Three Days in Rome and the Vatican

If you have three days in Rome and the Vatican, you can take your time visiting more of the Jubilee pilgrimage sites and special itineraries for religious pilgrims. Have a look at our one-day Rome and Vatican Jubilee itinerary for ideas. Here’s how you can spread out those day-one activities and add even more across a three-day visit to Rome and the Vatican.

Day One: Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica and Vatican Museums

Morning: Visit St. Peter’s Basilica and the Holy Door (read about the Holy Door in our FAQ here)

Pro tip: If you want a guided tour of the St. Peter’s Dome and then want to go at your own pace in the Vatican Museums, get the 2-in-1 Vatican Museum Ticket and St. Peter’s Dome Climb.

Afternoon: Head over to the historic center and enjoy lunch in a traditional pizzeria or trattoria. If you want to visit the Vatican Museums with a guided tour, stay in the Vatican area for a quick lunch and then at 2 pm depart for the Entire Vatican and Vaticombs: Treasures of the Sistine Chapel tour, where you’ll enjoy skip-the-line access to one of the world’s most famous art collections.

Evening: Visit one of the other Major Papal Basilicas in Rome for evening Mass and then enjoy dinner in a traditional restaurant nearby. St. John Lateran is located in the San Giovanni neighborhood, St. Paul Outside the Walls is located in the San Paolo neighborhood, and St. Mary Major is in Esquilino.

Day Two: Ancient Rome

Morning: Visit the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill for a comprehensive look at ancient Roman life.

Pro tip: If you’re an ItaliaPass Primo member, you get a free entry to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine HIll ($22 value) as part of your membership. If you want an expert-led tour to help you really delve into what daily life was like for the ancient Romans, we recommend the Colosseum and Roman Forum: Icon of Rome tour. ItaliaPass Primo members get a $100 credit to spend on any tour at ItaliaTours, so Primo members can get that $89 Colosseum tour for free!

Afternoon: Enjoy lunch near the Colosseum at a restaurant such as Ristoro della Salute, directly in Piazza del Colosseo, or Le Terrazze al Colosseo. Or you might venture up to one of Rome’s iconic rooftop restaurants, such as 47 Circus Roof Garden, where you can see the “mini Colosseum” in front of Teatro di Marcello.

Evening: Take an evening stroll to enjoy Rome by night, and include some of the historic center’s most iconic churches on your walk. If you visit the Trastevere neighborhood, be sure to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of the oldest churches in Rome, whose floor plan and wall structure dates all the way back to the 340s.

Day Three: More Jubilee highlights

Morning: Have breakfast in a traditional Italian coffee bar, then visit one or more of the official Jubilee 2025 churches and sanctuaries designated as meeting points for religious pilgrims, where you’ll find Jubilee resources and activities including catechism sessions and confession in various languages.

Here’s the list of designated churches where Jubilee religious pilgrims can gather, with a link to their location:

Afternoon: Stop by the official Jubilee Pilgrims Welcome Center and Info Point on Via della Conciliazione 7 (open every day from 10 am to 5 pm) to pick up your pilgrimage “testimonium” certifying your pilgrimage journey.

Evening: Visit the iconic Trevi Fountain and throw in a coin so that you’ll return to Rome. Visit the Spanish Steps and walk up to Villa Borghese at sunset, where you can take spectacular panoramic photos from Pincio Terrace. Have a picnic in the park.