Sacred Rome: A Journey Through History and Faiths

5 Day Tour of Rome

Overview
Trip Map
Itinerary
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5 Days 4 Nights

Best Time: Jan-Dec

Churches & Sacred Sites

History Buffs

Immerse yourself in the timeless beauty of Rome with our 5-day tour highlighting the city's most sacred and historic sites. You'll visit the awe-inspiring Vatican City and the ancient Pantheon, and explore the rich history of the Jewish Ghetto. The journey offers a perfect blend of inspiring religious architecture and cultural exploration. Wander through Rome’s glorious piazzas, marvel at its stunning fountains, and discover the vibrant food culture that thrives in this ancient city. With private guided tours, insider tips through our mobile app, and detailed travel guidance, you’ll experience Rome like never before.

Explore Vatican City, home to St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Pope.
Discover the ancient splendor of the Pantheon, a pagan temple converted into a Christian church.
Wander the narrow streets of Rome's Jewish Ghetto, discovering its rich history and culture.
Stroll through Piazza Venezia, admire the monument to King Victor Emmanuel, & visit Trajan's Market.
Relax in the beautiful Villa Borghese Gardens and enjoy the world-class art at Galleria Borghese.

Explore Vatican City, home to St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Pope.
Discover the ancient splendor of the Pantheon, a pagan temple converted into a Christian church.
Wander the narrow streets of Rome's Jewish Ghetto, discovering its rich history and culture.
Stroll through Piazza Venezia, admire the monument to King Victor Emmanuel, & visit Trajan's Market.
Relax in the beautiful Villa Borghese Gardens and enjoy the world-class art at Galleria Borghese.

Colosseum

Historic Landmarks

Vatican City

Churches & Monasteries

Roman Forum & Palatine Hill

Historic Landmarks

Castel Sant'Angelo

Historic Landmarks

Piazza Venezia & Trajan's Market

Historic Landmarks

Pantheon

Historic Landmarks

Trevi Fountain

Historic Landmarks

Circus Maximus

Historic Landmarks

Must see sights

Colosseum

Historic Landmarks

Vatican City

Churches & Monasteries

Roman Forum & Palatine Hill

Historic Landmarks

Castel Sant'Angelo

Historic Landmarks

Piazza Venezia & Trajan's Market

Historic Landmarks

Pantheon

Historic Landmarks

Trevi Fountain

Historic Landmarks

Circus Maximus

Historic Landmarks

Starting from

$1399

per person

4.8 (365 reviews)

Not included

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Day-By-Day Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive Rome

Day 1

Arrive Rome

11:30 AM

Private Transfer from Rome Fiumicino to Hotel

For your arrival in Rome, we will provide information on the customs and passport procedures. We will schedule a pick up for your flight's arrival time. You will be met at arrivals inside the terminal by a driver holding a sign with your name on it. The transfer is for your party only - you will not be sharing a vehicle. The cost of the ride will be included in your itinerary package and you will be taken directly to your hotel. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be aware the car service can fit up to 1 checked item of luggage and 1 personal item per person, such as a purse or small backpack. If you think you will have more baggage, please inform your travel consultant as this may result in an additional fee.

Day 1

Arrive Rome

11:30 AM:

Private Transfer to your Hotel

Mid-Day/Afternoon:

Rome's Historic Center

Late Afternoon/Early Evening:

Spanish Steps

Day 1

Arrive Rome

Day 1

Arrive Rome

11:30 AM

Private Transfer from Rome Fiumicino to Hotel

Mid-Day/Afternoon

Exploring Rome's Historic Center (Centro Storico)

Rome's tangled historical center is packed full of some of the most fascinating and incredible sights. Explore elegant squares and piazzas, centuries-year-old churches, and baroque fountains and wander at leisure the labyrinth of ancient Roman cobbled lanes. Highlights include the Baroque grandeur of Piazza Navona and the great and endlessly copied Roman Pantheon.

Late Afternoon/Early Evening

Spanish Steps and surroundings

The streets spreading out from grand Piazza del Popolo (People's Square) form a trident that hosts some of the most popular shopping and tourist sights in Rome. These include the Spanish Steps, the adjacent Keats-Shelley House where Keats died of tuberculosis in 1821, Trevi Fountain where Anita Ekberg jumped into the water in the famous scene from Frederico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, and the Mausoleum of Emperor Augustus.

Day 2

Rome

Day 2

Rome

Day 2

Rome

Day 2

Rome

9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

In the Heart of The Empire - Private Guided Tour of Ancient Rome

On this 3-hour private guided tour, you will explore the imposing remains of ancient Rome. Your guide will explain the extraordinary history of the birth of Rome, life in the city and everything about the fall of the Empire. Visit the Colosseum, the monumental ruins of the Roman Forum, and end the tour on the Capitoline Hill, the smallest and most important of the seven hills of Ancient Rome.

Afternoon

Piazza Venezia & Surroundings

The Piazza Venezia is not only the central hub of Rome, but is also located at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, which is the ancient heart of Rome. Thus it was chosen as a fitting space for a memorial to the first king of modern Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, who led the unification of the Italian states in the 1860s. The gigantic monument now overlooks the Piazza Venezia in overwhelming marble glory, standing as an unmissable symbol of Italian unity. The open space and dramatic setting were used to great effect by Mussolini, who staged rallies here. However, the monument is just one of the several sights that can be found around Piazza Venezia, an area often overlooked by tourists who pass from the historic center directly to the Colosseum further down the street. For instance, just below it you'll find Trajan's Forum, containing some of Rome's most notable ruins, and just above it on the Capitoline Hill, an elegant square designed by Michelangelo.

Late Afternoon/Early Evening

Exploring the Villa Borghese Gardens

The Villa Borghese Park acts as the main respite and sanctuary for Romans and tourists alike away from the din of central Rome. Overlooking Piazza del Popolo and only a stone's throw from the Spanish Steps, the area was a district of market gardens, olive groves, and patrician villas until taken over as summer estates by the city's wealthy during the Renaissance. The most notable is Villa Borghese, which now houses one of the city's best non-Vatican art collections. The adjacent Pincio Gardens offer a grand vista over Rome.

Day 3

Rome

Day 3

Rome

Day 3

Rome

Day 3

Rome

Early Morning to Late Afternoon

Explore the Vatican City's Many Wonders

Rome is unique in the world in that it contains an independent country within its city limits - the Vatican City, from where the Pope administers the Catholic Church. The symbolic center of Catholicism is St Peter's Basilica, the second-largest Catholic church in the world and among the most beautiful. The Vatican Museum contains one of the greatest collections of art in existence, including Michelangelo's jaw-dropping Sistine Chapel. The popes had a bigger influence on Rome than just the collection of art. The Pope's title is actually Bishop of Rome, and popes administed the city for centuries, shaping its architecture & public spaces. Rome was re-built to be an example of urban beauty, and the Vatican was meant to be the showcase within the showcase. Their success is evident from the throngs of visitors who flock here even today.

Late Afternoon/Early Evening

Castel Sant'Angelo

Designed and built by Emperor Hadrian as his own mausoleum, the great circular hulk of Castel Sant'Angelo provides one of the best routes to the Vatican and St Peter's via the Ponte Sant'Angelo bridge. Appropriated by the popes, the mausoleum was turned into a fortress and attached to the Vatican with a passageway for the popes to use as a refuge in times of siege or invasion - this is where Pope Clement VII sheltered during the Sack of Rome in 1527.

Day 4

Rome

Day 4

Rome

Day 4

Rome

Day 4

Rome

Morning/Mid-Day

Visit Rome's Esquilino District

Upon first glance, this urban neighborhood of Rome may seem busy and overwhelming, but hidden among its traffic-noisy streets are some of Rome's most beautiful churches, artistic treasures, and cultural museums, including the Baths of Diocletian.

Afternoon

Discover the Jewish Ghetto

The Ghetto is an area of confusing switchback streets and alleys which is currently undergoing a resurgence with lots of kosher cafes and restaurants. The highlight is the huge synagogue built in 1904, which includes the Museo Ebriaca recounting the history of Roman Jews, many of whom died in the Holocaust. Immediately across the road is the Teatro di Marcello built by Julius Caesar and Augustus. The remains of the first Roman bridge to cross the Tiber are also nearby.

Early Evening to Late Evening

Exploring & Dining Out in Trastevere

Stroll around Trastevere, a formerly working-class district which has now been transformed into one of its hippest neighborhoods. You'll discover a heady nightlife mostly free of the tourist traps which mar other parts of the center, and you'll discover hidden corners beloved by locals and visitors alike. We highly recommend dining out in one of the district's top-rated restaurants or cafes, but beware, this is Rome's most popular spot for dinner, so booking ahead or dining early is highly advised. If you don't make a reservation, here's one tip for finding a restaurant: if someone is standing outside trying to convince you to come in, it's not popular with the locals.

Day 5

Depart Rome

Day 5

Depart Rome

Day 5

Depart Rome

Day 5

Depart Rome

Morning/Mid-Day

Go South of the Center & Get Off the Beaten Path

While most tourists stick to the Vatican and historic center of Rome, just south of the Palatine Hill lay several attractions that are definitely worth seeing. Start with a quick visit to the Circus Maximus, where chariot races were held in ancient Rome, and then make your way further south for a look at the fascinating pyramid tomb of Caius Cestius, one of classical Rome's best preserved ruins. It was built for a Roman aristocrat during a time when all things Egyptian were the rage. Just next to pyramid is the Protestant Cemetery, holding the earthly remains of Rome's non-Catholic residents, locals and foreigners alike, and not just Protestants. Within this beautiful cemetery, you will find the graves of the poets Keats and Shelley and Gregory Corso, as well as the Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci. Farther up the road are the huge Baths of Caracalla - named after one of classical Rome's cruelest emperors.

To Be Determined

Private Transfer to Rome Fiumicino or Ciampino Airport

A car service will pick you up from your hotel and take you directly to Rome Fiumicino Airport. This is a private transfer for you and your travel party. You do not need to pay the driver as the cost of the private transfer is included in your itinerary. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be aware the car service can fit up to 1 checked item of luggage and 1 personal item per person, such as a purse or small backpack. If you think you will have more baggage, please inform your travel consultant as this may result in an additional fee.

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Sacred Rome: A Journey Through History and Faiths

5 Day Tour of Rome

$1399

Secure Your Customizable Trip Enter your details to embark on a journey that can be tailored just for you.

Craft Your Own Itinerary Select your interests and destinations for a trip plan inspired by you.

Trip Map & Itinerary

Day-By-Day Itinerary

Private Transfer from Rome Fiumicino to Hotel

Secure Your Customizable Trip
Enter your details to embark on a journey that can be tailored just for you.

Craft Your Own Itinerary
Select your interests and destinations for a trip plan inspired by you.