The Best Things To Do In Rome
2,000 years of history, the world's best pasta, and a city that rewards the curious. Here's what's actually worth your time.
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The 20 Best Things To Do In Rome
Ranked honestly. All prices in euros. No filler.
Colosseum
70,000 spectators, 80 entrances, and it still makes your jaw drop. Go early or late; the mid-morning sun is brutal and the crowds worse.
Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling lying on scaffolding over four years. The queues are legendary — book 2–3 weeks ahead or take a skip-the-queue tour.
Trevi Fountain
Yes, every tourist throws a coin. Do it anyway. The Baroque drama is genuinely astonishing. Go at midnight when it's quiet and lit.
The Pantheon
Built in 27 BC, rebuilt by Hadrian around 125 AD, and the most preserved ancient building in Rome. The oculus lets rain in. The floor has drainage holes.
Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
The Forum and Colosseum ticket is combined. Walk the Via Sacra where Roman triumphs were celebrated. The view from Palatine Hill over the Forum is the best in Rome.
Trastevere Neighbourhood
The best neighbourhood in Rome for wandering. Medieval streets, excellent restaurants, zero tourist trap. Get lost here on a Sunday morning.
Borghese Gallery
Bernini's sculptures make grown adults cry. Specifically: Apollo and Daphne, The Rape of Proserpina. You get exactly 2 hours and must book ahead. Worth every hoop.
Campo de' Fiori
Morning market, afternoon aperitivo spot. The statue of Giordano Bruno marks where he was burned at the stake for heresy in 1600. Avoid the surrounding restaurants.
Piazza Navona
Baroque piazza on the site of a Roman stadium. Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers dominates the centre. Get gelato from Giolitti nearby — not the overpriced restaurants here.
St Peter's Basilica
The world's largest church, and it's free to enter. Climb the dome for the best view in Rome (€8, worth it). Michelangelo's Pietà is in the first chapel on the right.
Castel Sant'Angelo
Hadrian's tomb turned papal fortress, with a covered corridor connecting it to the Vatican used as an escape route by besieged popes. Brilliant sunset views from the top.
Ostia Antica
Rome's ancient port city, better preserved than Pompeii in some ways, and a 30-minute train ride from Roma Ostiense. Almost nobody goes. Extraordinary.
Monti Neighbourhood
Rome's hippest neighbourhood. Independent boutiques, excellent natural wine bars, the best aperitivo in Rome. Via dei Serpenti is the main drag.
Testaccio Market
The best market in Rome. Go Tuesday to Saturday mornings. Raw ingredients, great street food stalls. The locals shop here, not Campo de' Fiori.
Gelato at Fatamorgana
Rome's most creative gelato — basil, walnut and honey, violet. Multiple locations. The one near the Vatican is the original. Not a tourist gelato chain.
Aperitivo in Pigneto
The neighbourhood where Romans go that tourists haven't discovered yet. Pigneto Ferracci is the classic bar. Go at 7pm and you'll be drinking with locals.
Catacombs of San Callisto
20km of underground tombs with 500,000 buried here. The guided tour is genuinely eerie and brilliant. On the Appian Way, 30 minutes from the centre.
EUR — Mussolini's Planned City
Bizarre and fascinating. The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana — the "Square Colosseum" — is genuinely worth seeing as an architectural curiosity unlike anything else in Rome.
Piazza del Popolo at Dawn
Three churches, a 3,200-year-old Egyptian obelisk, and (usually) no tourists before 8am. One of Rome's most beautiful spaces, and completely free.
Pasta-Making Class or Food Tour
Rome's food is the point. A pasta-making class or market food tour is the best €60 you'll spend. Book via GetYourGuide — dozens of good options, morning slots fill fast.
Ready-Made Rome Itineraries
Day-by-day plans that actually make sense — no wasted hours, no impossible schedules.
1 Day The Perfect 1 Day In Rome
One day, done right. Ancient and Baroque Rome without a single wasted hour.
- Trevi Fountain at 7:30am before the crowds
- Pantheon when it opens at 9am
- Colosseum + Roman Forum (pre-booked)
- Trastevere evening walk and dinner
2 Days 2 Days In Rome: Ancient + Vatican
Day one: Ancient Rome. Day two: Vatican and Trastevere. The complete classic.
- Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill
- Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
- St Peter's Basilica and dome climb
- Trastevere neighbourhood at night
3 Days 3 Days In Rome: The Full Picture
Add the Borghese Gallery, Testaccio, Monti, and Rome's less-visited side.
- Borghese Gallery (book well ahead)
- Testaccio market and food trail
- Monti neighbourhood boutiques
- Evening in Pigneto with locals
Where Should You Stay In Rome?
Trastevere, Monti, Centro Storico, Prati — each neighbourhood has a different character. We break down what's actually within walking distance and where to avoid.
Rome FAQs: The Questions Everyone Asks
Three days lets you hit the big three — ancient Rome, the Vatican, and a neighbourhood like Trastevere or Monti — without sprinting. Two days is doable if you plan tightly. One day is possible but you'll have to choose: ancient sites or Vatican. Never try both in one day.
Yes, for the Colosseum and Vatican Museums especially. In summer, the Colosseum queue without a ticket can be 2+ hours. The Vatican can be worse. Book the Colosseum at least a week ahead, Vatican 2–3 weeks in peak season. Borghese Gallery must be booked in advance regardless of season — timed entry only.
Trastevere is the best neighbourhood for atmosphere — medieval streets, local restaurants, and a 20-minute walk to the main sites. Centro Storico puts you closest to everything but costs more. Monti is excellent if you're near the Colosseum end of things. Avoid anywhere described as "convenient for the airport."
It depends entirely on how you eat. If you stand at a bar for your morning espresso (€1.50), grab pizza al taglio for lunch (€3–5 a slice), and find a trattoria for dinner away from the tourist centre (€12–18 for a main), you can eat brilliantly on €30–40 a day. Sit down near a major sight and you'll pay three times as much for half the quality.
April, May, September, and October. The weather is ideal (18–25°C), the light is extraordinary, and the worst of the summer crowds are gone. July and August are genuinely hot (35°C+), the Colosseum in midday sun is brutal, and Romans themselves leave the city. Christmas and Easter are beautiful but busy.