One Day in Rome: Perfect Itinerary (+Map & 2025 Tips)
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Visiting Rome for one day and wondering how to make the most of your time? With so much history, stunning landmarks, and hidden gems around every corner, planning a short visit to the Eternal City can feel overwhelming.
What are the absolute must-see sights? Which tickets should you book in advance? How can you fit everything into one unforgettable day?
To make it easier, we’ve put together a detailed 1-day Rome itinerary covering the top places to visit, essential planning tips, and a map to help you navigate the city efficiently. Whether you’re on a layover, a whirlwind city break, or visiting Rome on a cruise stop, this guide will help you experience the very best of Rome in just one day.
Good to know: This itinerary has been updated for 2025 – the Jubilee Year. It has the most up-to-date info and top tips to help you make the most of your visit.
TIP: If you’re staying in Rome, book your accommodation as soon as you have your travel dates! Overall, we recommend staying in the historic city center – our favorite mid-range hotel here is 9Hotel Cesari. However, if you’re only in Rome for a night or two, choose a location based on your transportation plans:
- If you’re arriving or departing by train, it might be more convenient to stay near the main railway station. Hotel Le Petit is a great option in this area.
- If you are taking a shuttle bus from the airport, you can also stay near the Vatican, which is the starting point of our recommended itinerary. Hotel Della Conciliazione is a great choice in this area, just a short walk from the shuttle bus stop.
READ ALSO: Best Area to Stay in Rome
Rome 1 Day Itinerary
Here is an overview of our suggested Rome itinerary for one day (you can find all the details further below).
We recommend splitting your day into three parts: the Vatican in the morning, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum in the afternoon, and the Historic City Center in the evening. That way, you can easily cover all the main landmarks of Rome in a day.
For this itinerary, exactly as described below, you will need a full day in Rome (roughly 7–8 AM to 7–8 PM).
This is the itinerary we recommend for your first visit to Rome in a day:
- 7-11.30 AM: Visit the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. We recommend this tour. If you rather go on your own, it’s essential to book the tickets in advance!
- Optional: St. Peter’s Dome Climb and/or walk to St. Angelo Castle and St. Angel’s Bridge.
- Lunch and make your way to the Colosseum (by taxi or metro).
- 2-5 PM: Visit the Colosseum, the Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. We recommend going on a tour. Whatever you decide, be sure to book in advance!
- 5-6 PM: Walk to the city center. See Piazza Venezia and – potentially – Largo di Torre Argentina. You can also take a taxi if you are in a hurry for the Pantheon.
- +-5.30-6 PM: Visit the Pantheon – get tickets in advance. Alternatively, just see it from the outside.
- Evening: Visit Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, and enjoy some of the best viewpoints in Rome. Dinner in the city center.
Map & Essential Info
Important! Our recommended 1-day Rome itinerary includes the Vatican and the Colosseum – the two most popular tourist attractions in Rome. You really have to reserve tickets/tours in advance, or you won’t be able to visit inside!
Keep in mind that the Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays and some religious holidays, so you may have to adjust your plans, but St. Peter’s Basilica is usually open so it’s still worth going.
TIP: If you have just a day in Rome and want to make the most of it without booking guided tours, consider getting the Rome Tourist Digital Pass. It lets you book entry to all the top attractions recommended in our 1-day itinerary in one go. You can easily select time slots and check availability upfront – ensuring you make the most of your day in Rome without the hassle of last-minute planning.
If you have a bit more time, check out our suggested itinerary for 2 days in Rome! In addition to the musts, it includes a few hidden gems of Rome.
To give you a better idea of where everything is, we created a map indicating all the places that we recommend visiting in Rome in a day. There’s no specific walking route in the city center – it doesn’t matter that much which street you take – as long as you get from one landmark to another. The purpose is to see all the musts of Rome in a day.
How to use this map: Use your computer mouse (or fingers) to zoom in or out. Click on the icons to get more information about each place. Click the arrow on the top left corner for the index. Click the star next to the map’s title to add it to your Google Maps account. To view the saved map on your smartphone or PC, open Google Maps, click the menu and go to ‘Your Places’/’Maps’. If you want to print the map or see it in a bigger window, click on ‘View larger map’ in the top right corner.
Here’s what you can see and do in Rome in one day:
Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
Visiting the Vatican and seeing the Sistine Chapel is one of the absolute musts in Rome. Since this is one of the most visited places in the city, we recommend that you come here first thing in the morning – this will make the rest of your day more relaxing.
If you prefer to visit Vatican Museums on your own, get the entrance tickets for the very first time slot when the museum opens. If you rather go with a guide, book an early tour – the earlier, the better.
Going on your own, you’ll have more flexibility and can plan your visit as you please. But keep in mind that the Vatican Museums can be overwhelming. If you only want to see the Sistine Chapel, you’ll be ok without a guide. There are signs pointing to the chapel and eventually, all the routes end up there. If, however, you want to learn a bit more and see the best of this museum, I highly recommend going with a guide.
PRO TIP: With just a day in Rome, I recommend this highly-rated early morning tour that includes a visit to the Vatican Museums & St. Peter’s Basilica. It brings you to the Sistine Chapel before the crowds and also uses the corridor between the two sites, allowing you to visit St. Peter’s Basilica without waiting in line. Not only it’s a very unique experience, but it will also help you make the most of your day in Rome.
This tour is very popular and often sells out, so book ahead!
St. Peter’s Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest and most important Catholic church in the world – truly massive and incredibly ornate. It’s free to visit, but be prepared for long security lines, especially if you’re coming here after the Vatican Museums.
To save time, consider the Vatican tour mentioned above, which includes priority access. If you’re visiting independently, factor in extra time for security checks, as crowds can be significant.
Climbing St. Peter’s Dome is one of the best things to do in Rome. It offers breathtaking views and a truly unique experience. But with just one day in Rome, it may not be the best use of your time – unless you’re visiting in the off-season when lines are shorter or skipping the Vatican Museums. If you do decide to go up, you can get tickets in advance or purchase on-site, so you can decide on the day based on the queue.
Good to know: You could still try and visit St. Peter’s Dome after the tour – if the line isn’t too long at that moment. You can just decide this on the day itself.
Lunch & Make Your Way to the Colosseum
There are several good restaurants close to the Vatican Museums, so you could have lunch here.
Alternatively, you could first take a metro from the nearby Ottaviano metro station to the Colosseum and find a restaurant for lunch there (depending on your exact plans/ tours you take).
If you have a bit more time (or don’t mind paying a few euros for a taxi), you could first walk to St. Angelo Bridge and also see Castel St. Angelo, and then catch a taxi to the Colosseum from there.
It’s also possible to walk from the Vatican to the Colosseum, but it takes about an hour, so I don’t recommend doing this if you only have a day in Rome.
READ ALSO: Where to Find the Best Food in Rome & Rome Street Food Tour
Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
The Colosseum is another top landmark that you should try to see, even if you only have a day in Rome. However, this is also an extremely popular tourist sight, attracting huge crowds. So if you want to visit the Colosseum inside, it’s essential to book tickets/tour in advance.
Timing-wise, I think you should try to be here at around 2 PM – it would work best for this itinerary.
For the best experience, I highly recommend visiting all the main levels of the Colosseum, plus the Arena Floor and the Underground. Exploring the underground area gives you a much deeper understanding of how the arena functioned and what life was like for the gladiators.
The underground level is only accessible with a guided tour, but that comes with major advantages. Not only do you get to skip most of the lines, but the guide takes a more efficient route between levels—one you wouldn’t be able to navigate on your own.
In the end, a guided tour doesn’t take much longer than visiting independently (if at all), but you see more and avoid the biggest crowds. Many visitors find the Colosseum confusing to explore, often wasting time and even missing key sections – especially since backtracking isn’t allowed in certain areas. A tour ensures you make the most of your visit without the hassle.
TIP: We took – and highly recommend – a 3-hour guided tour that covers the Colosseum (including the Underground, Arena Floor, and main levels), plus the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. The Colosseum visit alone takes about 1.5 hours, but to truly experience the entire site, you’ll need at least 3 hours.
The pace at the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum can feel a bit rushed, especially with crowds, but trying to explore this vast archaeological site on your own would take much longer – and you’d likely miss a lot. It’s a massive archeological site, and figuring out where to go and what to see can quickly become overwhelming.
If you’re short on time or prefer a more flexible approach, this tour offers options to customize your visit. For example, you can tour just the Colosseum (including the Arena Floor) with a guide and explore the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill independently, or even skip them altogether if time is tight. With only a day in Rome, you have to plan well and be very selective about how you spend your time.
READ ALSO: Colosseum Tickets & Levels Explained
Pantheon & Piazza Navona
After visiting the Colosseum, walk to the historic city center (it’s a nice walk of about 20-30 minutes). On the way, you’ll pass the impressive Via dei Fori Imperiali and Piazza Venezia.
You could also make a small detour and check out Largo di Torre Argentina. This picturesque archeological site is the spot where Julius Caesar was killed. Despite its central location, this is one of the lesser-visited hidden gems of Rome. You only need a few minutes to see it and it’s very close to the Pantheon, so it’s easy enough to add this to your itinerary.
Next, head to Piazza Navona. It’s located just nearby and is one of the must-sees in Rome. You can simply walk around the square and check out its three fountains: the Fiumi Fountain and the obelisk in the middle, the Neptune Fountain on the northern side, and the Moor Fountain on the southern end of the square.
If you want to see the Pantheon inside, head there asap, without wasting too much time for any of the other landmarks in the historic center. Depending on the season, the Pantheon usually closes at around 6-7 PM. Or simply make peace with the fact that you may not be able to see everything in Rome in a day and just admire the building from the outside.
Good to know: Nowadays you need tickets to visit the Pantheon. We highly recommend that you book a timed-entry ticket online in advance. For this itinerary, opt for the very last available time slot.
Next, walk to the famous Trevi Fountain, stopping for a gelato on your way.
Two of the best gelaterias in Rome – Giolitti and Gelateria Della Palma – are both conveniently located for this itinerary – we indicated them on the map. So get some delicious Italian ice cream and enjoy it as you explore the historic city center!
Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pincian Hill & Piazza del Popolo
Trevi Fountain needs no introduction. This world-famous fountain is one of the most iconic landmarks of Rome. It’s usually extremely busy here, but it’s always possible to get quite close to the water if you want to throw the traditional coin in the fountain.
From Trevi, it’s about 10 minutes walk to the Spanish Steps – another must on any trip to Rome. Here, you’ll also find the most popular shopping neighborhood in the city center. With just a day in Rome, I think I’d skip the shopping and just enjoy the sights, though.
If you take the steps all the way to the top, you can enjoy some nice views of the city from Pincian Hill. If you want to, you can also visit Trinità dei Monti church at the top of the Spanish Steps, but seeing it inside is not a must.
Instead of going back down the stairs, follow the street to the left and walk to Terrazza del Pincio, a popular sunset spot in Rome.
Along the way, you’ll pass another viewpoint with a monument to Enrico e Giovanni Cairoli – this angle offers even better views of the city. Depending on the time of the year when you visit, you might be here at around sunset, indeed, but the views are nice at any time of the day.
From Pincio Terrace, you can take the stairs down to Piazza del Popolo. Located at the historic Rome city gate, this is one of the oldest and biggest town squares in the city, with the ancient Flaminio Obelisk, several impressive fountains, and two interesting churches – Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto.
From here, it’s just a short walk back to the heart of the historic city center, where you will find lots of souvenir shops and restaurants. Or you can take a metro or a taxi to wherever you have to be next.
READ ALSO: Best Views in Rome
Practical Tips
To make the most of your day trip to Rome, here are some useful tips:
- Start early and book the tickets/ tours in advance. Once again, if you want to see all these places and also visit the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Colosseum inside, I highly recommend booking organized tours with a local guide. At a minimum, you really should get skip-the-line tickets and also do some research so that you know where to go and what to see, or you risk getting frustrated and not seeing much.
- If you are planning to follow this itinerary as described above on your own (without tours), check out this digital Rome Tourist Card. It’s the easiest way to reserve timed entry to all the must-see ticketed attractions in Rome that are mentioned in this itinerary.
- This 1-day Rome itinerary can be done at any time of the year. The only things to keep into account are the heat (in the summer) and shorter days (in late fall and winter). However, we recently visited Rome in November, and – despite the fact that it gets dark at around 5 PM at that time of the year – we could enjoy the city just as much as in the other seasons. It’s actually nice to see all the landmarks nicely lit without having to stay up late. So every season has its advantages/disadvantgaes.
- If you are visiting Rome in the hottest months (June-August), you can also switch this itinerary around and visit the Colosseum in the morning before it gets too hot. On the other hand, the Vatican Museums are not air-conditioned, so it’s going to be hot everywhere, no matter how you plan your day… Be sure to pack a sun hat and sunscreen lotion, and drink lots of water.
- Research your transportation options. Depending on where you are traveling to/from, you really should book your transfers to the city center in advance to save time and money. Here you can find transportation options from Civitavecchia cruise port, and here – from the main airports. See also our guide to airport transfers in Rome for more information.
- Wear comfortable shoes and be sure that your clothing is respectable (knees and shoulders are covered). This is a must if you are visiting the Vatican.
- Pack a reusable bottle. There are lots of water fountains all over Rome where you can refill your bottles (free of charge). Ideally, you have one bottle per person, especially if visiting Rome between April and October. Something like this is perfect for travel, but any sturdy plastic bottle will do just fine (and there are also foldable travel models too).
- Don’t take big bags with you. A small backpack is ok, but ideally, you take as little with you as possible. You’ll have to pass airport-style security at the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, and also at the Colosseum and Roman Forum/ Palatine Hill, so the less stuff you have, the easier it will be. I always take a crossbody bag – it’s safer than a backpack and is much more practical.
- Pack a power bank for your phone and/or some extra batteries for your camera.
For more travel tips for Rome, take a look at our in-depth guide via the link below.
LEARN MORE: Tips for Visiting Rome
So, this is our suggested Rome itinerary for one day.
As you can see, it’s quite possible to see all the main sights in a short time, but only IF you plan well. It will be rushed, but you can experience the very best of Rome in a day. Have a great time!
READ ALSO: 2 Days in Rome & 4 Days in Rome
More travel inspiration for Italy:
- Best Things to Do in Rome
- Best Places to See in Italy
- Best Cities to Visit in Italy
- 2 Weeks in Italy (the most complete itinerary covering all the musts)
- 1-day itineraries for other popular places:
- … For more inspiration and destination guides, please check our Italy travel blog. We visit Italy very often and have lots of articles covering a wide variety of amazing destinations all over the country. Check it out!
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I booked the early morning Vatican museum and sistine chapel and it says breakfast included? Do you know what that means? I don’t see that in the description for the tour itself. thanks Julie
Hi Julie, there are quite a few Vatican tours that include breakfast, so without knowing what you booked, it’s hard to say much. Some tours include a buffet-style breakfast and others just some pastries and drinks. In general, breakfast in Italy is rather sweet and not a lot – a croissant or two and some coffee or juice. Don’t expect something like a full English breakfast or bacon and eggs.
Normally, you can find more information in the tour description. For example, this before-hours tour gives some details about breakfast in the very last paragraph under the ‘full description’.
@Jurga, ok I booked the one day in Rome exactly how you said to. lol so all the tours are the ones that you suggested and the times you said to do them in. Julie
Hi Julie, we have hundreds of articles with tons of tours that we recommend, many of which change with time, so it’s difficult to keep track of everything. Anyway, I went to investigate deeper and found that this tour (which I assume is the one you booked) no longer includes breakfast. Purely by coincidence, I also saw an email about this in my mailbox yesterday alerting about the changes, so I guess it literally just happened. I also see that this tour now has two different starting times depending on the day – 7.15 and/or 7.45am. It also meets in front of Antico Café Candia, which is open from 6.15am (except on Sundays), so if your hotel doesn’t offer breakfast (this early), you could grab some coffee and pastries at this cafe before the start of the tour.
Hope this helps. Enjoy Rome!
Thank you for researching that for me! we will grab something there before.
This website has been the best thing I could have ever found! 6 of us are going to Rome in June and I had no idea where to start we only have a day before we board a cruise so I was very nervous about planning this. I followed your plan to a T and got everything booked. Thank you for doing all the leg work for us. Julie
Glad to help, Julie. Have a wonderful time in Rome and enjoy your cruise!
Looking for 1 day tour of Rome, Italy by coach
Hi Vijay, Rome is not really a city that you can easily explore by coach. Most attractions in the historic old town are best visited on foot and you’ll also have to walk a lot at the places like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and the Vatican. That being said, you may want to look into golf cart tours. There are some nice tours that show you some of the main sights in a few hours.
Hope this helps.
If visiting all listed & choosing to purchase the tours, will you have enough time to video/take pics while on the tour? I have had some previous experiences where I took some tours and I felt like I couldn’t video or take any pics. Also, if choosing to take public transportation vs taking a taxi, is it english friendly? or Foreign friendly? Or should we just use taxi/uber?
Hi, it really depends on the tour, but yes, on most tours we have been on, we had plenty of time to take pictures. The pictures in our articles are from our visits and we did quite a lot of tours in Rome.
That being said, you have to take pictures when you can and while listening to the guide (it’s easy to do since on most tours you have headphones). Once they are done with the explanation, they’ll usually move on to the next area. So if you wait until the guide is finished talking, then you won’t have much time left.
As for public transport, again, it depends where, but yes, you should be able to get along using English. Taxi/uber can be faster and not necessarily more expensive, depending on where you are traveling to/from.
Hope this helps.
This seems AMAZING! I will be going to Italy for the first time next year in May for a wedding. We will be traveling from Milan to Rome and figured to do a day trip. The Vatican was a definite must & this post gave me so much more to choose from. Thank you so much!!!
Glad to help. Have a great trip!