We’ve all been there. Set off with grand plans of visiting at least two museums a day, over a three-day trip, to get the full-on cultural kick. Then other things inevitably get in the way. How long does the visit take? The line is how long? Tickets cost that much? Suddenly a museum checklist seems less like fun and more like being on a school trip. 

Rome is among those cities where the battle between getting your culture fix and ticking off your shortlist of restaurants and bars is an intense one. Some of Italy’s (and indeed the world’s) finest art and archaeology is distributed across the sprawling city; Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you certainly need more than a few to take in all of the museums.