My recent family trip to Europe started with two days and two nights in Rome. I anticipated this quick part of our trip to be more about taking advantage of some of the cultural and historical significance in Italy and expected it to feel a bit rushed. But despite the heat, it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip!
After Rome we continued on to Florence and Milan. Check out the posts on 4 days in Florence and 1 day in Milan!
Day 1: Arrive and Explore
We arrived early in the morning as many US flights do. This gave us time to check-in to the hotel and take a short nap by early afternoon. We scheduled Colosseum skip-the-line audioguide tickets for the afternoon of our first day there and that was all that we had planned for the day. With Rome being so hot and crowded everywhere, I’m glad that we didn’t plan too much!
We stayed in the Monti neighborhood and we were within walking distance (about 15 minutes) of the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Colosseum. We visited the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps quickly and then explored some of the shops and cafes in our neighborhood. While our hotel was on a busy street, we ended up loving the side streets of the Monti Neighborhood. It’s an up-and-coming area with lots of little shops and quiet, tiny streets.
In the late afternoon, we headed over to the Colosseum and did an audioguide tour. If you choose this option, definitely allow time to explore the second floor museum area of the Colosseum. We learned a lot of different things from each source.
Then, we headed back to the hotel for drinks before dinner. Our hotel, Rome Glam, also had a rooftop bar and restaurant. This was so beautiful for breakfast each morning and also for cocktails before dinner. If you can stay in a hotel with some sort of bar or restaurant, it’s helpful!
For dinner, we went to a restaurant near our hotel, Trattoria Valentino. There were a lot of foods I wanted to try while in Rome and they had almost all of them. We ordered way too much food but it was all soooo good. This is a traditional Roman restaurant and the waiter helped us pick out everything that we needed to try for our first night in Rome.
Day 2: Vatican and Explore
We got up for an early Vatican tour. Definitely go to the Vatican as early as possible in the day because it gets more crowded throughout the day. For August in Rome, the cool morning was an added benefit of going early! Our tour of the Vatican museums started outside and much of the museums were not air conditioned. We did a guided tour and loved it! It mostly focused on the history of the artists and some of the art in the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. At St. Peter’s Basilica we had free time to explore.
In the afternoon, we got a panini (so many good little sandwich shops!), and explored the Monti neighborhood shops. We ended our afternoon on the roof of our hotel with a cocktail again!
On the second night we went to Trattoria Polese. This restaurant was recommended for pizza which we didn’t have on our first night. We also tried the Suppli, another traditional Roman food.
After dinner we went to Piazza Navona – beautiful at sunset! Then Kim and I explored the river walk. To end our night, we went to a wine bar in Trastevere. I wish we had more time to spend in Trastevere and time to try more of the restaurants and bars. It was lively and cozy all at once on a Friday night!
I’ve planned 3 trips to Rome this year with varied agendas and activities included. If you’d like help planning and booking your next trip, please complete my inquiry form here: Trip Inquiry Form
