What to do on a Rome layover

Every plan below starts and ends at Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO). The times in Rome assume about an hour from landing to the train, the Leonardo Express to Roma Termini and back (32 minutes each way, with up to 30 minutes’ wait for a train), the Metro in town, and being back at the airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. If you still need to check in or drop a bag, allow longer. Walks, Metro times and visit lengths are our own allowances.

First make sure you can leave the airport: US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports need no visa, and Indian passports need a Schengen visa. Then check the day. The Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month, and on church holidays; the Colosseum and the Pantheon close on 25 December and 1 January. And dress for the churches: St Peter’s, the Vatican Museums and the Pantheon turn away bare shoulders, and short shorts or skirts, so keep a layer in your hand luggage.

6 to 7 hours: the quickest looks

You’ll have about an hour in town on a 6-hour layover and about 1.5 hours on a 6.5-hour one: time for one famous sight, two Metro stops from Termini.

The Trevi Fountain, no more

The most famous fountain in Rome, with no booking, no ticket to see it and no dress code. It fits the shortest layover worth leaving the airport for, about 6 hours.

1. Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, 32 minutes.
2. Walk to the Metro and take line A towards Battistini, two stops to Barberini-Fontana di Trevi: about 9 minutes with the wait for a train. Tap the contactless card you used for the Leonardo Express, at €1.50 for 100 minutes.
3. Walk about 7 minutes to the Trevi Fountain and give it about 25 minutes. It’s free to see from the square at any hour; from 9am to 10pm, going down to the edge of the basin costs €2.
4. Walk back to Barberini and take line A towards Anagnina, two stops to Termini. Leave the fountain about 3 hours before your flight.

Bags. Barberini station has no lifts, so with a case or a pushchair, leave the bag at the airport’s left luggage before you set off.

The Colosseum from the outside

The Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine beside it, seen from the street: no ticket, no booking, and there at any hour. A good choice with children, or for a first look at ancient Rome.

1. Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, 32 minutes.
2. Metro line B towards Laurentina, two stops to Colosseo: about 9 minutes with the wait. The Colosseum is right outside the station.
3. Walk round the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine: about 45 minutes.
4. Line B back to Termini. Leave Colosseo about 3 hours before your flight.

Want to go in? The inside needs a timed ticket booked ahead and about 7 hours in all: see the next plan but one.

7 to 9 hours: the centre, the Colosseum and St Peter’s

You’ll have about 2 hours in town on a 7-hour layover and about 3.5 hours on an 8.5-hour one: enough for a walk through the old centre, the inside of the Colosseum, or St Peter’s.

Trevi, the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps

The three sights most people picture when they think of Rome, joined by a walk through the old centre, with one paid ticket. It needs about 7 hours.

1. Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, then Metro line A towards Battistini, two stops to Barberini-Fontana di Trevi, and a 7-minute walk to the Trevi Fountain. Give it about 20 minutes.
2. Walk about 12 minutes to the Pantheon, the ancient Roman temple that is now a church: €7, and about half an hour inside.
3. Walk about 18 minutes to the Spanish Steps, free, and give them about 15 minutes.
4. Metro line A from Spagna, three stops back to Termini (towards Anagnina). Leave the Spanish Steps about 3 hours before your flight.

Opening hours. The Pantheon is open daily from 9am to 7pm, with last entry at 6:30pm. On an afternoon landing, land by about 3:30pm to reach it in time. It’s closed on 25 December and 1 January, and free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month and for under-18s every day.

Dress. The Pantheon is a church: cover your shoulders, and leave short shorts and short skirts for another day.

Bags. Barberini has no lifts, so leave cases at the airport.

The Colosseum with a reserved ticket

The inside of the Colosseum, which is what most visitors come for. It needs a timed ticket booked ahead, and about 7 hours.

1. Book an entry slot before you fly: €18, from the Colosseum’s official site or through Viator (opens in a new tab). Pick a slot at least 2.5 hours after you land, or 3 if your flight is often late.
2. Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, then Metro line B towards Laurentina, two stops to Colosseo.
3. Allow about 15 minutes for the entrance and the security check, then about an hour and a half inside the Colosseum.
4. Line B back to Termini. Leave the Colosseum about 3 hours before your flight.

Booking. The time slot is compulsory, and sales open 30 days before the date. A slot is for a set time, so leave a margin for a late landing.

Opening hours. Until 28 February 2027 the Colosseum is open 8:30am to 4:30pm, with last entry at 3:30pm, so on a winter afternoon you need to land by about 1pm. The hours change on 1 March 2027, so check them for a spring date. It’s closed on 25 December and 1 January.

The Forum and the Palatine Hill. The same ticket covers them, from 9am. Add 60 to 90 minutes for them: a layover of about 8 to 8.5 hours.

St Peter’s Basilica and Square

The great church of the Vatican, free to enter and one Metro line from Termini. The security queue is the unknown, so it needs about 7.5 hours.

1. Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, then Metro line A towards Battistini, six stops to Ottaviano: about 17 minutes with the wait.
2. Walk about 12 minutes to St Peter’s Square.
3. Queue for the security check: we allow 45 minutes. Then the Basilica, free, for about 30 minutes, and 10 for the square.
4. Walk back to Ottaviano and take line A towards Anagnina to Termini. Leave the square about 3 hours 15 minutes before your flight.

Dress. Men need long trousers and women a skirt below the knee or trousers, and everyone’s shoulders must be covered. It’s checked at the door, so pack a layer.

Bags. The Basilica has no cloakroom and turns away large bags, so leave cases at the airport.

Opening hours. The Basilica is open daily from 7am to 7pm until 28 March 2027; last summer it closed at 8pm. On an afternoon landing, land by about 3pm to have time inside. Services and papal events can limit access, so check the Basilica’s website on the day.

9 to 14 hours: the Vatican Museums

You’ll have about 4 hours in town on a 9-hour layover and about 8.5 hours on a 13.5-hour one: time for the Vatican Museums, and with 10.5 hours St Peter’s too.

The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel

The popes’ art collections, the Raphael Rooms and Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. It needs a timed ticket booked ahead, about 3 hours inside and a layover of about 9 hours, Monday to Saturday.

1. Book a timed ticket before you fly, on the Museums’ official site, tickets.museivaticani.va: €20, plus €5 for booking online. Viator (opens in a new tab) sells tickets and guided visits too. Pick a slot at least 3 hours after you land.
2. Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, then Metro line A towards Battistini, six stops to Ottaviano, and walk about 12 minutes to the Museums’ entrance.
3. Allow about 3 hours inside: the route through the galleries ends at the Sistine Chapel.
4. Walk back to Ottaviano and take line A to Termini. Leave the Museums about 3 hours 15 minutes before your flight.

With 10.5 hours or more, add St Peter’s Basilica next door: about 90 minutes more, with the security queue.

Pick your day. The Museums are open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm, with last entry at 6pm, and the halls are cleared from 7:30pm. To have 3 hours inside, land by about 2pm. On Sundays they’re closed, except on the last Sunday of the month, when entry is free from 9am to 2pm (last entry 12:30pm) and the queue is long. They’re also closed on church holidays: 8, 25 and 26 December, 1 and 6 January, 11 February, 19 March and Easter Monday, 29 March 2027. The Museums’ own list still gives last year’s Easter Monday, so check before you plan around it.

Dress. No sleeveless or low-cut tops, shorts above the knee, miniskirts or hats.

Tours from the airport

Fiumicino has no airline transit tour, but private tours with a driver who meets you at arrivals, shows you the sights and drives you back are sold online. They take the timing and the Metro off your hands, which suits first-timers and families.

Tour	Length	Layover you need	Price
Rome Airport Transfer with 5-Hour City Tour (opens in a new tab) (GetYourGuide), private, from and back to the airport	5 hours	About 7.5 hours if the 5 hours include the drives, about 9.5 if they don’t	Live price on GetYourGuide
Rome layover tours (opens in a new tab) (Viator)	Varies by tour	Tour length plus about 2.5 hours, and the drives if they’re extra	Varies by tour

• Layover needed. Add about 2.5 hours to a tour’s length: an hour to get out of the airport and 90 minutes back before your flight. The drive between the airport and the centre takes about 45 minutes to an hour each way, on our estimate, so ask whether the tour’s hours include it.
• Check before booking. What’s included (entry tickets often aren’t), the cancellation terms, and what happens if your flight lands late.

Overnight: sleep at the airport, then St Peter’s at opening

Sleep at the airport, then St Peter’s at opening

For a night landing and a flight late the next morning or later, if you can enter Italy.

1. Sleep at a hotel by the terminals: the Hilton Rome Airport, a covered walk away, the Hilton Garden Inn, on a free shuttle that runs all night, or HelloSky, which rents rooms for a few hours. The lounges past security close at night, and the airport’s left luggage is shut from 11pm to 7am, so keep your bags at the hotel.
2. Take the first Leonardo Express at 5:38am, reaching Termini at 6:10am.
3. Metro line A towards Battistini to Ottaviano (the Metro runs from 5:30am) and walk to St Peter’s Square, to be at the Basilica when it opens at 7am. This early we allow 15 minutes for security, then 30 inside.
4. Back to Termini and the airport. For this plan, your flight needs to leave after about 11:15am.

With a later flight, more of Rome is open: the Vatican Museums from 8am (Monday to Saturday, booked ahead), the Colosseum from 8:30am (booked; for the first slot, a flight after about 1:15pm), and the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain’s basin from 9am.

Landing late. The last Leonardo Express leaves the airport at 11:27pm. After it, there’s no train until 5:38am, which is another reason to book a room by the terminals.

24 hours

With a full day, you can see both halves of Rome: the Vatican and the ancient city.

• Bags. Check into a hotel, in town or by the terminals, or leave them at left luggage in Terminal 3 (7am to 11pm, €10 a bag for 24 hours).
• Morning. The Vatican Museums at 8am, booked ahead (Monday to Saturday), then St Peter’s Basilica next door. On a Sunday, start at the Basilica at 7am instead.
• Afternoon. Metro line A back to Termini and line B to Colosseo, for the Colosseum with a slot booked for early afternoon: in winter the last entry is 3:30pm. Then the Roman Forum on the same ticket.
• Evening. Walk up to the Trevi Fountain, whose basin is open until 10pm, and the Pantheon, open until 7pm.
• Next morning. The first train from Termini leaves at 4:50am and reaches the airport at 5:22am. Staying in town until the evening, the last leaves Termini at 11:05pm.

Rest at the airport

Fiumicino has no airside hotel or sleeping pods. Its pay-at-the-door lounges are past security but close at night, and passport control divides them: some are for flights leaving Schengen, others for flights within it. Its three hotels are landside, so you need to be able to enter Italy and pass through passport control to use them. At the airport has the details.

Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 3

Past security in Area E, so for a next flight outside Schengen. Open 5am to 10:30pm, from €30 for 2 hours, with showers: the simplest place for a few hours’ rest on a daytime connection.

Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 1

Past security on the upper floor of Area A, for a next flight within Italy or Schengen. Open 4:30am to 9:30pm, from €29 (seen November 2026). It has showers, which may cost extra.

Prima Vista Portus

Past security in Area E, by gates E51 to E61, for a next flight outside Schengen. Open 5:45am to 10:45pm: €40 for adults, €20 for children aged 2 to 14, and free for infants, with showers.

Prima Vista Domus

Past security on the upper level of Area A, for a next flight within Italy or Schengen. Open 5:15am to 9:45pm, at the same prices as Portus, with showers.

HelloSky Arrival Lounge and Air Rooms

Landside, in a public area reached on foot from the terminals and car parks A to D. It rents rooms for a few hours as well as for several days, so it suits a rest after the border on a long layover. Prices change by date, so check when you book.

Hilton Garden Inn Rome Airport

Landside, near the airport, on the free Airport Line shuttle, which runs around the clock every 15 minutes from Entrance 3 of Terminal 3 arrivals. Good for a night landing or an early flight.

Hilton Rome Airport

Landside, linked to the terminals by a covered walkway with moving walkways: under 10 minutes on foot, with no shuttle to wait for. The closest bed to the gates.

Tips that make a Rome layover easier

• Cover your shoulders and knees. St Peter’s, the Vatican Museums and the Pantheon all turn away bare shoulders and short shorts or skirts. A light layer in your hand luggage saves a wasted trip.
• Book timed tickets before you fly. The Colosseum and the Vatican Museums need a booked slot. Pick one at least 2.5 hours after landing for the Colosseum, and 3 for the Vatican Museums.
• One card, every ride. Tap the same contactless card or phone on the Leonardo Express gates and in the Metro. Each traveller needs their own card.
• Allow 10 minutes at Termini. The Leonardo Express uses platform 24, at the far side of the station from the Metro.
• Know the last train. The last Leonardo Express leaves Termini at 11:05pm. After it, a taxi costs a fixed €55 from within the Aurelian Walls, the old city walls.
• Leave your bags. Left luggage in Terminal 3 arrivals costs €10 a bag for 24 hours (7am to 11pm). After a night in town, ADR’s Airport in the City desk by platform 24 at Termini (8am to 2pm) checks in bags for ITA Airways flights for free, or sends other airlines’ bags on to the airport’s left luggage for €10.
• Check for strikes. Rail strikes can stop the Leonardo Express. ADR posts them on its news page; on a strike day, the taxi is the way in.