15+ BEST Things to See in Rome (Perfect for First Timers!)

From the Trevi Fountain to the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps to the Vatican, we’ve put together the top 15 things to see in Rome along with some handy Rome travel tips including how to get to Rome from the airport(s!), how to get around, what to eat, where to stay and even some day trips for those with a spare day or two.

Packed with history, amazing architecture, museums, churches, and religious relics of days gone by (not to mention another city within the city!), Rome is a wonderful place to explore for a few days. Spend your time taking in the sights, fuelled by fresh, delicious Italian food, and rounding out each day with a Limoncello or glass of delightful Italian wine. If that doesn’t sound like travel heaven, I don’t know what does!

Scroll down and get planning your trip to Rome Italy.

Contributed by Chrysoula from TravelPassionate.com

Essential Rome Travel Tips: What to Know Before you Go

A Little Bit of Rome History

Rome, Italy is a city that transcends time. Known as the Eternal City, Rome’s history stretches from its mythical founding to the center of an ancient empire to a modern global city. Rome was founded in 753 BCE, as the pastoral settlements on the Palatine and Capitoline Hills grew into something much larger, though settlement itself dates back much longer than that. Legend says that the wolf-twins Romulus and Remus founded the city before Romulus killed his brother, though the archaeological evidence supports a more organic growth.

Rome grew as a monarchical system for several hundred years before establishing an oligarchic republic. In the early 1st century CE (AD), under Octavian, the Roman Republic transitioned to the Roman Empire. Over the centuries, the city was the center of the ancient world, ruled by the Byzantines, the Franks, and the Lombards after the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE, and went from a city of one million to a city of 100,000 over just 200 years.

Not only is Rome the capital of Italy and the former capital of the Empire, but it’s also been the seat of the Roman Catholic Church for hundreds of years. Vatican City is the only country in the world to sit within another city’s boundaries, and Rome has been called the capital of two countries for that reason.

There are so many interesting things to see and do in Rome, from exploring ancient history to experiencing the modern Italian city. Below are some of my favorite places to include in your Rome itinerary.

How to get from the Airport to Rome

Rome has two airports – Fiumicino Leonardo Da Vinci Airport, and Ciampino G. B. Pastine Airport – and it is important to know which one you will be arriving at or departing from!

Ciampino Airport is actually much closer to the city center of Rome than Fiumicino, and is where most flights from Ryanair & Wizz Air land and depart from. The best way to get to and from the city center is via taxi (approx €30-40) or public bus which is relatively inexpensive (€6-8) and will take 40-60 minutes.

Fiumicino is the main airport. It is 32km from Rome city center and accommodates larger, full-service airlines.
There are several ways to get from Fiumicino Airport to Rome city center, which include minivan shuttle (approx €19), transfer bus (approx €6), taxis (approx (approx €50), private transfer, train and public bus. Depending on which method you choose, the journey will take between 60 and 90 minutes.

What to Eat in Rome (and Where)

Italians are famous for their food, and Romans have their own spin on a lot of dishes. Some of the best things to eat in the city are cacio e pepe – cheese and pepper pasta – trippa (offal), carbonara, saltimbocca, and pizza alla romana. Head for the Monti and Prati neighborhoods for local eateries or join a street food tour with a local guide and enjoy tastings at some of the best spots in the city.

If you find yourself near the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, or Piazza di Spagna, don’t try to find a place to eat in those areas. For a more authentic experience (and better food), you’re likely to find a more local place if you go a few blocks away from the tourist attraction. (And if you find a dining establishment empty at the local dinner time, skip it in favour of one that’s busy with locals.)

RELATED: Want to learn to cook authentic Italian dishes at home? Join an Italian Cooking Class with Gourmet Lunch and learn while you eat!

15+ Beautiful Things to See in Rome

The Palatine Hill stands 40m above the Forum and the Circus Maximus, home to many Imperial Palaces and the Domus Augustana. For centuries the Roman Forum was the center of everyday life in Rome. Public speeches and trials, processions, and commercial affairs all would have taken place here.

The last significant additions were made in the early 4th century CE, but in the 6th century, some buildings were transformed into Christian churches. Many of the buildings were taken apart or rearranged and their stones used in other buildings, including the new Saint Peter’s Basilica in the 1500s. 

St Peter’s Basilica

The heart of Vatican City is St. Peter’s Basilica, located a few miles from the Roman Forum and Colosseum. Contrary to popular belief, St. Peter’s is not the mother church of the Catholic religion, though it is the most famous. St. Peter’s is the world’s largest Church and also the most renowned and recognisable work of Renaissance architecture.

The Church is fronted by St. Peter’s Square, which is lined with elegant colonnades. The interior is lavishly decorated with sculptures, gilding, marble reliefs, and more. One of the most famous sculptures inside St. Peter’s is Michelangelo’s Pieta. Catholic history says that St. Peter, the first Bishop of Rome is buried under the high altar, and for this reason, many other popes are buried here.

In addition to visiting the Church’s interior, visitors can also climb the Basilica dome to the roof and look out over the piazza.

Vatican Museums

Adjacent to the Basilica are the Vatican Museums. These 54 galleries house everything from vast libraries to the Hall of Maps and the Sistine Chapel. The museum was founded in the early 16th century by Pope Julius II and has over 70,000 works of Renaissance art, Roman sculpture, and modern religious art – it’s no wonder it’s one of the most incredible museums in Rome.

Some of the most important and well-known works in the museum include Bellini’s Pieta, Raphael’s The Crowning of the Virgin, and Titian’s Portrait of Doge Marcello. The Sistine Chapel is the last official stop in the Vatican Museums; it is famous for its frescoed ceiling and is one of the world’s most impressive works of art.

And for a grand exit, be sure to take the helix Bramante Staircase back down to ground level. It really is one of the best things to see in Rome – and so many people miss it!

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is a public square in the heart of Rome, on the site of the 1st-century Stadium of Domitian. It is an elegant and important example of Baroque Roman architecture and has several former palaces facing the piazza. There are also three major Rome fountains in the piazza: the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi at the centre of the elongated square, the Fontana del Moro and the southern end and the Fontana di Neptune at the northern end. Piazza Navona was featured in Angels and Demons. 

Fontana di Trevi

The Fontana di Trevi, or Trevi Fountain, is the largest Baroque fountain in the city, and one of the most famous fountains in the world. It is located at the intersection of three ancient roads (tre vie) and is one of the top sights in the city. The fountain sits on the site of an earlier fountain and was constructed in the 1700s. There are a number of sculptures and icons on the fountain, including Oceanus, Tritons, Abundance, and Salubrity.

It is said that if you throw a coin over your left shoulder using your right hand, you will return to Rome. It’s estimated that over €1.5 million are thrown in yearly, and the money is used to fund a supermarket for the homeless.

Pantheon

The Pantheon is a former Roman temple turned Roman Catholic church on the site of an earlier temple. It was built by the emperor Hadrian, and the inscription on the frieze is from the original temple, so the date of completion is uncertain. The Pantheon has been in continuous use since its construction, and it, therefore, is one of the best-preserved ancient buildings.

The open oculus lets in light and rain, and the concrete dome is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. Its interior features high altars and apses with sculptures. There are also several tombs in the building; the most famous of these is Raphael. Up until recently, the Pantheon was free to enter, although in 2018 they instituted a €2 entry fee.

Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna

Piazza di Spagna is at the bottom of the Spanish Steps and is one of the most famous piazzas in Rome. The nearby Embassy of Spain to the Holy See gives its name to this area. The former house of English poet John Keats is to the right of the staircase and is now a museum dedicated to English Romantic writers.

The 135-step staircase rises from the piazza to the Trinita dei Monti church at the top. It was designed by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi. While the piazza and the staircase are often crowded, it is forbidden to sit or eat on the steps, so traffic moves fairly quickly.

Villa Borghese

The Villa Borghese and the Borghese Gardens are located on the Pincian Hill, just above the Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna. Villa Borghese was built in the early 17th century by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who wanted to turn his vineyard into the most extensive gardens in Rome. Today the Borghese Gardens are the third largest public park in the city and are completely open and free to the public.

The Villa Borghese is home to the Galleria Borghese (Borghese Gallery), which has some of the most impressive collections of Renaissance work outside of the Vatican Museums. The main floor is dedicated to classical antiquities and neo-classical sculpture. Borghese was a patron of Bernini, and so visitors will also find a wide range of both his painting and his sculptures.

Capitoline Museums

The Capitoline Museums is a single museum on top of Capitoline Hill. Opened in 1734 by Clement XII, the museum actually dates back to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of bronzes to the people of Rome. The collection has since expanded to include ancient statues, medieval and Renaissance art, jewels, coins, and more.

Piazza del Popolo

On the other side of the Spanish Steps from the Villa Borghese is the Piazza del Popolo, located just inside of the northern gate of the Aurelian Walls of the city. Highlights in the piazza include the Egyptian obelisk of Ramesses II, the twin churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto, and the main Church, Santa Maria del Popolo.

Go Church Hopping

Castel Sant’Angelo

Hadrian’s Tomb is more commonly known as Castel SantAngelo, but was built under the direction of Emporer Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. Construction began in the year 135 and finished in 139, after which it became a military building, and in the year 403 was be integrated to the Aurelian Walls. It was connected to the Vatican in 1277 by an 800-meter fortified corridor that was built so that the Pope could escape in the event that he was in danger (which Pope Clement VII used as he took refuge in the fortress in during the sieges of 1527.

The Castel Sant’Angelo is today a museum, split into five floors with an impressive viewing platform offering panoramic views of Rome and Vatican City on its roof.

Victor Emmanuel II Monument

The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (also known as Vittoriano or Altare della Patria / Altar of the Fatherland), is a national monument built in honour of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy, located in Rome, Italy. It occupies a site between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill.

An imposing building, it has since 1921, be the location of the tomb of the unknown soldier, a place in which the eternal flame shines and which is always guarded by two soldiers. Riding the elevator to its panoramic terrace also gives visitors one of the most stunning views of Rome.