Things to do in Rome: best sights, experiences & local tips (2026)
The best things to do in Rome range from the Colosseum, Vatican Museums and Pantheon to live music in Trastevere, street food in Testaccio, cycling the Appian Way and discovering hidden museums and viewpoints. I first visited the Eternal City in 2015 while studying in Italy, left disappointed, then kept returning over the next decade until Rome became one of my favorite cities. So, here’s my Rome travel guide to the top sights, local experiences, food, nightlife and ideas what to see and do in the Eternal City for first-timers, couples, families, solo travelers and return visitors, plus what to avoid, too.
What not to do in Rome
Before we continue with top picks and activity lists, here are some practical tips on the most common tourist traps and things to avoid in Rome:
Don’t leave bags or valuables exposed: A friend had his backpack stolen around Termini on my first Rome trip, including his passport and laptop. Keep bags zipped, phones secure and luggage in sight.
Don’t accept “free” bracelets, roses, gifts or signing petitions: Around major attractions, these often end with pressure for money. Just keep walking.
Don’t keep buying bottled water: Rome has around 2,800 public drinking fountains called nasoni. Bring a reusable bottle.
Don’t sit on the Spanish Steps: Sitting on the steps can bring a €250 fine, rising to €400 if you dirty or damage them.
Don’t automatically stay beside Termini: It is excellent for transport, but for most trips I prefer areas such as Monti, Prati or Trastevere.
Don’t eat at the first restaurant beside a famous monument: A view of the Colosseum does not improve carbonara. Walk a street or two away and check recent reviews.
Don’t use unofficial taxis: Stick to licensed taxis, official taxi ranks or reputable booking services.
Don’t overbook your day: Rome works better when you group sights geographically and build the day around one major reservation.
Don’t spend your holiday researching your holiday: Save useful places before you arrive using my free Rome Google Map, Rome Travel Guide PDF and 7-Day Rome Itinerary.
Affiliate disclosure: As a vetted GetYourGuide partner, I may earn from qualifying purchases. It won’t cost you extra and helps support this travel blog.
What are the best things to do in Rome?
The 10 best things to do in Rome for a first visit covering the city’s must-see attractions and historic highlights are:
Colosseum
Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
St Peter’s Basilica
Pantheon
Piazza Navona
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps
Vittoriano panoramic terrace
Villa Borghese
You do not need to treat all ten as separate appointments. Group nearby Rome attractions together and let the walks, cafés, churches and unexpected discoveries between them become part of the experience.
Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Treat these as one Ancient Rome experience. The Colosseum was the vast amphitheatre used for gladiatorial games, the Roman Forum was the political and commercial heart of the ancient city, and Palatine Hill was where emperors built their palaces. Allow about 3 to 4 hours, then continue into nearby Monti.
Inside the Colosseum
Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica and Castel Sant’Angelo
The Vatican Museums contain one of the world’s great art collections, while the Sistine Chapel is the highlight for many visitors thanks to Michelangelo’s ceiling and The Last Judgment. The museum route stretches for roughly 7 km, so choose a few priorities rather than trying to see everything. Continue to St Peter’s Basilica, one of Christianity’s most important churches, then walk toward Castel Sant’Angelo or nearby Prati.
Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps
This is my favourite central Rome walk: Pantheon → Piazza Navona → Sant’Ignazio → Trevi Fountain → Spanish Steps → Pincio. The Pantheon is Rome’s best-preserved ancient temple, with a dome just over 43 metres wide, while Piazza Navona, Trevi and the Spanish Steps are among the city’s most famous public spaces. Since 2 February 2026, tourists pay €2 to enter the basin area closest to Trevi Fountain, although viewing it from the piazza remains free. Central Rome is often at its best in the streets between the landmarks.
What are the best hidden and unusual things to do in Rome?
After multiple return trips, these are my favorite hidden gems, unusual places and lesser-known things to do in Rome when you want something beyond the obvious sights:
Doria Pamphilj Gallery: A lavish private palace packed with Old Master paintings, including works by Velázquez, Caravaggio and Bernini.
Palazzo Colonna: One of Rome’s grandest historic palaces, best known for its spectacular Baroque gallery.
Villa Farnesina: A quieter Renaissance villa in Trastevere with frescoes by Raphael and beautiful gardens.
Palazzo Altemps: One of the best smaller museums in Rome for ancient sculpture, displayed inside an elegant Renaissance palace.
Centrale Montemartini: Ancient Roman statues displayed among the machinery of a former power station, making it one of Rome’s most unusual museums.
Capitoline Museums: Historic collections of Roman art and sculpture on Capitoline Hill, with excellent views over the Forum.
Capuchin Crypt: A small but unforgettable crypt decorated with the bones of thousands of Capuchin friars.
Roman catacombs: Underground burial networks outside the centre that reveal a very different side of ancient and early Christian Rome.
Quartiere Coppedè: A tiny architectural fantasy of Art Nouveau, Gothic, Baroque and medieval details unlike anywhere else in the city.
MAXXI: Rome’s leading contemporary art and architecture museum, designed by Zaha Hadid.
Cinecittà: Italy’s legendary film studio complex, where you can explore sets, exhibitions and the history of Italian cinema.
What are the best things to do in Rome for film lovers?
Go to Cinecittà.
It was one of the places that changed how I looked at Rome.
You stop thinking only about emperors and popes and start thinking about Fellini, costumes, set construction and the enormous machinery required to manufacture imaginary worlds.
Cinecittà occupies around 400,000 square metres, with 19 sound stages and a huge backlot.
Federico Fellini became particularly associated with Teatro 5.
For film lovers, this is not filler. Give it proper time.
What are the best local and fun experiences in Rome?
For some of the best local and fun experiences in Rome, ride a Vespa or vintage Fiat 500, hear opera in a historic church, or put on a tunic and train at Gladiator School.
Vespa tour and photoshoot
Rome looks cinematic from a scooter.
Many tours combine a driver-guided Vespa ride with professional photographs, often stopping at viewpoints and recognisable streets.
For couples, the photos can end up being more valuable than the transport.
If you are not already comfortable riding scooters in busy cities, let an experienced driver handle Roman traffic.
Vintage Fiat 500 tour and photoshoot
The classic Fiat 500 gives you the same retro Italian-film mood without sitting on a scooter.
Photo-based tours are especially good for couples, proposals and anniversaries, or anyone who has returned from too many trips with 300 photos containing only one partner.
The car is tiny.
That is part of the charm.
Gladiator School
For children who have spent two days being told not to touch museum exhibits, Gladiator School is the antidote.
Experiences on the Appian Way typically combine Roman history, clothing, training equipment and basic gladiatorial techniques.
Put it close to the Colosseum day and the arena suddenly has more context.
Opera and classical music in atmospheric Rome
For an intimate introduction, look for an opera-aria concert inside Palazzo Poli, the palace directly behind the Trevi Fountain. These are shorter recital-style performances rather than a full staged opera, which makes them easy to combine with dinner and an evening walk around Trevi.
For something closer to a full opera experience, St Paul’s Within the Walls hosts opera and classical performances inside a 19th-century church with excellent acoustics. Its 2026 programme includes performances of La Traviata.
You will also find chamber music and candlelit concerts inside Roman churches and palaces.
See AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico
If the dates line up, football shows you a completely different Rome.
For fans it is obvious. Even if you are neutral, tens of thousands of people singing inside the Stadio Olimpico can be a great glimpse of modern Roman identity.
What are the best free and cheap things to do in Rome?
Some of Rome’s best experiences cost nothing:
St Peter’s Basilica
Piazza Navona
Spanish Steps
Pincio
Gianicolo
Orange Garden
Villa Borghese
Villa Doria Pamphilj
historic churches
neighbourhood walks
Piazza Trilussa at night
Municipal Rose Garden when seasonally open
For a budget day, pay for one attraction and build the rest around walking.
Rome’s churches are one of the great travel bargains. You can walk inside because you need shade and discover art that would headline a museum elsewhere.
Pro tip: use Rome’s free museum Sundays. There are three systems worth knowing:
Italian state museums: participating state museums and archaeological sites are free on the first Sunday of each month. Rome participants can include the Colosseum complex, Pantheon, Castel Sant’Angelo, Borghese Gallery, Palazzo Altemps and Baths of Caracalla.
Rome civic museums: many city museums are also free on the first Sunday of each month, including the Capitoline Museums and Centrale Montemartini, although special exhibitions can be excluded.
Vatican Museums: these follow a different system and currently open free on the last Sunday of the month, generally from 9am to 2pm, subject to religious-calendar exceptions.
The catch is crowds.
If I had only two days in Rome, I would not sacrifice half a day to save €20. On a longer or very budget-focused trip, free Sundays can be excellent.
Where are the best views in Rome?
For the best views in Rome, these are my recommended viewpoints:
Gianicolo: Best wide city panorama, especially around sunset before heading down into Trastevere.
Pincio Terrace: Best classic central Rome view, easy to combine with Piazza del Popolo and Villa Borghese.
Orange Garden: Best romantic free viewpoint, especially when paired with the nearby Aventine Keyhole.
Aventine Keyhole: A quirky view where St Peter’s dome appears perfectly framed through a tiny keyhole.
Vittoriano panoramic terrace: Best central 360-degree viewpoint for the Forums, domes, historic centre and Colosseum.
Castel Sant’Angelo: Best elevated view towards the Vatican, and an easy finale to a Vatican sightseeing day.
What are the best outdoor, active and relaxing things to do in Rome?
For the best outdoor and active things to do in Rome, start with the Appian Way. Dating to 312 BCE, the Via Appia eventually stretched for more than 800 km and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024; today you can walk or cycle its Roman section past ancient paving stones, tombs, villas and catacombs. An e-bike is ideal if you want the archaeology without turning it into an endurance test.
For something more relaxing:
Villa Doria Pamphilj: Rome’s best big green escape for walking, picnics and a slower afternoon.
Villa Borghese: The easiest central park break, close to many of Rome’s major sights.
Rome Botanical Garden: A peaceful garden in Trastevere with palms, bamboo and landscaped collections.
Orange Garden: A small Aventine garden with one of Rome’s best free views.
Ducks, boats and rowers at Villa Borghese
What and where to eat in Rome?
If food is the priority, start with Testaccio.
For dinner plus atmosphere, choose Trastevere.
For Roman-Jewish cooking, explore the Jewish Ghetto.
Look for:
Supplì: fried rice croquettes, usually filled with tomato rice and a molten mozzarella centre.
Cacio e pepe: pasta built from Pecorino Romano, black pepper and pasta water. Simple ingredients, surprisingly easy to get wrong.
Carbonara: pasta with egg, Pecorino Romano, guanciale and black pepper. No cream required.
Amatriciana: tomato, guanciale and Pecorino, usually with bucatini or rigatoni.
Gricia: essentially carbonara without egg and amatriciana without tomato, built around guanciale, Pecorino and pepper.
Carciofi alla giudia: Roman-Jewish artichokes opened like flowers and fried until crisp.
Pizza al taglio: rectangular pizza sold by weight, ideal for a quick lunch or snack.
Trapizzino: triangular pizza-pocket dough filled with Roman-style stews and sauces.
Maritozzo: a soft sweet bun split open and filled generously with whipped cream.
Gelato: look for natural colours, covered tubs and flavours that reflect real ingredients rather than towering fluorescent displays.
My simplest food advice is still: do not automatically eat beside the monument you just photographed.
A good food tour is also worth considering, particularly in Testaccio, Trastevere or the Jewish Ghetto. Current street-food walks start around €45 to €60 and usually include several tastings. That can cost no more than an unplanned meal in a mediocre tourist-centre restaurant once drinks and extras are added, but you get a curated route, several businesses and context about what you are eating.
If food is a major reason you travel, I would happily replace one random dinner with a good food tour.
P.S. Check my Rome Google Maps for 50+ vetted, authentic restaurants, trattorias, osterias, pizzerias, pasticcerias, rosticcerias, gelaterias and enotecas in Rome. :)
What are the best things to do in Rome at night?
Rome does not require a nightclub to have a good night. Some of the best things to do in Rome at night are listening to live music around Piazza Trilussa, joining a paranormal or ghost tour through the historic centre, seeing opera in a church or historic venue, or simply walking between Rome’s illuminated piazzas after dark.
Piazza Trilussa
Cross Ponte Sisto into Trastevere and eventually everyone seems to end up around Piazza Trilussa.
On warm nights, people sit on the fountain steps while street musicians perform. Sometimes the crowd sings or dancing starts.
It is not a scheduled attraction.
That is precisely why it can be fun.
For solo travelers, it works especially well because you can arrive alone without feeling as though you have gone somewhere alone.
Walk central Rome after dark
Try:
Pantheon → Piazza Navona → Trevi
It is free, temperatures improve in summer and the illuminated monuments feel different from daytime Rome.
Pro tip: a fun and unique way to experience Rome at night, especially if you are traveling solo and want to socialize, is joining a paranormal ghosts and legends tour!
Add one cultural night
Choose one:
opera arias at Palazzo Poli
a church concert
La Traviata at St Paul’s Within the Walls when scheduled
a Candlelight concert
AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico
One memorable evening event is enough. You do not need to book something every night.
What are the most romantic things to do in Rome?
For the best romantic things to do in Rome for couples, keep it simple: sunset, one memorable experience, then dinner or a late walk.
Orange Garden → dinner → Palazzo Poli concert → Trevi Fountain after dark
Vespa or vintage Fiat 500 photoshoot → Gianicolo sunset → Trastevere
Cooking class together → evening walk through the historic centre
Pincio Terrace → central Rome walk → dinner
Even with no plan, Rome makes romance easy. Around the Colosseum, you will often spot photographers offering quick couple shoots with props like heart-shaped balloons.
For a honeymoon, anniversary or special occasion, you can also splurge on a rooftop dinner, fine dining or a luxury experience, with La Pergola being one of Rome’s best-known options for a special night.
What are the best things to do in Rome with kids?
For the best things to do in Rome with kids and families, I’d mix famous sights, interactive experiences and plenty of downtime:
Colosseum: The classic family sight, especially fun once kids know a little about gladiators and Ancient Rome.
Gladiator School: Dress up, train like a gladiator and turn history into something kids can actually participate in.
Villa Borghese: One of the easiest places to slow down, rent bikes and give everyone a break from sightseeing.
Explora: Rome’s hands-on children’s museum, particularly good for younger kids.
Cinecittà: Film sets, costumes and cinema history make it especially good for older children and teens.
Appian Way: Walk or cycle past ancient ruins, tombs and catacombs for a more active family day.
Golf-cart tour: A low-effort way to cover more of central Rome when little legs are getting tired.
Pasta, pizza or tiramisu cooking class: Fun, hands-on and usually an easy win with both kids and adults.
Villa Doria Pamphilj picnic: One of Rome’s best big green spaces for a relaxed family afternoon away from crowds.
Bioparco di Roma: Rome’s zoo inside Villa Borghese, useful when younger children need a break from ruins and churches.
What are the best things to do alone, with friends or in a group?
Rome works especially well solo because so much of the experience happens in public spaces, while friends and groups have plenty of social activities to choose from.
Best things to do alone in Rome:
Smaller museums: Palazzo Altemps or Doria Pamphilj are easy to enjoy at your own pace.
Food tour: A simple way to eat well and meet other travellers.
Appian Way cycling: Active, scenic and easy to do independently.
Cinecittà: Great if you love film and want something beyond the historic centre.
Cafés and long walks: Rome is one of those cities where wandering alone rarely feels like wasted time.
Concert or opera: An easy evening activity when travelling solo.
Piazza Trilussa: Head here after dark for street music and a lively, social atmosphere.
With friends or a group, choose experiences that are naturally social: a food tour, cooking class, Vespa or Fiat 500 experience, Appian Way bike ride, rooftop aperitivo, AS Roma match, concert or night out in Trastevere.
For larger groups, private tours can become surprisingly good value once the cost is shared, especially for things like after-hours museum visits, private guides, comfortable transfers or premium day trips.
What are the best things to do for older visitors or travelers with limited mobility?
Older travelers who are comfortable walking may need no special itinerary at all.
The real problems are usually heat, cobbles, slopes, stairs and how many kilometres you schedule into one day.
Several major museums are more accessible than Rome’s streets suggest:
Vatican Museums: Wheelchairs and mobility scooters can use accessible routes, and free wheelchairs are available subject to availability.
Capitoline Museums: The museums have lifts, stairlifts and accessible routes through much of the collection.
Centrale Montemartini: One of the easiest museums to recommend for reduced mobility. Its exhibition levels are served by lifts, with seating available along the route.
Museo di Roma at Palazzo Braschi: Beside Piazza Navona and fully motor-accessible, with lifts and wheelchairs available.
Colosseum: Much of the Colosseum has accessible routes and lifts. The Forum also has accessible routes to several major monuments, although uneven surfaces remain a real consideration.
Cinecittà: Accessible visitor routes and services are available.
My practical advice is to use taxis strategically between districts rather than treating every kilometre walked as an achievement.
Always check the attraction’s current accessibility notice before visiting, because routes can change.
Which Rome neighbourhoods should you explore?
Trastevere
Best for evenings and atmosphere.
Come after late afternoon rather than only photographing empty streets in the morning.
Monti
Best after the Colosseum.
Cafés, small shops and restaurants without traveling across Rome.
Testaccio
Best for food.
Go hungry rather than with a monument checklist.
Ostiense
Best for alternative Rome.
Centrale Montemartini, street art and industrial architecture.
Garbatella
Best for repeat visitors.
Residential and architecturally distinctive.
Quartiere Coppedè
Best for unusual architecture.
Small enough to combine with another northern Rome stop.
Prati
Best after the Vatican.
Shopping, restaurants and a calmer extension of the Vatican district.
EUR
Best for modern architecture.
After several days of ruins and Baroque churches, it can feel like another city.
Jewish Ghetto
Best for Roman-Jewish food and layered history.
Combine Portico d’Ottavia, Theatre of Marcellus and lunch, then walk towards Largo di Torre Argentina and the Pantheon.
Aventine
Best quiet scenic walk.
Combine Circus Maximus, the Rose Garden, Orange Garden and Aventine Keyhole, then continue into Testaccio.
How should you group Rome’s attractions?
This saves more time than almost any other planning trick:
Ancient Rome: Colosseum → Forum → Palatine → Monti
Historic centre: Pantheon → Piazza Navona → Campo de’ Fiori → Sant’Ignazio → Trevi → Spanish Steps → Pincio
Vatican: Vatican Museums → St Peter’s → Castel Sant’Angelo → Prati
Jewish Ghetto: Theatre of Marcellus → Portico d’Ottavia → lunch → Largo di Torre Argentina → Pantheon
Aventine and Testaccio: Circus Maximus → Rose Garden → Orange Garden → Aventine Keyhole → Testaccio
Appian Way: Gladiator School → catacombs → Via Appia
How many days do you need in Rome?
One day
Colosseum → Forum → historic centre
Finish around the Pantheon, Piazza Navona or Trevi after dark.
Do not force a full Vatican Museums visit into the same day unless you have no alternative.
Two days
Day 1: Ancient Rome + historic centre
Day 2: Vatican + Castel Sant’Angelo + Trastevere
Three days
Use the third day for something that changes the rhythm:
Appian Way, Cinecittà, Villa Borghese, Testaccio or a smaller museum.
Four or five days
Add:
Appian Way and catacombs
Cinecittà
Testaccio and Ostiense
one smaller palace or museum
Aventine or Villa Doria Pamphilj
a concert, football match or food tour
possibly a day trip
By day five, a two-hour lunch no longer feels like a threat to the itinerary.
P.S. Here is a free 7-day Rome itinerary. :)
What should you do in Rome when it rains?
Choose indoor attractions that are worth visiting even in perfect weather:
Vatican Museums for scale
Palazzo Altemps for classical sculpture
Doria Pamphilj for old-master art
Capitoline Museums for Roman history
Centrale Montemartini for something unusual
Palazzo Braschi for the Museum of Rome
Cinecittà
historic churches
For winter 2026 to 2027, temporary exhibitions include Kandinsky at Palazzo Bonaparte through 14 February 2027 and Keith Haring at Palazzo Braschi through 11 April 2027.
If rain arrives on Forum day, swap days.
What should you do in Rome in extreme heat?
My summer rhythm is:
early outside → indoor midday → evening outside
Put the Forum, Appian Way and long walks early.
Use midday for museums, churches, lunch or a rest.
Return outside for viewpoints, neighbourhoods and piazzas later.
Refill your bottle at the nasoni.
When is the best time to visit Rome?
There is no single best season. The better question is what kind of trip you want.
Spring
Best for walking, parks, gardens, archaeological sites and the Appian Way.
The Municipal Rose Garden is a particularly good seasonal stop. In spring 2026 it opened from April to June with around 1,100 rose varieties and free admission.
Combine it with the Aventine and Orange Garden.
Summer
Start early and use evenings properly.
Summer also brings some of Rome’s strongest cultural programming.
In 2026, Roma Summer Fest ran from June into September at Auditorium Parco della Musica, while Il Cinema in Piazza brought free outdoor films to locations including Piazza San Cosimato in Trastevere.
Check the current year before visiting because programmes change.
Autumn
Excellent for walking and cultural events without peak summer heat.
In 2026, Romaeuropa Festival runs from September to November with contemporary dance, theatre, music and performance.
Autumn 2026 exhibitions also include Kandinsky at Palazzo Bonaparte, Keith Haring at Palazzo Braschi and Frank Horvat at the Baths of Caracalla.
Winter
Best for art, churches, food and museums.
For winter 2026 to 2027, strong exhibition options include:
Kandinsky at Palazzo Bonaparte through 14 February 2027
Keith Haring at Palazzo Braschi through 11 April 2027
Frank Horvat at the Baths of Caracalla through 10 January 2027
A good winter day is easy:
major museum → long lunch → temporary exhibition → illuminated Rome after dark
Is Rome worth visiting at Christmas?
Yes.
Christmas adds St Peter’s Square, nativity scenes, lights through the historic centre, Piazza Navona and seasonal concerts to the usual attractions.
Temporary markets and events change each year, so check the current program rather than relying on an old Christmas itinerary.
The same applies around New Year and Easter.
What are the best day trips from Rome?
On a short Rome trip, I would choose Ostia Antica or Tivoli before attempting a heroic Rome to Pompeii to Amalfi Coast day.
Ostia Antica
Best for ancient history.
Roman streets, houses, baths and a theatre without traveling as far as Pompeii.
Tivoli
Best for villas and gardens.
Combine Villa d’Este with Hadrian’s Villa if you have the energy.
Other Rome day trip options
Castel Gandolfo: lake scenery
Orvieto: hill town and cathedral
Civita di Bagnoregio: dramatic setting
Garden of Ninfa: gardens
Bomarzo: Renaissance monsters
Santa Marinella: easy beach escape
What should you do in Rome today or this weekend?
Build the day from four pieces:
one major attraction
one neighbourhood
one memorable meal
one evening experience
Then check what is actually happening while you are there.
That might be an exhibition, opera, Romaeuropa, football, outdoor cinema, a free museum Sunday or a seasonal event.
If nothing special appeals, Gianicolo at sunset → Trastevere → Piazza Trilussa remains a perfectly good evening.
The best way to experience Rome
Rome is not a city you finish.
See the Colosseum, Vatican and Pantheon because they genuinely deserve their fame.
Then make room for Cinecittà, the Vatican Scavi, Gladiator School, Coppedè, the Appian Way, a Fiat 500 or Vespa ride, a food tour, football, opera or Piazza Trilussa after dark.
My first Rome trip was a €1 student bus from Venice that included practically every rookie mistake and a horrible lesson around Termini.
The trips since have become better almost every time.
Usually the difference was not seeing more.
It was better timing, better geography and better choices.
If I could reduce the whole guide to one rule:
See fewer places each day, group them geographically, start early in summer, protect your belongings around transport hubs and give Rome enough time to surprise you.
Author
Anton Levytsky is a photographer and traveler with a deep love for the Mediterranean. He studied Italian film history in Venice, speaks Italian fluently and has explored over forty towns across Italy, including multiple stays in Rome.
