Luxury things to do in Rome
Il Pagliaccio, Glass Hostaria, Harry's Bar, and Palazzo Farnese in between
Rome at its most unapologetic: tasting menus two nights running, a courtyard lunch in the shadow of a Renaissance palazzo, and afternoons that move from Piazza di Spagna to the Eden's rooftop at a pace that suits no one in a hurry. This is for people who have been to Rome before and want to go further.
Day 1: Pantheon, Navona, Il Pagliaccio
The day opens at Rome's most perfect ancient room, crosses Piazza Navona, and closes with Anthony Genovese's tasting menu at Il Pagliaccio.
- 9:30 AM
Barnum Roma
Neighbourhood favourite, start with a proper espresso and cornetto before the crowds arrive.
Map - 10:15 AM
Pantheon
Rome's most jaw-dropping unreinforced concrete dome, get inside before the midday queue builds.
Map - 12:30 PM
La Ciambella
Bright modern trattoria by the Pantheon built over Agrippa's baths; cacio e pepe and carbonara done properly.
Map - 2:30 PM
Piazza Navona
Stroll Bernini's fountains and soak up the grandest baroque piazza in Rome at a leisurely pace.
Map - 7:30 PM
Il Pagliaccio
Anthony Genovese's tasting menus on Via dei Banchi Vecchi: Italian technique with Asian and French threads.
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: Trastevere from market to Glass
Farnese palaces and botanical gardens fill the afternoon before Glass Hostaria delivers the neighbourhood's most considered tasting menu.
- 9:30 AM
Roscioli Caffè Pasticceria
Rome's most celebrated caffè-pasticceria, espresso and cornetti at the counter before the crowds hit.
Map - 10:15 AM
Palazzo Farnese
Sangallo and Michelangelo's palazzo, now the French Embassy, with Carracci's ceiling frescoes; book a tour slot first.
Map - 12:30 PM
Taverna Trilussa
Old Trastevere taverna serving pasta in the pan it was cooked in; the amatriciana and the abbacchio.
Map - 2:30 PM
Orto Botanico
Rome's botanical garden tucked behind Trastevere, a lush, unhurried afternoon wander.
Map - 7:30 PM
Glass Hostaria
Cristina Bowerman's modern Italian tasting menu in a glass-and-steel room on Vicolo del Cinque.
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: Spanish Steps, Trevi, La Terrazza
Babington's tearoom, Rome's grandest arcade, and a rooftop fine-dining dinner at the Eden, finished with a Bellini at Harry's Bar.
- 9:30 AM
Babington's
Babington's iconic Anglo-Roman tearoom steps from the Spanish Steps, the grandest, most storied morning coffee in this part of Rome.
Map - 10:15 AM
Piazza di Spagna
Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps, Rome's most celebrated landmark, right outside the door; stroll, soak it in, climb to the Trinità dei Monti view.
Map - 12:30 PM
Ristorante Tullio
Ristorante Tullio in the Trevi neighbourhood, a storied Roman institution, the classic boujee Roman lunch this quarter is famous for.
Map - 2:30 PM
Galleria Alberto Sordi
The 1920s glass-roofed Liberty arcade on Via del Corso; a coffee under the stained glass, not a shopping trip.
Map - 7:30 PM
La Terrazza
Hotel Eden's rooftop tasting menu with the domes of Rome at eye level; book the window tables at sunset.
Map - 9:30 PM
Harry's Bar
Dolce vita bar on Via Veneto with piano music and white-jacketed barmen; order a Bellini at the counter.
Map
Where to stay
Orient Express La Minerva
Orient Express La Minerva sits a short walk from the Pantheon and Navona, with the kind of old-world grandeur that matches every dinner on this itinerary.
The Pantheon Iconic, Autograph Collection
The Pantheon Iconic puts you directly beside Rome's most famous ancient room and within easy reach of Il Pagliaccio for the trip's centrepiece dinner.
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