What to do in Rome in 3 hours

3 self-guided 3-hour routes through Rome — every stop timed, mapped and in the order that works on the ground.

3h Budget

Ancient Rome in three hours

Michelangelo's square, the Forum and Palatine, the Colosseum, and a church built on three earlier ones.

Piazza del Campidoglio · Roman Forum & Palatine Hill · Colosseum · Basilica di San Clemente

1.3 km on foot 4 stops 2h 52m total

3h Budget

Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain in three hours

Campo de' Fiori's market, Bernini's fountain in a Roman stadium, the best-kept building of ancient Rome, a painted dome that is not there, and the fountain everyone throws a coin into.

Campo de' Fiori · Piazza Navona · Pantheon · Sant'Ignazio · Trevi Fountain

1.3 km on foot 5 stops 2h 18m total

3h Budget

Trastevere and the Gianicolo in three hours

The island in the Tiber, two of Rome's oldest churches, the great fountain, Bramante's perfect temple and the view over the whole city from the Janiculum.

Tiber Island · Santa Cecilia in Trastevere · Santa Maria in Trastevere · Fontana dell'Acqua Paola · Tempietto di Bramante · Gianicolo

2.1 km on foot 6 stops 2h 33m total

Planning the rest of the trip

These routes cover the walking. The Rome guide has where to stay, what a day costs at each tier, and what to book before you go.