10 Best Things to Do in Rome, Italy
After multiple trips to Rome and years spent living in Italy, these are the ten experiences I would prioritize — especially if it is your first time in the Eternal City.
The best things to do in Rome are exploring the Colosseum, visiting the Vatican Museums, walking through the historic centre, discovering hidden palaces, watching sunset over the rooftops, eating in Testaccio and Trastevere, experiencing Rome at night, cycling the Appian Way, riding a Vespa and taking a day trip to Tivoli or Ostia Antica.
This is not a list of every church, fountain and archaeological stone. It combines Rome’s must-see attractions with unusual activities, non-touristy places, romantic experiences and the smaller cultural details that have stayed with me.
10 Best Things to Do in Rome at a Glance
| Colosseum and Roman Forum | Essential ancient Rome |
| Vatican Museums | Top art experience |
| Historic-centre walk | Best free activity |
| Hidden museums and palaces | Best non-touristy choice |
| Rome’s viewpoints | Best for couples |
| Roman food | Most satisfying experience |
| Rome at night | Most romantic |
| Appian Way | Best outdoor activity |
| Vespa or Fiat 500 | Most iconic fun |
| Tivoli or Ostia Antica | Best day trip |
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1. Explore the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
The Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are the top things to see in Rome on a first visit.
Start with the classics — they have earned it. These three sites form Rome’s ancient core, still carrying the echoes of crowds, ceremonies, political speeches and imperial ambition. Walking between them feels like opening a history book that somehow never closed.
The Colosseum provides the spectacle, but I find the Forum more revealing. Once you understand where senators debated, triumphal processions passed and temples stood, the ruins begin to resemble a living city rather than scattered stones.
Palatine Hill is the quieter finish, with views across the Forum and the remains of imperial palaces above it.
My ideal plan:
Visit early in the morning
Explore the Colosseum first
Continue through the Roman Forum
Finish on Palatine Hill
Have lunch in nearby Monti
Monti is touristy around its main streets, but its ivy-covered façades, vintage shops and relaxed cafés still make it one of the coolest areas near ancient Rome.
For something more unusual, add the nearby Mamertine Prison, traditionally associated with Saints Peter and Paul.
2. Visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
The Vatican Museums are the best museum experience in Rome and one of the must-see cultural attractions in Italy.
The route passes classical sculpture, papal apartments, tapestries, maps and Renaissance frescoes before culminating beneath Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Even after studying Italian culture and film history, I was struck by how much humanity is packed into one complex. The Vatican is not simply one museum or artistic period: it is centuries of religion, politics, collecting and creative ambition compressed into several kilometers of galleries.
My highlights are:
Gallery of Maps
Raphael Rooms
Classical sculpture galleries
Sistine Chapel
Do not try to examine everything. Choose a few priorities and allow yourself to walk past the rest, or museum fatigue may arrive long before Michelangelo.
Afterwards, continue towards St Peter’s Square and St Peter’s Basilica. Castel Sant’Angelo is also nearby and offers one of the best views back towards the Vatican.
For lunch or dinner, walk into Prati. Its orderly boulevards, modern restaurants and wine bars feel calmer than the souvenir-heavy streets immediately beside the Vatican.
3. Walk Through Rome’s Historic Centre
Walking from the Pantheon through Piazza Navona to the Trevi Fountain is one of the best free things to do in Rome.
My favourite route connects:
Pantheon
Piazza Navona
Church of St Ignatius
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps
The Pantheon is one of the rare ancient places in Rome that feels complete rather than reconstructed. Standing beneath its open oculus, with a circle of daylight moving across the interior, is more affecting than reading any list of engineering statistics.
Piazza Navona is where I usually pause for an espresso. It is theatrical and touristy, but its mixture of fountains, artists, café tables and baroque façades remains unmistakably Roman.
At the Church of St Ignatius, look up at the flat ceiling painted to resemble a soaring dome. The tilted mirror beneath it has turned the illusion into one of Rome’s coolest photo opportunities.
Best Stops on a Historic-Centre Walk
| Pantheon | Ancient architecture |
| Piazza Navona | Baroque atmosphere |
| Church of St Ignatius | Optical illusion |
| Trevi Fountain | Iconic Rome |
| Spanish Steps | People-watching |
The route takes a few hours, but I prefer letting it occupy most of the day. When in Rome, do as the Romans do: walk more slowly, eat later and leave time for an unnecessarily long espresso.
From the Spanish Steps, continue towards Pincio Terrace only if you want to finish the day at sunset.
4. Discover Rome’s Hidden Museums and Palaces
The Doria Pamphilj Gallery is my favourite hidden museum in Rome, while Palazzo Colonna has the most spectacular interior.
These collections offer something the Vatican rarely can: quiet. You can move through furnished rooms, mirrored galleries and family chapels without being carried forward by thousands of other visitors.
The Doria Pamphilj Gallery feels especially intimate because the artworks still belong to the atmosphere of an aristocratic home. Palazzo Colonna is more theatrical, with marble columns, gilded details and ceiling frescoes designed to overwhelm.
My strongest choices are:
Doria Pamphilj Gallery: best overall collection
Palazzo Colonna: grandest historic interior
Villa Farnesina: best Renaissance frescoes
Palazzo Altemps: best classical sculpture
Capitoline Museums: best for ancient Roman history
Centrale Montemartini: most unusual setting
MAXXI: best contemporary option
At the Capitoline Museums, film lovers can recreate Jep Gambardella’s pose from La Grande Bellezza beside the Marforio statue before meeting the bronze Capitoline Wolf of Romulus and Remus.
Centrale Montemartini creates an even stranger contrast: marble gods stand between enormous engines inside a former power station. It is one of the most unique places to visit in Rome and a strong choice when the famous sites feel too crowded.
For something unusual, visit the Capuchin Crypt, explore Rome’s catacombs or join an evening walk through the city’s darker legends.
5. Watch Sunset from Rome’s Best Viewpoints
Pincio Terrace is the best classic sunset viewpoint in Rome, while Janiculum Hill offers the widest panorama.
Pincio gives you the postcard version of the city: domes turning gold, Piazza del Popolo below and street musicians drifting through the evening light.
Janiculum is broader and more dramatic, opening across Trastevere towards St Peter’s Basilica. For couples, I would combine it with dinner or drinks in Trastevere afterwards.
The Aventine is my choice for a slower afternoon. Grand villas, ivy-covered walls, parked Vespas and umbrella pines create the cinematic stillness I associate with classic Italian films.
Three stops sit within minutes of one another:
Orange Garden: best romantic free viewpoint
Garden of St Alessio: quieter and more local
Aventine Keyhole: unusual framed view of St Peter’s dome
Best Viewpoints in Rome
| Pincio Terrace | Best classic sunset |
| Janiculum Hill | Widest panorama |
| Orange Garden | Most romantic |
| Aventine Keyhole | Most unusual |
| Vittoriano Rooftop | Best central rooftop |
| Castel Sant’Angelo | Best Vatican view |
A rooftop restaurant or bar is rarely a budget activity, but one drink overlooking Rome can be worth more than an average three-course dinner beside a tourist attraction.
6. Eat Through Testaccio and Trastevere
The best food experiences in Rome are exploring the Testaccio food market or joining a well curated local food tour in Trastevere.
I joined a Trastevere food and wine tour expecting a few tastings and instead encountered enough pasta, pizza, cheese, gelato and wine to qualify as a small Roman festival. My only regret was not arriving hungrier. A food tour like this one is an easy, satisfying way to understand why Romans treat food so religiously.
Photo by Mark Pecar on Unsplash
For independent dining, Testaccio feels more closely connected to everyday Roman food culture.
Look for:
Supplì: fried rice balls with molten mozzarella
Trapizzino: pizza pockets filled with Roman stews
Carciofi alla giudia: crisp artichokes
Maritozzo: brioche filled with whipped cream
Pasticceria Regoli is one of the classic places for a maritozzo. The correct way to eat it is with cream inevitably ending up on your face — rather like Marcello Mastroianni and Jack Lemmon in Maccheroni.
A pasta, pizza or tiramisu class is another fun thing to do in Rome for couples, families and kids.
Best Areas for Food in Rome
| Testaccio | Traditional Roman food |
| Trastevere | Food and nightlife |
| Jewish Ghetto | Roman-Jewish cuisine |
| Monti | Stylish casual dining |
| Prati | Modern restaurants and wine bars |
For one quieter dinner, my personal top restaurant choice in Rome is DOC Enobistrot – Cruderia & Cucina, where seafood, tartare, wine and soft music create a relaxed, slightly magnetic atmosphere.
7. Experience Rome at Night
The best things to do in Rome at night are attending an opera, listening to live music and walking through Trastevere.
After dark, Rome becomes softer, cooler and more theatrical. Fountains glow, church façades emerge from the shadows and the historic centre feels less like a checklist of places to see.
For a dressed-up or romantic evening, choose:
Opera overlooking the Trevi Fountain
A concert and aperitivo on a rooftop terrace
Classical music inside a historic church
Rooftop drinks around Piazza Navona or Prati
Trastevere offers the opposite experience. Around Piazza Trilussa, locals and travellers gather with wine while musicians turn the steps into an informal outdoor stage.
During summer, villas and piazzas become open-air cinemas. Watching an Italian film beneath the night sky feels particularly appropriate in a city that has spent decades starring in its own movies.
8. Cycle the Appian Way and Explore Rome Outdoors
Cycling the Appian Way is the best outdoor activity in Rome.
The route passes original paving stones, imperial villas, tombs, aqueducts and open countryside. It is one of the few places where Rome’s archaeology feels integrated into the landscape rather than separated behind barriers.
An e-bike is the easiest option, especially if you want to combine the Appian Way with the catacombs and Roman aqueducts.
Other outdoor activities include:
Rowing on the lake in Villa Borghese
Picnicking in Villa Doria Pamphili
Exploring the Botanical Garden
Walking around the Aventine
Horse riding near Ostia Antica
Villa Borghese works particularly well for families and kids. You can row beside the Temple of Aesculapius, rent bicycles or simply recover from a week of churches and museums beneath the trees.
The Botanical Garden, hidden behind Palazzo Corsini in Trastevere, feels like a secret pocket of palms, bamboo, waterfalls and Japanese landscaping.
9. Ride Through Rome on a Vespa or Vintage Fiat 500
A Vespa or vintage Fiat 500 ride is the most fun and cinematic thing to do in Rome.
It may be touristy, but sometimes an experience is famous because it genuinely suits the city. Few images are more Roman than a Vespa passing fountains and ruins — especially after Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck turned the ride into cinema history in Roman Holiday.
A Vespa feels spontaneous, stylish and unmistakably Roman. A Fiat 500 is more comfortable but still carries the mid-century elegance of la dolce vita.
10. Take a Day Trip to Tivoli or Ostia Antica
Tivoli and Ostia Antica are the best day trips from Rome because both are easy to reach and rewarding without requiring an exhausting journey.
Choose Tivoli for villas, gardens and fountains. Villa d’Este feels theatrical and romantic, while Hadrian’s Villa reveals the scale of an emperor’s private world.
Choose Ostia Antica for ancient streets, homes, baths and a remarkably intact theatre without the travel time or crowds associated with Pompeii.
Best Day Trips from Rome
| Tivoli | Villas and gardens |
| Ostia Antica | Easy ancient ruins |
| Castel Gandolfo | Lake views |
| Orvieto | Medieval Italy |
| Civita di Bagnoregio | Unique photography |
| Garden of Ninfa | Romantic scenery |
| Bomarzo | Unusual sculptures |
| Santa Marinella | Budget beach day |
Bomarzo is the strangest option. Its Park of Monsters is filled with colossal stone creatures and cryptic inscriptions, blurring the line between art, grief and madness.
Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast are possible from Rome, but they make more sense if you have at least a full week. Otherwise, Tivoli or Ostia Antica gives you more experience and less time in transit.
Rome Itinerary, Map & Travel Guide
To make planning easier, I’ve created three free Rome travel resources you can save before your trip:
A detailed 7-day Rome itinerary PDF mixing iconic landmarks with hidden gems, local food spots and unexpected experiences beyond the usual tourist route.
An interactive Rome tourist map with 50+ handpicked restaurants, rooftop bars, bakeries, gelato spots and hidden trattorias.
A practical Rome travel guide PDF covering transport tips, public fountains, tourist scams, local etiquette, shopping advice and essential Italian phrases.
Download them before your trip to save hours of planning, avoid tourist traps and experience a more authentic side of Rome.
Rome FAQ
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The top ten things to do in Rome are the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, historic center, hidden museums, scenic viewpoints, Roman food, evening culture, Appian Way, Vespa rides and a day trip to Tivoli or Ostia Antica.
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First-time visitors should see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican Museums, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and one panoramic viewpoint.
With more time, visit a smaller museum, explore Trastevere and add an outdoor or food experience.
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The must-see places in Rome are the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Vatican Museums, St Peter’s Basilica and one of the city’s scenic terraces.
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Three days are enough for Rome’s top sights, while five days allow time for hidden museums, local dining and outdoor activities.
1 day: historic centre
2 days: add the Vatican
3 days: add ancient Rome and Trastevere
4–5 days: add museums, viewpoints and the Appian Way
1 week: add one or two day trips
1 month: explore neighbourhood life, secret churches and seasonal events
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The best free things to do in Rome include walking through the historic centre, watching sunset from Pincio Terrace, visiting the Orange Garden and listening to street music in Trastevere.
Villa Borghese, Monti, Prati and many of Rome’s churches also offer plenty to see on a budget.
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The most romantic things to do in Rome are watching sunset from the Orange Garden, having rooftop drinks, attending an evening concert, riding a Vespa and walking from the Pantheon to the Trevi Fountain at night.
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Beyond the main sites to see in Rome, visit hidden palaces, cycle the Appian Way, explore Centrale Montemartini, eat in Testaccio, walk around the Aventine and spend an evening listening to music in Trastevere.
Afterword
Do not worry if you fail to see every sight. Rome was not built in a day, and it is not meant to be completed in one either.
Visit the Colosseum, Vatican and Trevi Fountain, but leave room for smaller moments: cream from a maritozzo on your nose, music drifting through a piazza, an unexpected courtyard or sunset turning the domes gold.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do: slow down, enjoy the meal and let the city interrupt your plans.
Those unscheduled moments are often the ones you remember for a lifetime.
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.
