Itinerary · Italy · 3 days
Rome in 3 days: €101.50 in tickets
Three days for Rome's World Heritage sights: the ancient city on day one, the Vatican on day two, and the piazzas, fountains and the Borghese Gallery on day three. Every ticket is priced from the official sites, so you know what the whole trip costs before you go.
- Day 1: Ancient RomeColosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, Capitoline Museums€34.50
- Day 2: The VaticanVatican Museums, St Peter's Dome, Ponte Sant'Angelo, Trastevere€42
- Day 3: Piazzas, fountains and the BorgheseBorghese Gallery, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona€25
- Total per adult€101.50
about US$114 · £85 (2026-10-23 rates)
Each price checked on the attraction's official site in October 2026
The route
Every stop, numbered in order and coloured by day. Tap a number for its price.
- Day 1: Ancient Rome
- Day 2: The Vatican
- Day 3: Piazzas, fountains and the Borghese
Map: OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles and OpenStreetMap contributors.
Day 1: Ancient Rome
€34.50 in tickets
Start early at the Colosseum, then use the same ticket for the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill next door. Finish on the Capitoline Hill, a short walk away, with the view back over the Forum.
Colosseum
€18 24h: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine about US$20 · £15
Book the earliest time slot you can: the queues and the heat build through the day. Allow about two hours inside.
Hours, free entry and booking
Free entry: First Sunday of every month, and other national free-admission days
Booking: The park's own ticket site is its only official online seller; it warns against resellers charging more. Tickets carry the holder's name.
Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Included in the Colosseum ticket
The Colosseum ticket covers both, within 24 hours. The Palatine has the best views over the Forum and the Circus Maximus; bring water, as there's little shade.
Capitoline Museums
€16.50 Museums with the exhibition 'Angeli', non-residents about US$18 · £14
The world's oldest public museums, on Michelangelo's square. The terrace at the back looks straight down on the Forum.
Hours, free entry and booking
Opening hours: Every day 9:30am to 7:30pm; 24 and 31 December 9:30am to 2pm. Last entry an hour before closing. Closed 1 May and 25 December.
Free entry: Residents of Rome and its Metropolitan City (with ID), Roma MIC card holders, and others covered by Rome's museum pricing rules. Free or reduced with the Roma Pass. School groups with their teachers.
Booking: Buy online, through the 060608 call centre or at the ticket office (same-day tickets have no booking fee). Advance tickets can't be refunded or changed. Free tickets are issued only by phone (060608) or at the ticket office.
Day 2: The Vatican
€42 in tickets
The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel in the morning, then St Peter's Basilica and its dome. Walk back over the Ponte Sant'Angelo and end the day in Trastevere.
Vatican Museums
€25 Full ticket booked online (Skip the Line) about US$28 · £21
Booking online costs €5 more than the ticket desk but skips the long queue outside. The Sistine Chapel comes at the end of the route, so pace yourself: the full walk is several kilometres.
Hours, free entry and booking
Opening hours: 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday (last entry 6pm), and 9am to 2pm on the free last Sunday (last entry 12:30pm). Closed on other Sundays and on the holidays listed on the museums' site. Visitors must leave the halls 30 minutes before closing.
Free entry: Everyone on the last Sunday of the month, 9am to 2pm (not when it falls on Easter Sunday, 29 June, or 25, 26 or 31 December). Children under 7, and disabled visitors (67% or more) with a companion, issued at the entrance desks.
Booking: Book only on tickets.museivaticani.va, the one official online seller; the museums warn of copycat sites. Tickets can't be refunded.
St Peter's Dome
€17 Dome by stairs, with the Basilica about US$19 · £14
The climb is 551 steps in all (the lift ticket saves the first 231), and the top gives the best view in Rome. Your Basilica visit is set an hour either side of your dome time.
Hours, free entry and booking
Opening hours: Dome 7am to 6pm from 29 March to 25 October 2026, 7:30am to 5pm in winter. The Basilica is open 7am to 8pm.
Free entry: Children up to 6 with a parent, and disabled visitors (over 74%) with one companion. Children aged 7 to 17 pay a reduced price.
Booking: Book a time on the Basilica's own booking site, booking.basilicasanpietro.va. Tickets carry your name and can't be changed or refunded; the Basilica visit is set an hour before or after your dome time. Shoulders and knees must be covered, and there's no cloakroom.
Ponte Sant'Angelo
Free
The bridge of Bernini's angels, facing Castel Sant'Angelo. Free to walk across.
Trastevere
Free
Cobbled streets across the river, at their best in the evening for dinner. Free to wander.
Day 3: Piazzas, fountains and the Borghese
€25 in tickets, plus the optional Baths of Caracalla
The Borghese Gallery's Bernini sculptures first, at a booked hour, then downhill through the historic centre: the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, all within a half-hour walk of each other.
Borghese Gallery
€16 Full price about US$18 · £13
Booking is compulsory and slots sell out, so book this first. Visits last two hours. Walk down through the Villa Borghese park afterwards.
Hours, free entry and booking
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 7pm; entry on the hour, last entry 5.45pm. Visits last two hours. Closed Mondays, 25 December and 1 January.
Free entry: Under 18s, ICOM members, and some art and architecture students and teachers (all still book, and most pay the €2 fee; children up to 5 and disabled visitors with a companion don't). Everyone on the first Sunday of the month, 25 April, 2 June and 4 November (book from 10 days before; €2 fee).
Booking: Booking is compulsory for everyone, online or by phone (+39 06 32810, weekdays): 180 people enter each hour, and there are no skip-the-line tickets. Up to 5 tickets per booking. Roma Pass holders must book too.
Spanish Steps
Free
Free to see. Sitting on the steps isn't allowed.
Trevi Fountain
€2 Access to the fountain's inner area (visitors from outside Rome) about US$2 · £2
The €2 ticket is for the inner area by the water; the fountain can always be seen free from outside the barrier, and after hours.
Hours, free entry and booking
Opening hours: Inner area: Monday and Friday 11.30am to 10pm, other days 9am to 10pm; last entry 9pm. Times can change for maintenance or public order (some Mondays from 2pm).
Free entry: Residents of Rome and its Metropolitan City (show ID), children under 6, disabled visitors and one companion, licensed tour guides and Roma MIC Card holders. After hours, and from outside the barrier, the fountain is free to see.
Booking: Buy online (open-dated, no set time, not refundable), at the Civic Museums, tourist info points and shops in cash or by card, or at the entrance by card only. Ticket holders have their own queue. The entrance is on Via della Stamperia, the exit on Via dei Crociferi. There are steps; no food, drink, sitting on the edge or wading (fines from €40).
Pantheon
€7 Standard ticket about US$8 · £6
Nearly 1,900 years old and still a church, so cover shoulders and knees. Entry is in order of arrival within your time slot.
Hours, free entry and booking
Opening hours: 9am to 7pm every day; ticket office until 6pm, last individual entry 6:30pm. Ticket sales stop an hour before services. Closed 25 December and 1 January.
Free entry: Under 18s, residents of the city of Rome, and everyone on the first Sunday of the month (no online booking then: one queue for free tickets at the door). Entry is also free during Mass (5pm Saturdays and the eve of holidays, 10:30am Sundays and holidays).
Booking: Official tickets only: the Musei Italiani website or app, or the tills and machines on site. Entry is in order of arrival within your time slot; there's no skip-the-line ticket, and the Roma Pass and Omnia Card don't cover it. Each month's tickets go on sale mid-way through the month before. It's a church: cover shoulders, no short shorts or skirts.
Piazza Navona
Free
Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers, on the line of an ancient stadium. Free, and lively in the evening.
Baths of Caracalla Optional
€10 Full price, including the Frank Horvat exhibition about US$11 · £8
If you have a fourth morning: the vast ruins of an imperial bath house, a short ride south of the Colosseum and rarely crowded.
Hours, free entry and booking
Opening hours: Tickets are sold until 5:30pm from 1 to 24 October; hours change with the seasons. Visit the exhibition and the Domus di Vigna Guidi before 6pm.
Free entry: Under-18s and others entitled by Italy's state museum rules. Everyone on the first Sunday of the month (the frescoed Domus di Vigna Guidi is closed on those busy days). EU school groups free.
Booking: Tickets are sold only on the Ministry of Culture's Musei Italiani website and app, or at the card-only machines at the entrance; there's no booking fee. Evening openings (Notturno Imperiale) are sold separately.
Before you go
Free days on this route
- The first Sunday of the month: Colosseum, Borghese Gallery, Pantheon (next: Sunday 1 November)
- 25 April, 2 June and 4 November (book ahead; €2 booking fee): Borghese Gallery (next: Wednesday 4 November)
- Last Sunday of the month, 9am to 2pm (last entry 12:30pm), unless it falls on Easter Sunday, 29 June, or 25, 26 or 31 December: Vatican Museums (next: Sunday 29 November)
Free days are the busiest: book a slot where one is needed and arrive early. Every free day in Europe
Before you book
- Don't put the Vatican day on a Sunday: the Vatican Museums close on Sundays except the last one of the month, when entry is free and very busy.
- The Borghese Gallery is closed on Mondays, so keep day three off a Monday.
- Book the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums only on their official sites, linked from each stop: both warn about resellers and copycat sites charging more.
- Under 18s go free at the Pantheon, the Borghese Gallery (they still pay the €2 booking fee) and the Baths of Caracalla.
Questions
How much do the tickets cost for Rome in 3 days?
The entry tickets on this route come to €101.50 for an adult, about US$114 · £85 (day 1 €34.50; day 2 €42; day 3 €25). Free places and optional stops aren't counted. Each price was checked on the attraction's official website in October 2026.
Are there free days on this route?
Yes, everyone goes free on these days. Colosseum, Borghese Gallery and Pantheon: the first Sunday of the month; Borghese Gallery: 25 April, 2 June and 4 November (book ahead; €2 booking fee); Vatican Museums: last Sunday of the month, 9am to 2pm (last entry 12:30pm), unless it falls on Easter Sunday, 29 June, or 25, 26 or 31 December. The next free day is Sunday 1 November 2026. Each attraction's page has its rules.
Is 3 days enough for Rome?
Three days covers the big World Heritage sights: ancient Rome, the Vatican and the historic centre. It's a full plan, with about three ticketed visits a day; a fourth day lets you add the Baths of Caracalla or the Appian Way at a slower pace.
Should I buy the Roma Pass for 3 days in Rome?
Not for this route on its own: the Vatican isn't covered, the Pantheon doesn't take it, and the Borghese Gallery still has to be booked. Add up the tickets you'll use against the pass price before buying.