6 Hours in Rome, Italy
On my trip to Europe in May 2022 before heading to Greece, we took a pit stop in Rome. We only had six hours there and since both of us had never been to Rome before, we had to make the most of our time. There is plenty to do in Rome to last for a few busy days and since so we could not hit it all, just know this post only covers a small portion of a Rome travel guide.
Many you might know but like many others I studied abroad in Florence during my junior year of college. In 2015, there was a terrorist attack in Paris and it changed the way we traveled for the rest of our time there. Our school was on constant high alert and suggested Rome could be a next target and encouraged we shouldn’t travel there. In the end nothing had happened, but we took those alerts seriously which meant Rome- a two hour train ride had gone unvisited. Just to be able to visit for a few hours was enough for me due to Rome was always a city I wanted to visit desperately. Mainly because of my obsession with Hilary Duff and she filmed her iconic Lizzie Mcguire movie there.
BASIC INFO
Currency: Euros
Language: Italian, but also English is very common
Safety: Rome is a major city, of course always be aware of your surroundings but after a day did not ever feel unsafe
Weather: Early May was warm and rainy for us
GETTING AROUND
Rome has the metro, buses and trams you can take for public transit that are close to all of the main attractions. By foot is always best, cheap and allows you to see the city.
If you are nervous of speaking to a taxi driver, just pull up on your phone where you want to go instead of trying to verbalize it in English. We always paid cash for taxis as it was faster but most taxis take credit cards. Taxis can add up in price as they know you’re a tourist and do not know your way around.
A nonstop express train (the Leonardo Express) can take you from the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) to the Rome Termini railway station in a little more than 30 minutes; one-way tickets cost 14 euros. Super easy to get from the airport to the city center.
Luggage storage
We stored our luggage through the company Stow Your Bags. They have locations all throughout Europe where you drop off your luggage in a locked locker with 24 hour surveillance. You are checked in by an employee who gives you the proper information and receipts to get your bags back. You select when you are going to be coming back to receive your items and there should always be someone there to help you. This allowed us to roam around Rome only carrying what we needed for the day. I do not remember the exact cost- but it was between 20 to 30 euros for the day and was able to pay with a credit card or cash. The luggage storage was across the street from the Termini terminal where we had arrived from Florence. It was a very safe and easy process. I booked a reservation in advance to be on the safe side, but I’m sure you could go there the day of without one and still be able to store your luggage. Would recommend and would use this company if I ever needed it.
Address: Via Filippo Turati 52, 00185 Roma
THINGS TO DO
The way we traveled during our short day in Rome was to hit the furthest distance from where we stored our luggage and work out way in. Below was our route if you are in a time crunch in Rome, Italy-
Arrive in Termini Terminal->luggage drop off->Saint Peter’s Square ->Trevi Fountain->Pizza at Picco Buca->Colosseum->back to train station
Vatican City
Address: 3 Vatican Museums, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City
Cost: 17 Euros per adult if to enter into the museum, free to walk around
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, home to the Pope. It is the heart of the Rome and has some of the world’s best works of art here. In Vatican City, there is St. Peter’s Square (the main square), St, Peter Basilica (holiest temples for Christianity and one of the largest churches in the world) and the Vatican Museum (where the Sistine Chapel is held) .
We did not book our tickets in advance as it was a Thursday at 9am and we had assumed there wouldn’t be a line- we were so wrong. There were hundreds in line and we did not have the time to sit and wait and had to make the decision we would tour Vatican when we came back to Rome. I would budget in an entire morning here if you have the time.
There is a dress code in order to enter into parts of Vatican City. Knees and upper arms must be covered, no wearing shorts or skirts that don’t cover the knees, sleeveless tops, and low-cut shirts.
Trevi Fountain
Address: Piazza di Trevi, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
Cost: Free if you want to just look, but I am sure there is more detailed tours of the history of the Trevi Fountain out there
The largest fountain in Rome is the Trevi Fountain. At 85 feet high and 65 feet across, this fountain and its piazza take up almost an entire city block. One of the top things to do while visiting the Trevi Fountain- make a wish! They say those who throw a coin over their left shoulder will return to Rome. Because of this, a million euros worth of coins are taken from the fountain each year.
The Trevi Fountain is one of the top things to do in Rome which means it is crowded at all times. Early morning is the best time to visit (before 10am) if you want to go without the massive amounts of people.
There is times when the city does a deep cleaning, emptying out the water in the fountain and scrubbing the marble down. I have seen online this takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings but that could have changed.
There is a live webcam of the Trevi Fountain 24/7 if you wanted to check before you went to see how many people are there or if the cleaning is happening.
The Colosseum
Address: Piazza del Colosseo, 1, in Rome, Italy
Cost: Depends on how detailed you want your tour to be, ours was a self guided and skip the line tour through Viator for $40
One of the seven wonders of the world, the Colosseum holds over 2,000 years of history inside. Most people know the Colosseum as the place for gladiator fights during the Roman Empire. The construction of this building started in year 72 and the idea that it is still in the condition it is in is really breathtaking.
My favorite viewpoint was on Via Nicola Salvi.
Spanish Steps
Address: Piazza di Spagna, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
Cost: Free if you want to just look, but I am sure there is more detailed tours of the history of the Spanish Steps out there
The 135 stairs were designed by Francesco de Sanctis and was completed in 1725 to link the the Trinità dei Monti Church with the Spanish square below. The Spanish Steps are only a minute walk from the Trevi Fountain and close to some great shopping.
One major tip- you are no longer allowed to sit on the Spanish Steps, most likely to deal with crowd control.
OTHER THINGS TO DO WE DIDN’T HAVE TIME FOR
Roman Forum
Pantheon
Palatine Hill
St. Angel’s Bridge
Piazza Navona
Campo de’ Fiori
Villa Borghese
Walk along the Tiber River
RESTAURANTS
We only ate at one restaurant while in Rome which was Piccolo Buco. I searched high and low for the best pizza in Rome and this place was always in the top of various lists that I could find. It’s a two minute walk from the Trevi Fountain and not hard to miss. The restaurant opened at 12pm (noon) and we got there around 11:40am and there was already a line forming outside. We were able to get a table right away but there was maybe only ten tables in the entire place. By the time we left, there was around forty plus people waiting to get in. Highly suggest Piccolo Buco for when you are in Rome.
Address: Via del Lavatore, 91, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
Below are places that look really great but did not get the chance to try-
Le Mani
Address: Via dei Genovesi, 37, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
Frigidarium
Address: Via del Governo Vecchio, 112, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Go for gelato
Roma Sparita
Address: Piazza di Santa Cecilia, 24, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
Go for their cacao e pepe
Pane E Salame
Address: Via Santa Maria in Via, 19, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
Go for charcuterie boards
Taverna Trillusa
Address: Via del Politeama, 23/25, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
Truffle everything
Osteria da fortunata
Address: Via del Pellegrino, 11/12, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Make the pasta in front of the window homemade
Renato e Luisa
Address: Via dei Barbieri, 25, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Nannarella
Address: Piazza di S. Calisto, 7/a, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
Final Tips
Wear comfortable shoes! Rome is a big city where in just our short day we walked 20,000+ steps and we even took taxis between some areas.
Pre book as much in advance as you can. Rome is one of the top tourist European destinations and reservations get booked quickly.
Use the public transit system. This is the one thing we did not really get the chance to learn more about since we were on limited time.
