While my hotel wasn’t nearby any major tourist attractions, it was very close to Termini Station. In addition to trains arriving from all over Italy, it also has a stop on both the A and B subway lines, which gives it easy access to any destination within Rome. Rome is a very walkable city, but if staying near Termini, you may be better off taking a subway closer to the city center first.

The subway costs €1.50, though you can get a day pass for just €6. Be aware though, as the machines don’t take any bills larger than €10 if buying a single ticket. While there are manned windows where you can buy a ticket in person,  they aren’t always open. I learned this the hard way and almost got stuck when I had just a €1 coin and a €10 bill, and nowhere to break it. My card also wasn’t working in the machine. Luckily, a passing stranger gave me 50 cents so I could get a subway ticket.

My first stop on my 24 hour tour were the Spanish Steps. I must have bad luck though, as they’ve been closed every time I’ve been to Rome.

From there, it was just a short walk to Trevi Fountain. As expected, this area was absolutely packed with tourists, as the fountain was recently restored and under construction for a few years. The fountain is beautiful, and of course there were dozens of tourists throwing coins in. Legend has it if you throw your coin in, you ensure a return trip to Rome in the future.

While I was tempted to grab a bite to eat at the many restaurants nearby, I walked for a bit first. This area is one of the most popular in all of Rome, and because of that the food options are much more expensive. It was well worth the 5 minute walk away from Trevi to spend less money on lunch.

I then continued southwest a short way to the Pantheon. It’s quite remarkable to think that this building has stood for 1900 years. It’s well worth going inside and marveling at the architecture. I love looking up at the oculus in the ceiling.

In front of the building is the beautiful Piazza della Rotonda, with the Fontana de Pantheon. I love sitting at the base of this fountain and people watching.

While Fontana de Trevi is probably the most popular fountain in the world, there are dozens of beautiful fountains in Rome. After relaxing for a bit outside the Pantheon, I headed to one of my favorites, the Fountain of the Four Rivers.

I then walked back southeast, past the Museo de Roma and the ruins at the Roman Forum towards the Colosseum. This is one of the oldest areas of Rome, and it’s quite beautiful.

I was getting pretty tired after hours of walking at this point, but decided I really wanted to visit Vatican City. So I hopped on a subway to Ottaviano Station, situated just outside Vatican City to the northeast, about a 15 minute walk away from St. Peter’s Square.

Unfortunately, I got a little turned around when getting off the Metro. Instead of walking south to the entrance to the Vatican, I ended up walking west, around the northern wall. This resulted in a 35-40 minute walk around the wall, with no option other than to keep going.

 There’s nothing really to see along the walk, except the entrance to the Vatican Museum.

After spending some time relaxing in St. Peter’s Square, I took a Metro back to Termini and went to bed exhausted, having walked over 6 miles in the hot Italian sun.

The following morning, I made sure to get some breakfast at the hotel. The buffet was located on the top floor, and was quite good. There were plenty of food and drink options, and ample seating both inside and outside on the terrace.

I opted to sit outside in the morning sun and take in the beautiful city views before checking out and walking back to Termini for my train to the airport.