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The 10 Things You Need to Do In Rome

So, the Eternal City is on your bucket list? Prepare to mix and match 2500+ years of history and discover your own version of Rome. You could fall in love with this city without ever seeing a museum -- but here are some of the more notable sights.

Vatican City

Vatican City is the world's smallest independent international state, a walled-off enclave within Rome. It's home to 842 people, the Sistine Chapel, and St Peter's Basilica.

Vatican Museums

Some of the world's most important relics -- the Sistine Chapel, for example -- are located inside the Vatican Museum. A guided tour here is worth every penny.

Sistine Chapel

Located inside the Apostolic Chapel, within the residence of the Pope, Michelangelo's ceiling fresco in the Sistine Chapel is a sight to see. Also, spend time studying The Last Judgement on the altar wall.

Roman Forum

This is where to go when you want to see Roman ruins. The Roman forum itself was once a marketplace or plaza, and is surrounded by the remnants of ancient government buildings.

Colosseum

Tour this famous amphitheater and reflect on the incredible architecture from 72 AD. The Colosseum is more impressive than any football stadium you've ever seen, AND it's 2000 years old.

Palatine Hill

It's thought that Palatine Hill is where Rome began. Excavations show that people have lived there since 1000 BC, and the ruins are steeped in mythology.

St Peter's Basilica

This tourist attraction is also the center of the Catholic world. The stunning St Peter's Basilica was built on the site where Peter, the apostle and first pope, was buried.

Raphael Rooms

Raphael's 16th century frescoes line the walls of the Palace of the Vatican's four public reception rooms, also called Raphael Rooms.

Galleria Borghese

Known to be one of the best museums in Rome, the Galleria Borghese is a 17th century villa is located in the sprawling Borghese park. You'll see antiquities, Renaissance art, and early Baroque pieces.

Trevi Fountain

Rome's world-famous Trevi Fountain depicts the mythological Neptune, backed by two Tritons. A fun place to grab a gelato, throw a coin in the fountain, and people-watch.

Planning Your Rome Visit

How long should you stay in Rome?

We can promise you won't get bored! You could manage to hit a lot of attractions in 4-5 days, or you could stay for months. Rome is incredibly walkable -- meaning it's easy to get a sense of the city just by exploring the neighborhood where you decide to stay. You'll quite quickly discover hidden-gem Italian restaurants or accidentally stumble upon Roman ruins.

How much money do you bring?

The big attractions charge you an entrance fee. Colosseum tickets start at 10€ to tour the inside. You can plan on seeing a lot of the ruins and churches from the outside for free, and you will find delicious Italian food for reasonable prices. One very cool free activity: the Casa del Cinema at Villa Borghese. The city of Rome subsidizes the outdoor film screenings here. Buy some wine and pizza, sit on the grass, and take in a free movie.

Where is the good shopping?

This completely depends on your budget and style. You'll probably walk down Via Connotti on your way to the Spanish Steps. That's where to go if you're looking for the great designer houses of Italy, like Prada and Gucci. Alternatively, check out the Mercato Monti in the neighborhood near the Colosseum. It's open daily for your fashion and trinket flea market fix.

One more thing to know about how old Rome is...

Roman tradition suggests the city was founded in 753 BC, and archaeologists suggest that inhabitants were settled there even earlier!

Good to know

Language

Italian
Currency

Euro (€)
Time Zone

UTC (+01:00)
Country Code

+39
Best time to visit

Rome is in southern Italy, so winter weather is mild. One tip: keep major Catholic holidays in mind. It may mean things are closed; more likely, it will mean huge crowds. Whether or not you want to see Easter at the Vatican, it will help your hotel (or flight) plans if you know in advance.

Things to Do in Rome

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What people are saying about Rome

Great guides in both the sections of the tour

Barbara for the Hill & Forum (2+approx)was informative, fantastic and lively with a group of 6. With the small group we covered a lot of ground and a wealth of information. Coliseum Dungeon section was new to us, and worth it. Extremely knowledgeable guide in a group of 24. Tours and guides were outstanding. Before tour make sure you have active communication available- ie phone , WhatsApp, email?. 2of the 3 couples had signed up for 4 pm over 2weeks before tour- then got 24 hours notices that tour time changed to 2 pm. This has to do with the dungeon section is very limited and time slots are difficult to get. Luckily I saw a what’s app message at 10am, being I was at sea before hand. Also do be there 25 minutes beforehand and use GPS/ google look for Nicotours white banner.

Rome: Colosseum Dungeon, Forum & Palatine Hill VIP Tour Reviewed by cindy, 10/20/2019

BRILLIANT tour! Would highly recommend! Informative but fun!

Brilliant tour! The extra underground and top level viewing of the Colosseum was really worth the extra cost and would high recommend this tour for the Colosseum! Tom (the Roman Forum Guide) especially went above and beyond to make it exciting, interesting and informative, he was incredibly knowledgable on the history of Rome but also good at describing it in an engaging way to novices like us - I am so glad we had him as our guide for the Forum! We were very glad to have a guided tour through the maze of buildings in the Forum and would recommend it to anyone. FIVE STARS!

Rome: Colosseum Underground, Roman Forum & Hill Tour Reviewed by Hannah, 10/20/2019

My first visit abroad-and so,so 'worth it'!

This was an amazing tour and just what I had hoped for. I have pain/difficulty walking and stair-climbing but managed - worthwhile! Our Guide, Leonardo, was super, a lovely chap and so enthusiastic and helpful (he could also tell us on the mini-bus about the food of Italy. As this was my very first visit (and would now be encouraged to return!) it was a lovely wee respite from the ancient Catacombs. For myself, the two small bus journeys across the busy streets between venues was a pleasant little 'break'. In all - GREAT. And thanks to all, Heather.

Rome: Crypts, Bones and Catacombs Small Group Tour Reviewed by Heather Oonah, 10/20/2019

The whole tour was informative and entertaining- so glad we booked it!

The tour took place during the morning and therefore we dodged a lot of the bigger crowds. It was well organised and the guides were friendly and informative. The colosseum was amazing and we had lots of opportunities to look at and take pictures at each level. Moving onto the forum and Palantine Hill we met our guide Tom who was amazing. He lived and obviously loved the history of Rome and entertained us with fascinating facts and reminded us about lessons from history. It made for a fascinating tour which went by in a flash! Highly recommended

Rome: Colosseum Underground, Roman Forum & Hill Tour Reviewed by Eileen, 10/20/2019

big group, but tons of facts and overall a great tour

tour started off a little out of order mostly at the check in process due to number of people in all the tours. Seemed like they started four tours at the same time so it was a little confusing. But once we got into the vatican our tour guide (who is a former archaeologist) provided TONS of interesting details about everything were looking at. Very informative and interesting. overall would take the tour again, hopefully they work out the check in details

Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel Tour Reviewed by Ben, 10/21/2019