Cheap things to do in Rome
Street food, free churches, market stalls, and the best pizza you'll eat standing up.
This is Rome on the terms most Romans actually live by: espresso at the bar, pizza by the slice, a long walk through ancient rubble, and a cold glass of something at the end of it. No reservations at places that need them, no bills that sting. This plan suits anyone who'd rather spend money on a second round than on a white tablecloth.
Day 1: Pantheon, Navona, Baffetto
The historic centre earns its reputation: a cheap cornetto near the Pantheon, the city's best people-watching at Navona, and a cash-only queue for Rome's most argued-about thin-crust pizza.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:15 AM
Pantheon
Best-preserved ancient building in Rome, the unreinforced concrete dome and oculus are jaw-dropping, and entry is cheap.
Map - 12:30 PM
Settimio al Pellegrino
Old family trattoria on Via del Pellegrino with a short handwritten menu of Roman pastas and stews.
Map - 2:30 PM
Piazza Navona
Free to stroll and soak up, Bernini fountains, buskers, and the best people-watching in Rome.
Map - 7:30 PM
Pizzeria Da Baffetto
Rome's most famous cheap pizza, thin, crispy, and no-frills; cash only and worth every cent.
Map - 9:30 PM
L’ANTIDOTO
Natural-wine bar in a Trastevere side street: ask what's open by the glass and pair it with a cheese plate.
Map
Day 2: Monti, the Colosseum, street dinner
Pre-book the Colosseum, then spend the afternoon in Monti eating pizza al taglio, poking around a neighbourhood market, and finishing with a plate of something hearty and affordable at Mizio's.
- 9:30 AM
Roscioli Caffè Pasticceria
Stand at the bar for an espresso and a maritozzo filled with whipped cream, Roman-style breakfast.
Map - 10:15 AM
Colosseum
Book a timed Colosseum ticket online, which also covers the Forum and Palatine for the rest of the day.
Map - 12:30 PM
Alle Carrette
Thin, crackly Roman pizzas at a long-running Monti pizzeria; start with a supplì and share a margherita.
Map - 2:00 PM
Mercato riomale
Browse the stalls at this local Monti rione market, classic Roman neighbourhood scene, free.
Map - 7:30 PM
Mizio's Street Food
Hearty, affordable Italian street food in Monti, exactly the kind of no-fuss local dinner this neighbourhood does best.
Map - 9:30 PM
Prosciutteria Cantina dei Papi - Trastevere
Wooden boards of prosciutto and pecorino with cheap house wine, a casual last glass among Trastevere's lanes.
Map
Day 3: Trastevere mosaics and Testaccio market
Start with the gold mosaics at Santa Maria in Trastevere, then cross the river to Testaccio for a brisket panino at Mordi & Vai, a lap of the market, and an unfussy dinner at da Augusto.
- 10:15 AM
Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere
Free entry to admire the dazzling gold Byzantine mosaics in Trastevere's medieval heart.
Map - 12:30 PM
Mordi & Vai
Market stall panini at Testaccio, get the simmered brisket (allesso) or trippa alla romana.
Map - 1:30 PM
Nuovo Mercato Testaccio
Testaccio's covered market: produce, cheese and street-food boxes under one roof; closes mid-afternoon and Sundays.
Map - 7:30 PM
Where to stay
Hotel Scenario
The cheapest listed option and close enough to Trastevere and the centre to walk most of this plan.
citizenM Roma Isola Tiberina
Isola Tiberina puts you between Trastevere and the historic centre, which is exactly where these three days play out.
Make Rome your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Colosseum: weeks ahead
- Roman Forum: weeks ahead
- Palatine Hill: weeks ahead
- Vatican Museums: weeks ahead
- Sistine Chapel: weeks ahead
- Pantheon: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Restaurants facing Trevi, Piazza Navona or the Pantheon with touts and photo menus: have a drink there if you must, eat two streets away.
- Costumed gladiators at the Colosseum demand 20 to 50 euros after a photo and can turn aggressive. Never pose.
- Neon gelato mounds by monuments are the tourist version. Real gelato sits in covered metal tins in muted natural colours.
- Skip the line tickets sold on the street and Colosseum tickets from non official sellers at multiples of face value.
The full Rome travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around