also hire a cab beforehand using a taxi service. Taking a taxi is quite expensive, so if you plan a budget trip to Rome, go for public transport.
In Terminal 3 of the Fiumicino Airport, you will find the Leonardo Express. It departs every 30 minutes from the airport so you won’t have to wait much longer. If you start your 2 days Rome itinerary from the Pantheon Area, taking a train from the Leonardo Express will be suitable.
The bus is the cheapest transport to travel from Fiumicino Airport to the city centre. You will find the bus station outside of Terminal 3. There are 3 types of bus services available, but Terravision is the best one. However, if you are in a rush, you should travel on a train.
2 days Rome Itinerary: Where To Stay
There are many luxury and budget hotels and hostels that you can choose from. And you will find many such hotels in Centro Storico, the historic centre of Rome. The most notable benefit of staying somewhere at the historic centre is that all the tourist attractions are very near. You will save a lot of your time and get to see almost all the best places in Rome if you stay in the historic centre.
I have chosen the best luxury, mid-range, and budget hotels and hostels in Rome for a perfect 2-day Rome Itinerary.
Luxury Hotels In Rome
Price Range: $100+
Eitch Borromini Palazzo Pamphilj
Eitch Borromini Palazzo Pamphilj is a historical building located near Piazza Navona. The hotel’s terrace offers panoramic views of some of the most beautiful places of Rome like- Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and St. Peter’s Basilica. The hotel has various facilities for its guests. It is highly preferred by solo travellers.
Residenza Maritti Decò Style
Residenza Maritti Decò Style is situated in Rione Monti, Rome. The hotel is located between the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia. It has a shared kitchen along with many other tourist facilities.
Mid-Range Hotels in Rome
Price Range: $50-$100
Hotel Select Garden
Hotel Select Garden is a three-star hotel located in Central Station, Rome. It has free WiFi, a complimentary buffet breakfast, air conditioning, satellite TV, etc. Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Coliseum, St. Peter’s Basilica are at a distance less than 4 km from the hotel.
Hotel Impero
Hotel Impero, located at Central Station, has beautiful rooms with city views. Coliseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, and other beautiful places are 15-20 minutes’ walk from the hotel.
Budget Hostels in Rome
Price Range: $10-$50
New Generation Hostel Rome Center
New Generation Hostel Rome Center located at Rione Monti is a 10-minute walk from the Colosseum and Termini Station. The hostel offers a shared kitchen, air-conditioned accommodation, snack bar, free WiFi, TV lounge, and many other excellent facilities.
Hostel Mosaic
Hostel Mosaic, located at the Central Station, also offers some fantastic facilities within a budget. It is 500 m from Roma Termini Train Station. Coliseum, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, etc., are a few kilometres away from the hostel.
2 days Rome Itinerary: Best Time to Visit Rome
Season: Summer
Months: July- September
During summer, the prices are high, and all the tourist spots remain crowded. If you don’t have any problem with the budget, you can visit Rome like all other tourists during this time of the year. But if you love roaming around a tourist spot without any crowd, seeing the Eternal City during summer will be a bad idea.
Season: Winter
Months: October-April
Rome becomes a picturesque beauty during Winter. In fact, this is the best time of the year to visit Rome. The temperature is moderate, and the prices remain low. You will have a crowd-free opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the city.
Season: Spring
Months: May-June
The warm temperatures attract tourists during May. You will hardly find any accommodation during this time of the year. Tourist spots remain quite crowded in spring.
Day 1 In Rome: Around the Historic Centre
Pantheon
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday: 8:30 am – 7:30 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Holidays: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Entrance: Free
Pantheon is one of the most ancient monuments in all of Rome. It is a must-see destination for everyone who visits Rome. And that’s why it is the first choice of my 2 days Rome itinerary.
The interior of the Pantheon has a sizeable rounded room. It is like one of those ballrooms that you see in fairytale movies. The room is covered by the dome, but the oculus remains open. The view of the sky from underneath the oculus is simply marvellous.
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is the most beautiful squares in the historic centre of Rome. It is a 5 minutes walk from the Pantheon. This place looks the most beautiful and calm in the morning.
If you visit Piazza Navona at around 10 am, you will get to enjoy the beauty of the place without much crowd. The beauty of the fountain Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi is located at the centre of the piazza. You will find many artists, street performers, and singers at Piazza Navona who will keep you entertained.
There are many restaurants in Piazza Navona. You will find most bloggers saying that these restaurants are costly and inauthentic. But there’s one restaurant which serves delicious food and is budget-friendly. You can visit this restaurant for breakfast on Day-1 of your 2 days Rome itinerary.
Camillo
Location: Piazza Navona 79, Rome, Italy.
Opening Hours: Everyday: 11 am – 2 am
You need a good, healthy breakfast after walking around Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Although most restaurants in Piazza Navona are tourist traps, there are a few exceptions. Camillo is my favourite choice for having breakfast on a budget at Piazza Navona.
The restaurant has beautiful outdoor seating, which allows visitors to enjoy the beauty of Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. You will find burgers, lasagna, ramen, and many other Roman classics on the menu. They also serve different kinds of drinks. You can enjoy a good meal at Camillo for under €10.
Trevi Fountain
After Piazza Navona, it’s time to visit the most famous fountain in all of Europe, Trevi Fountain. It is an 11 minutes walk from Piazza Navona. You might have seen this fountain in the movie The Lizzie McGuire. But seeing it in real life will be an entirely different feeling.
There is a tradition of Coin throwing. You have to throw a coin with your right hand over the left shoulder into the fountain and make a wish. The wish is said to come true. Whether the desire comes true or not, the coins are given out to charities, so your currency won’t go to waste.
Piazza di Spagna
Within a 10 minutes walking distance from the Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna or the Spanish Steps is the next beautiful destination to visit. The 174 steps lead to the Trinità dei Monti Church.
The view of the city from the terrace is worth checking out. However, keep in mind that sitting on the stairs is not allowed, and you might be fined for that. If you think climbing 174 steps isn’t your thing, there’s an elevator beside the Metro station that will take you to the top of Piazza di Spagna.
There are many restaurants near the Spanish Steps. So, you can choose any one of them for lunch. Here are two notable ones according to my choice.
Pastificio Guerra
Location: Via Della Croce, 8, Rome, Italy.
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday: 01:00 pm – 09:00 pm,
Saturday–Sunday: 01:00 pm – 09:30 pm
Pastificio Guerra is a fast food store. They serve pasta on plastic plates at only €4. They also have many other food items on the menu. But the sad thing is that there is no place to sit inside the restaurant.
Babington’s Tearooms
Location: Piazza di Spagna, 23
Opening Hours: Monday–Sunday: 10:00 am – 09:00 pm
Babingtons was established in 1893. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor settings. There are burgers, club sandwiches, salads, muffins, and other tasty snacks on their menu. The restaurant is most famous for its different types of teas. However, the food is quite expensive at the Babingtons.
Via Condotti
Via Condotti is a must on your 2 days Rome itinerary. It is a fashionable street in Rome at a 3-minutes walking distance from Piazza di Spagna. The road always remains busy with tourists. You will find all the most famous fashion brands in Via Condotti.
Villa Borghese And Galleria Borghese
Villa Borghese is a 13-minute walk from Via Condotti. It is the most charming park in the city. The park has museums, buildings, and different attractions. You can walk around the part for a while.
Galleria Borghese is a famous museum inside Villa Borghese. If you are a fan of art, you can look inside the museum. The museum has famous paintings of Raphael and many other famous painters.
Opening hours of Galleria Borghese: Tuesday-Sunday: 9 am – 7 pm (last entry- 5 pm)
Closed on Mondays
Entrance fees of Galleria Borghese: Regular: €13
Aged 18-25: €2
Many restaurants around Villa Borghese provide the tastiest Italian food with a beautiful interior. But if you are looking for a budget dinner, La Pariolina will be the best choice.
La Pariolina
Location: Viale dei Parioli, 93
Opening Hours: Everyday: 12:30 pm – 03:00 pm / 07:00 pm – 1:00 am
La Pariolina is mostly famous for its Roman thin base pizza. Here you will find pizza for under €10. You will also find pasta, burger, salad and many other items on their menu. Every item on their menu has a reasonable price compared to the other lavish restaurants around. And they also have a beautiful interior.
Revisit
All the places you visit throughout the day have an admiring beauty during the night. The beautifully lit-up buildings are worth the visit at night. So, after dinner, you can have an evening walk around the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, and Via Condotti.
Day 2 In Rome: Around The Ancient Rome
Breakfast
A perfect start to your 2nd day in a 2 days Rome itinerary must be through breakfast. And you should really have an excellent breakfast cause you will have a tiring day. Your 2nd day in Rome should start with visiting the Colosseum. So, I would suggest you have breakfast somewhere near the Colosseum. For a good breakfast in Rome, Café Café Bistrot is the best one there is near the Colosseum.
Café Café Bistrot
Location: Via Santi Quattro, 44
Opening Hours: Everyday: 9:30 a.m – 07:45 p.m.
They serve scrambled eggs, three types of toasted bread, pancakes, and Greek yoghurt for breakfast. The price is reasonable, which is under €10. For drinks, they have flavoured teas, smoothies, and infuses on the menu, all under €5. They have free WiFi and a reminiscent interior which makes the start of your day perfect.
Colosseum
Opening hours: Everyday: 8:30 am to an hour before sunset
Entrance fees: (Combined Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill ticket) Regular: €16
EU citizens aged 18-25: €2
For anyone under 18 years old: Free
No matter which corner of the world you live in, you might have heard of the Colosseum at least once in your lifetime. But how many of us actually know about its history? Well, I didn’t know till the very moment I started writing this itinerary. And now, you shall know about it too.
The Colosseum was the most incredible amphitheater in Rome. Sadly, many people lost their lives because of the games that took place inside the Colosseum. From that time till now, it suffered damages due to earthquakes, lootings, and WWII bombings. Yet, this place is a must-visit even if you go to Rome for a single day.
Roman Forum
Roman Forum is at a 5 minutes walking distance from the Colosseum. So, what’s so special about this place? You will see the ruins of the oldest monuments, temples, and shrines of Rome in the Roman Forum. If you book your ticket to the Colosseum in advance, you will also get to visit the Roman Forum on the same day. So, instead of waiting in lines to buy a ticket, I suggest buying the ticket in advance.
Lunch: Ai Tre Scalini
Location: Via Panisperna, 251
Opening Hours: Everyday: 12:00 pm – 01:00 am
Ai Tre Scalini is the best place for lunch near the Roman Forum. They have snacks, salads, lasagna, desserts, and many other delicious food items on their menu, all under €10. The restaurant also serves wine and has a perfect ambience.
Palatine Hill
After lunch, it’s time to visit Palatine Hill, the most famous among the seven hills of Rome. It is located right next to the Roman Forum. It provides a beautiful panoramic view of the Colosseum that you don’t want to miss. Palatine Hill also has lots of ancient arches and temples.
Capitoline Museum
At a 16 minutes walking distance from Palatine Hill, the Capitoline Museum. The museum has a beautiful interior and consists of sculptures, paintings, and some finest arts. If you love artistic stuff, you should end your 2 days Rome itinerary by visiting the Capitoline museum.
Location: Piazza del Campidoglio, 1, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening Hours: Tuesday–Sunday: 9:30am – 7:30pm
Monday: Closed
So, that was my 2 days Rome itinerary for you all. Don’t forget to buy travel insurance before you travel to Rome. I hope that you will have a great time in Rome. Don’t forget to share your experience with us. Thanks for reading!