Stroll the streets of Italy’s capital.
Crumbly ruins. Buzzing street life. Iconic works of art. Enviable food scene. That’s Rome.
The Italian capital is undoubtedly one of the big guns on the world stage. Even if you’re just passing through, Rome deserves several days to explore its sepia streets and romantic pockets. Here are the best things to do in Rome.
What to see in Rome
Where to start your Roman odyssey
If you’ve never gazed across the spires, domes, and faded columns of Rome from Janiculum Hill, you’re missing out. So complex and thrilling is this ancient city, you could be staring over the 50,000-seat Colosseum in the morning and exploring the Vatican City in the afternoon. Or standing under the vast dome of the Pantheon one minute, and people-watching by the steps of the Trevi Fountain the next. It’s tough figuring out what to do in Rome without a serious bout of FOMO. Our advice? Keep your eyes open, look up and linger in the piazzas with an ice cream or coffee for a glance of the real Rome.
Rome’s top five landmarks
Update your bucket list
Romantic, haunting, and world-renowned – some of Rome’s landmarks might just bring you to tears. Here we reveal the top five landmarks in Rome to add to your bucket list.
The Colosseum
Ancient battleground
There’s a reason this vast and crumbling stadium is on the wish list of almost every visitor. It was here, 2,000 years ago, armoured gladiators fought in combat and prisoners were left to battle wild animals in front of riotous crowds, baying for blood. For the best experience, book a guide.
The Pantheon
World famous dome
Make sure you book a ticket in advance to explore this 2,000-year-old temple-turned church. As you step through its vast bronze doors, look up and gaze at the sky through the apex of the dome, where shafts of light sweep across the royal tombs set inside.
Vatican City
See the Sistine Chapel
This city within a city is perhaps one of Rome’s most stirring sights, unparalleled for its distinctive beauty. Visit very early in the morning or later in the evening when the crowds are thinner, to gawp at the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling and walk through its 26 museums.
Trevi Fountain
Good luck
Fallen in love with Rome? Toss a coin into the blue-green waters of the Trevi Fountain – a ritual that’s said to ensure your return to the eternal city, or at least bring you good luck. Arrive at the renaissance fountain before 9am to escape the crowds or head here well after dark.
The Spanish Steps
Worth the climb
Romans love to idle in the city’s piazzas. And the Baroque Piazza di Spagna, where you’ll find these wildly popular steps, is one of its most breathtaking. Come to stagger up the 135 steps, linking the Piazza di Spagna to the Trinità dei Monti church and sit on the fringes for prime people watching.
Explore Rome like a local
Aside from the top tourist spots, you’ll find plenty of other things to do in Rome. Some packed with tourists, others with a more local flavour.
Piazza Navona
Real Roman life
Arrive early to this buzzing piazza to see it at its most beguiling. When the morning light casts shadows across the peachy-hued buildings and ice-cream-licking tourists hover about the fountains, trying to catch a glance of those living behind the shutters. Head down Via di Tor Sanguigna and you’ll find the subterranean remains of the ancient 30,000-seat stadium, Stadio di Domiziano, on which the piazza sits.
Roman Forum
Open air museum
Once the hub of city life where Julius Caesar would have thrown his weight around, the Roman Forum is a spectacular open-air museum shaped by its grandiose collection of temples, churches, and public spaces. It was once the stage for momentous military processions, gladiator battles, trials, and public speeches. Highlights include the Arco di Settimio Severo, the Curia, the Tempio di Saturno, and the Arco di Tito.
Cultural fact file
- Rome is the world’s oldest continuously populated city, dating to 625 BC
- The city has 280 fountains and more than 900 churches
- Rome became Italy’s capital in 1870
Castel Sant’Angelo
Iconic and historic
This iconic castle is the home of the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo with its collection of paintings, sculpture, and ancient weaponry, used by soldiers to protect the castle. It was also a sanctuary for popes thanks to a clandestine tunnel leading to the Vatican. Head to the top floor for spectacular views across the city from a terrace immortalised by Puccini in his opera, Tosca.
MAXXI
Modern Rome
For something entirely different and built this century, MAXXI is Rome’s influential contemporary museum, dedicated to the arts, creativity, and architecture. The building itself – a vast and airy labyrinth designed by Zaha Hadid – is a sight to behold. You can spend hours wandering across its five floors of astonishing and thoughtful artworks, from fashion to performing art.
Trastevere
Boho and beautiful
Cross the Tiber and you’ll arrive at this boho neighbourhood, whose cobbled streets are lined with ochre villas draped in ivy. It’s the sort of place you can catch the proper Italian way of life: drinking coffee on the Piazza dei Ponziani, ordering plates of rigatoni with gooey mozzarella in no-frills trattorias as the evening descends.
Villa Borghese
Time to rest your feet
Rome’s famous park is a lovely spot to while away an afternoon. Here locals spread out picnic blankets, doze under the shade of its trees or jog around its paths. There are bikes for hire too if you want to see more of its gardens and grassy verges spread across 80 hectares. You can row a boat around the faux-classical Temple of Asclepius at the laghetto (little lake).
Rome’s best hotels
Rome’s hotel scene is gloriously varied, whether you’re looking to find a cheap and cheerful hostel or an all-out glamor pad in the centre of the action.
Here’s our pick of the best hotel rooms in Rome.
Rocco Forte House
High-end
Movie stars and high rollers check into Rome’s Rocco Forte House, piled high with luxury and seamless service. Overlooking Piazza di Spagna, it houses five apartments with all the frills. Plus, there’s a private chef to whip up your meals and a rooftop pool.
Martis Palace Hotel
Family-friendly
Cots are freely available plus there’s babysitting and extra beds at the luxe Martis Palace Hotel just off Piazza Navona. A restored palace and monastery, it has interconnecting rooms or large suites sleeping up to five. Guests are granted access to the indoor pool at the nearby Hotel Lunetta spa.
The Hoxton, Rome
Mid-range
The Hoxton is a brand synonymous with achingly cool design and sharp details. And its Rome outpost in Parioli is no different. The interiors team gathered accessories from local vintage markets and combined them with statement headboards, Murano glass chandeliers and marble-topped tables.
Mama Shelter, Rome
Budget
Mama Shelter’s foolproof formula of low-cost, high-design hotels has meant there’s no stopping this brand from expanding across Europe. Expect stripped-back rooms, large bathrooms, pizzas on tap, a summer garden, a rooftop bar, DJs, photobooths and pinball machines. All just a few minutes from the Vatican.
Rome costs
When you’re in Rome, expect to pay:
Accommodation: Budget hotels can cost around €100 per night, while luxury hotels can start from €250.
Food: A meal at a local restaurant may cost around €15 per person.
Transport: An average 10-minute taxi journey costs around €8.
Romantic, resplendent, and endlessly fascinating. Take this as your sign to book that bucket list break to Rome. For sipping lemonade in the sunshine, staring at chess-playing locals in the palazzos, and exploring its ancient and insanely beautiful ruins.
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