What to see in Rome in one day, what to add for two and three days, and what the Colosseum, Pantheon and Trevi Fountain cost. Checked on official sites in 2026.
In three days in Rome you can see the ancient city, the historic centre and the Vatican. Buy tickets for the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums in advance, or you will stand in a queue. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill are one site with one ticket. The Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps are a few minutes' walk from each other.
This is a plan for one day, with extra stops for two and three days. We checked ticket prices, opening hours and transport on the websites of the sites, museums and transport companies in September 2026. Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you book through them, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What can you see in Rome in one day?
For one day, start at the Colosseum and finish at the Spanish Steps. The morning is for ancient Rome, the afternoon for the baroque city. You can walk the whole route.
- Morning at the Colosseum. It opens at 8:30 and your ticket has a fixed entry time.
- Then the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill on the same ticket. This part opens at 9:00.
- Walk to the Pantheon for lunch.
- In the afternoon, the Trevi Fountain. Since February 2026 there is an entry fee.
- At the end of the day, the Spanish Steps and the Trinità dei Monti church above them.
The Colosseum was built in the 1st century AD by the emperors of the Flavian dynasty. According to the Colosseum Archaeological Park (2026), it is the largest amphitheatre in the world. Its name comes from a colossal statue that stood nearby. With the standard ticket you have 75 minutes inside. Keep more time for the Forum and the Palatine, where you walk on old stones with no shade.
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Which ticket should you buy for the Colosseum and the Roman Forum?
The Colosseum Archaeological Park (2026) sells tickets online at ticketing.colosseo.it. Sales open 30 days before the date of your visit, and you must choose your Colosseum entry time in advance. Tickets carry your name. At the entrance you also show ID, so buy each ticket in the name of the person who uses it.
The standard ticket is valid for 24 hours. You enter the Colosseum once, at your booked time. You also enter the Roman Forum and the Palatine once, at any time in the 24 hours before or after your Colosseum time. This is how the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine ticket page (2026) describes it. So you choose the order.
| Ticket | What it includes | Full price | EU citizens aged 18 to 25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine | 1st and 2nd levels of the Colosseum, Forum, Palatine, 75 minutes in the Colosseum | €18.00 | €2.00 |
| Full Experience underground and arena | also the arena and the underground of the Colosseum, 90 minutes in the Colosseum, valid for 2 days | €24.00 | €2.00 |
| Full Experience with a guide | the same as above plus a guided tour | €32.00 | not given |
Prices are from the pages for the standard ticket and the Full Experience ticket (Colosseum Archaeological Park, 2026). The difference is €6. For that you get the arena, the underground and 15 more minutes inside. The reduced price is only for EU citizens, so visitors aged 18 to 25 with a UK passport pay the full price.
What are the Colosseum opening hours in autumn and winter?
In autumn the park closes earlier. According to the Colosseum Archaeological Park opening hours (2026), from 1 to 24 October 2026 last entry is at 17:30 and the park closes at 18:30. From 25 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, last entry is at 15:30 and the park closes at 16:30. It is closed on 25 December 2026 and 1 January 2027.
From 25 October you have seven hours between the Colosseum opening at 8:30 and last entry. If you arrive at lunchtime, you only have time for one part of the site.
Which sights in the centre are worth a stop?
The Pantheon is an ancient temple. According to Turismo Roma (2026), Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it between 118 and 125. The dome is just over 43 metres across, and the opening in its centre is 8.92 metres wide. This opening is the only source of daylight inside. The painter Raphael is buried here.
You pay to enter the Pantheon. According to the Italian Ministry of Culture (2026), the ticket costs €7 from 1 July 2026, up from €5. EU citizens aged 18 to 25 pay €2, and under-18s go in free. It is open every day from 9:00 to 19:00, with last entry at 18:30.
From the Pantheon you can walk to the Trevi Fountain. Since 2 February 2026 you pay €2 to go down to the basin, says Turismo Roma (2026). You need a ticket every day from 9:00 to 22:00, also on the first Sunday of the month. You can buy it online at fontanaditrevi.roma.it or at the entrance, where you can only pay by card. Children under 5 go in free.
The architect Nicola Salvi designed the fountain. He won a competition that Pope Clement XII started in 1732, says Turismo Roma (2026). Tradition says that if you throw a coin into the water, you will come back to Rome. For a photo without the crowds, come before nine, when there is no fee yet.
The Spanish Steps go up from Piazza di Spagna to the Trinità dei Monti church. They were built between 1723 and 1726 to a design by Francesco De Sanctis. After the last restoration they opened again in September 2016, according to Turismo Roma (2026). From the top you see the rooftops of the centre.
What should you add if you have two days?
Spend the second day in the Vatican. The Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica are next to each other, but each has its own entrance and its own queue.
The museums are open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 18:00. This is what the Vatican Museums (2026) say. A full ticket costs €20, and online booking costs €5 more. A reduced ticket costs €10, and children under 7 go in free, according to the Vatican Museums price list (2026). The only official sales site is tickets.museivaticani.va. Tickets are not refundable.
From 1 June 2026, St Peter's Basilica is open every day from 7:00 to 20:00. Last entry is at 19:15 if the security queue allows it, says St Peter's Basilica (2026). You can go up the dome in the summer season until 25 October 2026, from 7:00 to 18:00. In winter the dome is open from 7:30 to 17:00.
Staff also check your clothes before you go in. The basilica rules (2026) ask everyone for trousers or a skirt below the knee and covered shoulders. At the moment there is no cloakroom in the basilica, so bring only a small backpack.
What should you add on the third day?
On the third day, cross the Tiber to Trastevere. According to Turismo Roma (2026), it is the largest historic district of Rome. It has narrow streets, small squares and places where Romans eat too.
In the middle of the district stands the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. Turismo Roma (2026) describes it as probably the first official place of Christian worship in Rome, from the 3rd century. Pietro Cavallini made the mosaics on the front and in the apse. In the evening you can walk back over a bridge to the centre.
| Sight | What it is | How long | Entry 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colosseum | the largest amphitheatre in the world | 75 or 90 minutes | from €18, with the Forum |
| Roman Forum and Palatine | the centre of ancient Rome and the hill of the imperial palaces | 2 to 3 hours | included in the Colosseum ticket |
| Pantheon | ancient temple with a dome and the tomb of Raphael | 30 minutes | €7 |
| Trevi Fountain | baroque fountain by Nicola Salvi | 15 minutes | €2 from 9:00 to 22:00 |
| Spanish Steps | steps up to the Trinità dei Monti church | 20 minutes | free |
| Vatican Museums | the popes' collections and the Sistine Chapel | 3 to 4 hours | €20, online booking €5 |
| St Peter's Basilica | papal basilica and dome | 1 to 2 hours | fee for the dome |
| Trastevere | district on the right bank of the Tiber | half a day | free |
When is entry to the sights free?
On the first Sunday of the month. On that day entry to the Colosseum Archaeological Park is free. That means the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine. Entry is also free on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November, according to the Colosseum Archaeological Park (2026). The Pantheon is free on the first Sunday too. You collect paper tickets at the ticket office on the day, says the Italian Ministry of Culture (2026).
The Vatican Museums are free on the last Sunday of the month, from 9:00 to 14:00, with last entry at 12:30. On other Sundays they are closed. You still pay for the Trevi Fountain on the first Sunday. Expect longer queues everywhere on free days.
How do you get to Rome from the UK?
The fastest way is to fly. Depending on the airline, you land either at the smaller Ciampino airport or at the large Fiumicino airport, so check which airport your ticket goes to before you buy. Compare dates and airports in the flight search below.
From Ciampino airport, SIT, Terravision and Schiaffini buses go to Roma Termini station. The stops are opposite the departures hall, according to Aeroporti di Roma (2026). You can buy a ticket online, in the arrivals hall or from the driver.
If you land at Fiumicino, the Leonardo Express train takes you to the centre. According to Trenitalia (2026), the trip costs €14 and takes 32 minutes to Termini. Trains run every 15 minutes, and every 30 minutes at some hours. One child aged 4 to 12 travels free with each paying adult. So two parents with two children of that age pay €28.
How do you get around Rome?
You can walk around the historic centre. From the Colosseum to the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps you do not need any transport. The metro is useful to get from your hotel, to the Vatican and to Termini station. Line B takes you to the Colosseum, at Colosseo station, according to the Colosseum Archaeological Park (2026).
The transport company ATAC gives the exact fares for buses and the metro on atac.roma.it. When we wrote this article, its website did not load for us, so we do not give the fares here. Check them before you travel.
Where should you stay in Rome?
For a short stay, the historic centre is the most practical. The Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps are a short walk away, and in the evening you do not need to travel. The area around Termini station is cheaper and handy if you fly into Ciampino or Fiumicino. The airport buses and the Leonardo Express both stop there.
Trastevere is lively and louder in the evening. The area near the Vatican is quieter, and in the morning you are among the first in the queue for the museums. When you look at a place to stay, check the address and the distance to the metro.
Add the city tourist tax to the hotel price. The amount per person per night depends on the hotel, and you pay it on the spot.
Where can you go next from Rome?
If you have more days, the train takes you south to Naples and Pompeii, or north to Florence and Milan. Another city for three days is Barcelona.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Rome?
Three days are enough for the main sights. Day one for ancient Rome and the centre, day two for the Vatican, day three for Trastevere. In one day you can see the Colosseum, the Forum and walk past the Pantheon to the Spanish Steps.
Do you need to buy a Colosseum ticket in advance?
Yes. You must book a Colosseum entry time, and sales open 30 days before your visit. The ticket carries your name, and you show ID at the entrance.
How much does it cost to see the Trevi Fountain?
Since 2 February 2026 it costs €2. You pay every day from 9:00 to 22:00. Children under 5 and residents of Rome go in free.
When are the Vatican Museums free?
On the last Sunday of the month from 9:00 to 14:00, with last entry at 12:30. On other Sundays the museums are closed.
What should you wear to St Peter's Basilica?
Trousers or a skirt below the knee and covered shoulders. This applies to men and women. In summer, put a scarf in your bag.
Colosseum in the morning, Pantheon and Trevi in the afternoon, the Vatican on day two. Buy tickets in advance, and on the first Sunday of the month expect a longer queue.
