It was my 2nd time in Rome and the 1st time for Trevor, so I wanted him to see the most we could in 1 day.

— Puedes leer esto en español aquí —

We traveled to Rome from Madrid to stayed 2 nights before going on our cruise. Arriving by 5pm at the hotel only gave us few hours to see areas nearby the hotel and a full day (including a tour we already booked at the Vatican and Museums). So, in case you only have one full day to see the city, let me help you with this little tour I created for Trevor.

We stayed at Domus Trevi, only steps away from the Trevi fountain and it was really nice in general. Remember it is the middle of Rome, the room was small, but we got a private bathroom and breakfast was included. The staff was friendly and helpful at all times.

Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti

The afternoon when we arrived, we visited the Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti). From there, because Trevor is a musician and huge music fan, we needed to visit the Hard Rock Cafe (we do this in every city there’s one). We grabbed a drink or 2 at the bar and then returned to the hotel because the following day was going to be a long one.

We woke up very early in the morning just to take advantage of the empty Trevi Fountain. It was amazing! Here’s a post about how you should visit earlier and a 360º video.

After having a nice breakfast, we grabbed a taxi to go to where we were going to meet with the tour to go inside the Vatican and the museums. It’s not a tour with a guide for the whole area, it’s just to skip the long lines and go inside faster.

I think we spent between 3-4 hours in the museums and the Vatican. Trying to explore as much as we could and then… “my” tour started. Also, check the schedule for the museums because the 1st time I visited, it was closed.

So if you like walking to explore a city, you might love this. I do, in cities like this I rather walk around because I get to see more than if I take a taxi or metro.

We started walking from Vatican City (check out my post about the Vatican) straight to Castel Sant’Angelo so we could cross the bridge right in front of it: St. Angelo Bridge. Because of the short time for us, we couldn’t go inside the castle, but you should check it out!

From there, we kept walking for about 10 minutes, enjoying the small alleys and cobblestone roads until we reached Piazza Navona.

This was a perfect spot to take a break. We got some gelatos while enjoying the beautiful view at this famous square. There are 3 stunning fountains, lots of vendors with paintings and other souvenirs. Here you can find various restaurants and cafes, all of them with outdoor sitting. On my 1st visit to Rome, I remember I enjoyed delicious lunch right there, so if you can, try too enjoy a snack or a quick lunch at this square that was built in the 1st century AD!

From Piazza Navona we walked to the Pantheon.

Obviously you need to go inside the Pantheon and take a walk around. You’ll notice that the only ‘window’ is on the roof and it is round, they call it the Oculus. And if it rains, of course it’s going to rain inside, but the floor was created in a way that the water flows away. This was built between 25 and 27 B.C. It’s just incredible!

Pantheon

So, we went from the Pantheon to the Colosseum because we already visited Trevi Fountain, but I’d add on this walking tour to visit the fountain:

Otherwise, this is the route we took from the Pantheon to the Colosseum, passing by another stop: Piazza Venezia, which it is the central hub of Rome and where you’ll find the beginning of Via dei Fori Imperiali, the road that takes you to the Colosseum.

But here is the thing, when we did this tour, we arrived at the Colosseum after they closed, so if you have another day in Rome, I’d suggest you a full day to visit the Colosseum, Roman Forum (main pic on top) and all that area, just like I did on my 1st trip.

This time, however, instead of going inside the Colosseum, we went to Via Nicola Salvi where there are few restaurant, so we could enjoy dinner, a beer and the amazing view to the Colosseum. Perfect way to end the day.

Obviously Rome has more places to visit, this is only a 1-day walk (so be prepared with very comfortable shoes).

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