Travel Insights

It takes a minute to fall in love with the Eternal City and years to familiarize yourself with its nooks and crannies. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of your trip to Rome, whether you’re a first timer or tend to return often.

With ruins at every turn, gorgeous squares, remarkable galleries and museums, hip gelaterias and coffee shops – Rome is a hotbed of art and culture.

Here are the 12 best things to see and do in the Eternal City.

1. Colosseum

With so much to see in Rome, you must be wondering where to begin!

We recommend making your way to Palatine Hill first, where you can explore the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and make a short journey to the Pantheon soon after.

The Colosseum (or the Flavian Amphitheatre) is undisputedly Rome’s most well-known landmark. It was inaugurated in 80 AD with 100 days of celebrations that included bloody gladiator combats, animal battles, and parades of exotic animals. It’s even rumored that the Colosseum hosted mock naval battles (called Naumachiea) in the ancient times – the amphitheatre was flooded, scaled-down flat-bottomed warships were brought in, and the fights were on!

Over the years the Colosseum has served as an entertainment ground, a church, a fort, and even as a quarry for several years.
See why this remarkable piece of history should be at the top of your list of things to see in Rome?

While you’re here, also check out Constantine’s Arch, a monument which was built in 350 AD to celebrate Constantine I’s victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge.

Lastly, before you head over to the Roman Forum, take a moment to admire Piazza Venezia, which is on the main arterial road connecting the Colosseum and the Forum.

2. The Roman Forum

The ruins of the Roman Forum are a short walk from the Colosseum and Constantine’s Arch. Along with the Colosseum, this area was the hallmark of the glory of the Roman Empire for years. The Forum had a number of temples dedicated to specific deities (for example, Saturn, Venus, Romulus, etc.) as well as administrative buildings that were seminal to its rulers and leaders.

Here are some of the most interesting spots:

a. The Curia

The building where the Roman Senate met to take key administrative decisions

b. Via Sacra

The main street of ancient Rome that connected the Colosseum and the Piazza del Campidoglio.

c. Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

Perhaps the best preserved temple in the Roman Forum.

d. Column of Phocas

Built in memory of Emperor Byzantine, this 13 m-high pillar is one of the oldest standing monuments in the Forum.

e. Arch of Titus

This is another seminal monument in the Forum – it was built to commemorate Rome’s victory over Jerusalem.

3. Pantheon

In ancient Rome, the Pantheon was a temple dedicated to all gods, but it became a Roman church in 609 AD. Currently, it’s the resting place of many prominent Roman rulers, saints, as well as the Renaissance master Raphael.

The most fascinating part of the Pantheon is it’s architecturally perfect dome, which has a whopping 142-ft diameter (and is 142 m high as well)! For about 1300 years, the dome of the Pantheon was the largest unsupported dome in the world until modern marvels took over.

[Pro tip: Talk a quick walk to St. Eustacio’s coffee shop – their cannoli and espresso are worth the wait.]

4. Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps links the lower Piazza di Spagna with the upper piazza Trinita dei Monti and was a cultural hotspot in the 18th century. As you climb the 138 steps, you’ll notice the house that was once inhabited by Romantic poet John Keats.

As you reach the top, admire the irregular butterfly design of the steps, the beautiful plaza, and Bernini’s ship-shaped fountain below.
The Piazza di Spagna is also home to Rome’s upscale shopping district – you’ll find most of the exclusive boutiques on Via dei Condotti.

5. Villa Borghese and Galleria Borghese

Villa Borghese is one of the largest urban parks in Europe and a great place to unwind as well as admire fantastic architectural elements and monuments.

Once you’ve had a breather, make your way over to Galleria Borghese, a splendid gallery housed in a former mansion that exhibits some of the finest works of masters such as Titian, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Botticelli. Other exhibits include antiques from the 1st to 3rd centuries as well as fascinating mosaics and frescoes.

6. Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica

From the endlessly fascinating galleries of the Vatican Museums to being flooded with wonder as you admire the Sistine Chapel ceiling, this will be a day you won’t forget.

And yes, it will roughly take you about 6-7 hours if you want an immersive experience in Vatican City. We also recommend getting a Skip-the-line pass as the wait alone (without the pass) is about 2-3 hours outside the City gates. This can seriously throw your schedule off kilter.

i. Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are one of the in the world with a diverse variety of exhibits from ancient Egyptian artifacts and Greco-Roman busts to opulent papal quarters decked up in timeless frescoes by Renaissance masters.

We recommend grabbing a map and an audio guide at the museum entrance – the exhibit rooms are marked and numbered to help you add some method to the madness.

Here are some exhibits that you should not miss.

a. Egyptian room

Fascinated with ancient Egypt? The Vatican museums have one of the largest collection of ancient Egyptian art and artifacts from mummies to pre-historic scrolls.

b. The Pio-Clementine Museums

The Pio-Clementine Museums house a massive collection of Greco-Roman sculptures, including two key Vatican must-sees: the Laocoön sculpture and the Apollo Belvedere. If you need a breather, may your way over to the huge open octagonal courtyard, which has benches as well as other beautiful works of art.

c. The Maps Hall

Galleria delle Carte Geografiche or the Maps Hall has the largest collection of geographical paintings ever made. Although painted in the 1500s, the maps are surprisingly accurate and to-scale, though they often feature quirky elements such as mythological sea creatures and even the sea-God Neptune.

d. The Hall of Tapestries

You’ll pass through the Galleria degli Arazzi or the Hall of Tapestries on your way to the Sistine Chapel. Don’t fast track – take a moment to admire the tapestries that Flemish masters wove not just out of wool but also silk, silver, and gold threads! And, no surprise – these tapestries took years to make.

e. The Raphael Rooms and the papal apartments (including the Borgia apartments)

The Raphael rooms contain frescoes painted by the Renaissance master as well as his pupils, as commissioned by Pope Clement VII.

Don’t miss the four prominent works by Raphael in the Stanza della Segnatura – the four paintings (one on each wall) are based on the four prominent themes of the Renaissance: Theology, Poetry, Philosophy, and Justice.

f. The ceilings

As you look around and admire the artifacts in the Vatican Museums, don’t forget to look up. You’ll be fascinated by the artwork on the ceilings before you even reach the Sistine Chapel. The ceilings in the museum are surprisingly 3-d – you’ll be continuously wondering whether they are sculptures or paintings! In fact, the ceilings of the Maps Hall and the Hall of Tapestries are the most photographed in the world, after the Sistine Chapel.

ii. Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel ceiling and the Last Judgment (also in the Chapel) are the ultimate culmination of Renaissance art. Can you imagine hanging from the ceiling with paint dripping in your eyes for 4 long years? That’s what Michelangelo endured to paint masterpiece after masterpiece that has fascinated people for centuries.

We recommend taking a moment to sit down and follow through all the symbolism woven in (your audio guide will come handy here) in the Last Judgment and the Chapel ceiling frescoes if you truly want to make the most of your visit.

You may be asked to put your camera away in the Chapel, so seal it in your memory as best as you can.

iii. St. Peter’s Basilica

St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the largest churches in Rome and was built at the original site of Christian martyrdom – the Circus of Nero. It’s believed that St. Peter as well as other prominent followers of Jesus were martyred here by Romans.

The altar of St. Peter’s is a staggering 10-story tall structure and many of the magnificent monuments in the Basilica were designed by master architect Bernini. The dome of the Basilica was designed by none other than Michelangelo.

7. Trevi Fountain

Your trip to Rome will certainly be incomplete without visiting the Trevi Fountain. This beautiful, baroque masterpiece with a figure of Neptune at the centre has tourists fawning over it from dawn to dusk. Toss a coin in the fountain and you may just come back to Rome again!

(Don’t attempt a La Dolce Vita moment though – the guards around the fountain are surprisingly vigilant!)

8. Piazza Navona

This charming public square is one of the most popular in Rome. Back in the day, people gathered here (the square could accommodate about 20,000 people!) to witness different athletic competitions.

The square also has three magnificent baroque fountains:

• Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (or the Fountain of Four Rivers, designed by Bernini)
• Fontana del Moro (originally crafted by Giacomo della Porta and later perfected by Bernini)
• Fontana del Nettuno (or the Fountain of Neptune, designed by Giacomo della Porta )

9. Piazza del Poppolo

Piazza del Poppolo or the People’s Plaza was one of the most prominent strategic squares in ancient Rome. Now, travelers head over to the plaza to grab an espresso at one of the dainty cafes, admire an Egyptian obelisk dedicated to Ramesses I, as well as to check out artworks by Caravaggio in the Santa Maria del Popolo basilica, which is nearby.

10. The Appian Way

A road less traveled? Not this one.

The Appian Way was Europe’s first super highway and is possibly the oldest road in existence. It was ancient Rome’s most important military and economic route and is intact even today.

Now, locals as well as tourists head over to the Appian Way to bike around or have a picnic.

11. Rome’s Catacombs

Just like the Paris Catacombs, Rome’s catacomb’s take you on a journey of the fascinating history of this ancient city, from its early pagan days to its rapid Christianization.

12. Trastevere district

All art and no fun? If you thought that’s what defined Rome, head over to Trastevere (or “beyond the Tiber) for a day.

If you’ve not overdosed on art yet, check out the Basilica of Santa Maria and Villa Farnesina during the day. If you’re in Trastevere on a Sunday, put your bargaining hat on at the Porta Portese market (the weekly flea market), which sells everything from antiques to meat and cheese.
Lastly, in spite of being a sleepy, quaint neighborhood during the day, Trastevere comes alive as dusk falls. Partying in Trastevere will truly be a memorable experience in Rome – we promise!