Our Standout Rome Experiences (After 2 Very Different Trips)

Rome is our favorite place in Italy for ticking off famous attractions. We love Florence’s romance, Venice’s canals, and the Amalfi Coast’s views – but Rome is just so much fun to explore as first-timers who love seeing iconic places. During our 4-day trip in July 2018 we did the Colosseum and Vatican Museum horribly, had a rock-bottom budget, stayed in a cheap hotel, booked no guided tours, and wasted our time and money on the Big Bus. Rome was also hot, busy, and expensive. But you know what? We still had a fantastic time.

Then we returned for another 4-day Rome trip in May 2022 and had a totally different experience. Rome was cooler, quieter and more affordable, we knew the city well from our first time, and we’d been traveling the world for 4 years non-stop by then so we knew how to plan trips properly. We also had a much healthier budget so we booked a hotel in the Centro Storico (here’s our guide on the best places to stay in Rome), took a game-changing guided tour of the Vatican Museum, ate at excellent restaurants, and explored further afield into northeast and southeast Rome.

We really like Rome’s “bucket list” feel – the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon – these are seriously famous attractions, and there’s actually loads more to discover beyond the big-ticket sights that very few people ever see. But for us the ruins, architecture, and history are only the beginning. We’re huge pizza, pasta and gelato fans, so Rome (and Italy in general) is like a foodie playground for us. And the evening atmosphere in places like Trastevere, Centro Storico, and Monti is infectious.

But Rome’s metro network isn’t great, there’s lots of walking involved, overcrowding is a genuine issue, pickpocketing can be a problem around the Colosseum, it’s hot and expensive in the summer, and museum burnout is real. Don’t feel like you must visit every museum – we’ll show you which ones to focus on. Based on our two very different trips, we’re going to walk you through the experiences we consider unmissable for a first-timer visiting Rome. Let’s dive in!

Note: Our content is reader supported and contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you and it helps us keep this site running.

Exploring The Colosseum And Roman Forum

Let’s kick things off with the one thing we think every single first-timer should do in Rome – spend a few hours walking among the ruins of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Will you be entertained? Yes definitely, but it’s important to manage your expectations because (unfortunately) there’s no dressing up as Maximus, riding out into the arena on horseback, holding a sword up, and shouting “single column, single column!”

We did the Colosseum and Roman Forum both times we went to Rome, but both times we made mistakes. The first time we turned up without a ticket and waited in a long line to get in, that’s the worst thing you can do. Then the second time we booked in advance but we used Go City Rome passes, which meant we only got basic entry with no “extra” or “bonus” areas – called the arena, underground, and attic. We also didn’t book a guided tour either time, which is exactly what we’d do next time. Do yourself a favor, get organized and buy your tickets or book your tour well in advance. Here’s our guide on big mistakes to avoid at the Colosseum.

Now, it’s important to know every Colosseum ticket (even the cheapest and most basic) also includes entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. But there are different tickets called “full experience” that give you additional access into the arena, underground or attic. The bad news is they sell out almost instantly when they’re released (30 days ahead for underground and attic, 7 days ahead for arena). Our advice is to book full experience tickets right as they’re released. Want to make sure you buy the best possible ticket for your visit? Watch Mark’s Colosseum video on YouTube for a full walkthrough on how to get them.

So anyway, both times we got basic tickets with access to the first floor and second floor of the Colosseum only. It was still cool, but we were disappointed not to see any extra areas. On the plus side, we took tons of photos, imagined watching Gladiators fighting to the death, and then spent 2 hours exploring the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. We have to say the Colosseum felt chaotic both times – a bit like a theme park – whereas the other areas were easier to relax and really picture how impressive Rome would have looked in its prime. This might go against popular opinion, but we actually prefer the Forum to the Colosseum.

Doing the Colosseum and Forum self-guided with audio headsets was okay, but it did become hard to follow after a while – it’s easy to mentally check out, and we didn’t learn as much as we’d like. Remember, this is Rome’s Colosseum, one of the most interesting places to visit in Italy. So next time we go to Rome, we will 100% book a highly rated guided tour. On a budget we like this affordable tour with Viator, but if we had a bit more travel budget to spend, we’d definitely join this special Gladiator’s Gate access tour with Walks of Italy, our favorite tour operator in Italy.

Mark’s top ticket tip: The best Colosseum tickets become available 30 days in advance. Try to book the full experience – underground levels and arena ticket as soon as it becomes available. This one gets you into more areas without having to pay extra for a guided tour.

Touring The Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter’s Basilica

We visited the Vatican Museums both times we went to Rome, but we had polar opposite experiences. The first time we did it independently with pre-booked 1:00 PM time slots, thinking it would be quieter in the afternoon. When we arrived, the “no tickets” was enormous so at least we dodged that bullet, but once we got inside we were packed in like sardines. It was awful. Honestly, it was so hard to enjoy the artwork and architecture because we couldn’t move. And then the line to get in the basilica afterwards was out of control, so we gave up and didn’t even bother.

Then in 2022, we paid €100 extra each (compared to basic entry + audio guides) to book this extremely popular guided tour of the Vatican’s highlights with Walks of Italy called “Pristine Sistine”. We entered early, the expert guide took us straight to the most important artworks and actually explained them, we had entire galleries and halls to ourselves, we got into the Sistine Chapel when it was quiet, and the best part was being able to take advantage of the “secret passage” that connects the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter’s Basilica which saved us leaving the museum and waiting in a separate 1-2 hour line to get in the basilica. This passage is only included with guided tours, so it’s a huge perk to spending the extra cash.

We know the Vatican Museum isn’t for every single first-timer heading to Rome. But even though neither of us are art aficionados and we’d never claim to know the difference between certain sculptures or paintings, what we do have is a deep appreciation for things like history, skill, innovation and accomplishments – like Da Vinci’s the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel, which more than lives up to its hype. And there’s so much more to see in the Vatican Museums, 70,000 works in 24 different sections to be precise. That’s 9 miles of art. So we really do think it’s worth including in your itinerary, especially if this will be a once in a lifetime trip.

We help people travel the world for a living, so naturally we love the Vatican’s Gallery of Maps (it took 3 years to complete, what dedication!) and as photographers, we couldn’t tear ourselves away from the mind-bending Bramante Staircase. Okay, but what about downsides? Well, there’s one great big glaring negative aspect to visiting the Vatican Museums – the crowds are out of control. Going first thing in the morning or much later in the day is the only way to combat the overwhelming crowds. Another issue is that tickets and tours sell out a long way in advance, so it’s vital you get organized and book as soon as possible. Here’s the official site to buy tickets for an independent visit.

The Vatican is probably going to be the furthest away thing you do in Rome. Most first-timers stay in the Centro Storico or Monti, and the Vatican is a bit of a trek from those areas. We walked it from Monti in around 1 hour in 2018, but in 2022 we took a red line metro from Barberini to Ottaviano, which was much easier. Mark explains booking tickets for an independent visit, which guided tours are worth paying for, and the biggest mistakes to avoid in his first-timers Vatican Museums video walkthrough on YouTube.

Important: The Vatican Museum changed its opening time from 9:00 AM to 8:00 AM in 2024 (after our visit), so the early entry Pristine Sistine tour that we did and loved now begins as the museum opens, not an hour before. That said, we still think this tour offers the best value for money vs any alternative because it’s among the first groups to enter, it includes an expert guide and it includes instant access to St. Peter’s Basilica. Plus, Walks of Italy are a legit, big-name operator specializing in Italy tours. This is the tour company we recommend to our friends, families and customers who book travel planning calls with us.

Throwing A Coin In The Trevi Fountain

We honestly couldn’t believe our eyes when we rocked up to the Trevi Fountain for the first time. We’d just finished a delicious pizza and glass of wine, grabbed an ice cream and arrived at one of Rome’s most famous sites – and it was only when a blob of gelato melted off and dropped onto Mark’s hand that our trance was broken.

There were genuinely hundreds of tourists crammed in around the three exposed sides of the fountain, and we could barely make it through the crowd to reach the other side. That’s not our scene at all, so it took us less than a minute take it all in before hurrying around the outside to escape! Needless to say, we didn’t “ensure our return to Rome” by throwing a coin in our right hands over our left shoulders into the fountain on this occasion.

Since that initial shock to the system, we’ve been back to the Trevi Fountain a dozen times during the day, at night, and our personal favorite right after sunrise when Mark captured a photo of Kristen standing alone in front of the fountain (see our photo below). And yes, we finally got to throw our coins in.

But this was before February 2026, when Rome implemented €2 tickets being required to access the lower steps and throw a coin in the fountain. Now, you can still see the fountain from above in the square, but tickets must be bought to get closer between 9:00 AM and 10:00 PM. So our (pretty obvious!) travel hack here is to visit at 8:00 AM so you don’t have to pay – or better yet earlier when it will be even quieter. If you’re actively seeking that bustling atmosphere, head to the fountain around 8:00 PM.

Do we think the Trevi Fountain is a must-see for first-timers visiting Rome? Yes. It didn’t blow us away by any stretch and it definitely felt like more of a hype thing, but once we looked beyond the crowds at the actual reason for its fame – the Baroque architecture suddenly burst into life. And it’s free to visit, unless you pay €2 to get up close, but even then it’s still not breaking the bank. We always advise people to include the fountain as one stop on a longer Centro Storico walking loop, as part of a nice and easy first day in Rome.

🎥 YouTube: Watch Mark’s video on exactly how to spend 4 days in Rome as a first timer to see the highlights and hidden gems at the right times, with tips and advice on logistics, attraction tickets, and trip planning.

Walking Up The Spanish Steps

We never imagined something as basic and unglamorous as walking up and down a staircase would be such a popular thing to do, but the Spanish Steps is a classic and completely free experience we all just have to do as proper tourists on a first visit to Rome. It’s like a rite of passage. But if we’re being real, there’s nothing special to do there, so don’t expect any great song or dance – the steps are just a postcard-perfect scene, which is why thousands of people flock there each day to take photos.

Another reason it’s so busy at the Spanish Steps is because they’re located close to the northern part of Via del Corso, which is Rome’s trendiest shopping area. We spent an hour or so walking around a maze of picturesque piazzas and cobbled alleys filled with bougie independent boutiques, all within a few minutes of the Spanish Steps. In fact, we really liked the high-end luxury vibe around the Spanish Steps and the surrounding area of Campo Marzio all the way up to Piazza del Popolo.

Across our two trips we’d been to see the Spanish Steps a few times and it was always been jam-packed, so on our last morning in 2022 we marched up there at sunrise to get a photo with nobody else on the steps – and even then we had to wait for a few Instagram and TikTok selfie video shoots to end! Eventually though, we did get a people-free photo, as you can see below.

What we found most interesting was the French church at the top of the steps (which was well worth going inside), and the fact the steps were financed by a Frenchman. It’s only called the “Spanish” Steps because the Spanish embassy is at the bottom of the staircase. Imagine if it was called the French Steps? Doesn’t have the same ring, does it.

Overall, we wouldn’t say the Spanish Steps is an absolutely essential, make-or-break place to visit on your Rome itinerary, but if you have plenty of time it’s a cool photo spot and it always has a fun atmosphere. Just take it from us, if you want photos on the steps, you better go early in the morning and hope everyone else is playing nicely!

Going Inside The Pantheon

After walking thousands of steps through Rome across two trips, we consider the Pantheon to be the beating heart of the touristy Centro Storico area. It acts like a gravitational force in the evenings when people are walking dinner off, everyone kind of clusters out front. To save a bit of money when we visited Rome on a tight budget in 2018, we’d buy a few cans of beer or a bottle of wine (in a plastic container) from a grocery store and sit outside the Pantheon because it had such a lively post-dinner atmosphere.

But what’s inside the Pantheon? Well, in 2022, we paid 5 euros each to get in (it’s €7 now), and we saw the tombs of Vittorio Emanuele II (the first king of Italy) and Raphael, whose work we’d already enjoyed seeing in the Vatican Museum. And there’s even a tomb for Queen Margherita who inspired the first ever pizza – one of our heroes. But for us it was all about the architecture and giant dome with a hole that lets natural sunlight or rain burst in.

To go inside the Pantheon without an audio guide or guided tour, it costs €7 through this site – or you can turn up in person and wait in line, but we saw enormous lines so we’d 100% book in advance. If you’re reading this guide last minute and don’t have time to book in advance, try arriving before it opens to be at the front of the queue.

Next time we’d pay extra to have a more immersive experience. We’d choose between spending €10 extra for audio guides, €25.50 for an official guided tour, or closer to €50 more for this popular guided tour with Viator. The Pantheon is open daily from 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (last entry 6:30 PM) but it’s quietest first thing in the morning. Oh, and if you’ll be visiting Rome over the weekend, it’s free to enter the first Sunday of every month.

The Pantheon is one of our favorite buildings to photograph in Rome because it’s incredibly striking from the outside, especially when there’s nobody else standing in the cobbled Piazza della Rotonda. Here’s our guide on the best places to take photos in Rome in case you’re interested.

We had to wake up at the crack of dawn and stay out past midnight to get the clear, people-free photos you can see above (you can buy the dawn photo in our prints store). But it’s always been swarming with people every other time we’ve visited. The worst thing you can do is rock up around midday, and wait in a ridiculous line to go inside because you didn’t plan properly.

Enjoying The Foodie Scene In Trastevere

Most of Rome’s top attractions and trendy neighborhoods are surprisingly walkable and close to each other. Now, the city is home to some seriously cool, attractive, historic and trendy neighborhoods like Centro Storico, Monti, Campo Marzio, and Prati. But the vibrant Trastevere neighborhood is our personal favorite place to relax, unwind, and socialize in the evenings. It’s the place we kept being drawn towards after long days attraction-hunting during our second trip in 2022.

Honestly, Trastevere for us was all about the food and atmosphere. It reminds us of the sort of vibe you’d get in a Williamsburg in NYC or a St. Germain in Paris. There’s not a huge amount to do except walk around the streets, eat, and drink. It also happens to be the most popular place in Rome to join highly rated food tours like this pasta making class or this sunset wine and food tour with Devour Tours (sister company of our favorite tour company called Walks of Italy). We’d love to do one of them next time.

We’d love to give you a hidden gem neighborhood recommendation, but we can’t because Trastevere genuinely is our favorite place in town to eat, drink and people watch.

We always walk across the Ponte Sisto to enter Trastevere’s picturesque cobblestone streets and within minutes we inevitably find ourselves in a random bar like Mr. Brown drinking Aperol Spritz. It’s like the two things just come hand in hand. Then we’ll find somewhere amazing to eat authentic Mamma’s Italian food like Tonnarello, Otello or Nannarella, before grabbing a gelato for the walk back to the Centro Storico.

If we were going to Rome for a long weekend with the intention of just hanging out, eating, drinking and doing no tourist attractions at all, we’d probably book somewhere like Hotel Santa Maria in Trastevere because we’d want to be in the heart of the foodie scene.

But on a first visit with the goal of ticking top sites off we’d stick with a hotel like Albergo del Senato in the Centro Storico for a more central location among the most popular places to visit. Watch Mark’s video breakdown of the best areas to stay in Rome on YouTube.

Browsing The Borghese Gallery

One thing that confused us last time we were in Rome was the distinction between Villa Borghese and the Borghese Gallery. We didn’t do enough research (which is unlike us), and based on the name alone we expected to find an art gallery inside a villa. But it turned out Villa Borghese was the name for a 200-acre park, and the Borghese Gallery was just a small building on the eastern (and furthest away) edge.

So after walking up Via del Corso, seeing the Spanish Steps, going through Piazza del Popolo and enjoying the view from Terraza del Pincio, we walked for another 25 minutes through Villa Borghese (which is essentially Rome’s version of Central Park) until we reached the Borghese Gallery. We were tired by the time we finally made it there after all that walking, but we couldn’t wait to see famous paintings, sculptures and antiques from the likes of Caravaggio, Raphael and Bernini.

Then things went from bad to worse for us – they had sold out of tickets. And not that morning, but weeks ago. Truthfully, we hadn’t even given Borghese Gallery tickets a thought when planning our trip. We went to Rome in May and this wasn’t exactly the Vatican Museum or Colosseum, so we expected to be fine turning up on the day. Nope. Not even close.

It turns out the Borghese Gallery is tiny and they severely limit the amount of people allowed in at once. Tickets don’t just sell out in advance, they sell out almost instantly when they’re released around 4-5 weeks ahead of time. An old saying instantly sprung to mind – assumption is the mother of all… failures.

If you want to see the Borghese Gallery when you visit Rome, don’t make the same mistake we did – get on the official ticket site and be ready for when they’re released for your date a month ahead. If there aren’t any left, keep checking every day for cancellations, and then even the day before or the day of, there could be last minute cancellations.

If tickets are sold out for the date you want to visit and no cancellations come up, take a look at this guided tour with Walks of Italy or this guided tour with Viator – not only do you get an entry ticket, but you also get skip the line and an expert guide explaining the major highlights. These tours also sell out instantly because the Borghese Gallery is so popular, so it’s a big win if you can snag one.

Mark’s hidden gem alternative: If you simply cannot get Borghese Gallery tickets, consider visiting Galleria Colonna instead. It’s only open Friday and Saturday mornings so you’d have to be in Rome on either day, but it’s basically an exclusive collection of important artwork inside a private palace. Very few get to see it, so it’s definitely on our radar for next time.

Exploring Lesser Known Southeast Rome

This is a unique entry to our list of Rome experiences because it’s far more broad than anything else we cover. So what do we mean by “southeast Rome”? Well, we took a long walk (with a few scooter rides thrown in to speed things up) from the Centro Storico down through Ripa and San Saba the last time we were in Rome, and we thought it was a great way to see some different ruins and sites away from the central crowds.

We started with the enormous Circus Maximus that once held chariot races in front of 250,000 Romans. It’s not in good repair compared to the nearby Colosseum, but it’s worth seeing. Then we walked through Roseto Comunale to Giardino degli Aranci – an orange tree garden with a terrace at the end called Terrazza Aventino, which had magnificent views over Trastevere. Next, we scootered to Piramide di Caio Cestio because we were curious about a strangely out of place pyramid, but that turned out to be a non-event so skip that.

Finally, we looped around to the Baths of Caracalla, and that was well worth visiting. We paid a bit more to get 4D goggles for our walk around the Caracalla Baths so we could see recreations of what it would have looked like back in 215 AD. It was a great stop and barely anyone else was there, which made it feel more like an ancient ruin than a theme park ride.

We didn’t go further because we had to get back to Piazza Venezia to join a bus tour heading to the Catacombs as part of our Go City Rome Pass. That didn’t work out well logistically, so avoid doing anything like that. What we should have done next was scooter to the Aurelian Walls, which look a bit like the Roman bar walls in Mark’s hometown of York in England. Then we’d have continued down to the Appian Way, which was one of the most important roads built by the Romans. And finally, we’d have arrived at the Catacombs of San Sebastian.

After re-thinking southeast Rome, next time we’d just book this affordable guided tour of the Appian Way, Aqueducts and Catacombs at closing time with Walks of Italy. It includes transport and entry tickets, it’s off the beaten path, it’s got amazing reviews, and it covers all the places you’d want to see in southeast Rome without having to walk, navigate or use scooters. The tour meet time is 2:15 PM at Piramide metro station, so it’s perfectly doable as a double up with the nearby Colosseum and Roman Forum in the morning.

Enjoying The Piazzas

Here’s something we found unusual about exploring Italy – Rome is by far the biggest and most popular tourist destination, it’s the capital city, and it was the heart of the Roman Empire – yet none of its piazzas are especially famous. We’d heard of St. Mark’s Square in Venice. And we knew about the Piazza del Duomo in Florence. But Rome? We had no idea.

Then we arrived and began exploring. It turns out there’s so many more piazzas in Rome than any other Italian city. And while they might not be as famous, they’re still very attractive and worth seeking out when you visit. We recommend starting with Piazza Navona, Rome’s most well-known and beautiful square which was once the Stadium of Dometian.

Piazza San Pietro in Vatican City is another obvious square you’ll more than likely visit. By day all you’ll see is crowds of frustrated people waiting to get inside the basilica, but it looks amazing at night when it’s lit up. Another of our big regrets from both trips is not going back to see the Vatican area at night.

Piazza del Popolo is a really stunning square you shouldn’t miss (it’s the one we walked through to get to Villa Borghese). Then of course there’s Piazza di Spagna at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, and Piazza Venezia which is a huge square in front of the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, a free to enter temple and war memorial with a viewing platform that we thought was definitely worth visiting. Oh, and check out Campo de’ Fiori if you like food markets.

Gorging Ourselves On Italian Food

Okay, we’re saving the best until last. Attractions are fun and history is educational, but they’re things that divide opinion based on different travel styles and preferences. What’s the one thing every tourist will do when they visit Rome? That’s right, they’ll be on the hunt for amazing Italian food. And trust us when we tell you the hunt won’t last very long, and the spoils will be plenty!

So what should you eat? Well, for us it’s all about authentic Neapolitan style pizza, tasty homemade pasta and milky gelato. Just thinking about those three things is enough to make us want to book a flight to Italy right now. But there’s also risotto and gnocchi, then tiramisu and cannoli for desert when you can’t take anymore pizza or ice cream.

We ate at so many superb places in Rome. Some that we can remember in the Centro Storico area are Pane e Salame for cheese and wine, along with La locanda del tempio, Trattoria Antonio, Achille Al Pantheon di Habana, and Cantina e Cucina for dinner. On the east side of the Colosseum we had a lovely lunch at Ristoro Della Salute, and near the Vatican we had a delicious lunch at Rione XIV Bistrot, followed by glorious ice creams at L’Arena del Gelato.

But let’s not forget about drinks. We don’t mind a cold beer on vacation and in Italy it’s all about Moretti or Peroni. Both are refreshing crisp lagers perfect for a hot day. And you simply must try an Aperol Spritz. When in Rome, right? Here’s a fantastic-looking guided food and drinks tour in Trastevere with Devour Tours that includes making your own Spritz on a private rooftop.

Finally, we can’t imagine how many bottles of wine are consumed each day in Rome in the tourist season, but if we had anything to say about it there’d be one bottle more! Now that we’ve done all the attractions a few times, our next Rome trip will be centered entirely around eating and drinking, so we’ll stick to the trendier hangout neighborhoods like Monti for low-key and Trastevere for a bit more elegance.

What To Skip

Did we do anything in Rome that underwhelmed us, frustrated us, or left us feeling like we’d wasted time? Yes, absolutely:

Big Bus: We found Rome’s Big Bus to be massively underwhelming, even compared to other cities the narration was poor. The only reason it might be worth paying for is to get around the city’s top attractions without walking as much, or if you only have one or two days in Rome and don’t have time to explore by foot.

Vatican Museum: In all seriousness, the Vatican Museum was far too busy when we visited independently at lunch time in July. We straight up did not enjoy it. But we remedied that by going as it opened with a guided tour next time. We’re not saying skip the Vatican, we’re saying make sure you do it properly otherwise you’ll end up very frustrated.

Colosseum: Getting basic entry tickets both times was disappointing for us. Skip the basic tickets, get a full experience ticket with access to the arena, underground or attic. Or better yet, book a guided tour with arena access for a deeper understanding of the sites – this way you’ll avoid feeling underwhelmed.

Borghese Gallery: Actually getting tickets for the Borghese Gallery is a pain in the neck, so don’t just do it because it’s one of the big-hitters. If we weren’t especially interested in art, we’d just do the Vatican and skip Borghese.

Castel Sant’Angelo: We were on the fence about visiting Castel Sant’Angelo to see the Mausoleum of Hadrian. It costs €18 per adult, which is the same as the Colosseum and Roman Forum, so the value for money isn’t quite there for us. That said, we probably will visit next time because it’s something different to see. So we’ll leave this one up to you.

Capitoline Museums: If you’re super interested in art and sculptures, you should definitely visit the Capitoline Museums. It looks like a quieter and less intense museum with masterpieces, and honestly we would include it next time. But we don’t love the €17.50 entrance fee, and you should skip it if you’re concerned about museum burnout.

What To Expect

Finally, we just want to quickly touch on what you should actually expect from Rome’s top experiences:

Sightseeing pace: Don’t expect to do Rome’s big sights quickly. It took us over 3 hours to do the Colosseum and over 4 hours to do the Vatican both times – they’re each half day commitments. Choose what else you add to your itinerary carefully, making sure you allow enough time to actually “see” it.

Crowds and lines: Expect massive crowds at the Vatican, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Pantheon. We can’t stress enough how important it is to buy tickets for the major attractions in advance. It really is make or break for your overall experience!

Getting around: Rome’s metro is severely limited and doesn’t run through the historic center at all. This is going to be a mostly walking trip, which is fine because most things are close, there’s no hopping across the city to different attractions or neighborhoods like in Paris or Tokyo. But it’s good to be prepared for big daily step counts – and make sure you have comfy worn-in shoes.

Eating out: You will not struggle for amazing places to eat out with a lively vibe if you stay in Centro Storico, Monti, or Trastevere. Campo Marzio is a bit more high-end, and it also doesn’t have a vibrant evening atmosphere – the same goes for Prati near the Vatican.

Seasonality: July was hot, busy and expensive. May had perfect weather, slightly cheaper prices, and slightly fewer tourists at major attractions. During later dinners we’d still be comfortable in shorts and shirts in May. Next time we’d go in April, May, September or October to avoid the summer rush and the lack of atmosphere in the depths of winter.

Next Steps

We hope our guide on the top things to do in Rome helps with planning your trip.

If you’d like more personalized help, we offer expert travel planning consultations where we answer any questions you have, help you avoid tourist traps and plan out your entire itinerary step by step. See our packages and reviews.

Still researching for your trip?

• This is where to stay in Rome.
• Here’s our 4-day Rome itinerary.
• Follow our first-timers 14 days Italy itinerary.
• These are the places you can’t miss in Italy.
• Don’t miss these top attractions in Florence.
• Here’s our 3 days itinerary for Florence.
• These are the top things to do in Capri.
• Here’s our 10 day Amalfi Coast itinerary.
• This is what to do in Sorrento.
• Here are the top things to do in Positano.
• This is how to visit Pompeii.

Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Italy travel guide for helpful tips and advice.

Happy travels,

Mark and Kristen

Find our guide helpful? Pin it for later!

All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.