4 Days in Rome: Top Things To Do

Discover one of the world's most historic city with our comprehensive guide to 4 days in Rome!

Planning to spend 4 days in Rome? With hundreds of fountains, churches and world-famous monuments spanning more than 2,700 years of history, you’ll be spoilt for choice of exciting things to do. Read on for some top tips from our team to help you get the most from your trip!

Day 1

There are lots of different kinds of guided tour to help you get your bearings and make getting around during your stay that bit easier. There are hop-on-hop-off bus tours with audio commentary, excellent (and often free) guided walks, bike tours (with or without the help of an electric motor) and even segway tours. Once you have worked up an appetite why not choose a ‘trattoria’, a type of informal restaurant, and settle down to a traditionally Roman pasta dish of ‘cacio e pepe’ or ‘amatriciana’? Batteries recharged, head down to the Pantheon, the roughly 2000-year-old temple built to honour Pagan gods (pan = all, theos = god). It’s the best preserved of the ancient Roman monuments, in part because it was converted into a church in the 7th century. The building is an incredible feat of engineering, featuring an 8m-wide oculus to let in sunlight and a completely unreinforced concrete dome, which is larger than that of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Day 2

The Vatican is one of the must-see attractions for most visitors to Rome and there’s lots to see, including St Peter’s Basilica and its Necropolis, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums, which contain thousands of famous paintings and sculptures. If you spent a minute looking at each painting in the Vatican Museums’ collections, you would have to stay for four years! Next, take in some fresh air with a visit to Castel Sant’Angelo, on the banks of the Tiber. Built in the 2nd century AD, it was originally designed as a mausoleum by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Over the centuries it has been used as a fortress, papal residence and even a prison, before becoming a museum in 1901. The views from the Castle’s rooftop over the city are beautiful and although 4 days in Rome will fly by, it’s well worth leaving time for a stroll by the river and to explore the magnificent grounds.

Day 3

Time to return to the monuments of Ancient Rome, starting with the Colosseum, the amphitheatre that is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Roman Forum with its ancient ruins, and Palatine Hill with its views over the oldest parts of Rome, are only a short walk away. Excavations of the Forum didn’t start until 1803 and you’ll be able to see ruins of templates, government buildings, triumphal arches and market halls, literally following in the footsteps of senators and emperors. Finish your day with a relaxing visit to Villa Borghese. Although you couldn’t tell from the name, this is a fairly large public park, which houses a popular art gallery and other attractions. Tickets for the gallery have to purchased online in advance. This means that visitor numbers are restricted and it’s less busy than some of the major attractions.

Day 4

There are scores of captivating museums in Rome, but particular highlights are the Capitoline Museums and the Museum of Rome. The Capitoline is remarkable in itself, dating back to 1471, and most of the exhibits come from the city of Rome and relate to its history. Particular crowd-pleasers include the collection of classical sculpture and picture gallery with masterpieces by the likes of Titian, Tintoretto, Rubens and Caravaggio. The museum includes a famous sculpture showing Remus and Romulus being suckled by a she-wolf, part of the legend of Rome’s foundation. This image has come to represent Rome and can be seen around the city. Finish off your visit with a walk from the Spanish Steps, built in the 18th century and a popular meeting point, to the Trevi fountain. Tradition has it that if you throw a coin into the Trevi fountain, you will return to Rome. In fact, every night about 3,000 Euros are swept up from the bottom of the basin and donated to the charity Caritas, to provide services for families in need. This concludes our suggestions for what to do for 4 days in Rome. We hope that you have an amazing trip!