Our last stop for the European leg of our trip was Rome and Vatican City. As per usual, we managed to fit a lot in and I think I made the most of our short time here.
Here’s what we saw and did on our last few days in Europe:
The train from Florence to Rome was under 2 hours and we arrived in Rome around mid-afternoon. We got to Roma Termini station and walked to our Airbnb. I’ll share our accommodation towards the end but it was the best one we had during our trip.
Once we’ve rested and settled into our accommodation, we walked down to find the metro station closest to us, got some tickets in preparation for the next day and had some gelato.
We were staying near Vittorio Emanuele metro station and above it was this big park Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. We ate our gelato while exploring the park which was busy and vibing on a Monday night! For dinner this night we chose an Asian place nearby because the other Italian places were full and had queues. We had Vietnamese for dinner then walked to the Colosseum.
I’m glad our accommodation was within walking distance to the Colosseum. It was nice to see it after dinner and how it was lit up at night time. It was a nice post-dinner stroll. Afterwards, we went home and called it a night.
Day 1
This was our first full day and we had tickets to check out Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and Gardens.
We took the metro to Ottaviano station which is the closest station to Vatican City and walked there. It was already so busy and we lined up for our tour. I highly recommend booking well in advance. Tickets were already limited when we booked and we went for the skip the line ticket for a garden bus tour which includes an entry to the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel as it was only one of two types available. Tickets to the Vatican sell out fast.
We did the bus tour of the gardens first. Before booking our tickets, I actually didn’t know about the Vatican gardens. The photos looked beautiful though so that got us excited.
I’m so glad we did the garden tour. The Vatican grounds were so nice!
The views were great and the weather that day was also pretty good.
You’re not allowed to go out of the bus during the tour but we saw enough of the grounds and I’m pretty happy we did it this way. You can only access the gardens through a guided tour or the bus tour. If we did the guided walking tour, we would’ve been so exhausted walking through the Vatican museum, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica afterwards.
After the bus tour, we hopped off and made our way inside the Vatican museum.
The Vatican Museum is massive. It consists of multiple museums and galleries and had so many rooms. The end leads to the Sistine Chapel.
The art inside was amazing. The ceilings were painted but made to look like they were 3D.
The walls, ceilings and murals were so intricate and amazing. We just don’t see art done like this nowadays.
After a long time walking and battling crowds, we finally made it inside the Sistine Chapel. It was busy and full of people here and we couldn’t see signs that you’re actually not allowed to take photos. I managed to get a snap before we realised though. I didn’t expect how tall the ceiling would be and that Michaelangelo’s Creation of Adam painting would look small because of how high it is. It was pretty cool to see though.
After Sistine Chapel, we went outside to get some air and on our way out, I had to get souvenir for my parents who are Catholic. I think they would’ve enjoyed visiting here.
After Vatican Museum, we headed to St Peter’s Square.
It was 32deg this day and we started lining up to go inside St Peter’s Basilica. We were hot but thankfully the lined moved at a decent pace. Before going to Vatican, I did my research and it’s also noted in our Vatican entry tickets that you have to dress appropriately, such as no short shorts, tank tops etc. It was hot when we went but I was still surprised they were lenient on this. They did hand out some covering to those who weren’t dressed properly but people can still choose not to put that over them.
Photos cannot capture the massive scale of St Peter’s Basilica. It was amazing being inside and seeing how huge it is and how high the ceiling is.
This place was enormous and incredible. With or without any religious affiliation, one can appreciate how grand it is.
We also went down to the tombs where popes are buried. No photos were allowed there and I actually didn’t end up with a lot from here anyway. This place was to be experienced in person.
We decided not to go up the dome. We’ve been up a few domes during this trip so we headed out and slowly made our way back home.
We ended up having lunch at Jollibee first because it was so conveniently located near the metro station. I think this genius of Jollibee to have one near the Vatican. A;; the Filipinos will surely stop here for a meal. There were a few ads for Jollibee in the streets too!
After some rest, we headed out again and took the metro so we can go to the Trevi Fountain.
We couldn’t not visit the Trevi Fountain while we were in Rome. It was busy as expected but we managed to go down to the fountain pretty quickly.
We made our wishes, took photos quickly and we were done. It was so crowded and it’s not a place we wanted to hang out anyway.
Seeing it was pretty cool though. This has been in many shows and movies and it was surreal seeing it in person.
After the fountain, we checked out the church located opposite it: Chiesa dei Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio – Rettoria. I saw on Tiktok that this church has 22 embalmed hearts of popes preserved. You can’t see it but it was nearby so we went in. We also walked by the Spanish steps and then we ended up at Piazza del Popolo.
From Piazza del Popolo, we saw Terrazza del Pincio so we walked up there and explored Villa Borghese afterwards. Villa Borghese is a huge park with a lake you can rent boats. We’ve had a huge walking day already so afterwards, we took the metro back and searched for dinner.
We ended up at RomAntica which was near our Airbnb. We finally had Italian for dinner. The pasta was good. Afterwards we went home because we were exhausted.
Day 2
This day became an unplanned solo day for me. Unfortunately it was Max’s turn to feel ill so he decided to rest for the whole day. He didn’t want to risk feeling unwell while out and about and we also needed him to recover a lot faster than me because we had a flight to catch the next day.
So I ventured out by myself in the morning. I grabbed breakfast on the way, took the metro and checked out a few shops. I didn’t end up buying anything except for Muji travel items but it was nice to roam around Rome and not going to the touristy spots. I also stopped by the pharmacy as it was my last chance to buy European pharmacy bits.
Afterwards, I headed home, stopped by the supermarket for snacks and checked up on Max. He was still feeling sick so for our last planned activity in Rome, I had to do it by myself. It sucks he missed out but these things happen. I know he’d rather not feel ill. I also know what that was like when I was sick from Milan through Cinque Terre.
I had to pick up my tour tickets and on the way was Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II. This was a huge moment/building which was a bit much for this guy lol. I also had a gelato break after picking up my tickets then I headed to the Roman Forum.
The Roman Forum was unreal. It was fascinating having all these Roman ruins in the middle of the city.
It’s a massive space of excavated temples, squares and buildings dating back to 2000 years ago.
Back then this was the center of Rome. It would’ve looked amazing.
I was constantly amazed at the scale of the buildings and wondered what it was like back then. It would’ve been so beautiful.
My favourite part was the Basilica of Maxentius (left photo). I love the arches and it stood out due to its scale.
I absolutely loved exploring the Roman Forum. It was huge that even if it’s busy, there are so many places to go and check out and you can escape the crowds.
This place felt unreal and I felt quite small considering the scale of it all.
I struggle finding words to describe what it felt like to see this in person. It would’ve been so amazing to see it at its finest.
It was another hot day so I was glad to see that my ticket also included the Palatine museum which was inside the Roman Forum. I went in and it was airconditioned. It’s not a big museum but it was a cool respite from the heat and humidity outside.
After the Roman Forum, it was time to head to the Colosseum which is next to it. I tried to give Max’s ticket away to these girls but I only had one and they had 2 other friends. Someone else did give them tickets though!
My ticket also included the arena so after entry, I headed there.
Just like the Roman Forum, the Colosseum is an amazing sight to see. The scale is enormous and I felt so small within the walls of this amazing amphitheater.
I was also able to listen in to some of the tour groups so I learned a bit more from their guides.
It would’ve been great to experience this with Max but I’m glad I still went even by myself. I enjoyed both the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. I highly recommend doing both. They were both amazing. When in Rome, you cannot skip these two attractions. They’re worth it!
Afterwards, I slowly made my way home. I’ve walked so much already and I was exhausted.
I went through some pretty streets on my way back though!
I’m glad I went a different way because I found the prettiest street in Rome. This street was lined with these beautiful pink flower trees. It was so cute!
Afterwards, I actually stopped by a Chinese restaurant for food. I got it to takeaway so at least Max could have some dumpling soup. It was our last night in Rome. With Max still feeling ill, we stayed in and had to make sure everything was packed for the next day when we had to check out and take the Leonardo Express train to the airport.
Rome didn’t go quite as planned because Max got sick but I still had a great time. There was still so much left to see and do but with our limited time, I did as much as I could. Rome was a good last location for our European trip. After 4 weeks of travelling around Europe, we were almost ready to go home. We did have one more stop though and one we were so excited about!
Rome Airbnb
I mentioned at the start that our Rome Airbnb was the best one. We actually booked a different Airbnb but after checking the reviews, I realised that there hasn’t been a recent review for 7 months. I became suspicious and decided to cancel that and rebook elsewhere. I’m so glad I did!
This Airbnb wasn’t a scam and it was conveniently located. It was in a beautiful building with a nice marble entrance. It had a lift too.
It was a one-bedroom and the bedroom was nice! It was the nicest place we stayed in. It also had a separate lounge and kitchenette. The bathroom was also nice and had a washing machine so we could do our laundry. There was also aircon.
It was well worth it rebooking to this place. I’m glad we had a nice place to stay for our last city in Europe. Max did get sick but he was able to rest here and he felt well enough to travel the next day when we had a long-haul flight.
That’s everything we got up to in Rome and Vatican City. Some last thoughts on Rome:
- The whole city is basically touristy. It’s busy everywhere.
- The metro is super easy to figure out because there are less lines. They are building a new line that will be by the Colosseum.
- Vatican City is also busy. The lines were crazy of people trying to get in. Good luck if you try to get tickets on the day. It’s best to book in advance!
- Vatican Museum was hectic. It felt like we were being herded like cattle trying to get to each room.
- The locals in Rome were so well dressed! Like Milan, everyone looked so chic and they were dressed up for dinner on a Monday night.
- The Leonardo Express train leaves from Roma Termini and it is a direct train to the airport. It is well equipped for travelers so heaps of luggage storage and is spacious. Highly recommend this as the airport is located far away from central Rome.
- Roma Termini looked and felt dodgy. The outside of Roma Termini was not the vibe and it felt like a place you would get mugged. We were only there when we arrived and left Rome but I don’t think it’s a nice area to stay in.
- Rome Airport was so slow. Our check-in took forever and we didn’t have time to chill in the lounge. I also only had 20mins to shop in Duty Free so it was a mad dash to buy last minute items at the airport as well as get my tax return from the shopping I did throughout Europe.
This concludes my Europe trip! I can’t believe I’ve done all the cities we visited in Europe! It was such an amazing trip but it’s actually not over yet. The last leg of our 5-week holiday is in Singapore! We had a week in Singapore before heading back home to NZ. That will be my next travel post and it might take some time because we had a full week there.
If you’ve managed to reach the end of this, thank you. I wrote these blog posts for myself as a way to capture our travels and these amazing memories. It’s an added bonus if people read it. 🙂
Europe Trip blog post links:
Rome Tiktoks:
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