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VISIT ROME IN 4 DAYS. THE ROUTES OF THE PERFECT ROME ITINERARY

A visit of Rome in 4 days will surely give you the opportunity to enjoy without hurry most of the attractions in the capital. Museums, parks, monuments will no longer have secrets for you. There are a thousand itineraries that can be organized to visit Rome in 4 days, and you can choose them according to what you are interested to see and the time you want to dedicate to each attraction.
To make your task easier, we offer you our suggestions, including all the attractions that you should not absolutely miss during your stay in the Eternal City. This is a rough itinerary, which you can follow in full or even partially, depending on what you want to do.

Here is our itinerary to visit Rome in 4 days:

FIRST DAY

What will you see:
Basilica of San Pietro
Castel Sant’Angelo
Piazza Navona
Campo dei Fiori

VATICAN CITY

The Basilica of San Pietro is unmissable if you want to visit in Rome in 4 days

Since you are still full of energy, we recommend that you start your itinerary to visit Rome in 4 days from the Vatican City (metro stop: Ottaviano-San Pietro).You should arrive early in the morning, when the flow of visitors is still low.
The Basilica of San Pietro is unmissable if you want to visit in Rome in 4 days
Visit immediately the Basilica of San Pietro, the largest, rich and spectacular Italian church. No photograph or explanation by people who have visited it can make to feel the emotion that the grandeur of the building inspires with the magnificence of the decorations and the works of art that it contains. We recommend that you wear appropriate clothes if you do not want to be stopped from accessing the basilica. Miniskirts, shorts, or bare shoulders are not allowed.
At the end of the visit, stop for a few moments in Piazza San Pietro, enjoying the magnificence of what is one of the largest public spaces in the world.

Then head to the Vatican Museums, which are nearby. We advise you to buy the tickets online to avoid the queue at the entrance. The museum (equipped for the disabled) is immense and it would take years to see it all, therefore, for a panoramic visit we suggest you go to the Pinacoteca, the Pio-Clementino museum, the geographic maps gallery, Raphael rooms and of course the ‘unmissable Sistine Chapel with the priceless frescoes by Michelangelo. Consider being in the museum for at least two hours.

CASTEL SANT’ANGELO

After leaving the museum, walk along Via della Conciliazione toy arrive at Castel Sant’Angelo, the papal fortress built in the Middle Ages on the ruins of the emperor Hadrian’s mausoleum. (II century d.c.). Do not leave the fortress without a stop on the Terrazza dell’Angelo, where you can enjoy a spectacular view of the city. If you have the Roma Pass you can skip the queue by passing through the appropriate turnstiles for direct access to the site.After the visit, treat yourself to a well-deserved break to eat and regain your strength. Pay attention because that the area around the Vatican is full of pizzerias and trattorias that often serve poor food at an excessive price.

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Continue your itinerary by crossing Ponte Sant’Angelo, and take a stroll through alleys and squares that still maintain an authentic Roman character. Head towards Piazza Navona, the quintessence of Roman squares. Let yourself be enchanted by the marvelous Baroque palaces and exuberant fountains (including that of the four Bernini rivers). The square is characterized by a large crowd of tourists, portraitists and street artists who fills it every hour of the day and night.
If you want to take a break you can go to the nearby Piazza Sant’Eustachio and enter the Café with the same name: the place is not anything special but serves the best espresso coffee in the city.

CAMPO DEI FIORI

Then go back to Piazza Navona and exit the square towards the south. Cross Corso Vittorio Emanuele and follow Via dei Ballauri to Campo dei Fiori with the famous statue of Giordano Bruno, a heretic monk condemned to the stake during the Counter-Reformation. The square is one of the focal points of Roman life: during the day with a busy market, in the evening is a pace where to go for a drink.

Finish your evening by dining around this area.

SECOND DAY

What will you see:
Piazza di Spagna
Fontana di Trevi
Pantheon

PIAZZA DI SPAGNA

Piazza di Spagna, the ideal place to spend an evening if you want to visit Rome in 4 days

The second day of your itinerary to visit Rome in 4 days starts from Piazza di Spagna (metro stop: Spagna) with its famous steps of Trinità dei Monti (which after the restoration has regained all its splendor), at whose feet you will find the famous fountain of Barcaccia. Together with the ocher-colored buildings that surround it, these architectural elements give the square an indisputable eighteenth-century elegance.
In front of the stairway there is Via dei Condotti, destination of the expensive shopping fans. Along the way there are indeed the most elegant shops in Rome. If your wallet allows you, do not miss the opportunity to make purchases.

FONTANA DI TREVI

Follow the road all the way up to Via del Corso (another shopping street) from where you can reach the spectacular Trevi Fountain, the largest and most famous of Roman fountains. You will notice the fountain suddenly, with an emotional impact that will leave you breathless. The streets leading to the fountain are not in fact aligned with it. One can understand Its proximity by the noise of the water, but nothing allows the visitor to foresee the magnificence of the place.

PANTHEON

After stopping at the Trevi fountain, taking your inevitable photos and eating something, cross Via del Corso and go to the Pantheon. Together with the Colosseum, the Pantheon is one of the great symbols of Rome and the best preserved ancient monument of the capital. The visit of the building will leave you amazed, with its largest concrete dome in the world and the interior covered with marble.

THIRD DAY

What will you see:
Colosseoum
Vittoriano
Capitoline Museums

THE COLOSSEUM

If you want to visit Rome in 4 days the Colosseum is an unmissable attraction

The third day of our itinerary to visit Rome in 4 days includes going to the discovery of ancient Rome. We recommend starting the tour in the early morning to avoid the hours of overcrowding and to take bottles of water and something to eat. You will avoid spending a fortune to buy them in bars or vans in Via dei Fori imperial.
Leave from the Colosseum (metro stop: Colosseum), the symbol of Rome par excellence and the most exciting among the monuments of the ancient city. If you decide to visit it inside, buy the ticket online (Roma Pass), you will skip the long lines at the entrance.
Not far from the Colosseum you will find the Arch of Constantino, the most famous of the Roman triumphal arches and one of the last monuments of ancient Rome. After taking some souvenir photos, take Via dei Fori Imperiali and arrive to the Roman Forum, once a pulsating heart of Rome, which will be on your left. On the other side of the road there is the whole area of the Fori Imperiali, the archaeological complex that contains all the forums built by the various emperors between 42 AC and 112 AD. You can admire the Forums from Via Alessandrina, by arriving up to the imposing Trajan’s Column.
Along this route there are not many restaurants or bars, so we suggest that you eat something packed once you arrive under the Trajan’s Column. Alternatively, if your legs allow it, you can reach the Rione Monti (from the Imperial Fori take Via Cavour and then turn into Via dei Serpenti). It is a district full of hills, but full also of trattorias, trendy clubs and bistros.

VITTORIANO

Once you have refreshed and rested a bit, head for Piazza Venezia to visit the Vittoriano. The judgment on this attraction divides visitors into two groups: those who love it and that of those who hate it. What is certain is that it is impossible to ignore it. Built in 1885 to commemorate the unity of Italy, today it is dedicated to the unknown soldier. Please note that it is forbidden to sit for respect of the place and the controls are strict. The view that can be enjoyed from the terrace at the top is incomparable. You can reach the top of the Vittoriano with the panoramic glass elevator accessible on the side of the building.

CAPITOLINE MUSEUMS

As the last stop of the day, we suggest you to visit the Campidoglio, the most famous and smallest Roman hill. The most spectacular way to get there is along the Cordonata the steps leading from Piazza d’Aracoeli to Piazza del Campidoglio, designed by Michelangelo. Here there is a perfect copy of the equestrian monument to Marcus Aurelius. The original is located in the Capitoline Museums (equipped for the disabled) located on the right of the square. The Capitoline Museums are the oldest public museum in the world and are absolutely worth a visit.

FOURH DAY

What will you see:
National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia
National Gallery of Modern Art
Museum and Galleria Borghese
Piazza Barberini

MUSEUM AND GALLERIA BORGESE

The Borghese Gallery in Rome, one of the main attractions

Dedicate the last day of your itinerary to visit Rome in 4 days to discover one of the most beautiful parks in the city: Villa Borghese.
It consists of several parts, and you can find avenues lined with trees or hedges and flower beds. It is crossed by pebble bodies as well as by some roads. The park is ideal for resting or for taking the children for a picnic.
The main entrance is on Piazzale Flaminio, that you can easily reach by getting off at the Flaminio underground station (line A). From there take Via Flaminia and follow it until you reach Via di Villa Giulia. Continue on this road that will take you to the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, which since 1889 houses the national collection of Etruscan objects coming mostly from graves scattered throughout Lazio. Among the most important pieces we point out the sarcophagus of the spouses, finely sculpted.

Then enter Viale delle Belle Arti. Stroll up to the staircase of the National Gallery of Modern Art where you can find masterpieces of Italian artists between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Return to Viale delle Belle Arti and continue until you reach Viale di Villa Giulia. Enter the park, walk until you get to the Museum and Galleria Borghese (included in the Roma Pass) which houses one of the most prestigious collections of art objects in Rome. In one space you will find concentrated works by Caravaggio, Bernini, Botticelli and Raphael, and the famous statue of Canova portraying Paolina Borghese as the winning Venus.

PIAZZA BARBERINI

Once out, take Viale Museo Borghese and reach Corso d’Italia. Go through the Arco di Porta Pinciana and arrive in Via Veneto. Walk on this historic street of Rome, with its cafés, clubs and luxurious hotels, also immortalized in the unforgettable film “La dolce vita” and arrive to Piazza Barberini, where you will find the beautiful Bernini’s Triton Fountain. It represents a triton blowing a jet of water through a shell, sitting in turn on a shell supported by four dolphins.
Our itinerary to visit Rome in 4 days ends here.
In this itinerary we have included several museums in the Villa Borghese. You can decide whether to visit one, or more than one and, consequently, when to have a lunch break.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

San Pietro Basilica: 1st October – 31st March every day 7am -6.30pm / 1 April – 30 September every day 7am-7pm. Free admission.
Vatican Museums: from Monday to Saturday 9am-6pm (last admission at 4pm and exit from the rooms half an hour before closing).
Buy tickets online for priority access to skip the line
Castel Sant’Angelo: every day 9am-7.30pm (the ticket office closes at 6.30pm). Full ticket € 10, reduced ticket € 5. Included in the Roma Pass
Colosseum: every day except 25 December and 1 January 9-17. Until February 15th 8.30am – 4.30pm; 16 February to 15 March 8.30am – 5pm; from the 16th to the last Saturday of March 8.30am – 5.30pm; from the last Sunday of March until 31 August 8.30 – 19.15; from 1 to 30 September 08.30am – 7pm; from 1 to the last Saturday of October 8.30am – 6.30pm. Last admission one hour before closing. Full ticket € 12, reduced ticket € 7.50, free under 18 years. Included in the Roma Pass.
Capitoline Museums: every day 9.30-19.30, 24 and 31 December 9.30am – 2pm. The ticket office closes an hour earlier. Closed on January 1st, May 1st, December 31st. Full ticket € 14, reduced ticket € 12. Included in the Roma Pass.
Villa Giulia’s National Etruscan Museum: Tuesday to Sunday 8.30am – 7.30pm; the ticket office closes at 6.30pm; closed on Mondays; also closed on January 1, May 1 (except for special openings arranged by MiBACT) and December 25. When the Monday, closing day, coincides with a holiday (eg Easter Monday), the museum remains open. Full ticket € 8.00, reduced ticket € 4.00. Included in the Roma Pass.
National Gallery of Modern Art: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6:30 pm 24 and 31 December from 10 am to 2 pm. Closed on Monday, 1 January, 1 May, 25 December. Admission is allowed up to half an hour before closing time. Full price: € 7.50, reduced ticket: € 6.50. Included in the Roma Pass.
Borghese Museum and Gallery: closed on Mondays, from Tuesday to Sunday from 8.30am to 7.30pm. Closed 1 January, 25 December. Admission is allowed until half an hour before closing.
Full € 11.00 (9.00 + 2.00 booking required), reduced € 6.50 (4.50 + 2.00 booking required). The cost of admission to the museum may be increased compared to the amount paid at the time of booking for the opening of a temporary exhibition. Included in the Roma Pass.

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THE TEN ATTRACTIONS AND MONUMENTS TO VISIT IN ROME IN A WEEK

Visiting Rome in a week will be an unforgettable experience for you. You will have time to enjoy what the eternal city has to offer to its visitors.
We suggest you the main attractions and monuments that you absolutely should not miss. They are all super-searched attractions, so we suggest you to get an online ticket before you start your visit, in order to avoid the queue and to save save time and energy for the visit!

Below are listed the 10 attractions and the main monuments to visit in Rome in a week:

 Rome in a week: don't miss the Colosseum
Colosseum

Symbol par excellence of Rome and of Italy itself, Colosseum 罗马竞技场 is the most visited attraction in the city, with almost five million visitors a year.
Started by Vespasiano in 72 d.c., was inaugurated by his son Titus in 80 a.d. It could host more than 50,000 spectators who came here to watch gladiatorial or animal fights. It is the largest of the Roman monuments left until today.

The queues at the entrance are very long. We therefore advise you to buy the ticket online for priority access.

The amazing Basilica of San Pietro in RomeBasilica of Saint Peter

It is located where the emperor Constantine had a shrine erected in the year 324 in honor of Peter the Apostle, who had been crucified and buried right there.
Today’s look is due to the project of Bramante, dating back to 1506. It was built by artists such as Raphael, Antonio da San Gallo, Michelangelo. The interior, as well as the colonnade were made by Bernini. The basilica is the largest church in the world. If you want to climb on its amazing dome we suggest you get the ticket online: you will be able to skip the line!

Opening times: 1st October – 31 March every day 7.00-18.30 / 1st April – 30

 The Laocoonte group at the Vatican Museums. Buy the tickets online to skip the line
The Vatican Museums

Among the most beautiful museum complexes in the world, they host an incredible collection of works of art collected by different popes over the centuries. To visit them it is possible to make different itineraries, all of which end with the Sistine Chapel. The buildings that house the Vatican Museums extend over an area of 5.5 hectares. The Pinacoteca, the Pio-Clementino Museum, the Geographical Maps Gallery, the Raffello Rooms and the Sistine Chapel are absolutely worth seeing. There are very long queues at the entrance. If you want to save time and effort, you should purchase an online ticket.

Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9.00-18.00 (last admission at 4pm and exit from the rooms half an hour before closing). Full ticket € 16, reduced ticket € 8.

The Pantheon, one of the attractions to visit during the week in Roma
Pantheon

A temple dedicated to all the gods, this building, which is one the best preserved buildings of ancient Rome, was transformed into a Christian church in 608. The Pantheon was built by Agrippa in 27 b.c., as attested by the inscription on the pediment.
Both its height and the diameter of the interior measure 43.3 meters. The extraordinary dome, which is the largest stone vault ever built, is considered the most important work of classical architecture. Together with the Colosseum, the Pantheon is one of the great symbols of Rome and the best preserved ancient monument of the capital.

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The Trevi fountain, an attraction of Rome not to be missed
Trevi Fountain

Among the most photographed monuments in Rome, along with the Colosseum, it is one of the symbols of Rome in the world. This splendid baroque fountain, designed by Nicola Savi in 1732, occupies almost completely the small square in which it is located. It represents the waggon of Neptune pulled by tritons with sea horses (a wild one and a docile one) that symbolize the different aspects of the sea.

azza Navona, not to be missed during your weekly visit of Rome
Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is the window of the center of Rome with its sculptured fountains, the beautiful Baroque palaces and the outdoor cafes. The square is always crowded with tourists, street artists, street vendors. Piazza Navona has been the seat of the main market of the city for 300 years. In this square you can compare the works of two great artists of the Baroque: the fountain of the four rivers by Bernini and the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone built by Borromini.

Piazza di Spagna, one of the most famous squares of Rome
Piazza di Spagna

This 1725 Baroque square, with its famous Trinità dei Monti staircase (recently restored), has always attracted tourists and travelers and is still today a popular meeting place. The fountain in the shape of a boat (the Barcaccia) located in the square, is the work of Pietro Bernini, father of the famous Gian Lorenzo, and represents a sinking boat. It is one of the main places of the nightlife in the historic center of Rome.

The Borghese Gallery in Rome
Museo Galleria Borghese

Located in the park of Villa Borgese, a green lung of Rome, it hosts one of the most prestigious collections of art objects in Rome. In one place you will find a concentration of works by Caravaggio, Bernini, Botticelli and Raphael, and the famous statue of Canova portraying Paolina Borghese as the winning Venus. We recommend you to buy an online ticket for priority access.

Opening times: closed on Monday, Tuesday to Sunday from 8.30 to 19.30 closed on January 1, December 25. The entry is allowed up to half an hour before the closing time.
Full ticket €11,00(9,00 + 2,00 of mandatory booking), reduced ticket €6,50 (4,50 + 2,00 of mandatory booking). The cost of the entrance ticket could be increased.

The Vittoriano, one of the main monuments of Rome
Piazza Venezia

Connected to the Colosseum through the monumental Via dei Fori Imperiali is perhaps the most important crossroad of the city. On its sides there are Palazzo Venezia, the first large Renaissance building in Rome and the Vittoriano, a monument built since in 1885 to celebrate the unity of Italy. Inaugurated in 1911 it was then dedicated to the unknown soldier.
Online tickets are recommended to avoid long lines.

The Capitolini Museums in the piazza del Campidoglio of Rome
Capitolini Museums

They constitute a public gallery of the world’s oldest sculptures. Created by Pope Sixtus IV in 1471, they were enriched by successive popes as new statues were brought to light. The museums occupy the Palazzo Nuovo and the Palazzo dei Conservatori, both located on Piazza del Campidoglio.

Opening times: open every day 9.30-19.30, on the 24 and 31 December 9.30-14. The ticket office closes an hour earlier. Closed on January 1st, May 1st, December 31st. Full ticket € 14, reduced ticket € 12

You may also be interested

Visiting Rome in 3 days – Our recommended itinerary 
Trips outside of Rome – What to see and where to go
Panoramic hopo on hop off bus: tour with city Sightseeing of Rome
Piazza Navona and the squares of the historic centre – Walking itinerary

ROME IN A WEEK – THE MUSEUMS

Are you crazy about museums and have you planned to visit Rome in a week? Then the capital is the best choice for you. In fact there are many museums where you can satisfy your desire for art. From the most important and famous to the smallest and most special ones you have only to choose.
If you are a workaholic you can try to visit a museum every day. Keep in mind that the visit will take you at least two hours. If, on the other hand, this timetable seems too difficult, you can decide to dedicate a few days to the museums.
After the visit, you can spend the rest of the day by exploring the area of the city that is located around the museum that you have chosen.

CAPITOLINI MUSEUMS

They are a must if you try to visit Rome in a week, but they should be put in the itinerary even if you visit Rome in 5,4,3,2 days … in short, they should be seen!
It is the oldest museum in the world and is housed in two spectacular buildings located in Piazza del Campidoglio. The origin of the Capitoline Museums dates back to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated to the citizens some bronze sculptures, laying the foundations of what is today one of the greatest Italian collections of classical art.
The centerpiece of the collection are the ancient statues, but in the Capitoline Gallery you can also find masterpieces of many Italian and Flemish artists.
The Capitoline Museums are equipped for the disabled
Stop: Piazza Venezia
Opening time: every day 9.30-19.30, 24 and 31 December 9.30-14. The ticket office closes an hour earlier. Closed on January 1st, May 1st, December 31st.

PALACE AND GALLERY DORIA PAMPHILJ

Behind the façade of Palazzo and Galleria Doria Panphilij there is one of the richest private art collections in Rome, both for the number of works and for the importance of the authors who made them.
The galleries consist of ten rooms, arranged chronologically and filled with floor-to-ceiling paintings. Do not miss the Salome with the head of the Baptist Titian and Rest on the flight to Egypt of Caravaggio and alsol the portrait of Innocent X of Velasquez.
The gallery is wheelchair accessible.
Stop: Piazza Venezia (via del Corso)
Opening time: every day from 9.00 to 19.00. Last entry at 18.00. Closed on: December 25th, January 1st, Easter. Also open on November 1st, Easter Monday, April 25th, May 1st, June 2nd and August 15th.

VATICAN MUSEUMS

With its 7 km of exhibition space, the Vatican Museums are a truly unique experience, not just for art lovers. None of those who enter this museum complex can in fact remain indifferent to what is one of the greatest collections of art in the world. Masterpieces such as the Stanze di Raffaello and the incredible Sistine Chapel are already a reason to come and visit Rome.
Founded by Julius II they are found in the halls and galleries of the Vatican Apostolic Palaces.
Almost all the sectors of the Vatican Museums are accessible to the disabled.
Stop: Ottaviano San Pietro
Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9.00-18.00 (last admission at 4pm and exit from the rooms half an hour before closing).

MUSEUM AND GALLERY BORGHESE

This is another museum that you must absolutely include in your itinerary if you want to visit Rome in a week.
Defined as the “queen of private collections of art”, this museum boasts some of the most precious treasures of the capital. It contains works by Caravaggio, Bernini, Botticelli and Raffaello, and the famous statue of Canova portraying Paolina Borghese as the winning Venus.
The gallery is accessible to people with disabilities.
Stop: via Pinciana
Opening times: Monday closed, Tuesday to Sunday from 8.30 to 19.30 closed January 1, December 25. Entry is allowed until half an hour before closing.

ROMAN NATIONAL MUSEUM: PALAZZO MASSIMO ALLE TERME

The museum is often overlooked, it is wonderful, wide and bright and contains spectacular classical art pieces (the resting boxer, sleeping Hermaphrodite), as well as extraordinary paintings and mosaics. The advice is to start the visit from the second floor so as to admire the most extraordinary works when you are still refreshed.
When you admire the frescoes you will get an idea of the interior of the sumptuous villas of ancient Rome.
The museum is completely accessible to the disabled
Stop: Termini
Opening time: Open every day from 9 to 19.45. Closed on Mondays (except Monday in Albis and during the cultural week), January 1st, December 25th. The ticket office closes at 19.00.

MAXXI

The MAXXI (National Museum of the XXI Century Arts) is the most important contemporary art museum in the capital. Designed by the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, it was inaugurated in 2010. The geometric façade of the building, built on several levels, hides an interior of gigantic dimensions, full of light and crossed by suspended staircases and structures made of glass, concrete and iron. It consists of two sections, one dedicated to architecture and the other to contemporary art. It is very interesting to visit it on the occasion of exhibitions and installations.
The museum is wheelchair accessible.
Bus stop: (line A stop Flaminio) by tram, Viale Tiziano for buses.
Opening time:Tuesday to Friday from 11.00 to 19.00, Saturday from 11.00 to 20.00, Sunday from 11.00 to 19.00. Closed every Monday, December 25th and January 1st. The ticket office closes an hour earlier.