Things to do in Rome
Rome has more major sights than anyone can see in one trip, so mix the unmissable with time to wander. Here are the essentials, with tips to avoid the worst queues.
The Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine
The Flavian Amphitheatre, inaugurated in 80 AD under Emperor Titus, could hold an estimated 50,000 spectators. One ticket typically covers the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, and tickets must be booked online with a timed entry; they are released about 30 days in advance and go fast. Options to visit the arena floor, the underground hypogeum or the upper tiers cost extra. Allow a full morning, wear good shoes and bring water.
The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
The Vatican Museums stretch for kilometres and include the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Maps and the Pio-Clementino collection of classical sculpture such as the Laocoön. The climax is the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's ceiling, painted between 1508 and 1512, and his Last Judgement. Book online, ideally for the first slot or for a Friday evening opening in summer. The museums are closed on Sundays except the last Sunday of the month, when entry is free and crowds are huge.
St Peter's Basilica
The largest church in Christendom has free entry, though security queues can be long. Inside, see Michelangelo's Pietà and Bernini's bronze baldachin, then climb the 551 steps (or take the lift partway) to the dome for a view along Via della Conciliazione. Dress codes are enforced: shoulders and knees must be covered.
The Pantheon
Built under Hadrian around 125 AD, the Pantheon has the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, with an open oculus nine metres wide. Raphael is buried inside. Since 2023 there is a small entrance fee; it remains free on the first Sunday of the month.
Trevi Fountain and the Baroque piazzas
Nicola Salvi's Trevi Fountain, completed in 1762, draws huge crowds; go early in the morning. Throwing a coin over your left shoulder supposedly guarantees a return to Rome, and the coins are collected for the charity Caritas. Then visit Piazza Navona with Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers and climb the Spanish Steps, where sitting is now forbidden.
Galleria Borghese
In a villa in the Borghese gardens, this gallery houses Bernini's breathtaking sculptures Apollo and Daphne and The Rape of Proserpina, plus Caravaggio paintings. Entry is strictly by two-hour timed reservation, and numbers are limited. Afterwards, rent a bike or rowing boat in the park and walk to the Pincio terrace for a view over Piazza del Popolo.
Churches with hidden masterpieces
Many of Rome's greatest artworks are free to see: Caravaggio's St Matthew cycle in San Luigi dei Francesi, Michelangelo's Moses in San Pietro in Vincoli, and the layers of San Clemente, where a twelfth-century basilica sits above a fourth-century church and a first-century Mithraic temple.
The Appian Way and catacombs
The Via Appia Antica, begun in 312 BC, is a beautiful place to cycle on Sundays, when it is closed to most traffic. Along the way, visit the catacombs of San Callisto or San Sebastiano, underground burial galleries of early Christians, and the ruined aqueducts of the Parco degli Acquedotti.
Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere
The old Jewish Ghetto by the Portico d'Ottavia is famous for Roman-Jewish dishes such as carciofi alla giudia, deep-fried artichokes. Cross the Tiber Island to Trastevere and climb to the Gianicolo hill, where a cannon is fired at noon daily.
Eat like a Roman
Rome's four classic pastas are cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana and gricia. Try supplì (fried rice balls), pizza al taglio by the slice, maritozzi cream buns at breakfast and artisanal gelato from places that keep flavours in covered metal tubs rather than piled high.
Castel Sant'Angelo
Built as the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, Castel Sant'Angelo later became a papal fortress linked to the Vatican by a fortified corridor, the Passetto di Borgo. The terrace at the top, crowned by a bronze angel, offers views over the Tiber and St Peter's.
Baths of Caracalla
The vast ruins of the Baths of Caracalla, completed in the third century AD, show the scale of Roman leisure. In summer, the Rome Opera stages open-air performances among the ruins.
Capitoline Museums
On the Capitoline Hill, in Michelangelo's piazza, the Capitoline Museums are considered the oldest public museums in the world, founded in 1471. Highlights include the bronze Capitoline Wolf, the original equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius and views over the Forum.
Villa Borghese park
The Villa Borghese gardens offer the Pincio terrace and rowing boats on the lake.
Day trips
Ostia Antica, the ancient port of Rome, is a vast and uncrowded archaeological site 30 minutes away by train. Tivoli has Hadrian's Villa and the fountain gardens of Villa d'Este. Orvieto, Florence and Naples are all reachable by train in under 90 minutes on high-speed services.
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