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“Better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times.” – Asian Proverb

Rome gave me my best and worst experiences during my time in Italy, starting when I boarded the train from Grado and realized I had left my credit card with my boyfriend.

My boyfriend was staying in Italy for a couple conferences and I was flying out of Rome, so it was my first solo travel experience outside of North America. I boarded the train and after several hours, sharing a car with others who I could not communicate with, reached Rome.

By this point I was so overwhelmed by the whole situation that I rushed to the nearest washroom, shut myself into a stall and sobbed. Yup, sobbed. I had no idea where my hotel was, how I would get there, what I was thinking travelling by myself to such a place, basically I was a mess.

Eventually I pulled myself together and found a payphone where I called my hotel and found out how to get there. I had chosen a hotel close to the airport for convenience sake, but it was extremely far from the city and not well connected. Pro Tip: If you have the time to spend in Rome, stay within the city, it’s not worth staying near the airport.

After a goodnight sleep I was ready to head into Rome for my one-day whirlwind tour. If you have only one day in Rome these are the top things to do.

Best sites to see in Rome in one day

Sistine Chapel

Arrive early. There will be a line, but it truly is worth it for the incredible frescoes.

The Sistine Chapel is spectacular, albeit it is hard to really enjoy its beauty when you are elbow to elbow with 100s of 1000s of other people and a booming voice overhead constantly telling you not to take photos. Unfortunately, that kind of ruined it a bit for me, but I still couldn’t help but be in awe of the ancient and meticulously maintained artwork.

I expected to come into a quiet chapel where I could gaze up at that miraculous ceiling painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, but it was not to be. It’s too crowded and the magic was gone. I know I am not making much of a case for visiting the Sistine Chapel, but if you can get past the fact that you are not the only one that wants to see this site, it’s still worth it.

Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps

Continue your Rome walking tour by heading to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. Though crowded, the Trevi Fountain is so embedded with incredible history and beautiful architecture it’s hard not to love it.

Trevi Fountain is one of the oldest water sources in Rome, made from the same material as the Colosseum and is charitable. Every night the coins thrown into the fountain are collected and donated to a charity called Caritas, that makes me smile just thinking about it.

Pantheon

The Pantheon is just a quick stop on your Rome in a day trip. Get your Instagram worthy photo with the hole in the ceiling and then move on to the Colosseum.

By the time I reached the Colosseum, during my one day in Rome tour, I felt pretty savvy with the subway system. But when I walked out of the subway and saw the Colosseum I had the jaw dropping, heart stopping experience of seeing that incredible, history steeped piece of architecture in person and in that moment the number one spot on my bucket list had officially been checked off.

Colosseum

All around the Colosseum are people offering tours. As I reached the Colosseum I was approached by an extremely good looking Australian guy who asked me if I wanted to purchase tickets for a tour of the Colosseum and the surrounding ruins. I did the stupid girl thing and just nodded, breathing yes in response and gave him my 20 Euros.

It turns out that was an excellent choice. The tour guide was an older gentleman who took his time talking about the history of the Colosseum, so much so that some of the others on the tour were starting to get irritated. To which he promptly noted that Rome was not built in a day.

I laughed out loud and that certainly shut up the others. The tour really gave you a feeling of being a part of the history of such a place.

You could sit there and listen to him talk about the games and how they took place and almost visualize it happening as you sat in the stands. The follow-up tour of the ruins was equally good, with a young girl explaining the history of the area.

Concluding Thoughts

This city has so much to offer, I really hope to see Rome again someday, as well as more of Italy. If you only have one day in Rome, I think seeing the big sites is the perfect way to spend your day. It gives you an initial taste that will certainly leave you wanting more.

After your Rome in a day tour, hope a train and make sure to spend 2 days in Florence.