A Weekend In One Of Asma’s Dream Locations

In February 2017, Mehran surprised me with a weekend getaway to Rome on my birthday. I had always wanted to visit Rome and this was a dream come true for me. We took a flight from Zürich and arrived in Rome at night. The next day, we started our adventures in Rome.

We purchased the 72-hour Roma pass for our trip and it was very economical for public transport usage and for entry into different attractions.

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Arriving in Rome

• Via Train or Bus: Rome is exceptionally well-connected by rail and road. High-speed trains and long-distance buses arrive directly at central hubs like Roma Termini and Roma Tiburtina. To compare the best routes and prices for your trip, you can book through Busbud here.
• Via Flight: Land at Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) or Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA), the city’s two primary international gateways. Both are located just 30 to 45 minutes from the historic city center and offer easy transit links. To find the best deals on airfare. search and book your flights here.

Essential Travel Resources for Your Trip

• Over-night Stays: To book a hotel, explore the options available here.
• Stay Connected: Stay connected without worrying about roaming fees. Grab a local eSIM that fits your data needs here:
  • We recommend Airalo for a budget-friendly and basic plan. Get your Airalo eSIM here.
  • Yesim is our top-pick for unlimited data needs.Get your Yesim eSIM here.
• Going Around:
  • Taxis & Private Transfers Secure a reliable, fixed-price ride with professional drivers. Avoid the airport queues by booking in advance. Book your taxi/transfer here.
  • Car Rentals Enjoy the freedom of the open road. Compare the best rates from top brands to find your perfect vehicle here.
  • Public Transport Travel like a local and save money. Skip the station lines by securing your train and bus tickets here.

Day 1: Ancient Ruins and Iconic Fountains

Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

Pro-tip: Roman Forum is an extremely popular tourist destination. Secure your tickets in-advance to skip the queues.

The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill were the heart of ancient Rome. This is a must visit location for anyone interested in reading and visualising the history of the operations of the Roman Civilization. We spent around 2.5 hours exploring the attraction and definitely could have spent more if we had time to spare.

Colosseum

Our next destination was the Colosseum, which for me has always been THE icon of Rome. We had to wait for half an hour as the queue was long. To avoid these long wait times, it is highly recommended to book your skip-the-line entry vouchers in advance.

Pro-tip: Secure your ticket in-advance using the widget below.

We spent nearly an hour at the Colosseum. The location was crowded but it was totally worth visiting. It was even more breathtaking in real life and we were mesmerized by the beauty of the architecture. Afterwards, we had lunch and walked for 20 minutes to reach the next destination.

Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is another one of the must visit locations in Rome. The fountain was extremely crowded and it was very hard to get a nice photo without unintentional photobombing by other tourists. We spent half an hour just sitting near the fountain and trying to take in the beauty of the architecture.

Pantheon

The Pantheon is an 8 minute walk from the Trevi Fountain. The architecture is absolutely phenomenal and one should definitely allocate time to visit the interior as well. We spent half an hour exploring the interior of the Pantheon.

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, also known as the Fountain of the Four Rivers, is a 6 minute walk from the Pantheon. The fountain features four titans representing four rivers from the four known continents at the time. This is another fountain with breathtaking architecture and is also very frequently visited by tourists. We spent nearly 20 minutes at the fountain enjoying the view.

Largo di Torre Argentina

We ended our first day of exploration at Largo di Torre Argentina, a 10 minute walk from Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. This is a very important location in Roman history as it is widely accepted as the spot where Julius Caesar was assassinated. The sun had already set when we arrived, and given the history, we found the area a little creepy. After spending nearly 15 minutes at the location, we walked towards our hotel with our hearts happy and our feet hurting.

Day 2: Papal History, Iconic Steps, and Scenic Parks

Castel Sant’Angelo

We started day 2 with a 2.5 hour exploration of Castel Sant’Angelo. It was originally commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian for himself but was later used by Popes as a fortress and castle. It is historically famous since Pope Gregory had a vision of the Archangel Michael with his sword at the top of the castle signifying the end of the plague.

The castle has an enormous Michael statue to signify this incident. The architecture of the fortress is breathtaking and the museum part contains historical artifacts from the Roman Empire.

Pro-tip: Secure your ticket using the widget below to avoid the long queues.

Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel

The Vatican Museums were a 25 minute walk from Castel Sant’Angelo. We had bought the tickets online and had to wait for 15 minutes in the queue.

Pro-tip: Vatican Museums are an extremely population tourist spot. Secure your ticket in-advance using the widget below.

We spent 2 hours exploring the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The museum collection was enormous and we had to rush through some of the parts. However, the visit was totally worth it and we learnt a lot about Papal history. The art decorating the Sistine Chapel was absolutely breathtaking.

St. Peter’s Square

After the museums, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant and then walked towards St. Peter’s Square. Due to the weekend, St. Peter’s Basilica had a very long queue at the entrance. We decided to skip going inside the basilica and spent 30 minutes exploring St. Peter’s Square.

I am a Dan Brown fan and ever since I read ‘Angels and Demons’, I always wanted to visit the Vatican City locations featured in the book. We walked around the square and I identified the West Ponente Wind tile mentioned in the book and felt as if I myself was Robert Langdon.

Villa Borghese Gardens

We took the public bus from Vatican City to Villa Borghese Gardens and spent nearly an hour at Villa Borghese. You can check local routes and schedules easily if you map out your journey using a regional transit platform.

There is no entrance fee and it is a wonderful park to go to if you are looking for a quiet walk. We loved the scenic view at the viewpoint and found the park an extremely refreshing addition to our overall crowded day.

Spanish Steps

We walked 12 minutes from Villa Borghese to reach the Spanish Steps. The steps are the longest and widest staircase in Europe, so, naturally we had to go and explore them. We went down the steps and enjoyed the breathtaking view before walking towards our last checkpoint of the day.

Quattro Fontane

Quattro Fontane is a series of four fountains from the Renaissance period. We went from one fountain to the next taking in the intricate architecture of each fountain. Once we were done, we grabbed some food and walked back to our hotel.

Day 3: Ancient Roads, Ruins, and a Fun Finale

Circus Maximus

Day 3 started with a short stop at the Circus Maximus. It was once a very popular ancient Roman Chariot racing venue and attracted a lot of crowds. We spent 15 minutes at Circus Maximus since there is not much to see apart from the historical significance.

Trastevere

We took the public bus to Trastevere, a pretty neighbourhood with beautiful streets. We walked around some of the streets enjoying the artsy vibe of the neighbourhood before going towards our next checkpoint.

Pyramid of Caius Cestius

After a 20 minute walk, we arrived at the Pyramid of Caius Cestius. This is a pyramid from the ancient Roman period. As we both love pyramids, we decided to add this to our checklist. We spent nearly 10 minutes at the pyramid.

Parco Regionale Dell’Appia Antica

We used public transport to arrive at Parco Regionale Dell’Appia Antica and spent 1.5 hours exploring the park. The park has multiple archaeological monuments from the ancient Roman civilization. It has some nice scenic views as well as catacombs, ruins, and tombs. It is a worthy visit for individuals interested in ruins.

The Park of the Aqueducts

We took an Uber to the Park of the Aqueducts. The entrance to the park was free and we spent an hour there. The park had enormous aqueducts built during the Roman Empire. The architecture was absolutely stunning and the views at the park were extremely scenic.

LEGO Store Roma

Our last activity in Rome was taking a long bus ride to the LEGO Store Roma. Mehran is a LEGO enthusiast and this was a must do activity for him that he enjoyed a lot. Since he planned this trip, a visit to the LEGO store was the perfect end to our 3 day vacation. The next morning we packed our bags and took a flight home.

Final Remarks

Our weekend getaway was an extremely memorable trip for me. It was the perfect birthday gift and I still remember so many little details of the trip. As a history enthusiast, I fell in love with Rome. While a lot of people call Paris the city of romance, for me the title definitely goes to Rome. There was no single particular highlight to our trip as it was entirely perfect for me. We recommend everyone to take a trip to Rome and immerse themselves in its beautiful architecture, history and romance.

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