In this guide
💡 The Short Version: With one day, pick one big booking: the Colosseum (first slot at 8:30, on sale 30 days ahead, with the Forum and Palatine on the same ticket) or the Vatican Museums (8:00 slot, €25 online, closed on Sundays except the last Sunday of the month). Then walk the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain in the afternoon. With two days, do both, the Colosseum first. Or book a tour: a full-day Colosseum, Vatican Museums and St Peter’s tourad (from £137.14, 8½ hours) packs both into one day with a guide; on your own, the official tickets are cheaper.
What to book
Prices from each operator’s own page, 29 and 30 September 2026.
| Booking | Book | Price | Closed on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colosseum, Forum and Palatine | 30 days ahead, for a time slot, in your name | €18 | Open daily except 25 December and 1 January |
| Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel | Once your dates are fixed | €25 online | Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month |
| Pantheon | At the door or online, for a time slot | €7 | 25 December and 1 January |
| St Peter’s dome | By date and time, if you want to climb | €22 with the lift, €17 by the stairs | The Basilica is open every day |
| Castel Sant’Angelo | Recommended, especially at weekends | €18 | Mondays |
| Borghese Gallery | Compulsory, once your dates are fixed | €16 plus a €2 fee | Mondays |
The Trevi Fountain is €2 to go down to the basin, by card at the gate; the fountain is free to see from the square.
One day
Both versions end on foot in the centre. The Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain are within about 15 minutes of each other, and none has a metro station.
Version A: ancient Rome
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 8:15 | Metro line B to Colosseo, and at the Colosseum 15 minutes before your slot |
| 8:30 | The Colosseum opens: 75 minutes inside on the standard ticket |
| Mid-morning | The Roman Forum and the Palatine, opened at 9:00 and covered by the same ticket within 24 hours of your slot |
| Lunch | In the centre, on the way to the Pantheon |
| Afternoon | The Pantheon (open 9:00 to 19:00, last entry 18:30), Piazza Navona, then the Trevi Fountain |
| Evening | Across the Tiber to Trastevere: a food walk runs 2½ hours from £31.50 |
The Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine, seen from the Palatine Hill. Photo: Livioandronico2013, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Version B: the Vatican
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 8:00 | The Vatican Museums open (metro line A to Ottaviano); book the 8:00 slot |
| Late morning | The Sistine Chapel, then on into St Peter’s, open from 7:00 to 20:00. Do not check a bag at the Museums’ cloakroom if you will go on |
| Early afternoon | St Peter’s dome, if booked, or Castel Sant’Angelo, open Tuesday to Sunday until 19:30 |
| Afternoon | Cross the Tiber to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain |
Cover shoulders and knees for the Vatican and St Peter’s, and bring no hat to the Museums.
Piazza Navona, with a fountain at the centre and the obelisk of the Fountain of the Four Rivers at the right. Photo: Krzysztof Golik, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Choosing a version
- Ruins and the city’s layers: Version A.
- Art, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and the Basilica: Version B.
- Both in one day: only with a guided combination tour. The full-day Colosseum, Vatican Museums and St Peter’s tourad is from £137.14 (4.5 stars from 110 reviews, 8½ hours), and the Rome in one day combination tourad from £145.79 (4.4 stars from 103 reviews, 7 hours).
Two days
| Day | Morning | Afternoon and evening |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Colosseum at 8:30, then the Forum and the Palatine | The Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain, then Trastevere for dinner |
| 2 | The Vatican Museums at 8:00 and the Sistine Chapel, then St Peter’s | Castel Sant’Angelo, or the Borghese Gallery if you booked a slot |
The 3-day Rome itinerary adds the Borghese Gallery and the Appian Way for a third day. For where to eat between the sights, see where to eat in Rome, which lists the places by the landmark they are near.
Fitting the plan to your dates
- Sunday: the Vatican Museums are closed, except the last Sunday of the month, when they are free and crowded. Put the Vatican on the other day.
- Monday: the Borghese Gallery and Castel Sant’Angelo are closed, and the House of Augustus on the Palatine. The Trevi Fountain gate opens at 11:30 on Mondays and Fridays.
- The first Sunday of the month: the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Borghese are free. Free tickets for the Colosseum and the Pantheon are collected on the day; the Borghese’s still have to be booked, with the €2 fee, from 10 days ahead.
- From 25 October 2026 to 28 February 2027 last admission to the Colosseum is 15:30: book a morning slot.
Five hours from a cruise ship
Cruise passengers landing at Civitavecchia have about five hours if they take the coach, which reaches Termini at 10:15 and leaves at 15:15. Trains give more freedom; both are in Civitavecchia to Rome. In five hours, choose one big sight:
- Metro line B from Termini to Colosseo, and a Colosseum slot booked for late morning.
- The Forum and the Palatine with the same ticket.
- A walk to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain before you head back to Termini.
The Vatican Museums alone are more than the time allows: even the guided tours run 2 to 4 hours.
The Trevi Fountain from the front. Photo: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Buses and short tours
A bus is a way to see the sights you will not enter. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price on 30 September 2026.
Hop-on, hop-off bus
From £16.76 · 4.1 stars from 12,920 reviews
Rome: Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off Open-Top Sightseeing Tourad passes the Vatican, the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia, with a half-day ticket or a 24-, 48- or 72-hour ticket. The City Sightseeing Hop-on/Hop-off Bus with Audioguidead is from £13.11 (4.0 stars from 18,639 reviews) and covers the Vatican, the Spanish Steps and the Colosseum. Against them, ATAC’s 24-hour ticket is €8.50 and covers the metro, buses and trams, but has no commentary: see Rome public transport.
Golf-cart tour with gelato
From £33.43 · 4.8 stars from 2,785 reviews · 2 hours
Rome: Golf Cart Tour with Artisanal Gelato Tastingad covers the sights of the centre in two hours, with a stop for gelato.
Night bus
From £19.71 · 4.1 stars from 1,870 reviews · 1½ hours
Rome: Night-time Tour by Open-Top Busad shows the Colosseum, Piazza Venezia and Piazza Barberini lit up.
For the closing days of every sight, see what to book before you go in Rome.
Common questions
Can you see Rome in one day?
You can see one half of it well. Spend the morning on the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine, or on the Vatican Museums and St Peter's, then walk the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain, which are within about 15 minutes of each other on foot. Doing the Colosseum and the Vatican in one day needs a guided combination tour.
Is two days enough in Rome?
Yes for the big sights: ancient Rome and the centre on one day, the Vatican and Castel Sant'Angelo on the other. The Colosseum ticket needs a booked time slot, and the Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays except the last Sunday of the month.
What should I book for one or two days in Rome?
The Colosseum (on sale 30 days ahead, in your name) and, for a Vatican day, the Vatican Museums (€25 online). St Peter's dome is booked by date and time, the Pantheon takes a €7 ticket for a time slot, and the Borghese Gallery, if you add it, must be booked.
How long do I have in Rome from a cruise ship at Civitavecchia?
About five hours if you take the SIT coach, which reaches Termini at 10:15 and leaves at 15:15; a train from Civitavecchia station, 1 hour 6 to 1 hour 22 for €4.60, gives more freedom. That fits the Colosseum with the Forum and Palatine, not both the Colosseum and the Vatican.
