How to Take Advantage of 1 Day in Rome

One Day in Rome

Before I went on a Mediterranean Cruise out of Venice with my family, I flew into Rome for two days.  My flight landed around midnight on a Thursday night.  We took a cab from the airport to our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn Rome Claridge.  The location was for the hotel was nice, about 3.3 miles (5.3 km) north of the Colosseum, and right next to a light rail station.  We took the light rail to the Colosseum, which gave us a glimpse of the streets of Rome.  I remember noticing a lot of graffiti all over the city, but not exactly in a dirty or grimy fashion, although also not in a “street art” style.

Taking In All the Sights

We arrived at the Colosseum, and my mom had thoughtfully bought tickets in advance – which is a must, especially if you only have a day in Rome.  The whole Colosseum experience only lasted about 90 minutes, which was perfect.  After the tour, we grabbed some lunch at a spot close by.  The restaurants in the touristy areas are definitely more expensive, and in Rome & Venice we had managers at the restaurant specifically come up to us to say that tip wasn’t included.  I’m assuming it was because we were American and they figured we’d tip if they told us to.  Has anyone else had this happen to them?

After roaming around the Colosseum, we walked to the Basilica di Santa Francesca Romana.  We wandered around, observed a lot of tourists, took pictures, and kept walking over to the Pantheon.  We ate lunch in the plaza outside the Pantheon and watched all our fellow tourists walk by.  There are a ton of cafes and restaurants in the plaza with tables outside, it’s lively and surrounded by charming Roman buildings.  We did have a weird encounter with our waiter, who spoke in an Italian accent and was super charismatic.  However, we kept asking him questions about where he was from, how he liked Rome, etc., and he finally confessed he was from Wisconsin.  It was hilarious, and also strange.

We didn’t go see the famous Trevi Fountain, but it might be a must-see for you.  It’s about an 8 minute walk from the Pantheon, so you could pencil in both if you’re planning on going to see either attraction.

Earning Our Pizza & Gelato by Walking Everywhere

We walked everywhere in Rome, it was a bit of a hike, but helped us see a lot more of the city.  After the Pantheon, we walked over to the Spanish Steps.  They’re a beautiful set of steps that are 300 years old, with a fountain (Fontana della Barcaccia) at the bottom.  There’s a stunning church at the top (Trinità dei Monti), but unfortunately they were extremely crowded when we were there.  By the Spanish Steps we also went shopping and bought new dress shirts, accessories, and of course, gelato.

Continuing our extremely long walk in Rome, we made our way over to Vatican City.  I would recommend taking a cab or public transportation over here rather than walking.  We wondered around for awhile, not entirely sure how to get up to Vatican City, and walking up a few steep hills.  The architecture all over Rome is incredible, and Vatican City is no exception.  We didn’t go inside (time crunch, remember), but if you take a cab rather than a walk, you could make time to go in St. Peter’s Basilica.  Again, Vatican City is crowded with tourists, but a must for some people, especially if you’re catholic.

When in Rome

After Vatican City, we were pooped and finally treated ourselves to a cab.  The pampering continued into dinner, where we gorged ourselves on pizza, pasta, and (duh) wine.  You know, we just had to…do as the Romans do.  (I’m shocked that Dad joke didn’t come up sooner).  We fell asleep almost immediately upon returning to our rooms.  After waking up, we felt like we had really taken advantage of one full day in The Eternal City.