Planning a trip to Rome can feel overwhelming — so we created this Rome travel guide in video form to help you plan faster and travel smarter, based on our own experience and local advice we were lucky to receive along the way.
Our Italy trip started in June 2022, when we traveled to the south of Italy for a very special reason: my niece Juliana’s wedding in the Puglia region. Before and after the celebration, we spent several days in Rome — and thanks to Juliana, her husband Nico, and his family who live in Rome, we experienced the city in a much more local, relaxed way.
With their tips (and a lot of our own research), we stayed in a perfectly walkable neighbourhood, avoided common first-timer mistakes, discovered incredible food spots, and explored Rome at a pace that actually felt enjoyable — not rushed.
We ended up spending five full days in Rome, followed by time in Naples, the Amalfi Coast, and Puglia, before returning to Rome one last time to fly back home to Montreal. Along the way, we filmed and documented everything we wish we had known before visiting.
This page brings all of that together in one place — a curated collection of our Rome travel videos and practical tips, so you can watch everything or simply jump to the sections that matter most to you. Whether you’re deciding how many days to stay, where to stay, what to eat, or how to visit the Vatican, everything here is based on local advice and real travel experience.
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Start Here: How Many Days in Rome – Part I
In Part I, we focus on:
- Arrival day planning (what to do when you’re tired or jet-lagged)
- Exploring Trastevere and nearby neighbourhoods
- Walking routes, food stops, and hidden gems
- How much you can realistically see without overpacking your days
Watch Part I here ⬇️
How Many Days in Rome — Part II
In Part II, we move into Rome’s iconic sights and viewpoints, including:
- The Colosseum and Roman Forum
- Vatican Museums & St. Peter’s Basilica
- Castel Sant’Angelo and scenic viewpoints
- Practical tips we wish we had known before visiting
Watch Part II here ⬇️
If you’re visiting Rome for the first time, these two videos together will help you decide whether 3 days, 4 days, or 5+ days make the most sense — based on real pacing, not just checklists.
Planning Your Days in Rome? Book Key Attractions in Advance
Rome’s most popular sights often sell out days ahead — especially the Colosseum and Vatican Museums.
We learned this the hard way. By waiting until the last minute to book Colosseum tickets, we nearly missed the experience entirely and only found availability on our last day in Rome. Since then, booking ahead has become one of our top Rome travel tips — it saves time, reduces stress, and helps your trip flow much more smoothly.
🎟️ Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill (Skip-the-Line)
🎟️ Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel (Skip-the-Line)
Using these links supports our work at no extra cost to you — thank you! 🤗🙏🏻❤️
Where to Stay in Rome (Walkable, Central & Local-Friendly)
Choosing the right area to stay in Rome can completely change your experience — especially if it’s your first visit. Rome is a city best explored on foot, so staying somewhere central and walkable saves time, energy, and transportation costs.
Thanks to local advice from family and friends who live in Rome, we stayed in the Monti neighbourhood, just a short walk from the Colosseum and well connected to the rest of the city. It ended up being one of the best decisions of our trip.
From Monti, we could:
- Walk to major sights like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, and Trastevere
- Enjoy quieter evenings away from heavy tourist crowds
- Find local cafés, bakeries, and small restaurants just steps from our door
- Easily reach the Vatican by metro or on foot
Want to stay where we stayed?
Search hotels in Monti (Rione Monti), our favorite central and walkable neighbourhood in Rome.
💛 Our personal stay in Monti:
We stayed at Una Finestra su Monti and it was an excellent base for exploring Rome on foot — calm streets, great cafés nearby, and close to everything.
👉 https://discoveringdestinations.com/go-booking-rome-unafinestrasumonti
To share this experience, we created a dedicated video showing exact walking distances, nearby attractions, and why this area works so well for first-time visitors.
Watch our video on where to stay in Rome here ⬇️
If you prefer a deeper breakdown, we also wrote a detailed blog with neighbourhood comparisons, hotel tips, and practical advice based on our stay.
📖 Read our full blog:
👉 https://discoveringdestinations.com/best-places-to-stay-in-rome/
🎟️ Book Experiences Near Where You Stay
Staying central makes it much easier to plan your days efficiently — especially when visiting Rome’s most popular attractions.
Booking experiences in advance helps you avoid long lines and sold-out days.
🎟️ Plan Ahead & Skip the Lines in Rome
Rome’s most popular attractions can sell out quickly, especially during peak season. Based on our experience, booking in advance saves time and stress.
🎟️ Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill (Skip-the-Line)
🎟️ Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel (Skip-the-Line)
🍕 Rome Walking Tour or Food Experience
Using these links supports our work at no extra cost to you — thank you! 🤗🙏🏻❤️
What to Eat in Rome (Food & Local Tips)
Food is a huge part of experiencing Rome — and one of the easiest ways to fall into tourist traps if you don’t know what to look for. Thanks to local tips from family and friends in Rome (and a lot of walking), we managed to eat really well, without chasing viral spots or overpriced menus.
Instead of focusing on “Instagram-famous” restaurants, we looked for:
- Small, local trattorias
- Busy bakeries and cafés filled with locals
- Classic Roman dishes done simply and well
- Neighborhood spots you can walk to, not plan your whole day around
During our stay, we tried many of Rome’s must-eat dishes, including:
- Carbonara, amatriciana, and cacio e pepe
- Supplì and fried zucchini flowers
- Roman-style pizza (thin and crispy)
- Maritozzo con la panna for breakfast
- Excellent espresso and gelato along the way
To make this easier for future travellers, we filmed a full Rome food video sharing where we ate, what we ordered, and which places we’d happily return to.
Watch our Rome Food Tour video ⬇️
📖 Read our detailed Rome Food Tour blog:
👉 https://discoveringdestinations.com/rome-food-tour/
Both are based on real experience, local recommendations, and our own research — no paid placements, no hype, just honest food discoveries.
Want to Explore Rome’s Food Scene With a Local?
If food is one of the main reasons you’re visiting Rome, a guided food or walking tour can be a great way to understand the city through its flavours — especially at the start of your trip.
Food tours in areas like Trastevere or Campo de’ Fiori can help you:
- Learn how to spot tourist traps
- Understand traditional Roman dishes
- Discover places you’ll want to revisit on your own
- Feel more confident ordering and exploring
Our Top Picks: Rome Food Tours You Can Book Now
Here are some highly rated food tours we personally recommend or would book ourselves:
🧀 1. Most Popular & Budget-Friendly
Rome: Trastevere Street Food Walking Tour with Local Expert
⭐ 4.8 | 1,600+ reviews | From C$58 per person (Reviews & Prices August 2025)
A fun, casual walking tour in the heart of Trastevere — As per Get your Guide description – Explore the charming neighborhood of Trastevere on a guided 2.5h Street Food Tour. Try some delicacies of the area, and admire its historic landmarks including the Santa Maria Church & Ponte Sisto.
Discover a different side of Roman cuisine in the Jewish Quarter.
Visiting the Vatican (What to Know Before You Go)
Visiting the Vatican Museums is often one of the most anticipated parts of a Rome trip — and also one of the most overwhelming if you’re not prepared.
Even during our visit in June 2022, crowds were already intense, and we quickly realized that showing up without a plan can mean long lines, limited availability, and a rushed experience. Today, with even higher visitor numbers, planning ahead is more important than ever.
From our experience, the biggest things to know before visiting the Vatican are:
- Tickets often sell out days (or weeks) in advance
- Lines without skip-the-line access can be very long
- Visiting early or with a guide makes a huge difference
- The Sistine Chapel is included with Vatican Museums entry — but many people don’t realize this
To give you a calm preview of what to expect, Serge filmed a relaxing, no-commentary walkthrough of the Vatican Museums during our visit — perfect for understanding the scale, flow, and atmosphere before you go.
Watch our Vatican Museums walkthrough (4k, no commentary) ⬇️
This video is especially helpful if you want to:
- Get familiar with the space before visiting
- Decide if a guided tour makes sense for you
- Enjoy the art and architecture at a slower pace
🎟️ Planning Your Vatican Visit
If the Vatican is high on your must-see list, we strongly recommend booking your tickets or guided tour in advance — especially during peak seasons like spring and summer.
🎟️ Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel (Skip-the-Line)
Booking ahead can help you:
- Skip long entrance lines
- Choose a time slot that fits your itinerary
- Learn the stories behind the art instead of rushing through
- Enjoy the experience with far less stress
Watch the Full Rome Travel Video Playlist
If you’d rather plan your trip visually — or revisit specific parts as you go — we’ve organized all of our Rome content into one playlist, so you can watch everything in the order that makes the most sense for you.
🎬 Watch our full Rome Travel Video Playlist ⬇️
Inside the playlist, you’ll find:
- How many days to spend in Rome (Part I & II)
- Where to stay for a walkable, stress-free experience
- What to eat and where to find great local food
- A relaxing Vatican Museums walkthrough
- Practical tips we wish we had known before visiting
Whether you’re planning your first trip, refining an itinerary, or simply dreaming about Rome, this playlist brings everything together in one place — based on real experience, local advice, and honest travel insights.
If you have questions as you plan, feel free to leave a comment on any of the videos — we always love hearing from fellow travellers ❤️
Rome as a Dream Travel Destination – Final Thoughts
Rome has a way of quietly becoming more than just a stop on your itinerary. Somewhere between the morning espresso, long walks through historic streets, shared meals, and unexpected viewpoints, it turns into a place that feels deeply memorable — and personal.
Experiencing Rome with local guidance from family and friends made all the difference for us. It allowed us to slow down, stay in the right area, eat well without overthinking it, and enjoy the city beyond the usual highlights. That’s exactly what shaped this guide and the videos you’ve seen here.
To us, Rome truly earns its place as a dream travel destination — not because you have to see everything, but because it invites you to enjoy the moments in between. The wandering, the food, the atmosphere, and the feeling that history and everyday life exist side by side.
Our hope is that this Rome travel guide helps you plan with more confidence, avoid unnecessary stress, and create space to experience the city in your own way. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or returning with fresh eyes, Rome has a way of meeting you exactly where you are.
And who knows — it might just become one of your dream travel destinations too 🇮🇹✨
Safe travels and happy exploring!
Eli & Serge | Discovering Destinations
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Plan Smarter with Google My Maps
If you want to make the most of your time in Lisbon, creating your own Google My Maps itinerary can be a game-changer. It helps you visualize attractions, restaurants, hotels, and walking routes all in one place — especially useful in a hilly city like Lisbon. We share exactly how we build our own travel maps step by step in this travel tips blog, so you can plan your trip your way and explore with confidence.
👉 Learn how to create your own Google My Maps itinerary here
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