Rome
Rome's not called “The Eternal City” for nothing - Italy's capital city has been a center of culture, politics and business for millennia, and is a fascinating place to visit.
What to Do
Certainly the many buildings (and ruins) associated with the seat of the Roman Empire draw countless visitors every year. The Colosseum alone is practically a symbol of the country, and the Pantheon is an amazing piece of ancient architecture. Even more interesting than the Roman buildings themselves, however, is their juxtaposition right next to the buildings and streets and life of modern Rome. Just because the city has its place in history secured doesn't mean Romans aren't going on with their present-day lives! The images of young Italians on their mobile phones sitting amidst the ruins of the Roman Forum, where Caesar himself might have walked, are proof enough that history is literally all around us.
Movie buffs will enjoy a visit to the Piazza di Trevi, where you can toss a coin into the famous fountain (the square is very small and can get very crowded) of La Dolce Vita and Roman Holiday fame. Opera fans will want to visit the Castel Sant'Angelo, where you can see the balcony from which Tosca leaps to her death.
Rome is also the city that surrounds the Vatican, an independent city-state which is the home to the Catholic Church. The Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica are some of the more popular attractions for tourists visiting Rome. If you plan your visit well, you might even get to see a glimpse of the Pope during one of his public audiences in St. Peter's Square.
The Trastevere neighborhood and old Jewish quarter are becoming well known for their excellent cafes and restaurants just off the beaten path, but in a city this large there is no shortage of nightlife. The origin of pizza isn't too far away (Naples), so pizzas in Rome tend to be high quality - that is, if you're not at a tourist trap of a pizzeria! Get yourself to a place without an English menu and take a chance. You'll be glad you did. Oh, and don't forget to wash every meal down with some gelato!
Getting There
Rome's giant Fiumicino Airport makes getting to this fabulous city easy - you can find cheap Italy airfare with our international airfare finder. If you're already in Europe you can also hop on a short flight to Rome or even take the train, too.
Where to Stay
There are plenty of places to stay in this city, but it's also full of tourists - so book your Rome hotel or Rome hostel in advance. There are more hostels in Rome than in many other Italian cities, so your budget options are more plentiful. And that's good news, because most of the hotels in the historic center are certainly not cheap!
Learn more about the history of the city in our Rome travel stories, written by real travelers just like you, and follow along with Italian life in the Italy Travel Guide. And pretty soon you'll be there experiencing this fascinating city for yourself!
For more information on Rome and the rest of Italy, don't forget to check out our Italy Travel Guide.
Attractions in Rome
Address: Foro Romano, 00186 Roma
The triumphal Arch of Titus ("Arco di Tito" in Italian) stands roughly between the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, and was constructed in the 1st century A.D. to commemorate victory of Rome over Israel in A.D. 70.
Unlike most of the peoples dominated by Rome, the Israelites refused to worship the Roman emperor as a god. Rome took care of this insolence by beating them in a short war, from which the Roman army returned with more than 50,000 Jewish slaves. This is why you see Jewish iconography in some of the carvings on the Arch of Titus, including a candelabra that's supposed to be a Menorah among the spoils brought back from the war. The arch was renovated in the early 1800s using a different kind of marble so that it would be easily distinguished from the original stonework. In addition to an inscription dedicating the arch in A.D. 70, there was also an inscription made the year the monument was restored.
Although the Arch of Titus is outdoors and therefore always open, the path underneath the arch is generally closed to the public.
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free
Address: Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 52, 00153 Roma
Rome's Baths of Caracalla ("Terme di Caracalla" in Italian) date from the 2nd century A.D., but what remains now is only the barest of ruins. Most of the good stuff has been removed and placed in museums for safe-keeping (and so you have to pay another admission fee, probably). In its heyday, however, Emperor Caracalla's complex of buildings could hold more than 1,500 bathers and exercisers at a time. That's one heck of a gym.
Baths in ancient Rome were popular meeting points, and places where business deals were often done (gives the term "watering hole" a whole new meaning), so it makes sense that the Baths of Caracalla were so massive. There were two giant rooms for exercise and one enormous pool for lounging and bathing. There were once even great libraries within the walls. More recently, operas were performed using the ruins of the Baths as a backdrop, but those have been discontinued to help preserve what's left of the buildings.
Audioguides are available for a self-guided tour of the Baths of Caracalla, as is a nice souvenir guidebook. Take the Metro to the Circus Maximum stop, then walk along the Via delle Terme di Caracalla for about five minutes to reach it. The telephone number is 06.575.8628.
Hours: Monday 09:00-17:30 and Tuesday-Sunday 09:00-19:30; The last entry is one hour before closing.
Admission: Tickets to browse the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla are about €6
Address: Piazza del Campidoglio, 00186 Roma
Rome's Campidoglio, or Capitoline Hill, is the highest (and therefore most famous) of the city's legendary seven hills. It was once the most important hill in ancient Rome, and is still the site of the city's government buildings. The Piazza del Campidoglio and the buildings that flank it were designed by Michelangelo, and even if you don't go into the Capitoline Museums it's worth the hike up the stairs for a commanding view of the Roman Forum below.
The pretty piazza is best viewed as you climb the stairs from the Piazza Venezia below, so you can really appreciate the architectural skill Michelangelo exhibited in making this lopsided space seem level and harmonious. The statue of Marcus Aurelius at the center of the piazza is a replica of the only complete bronze of a pre-Christian Roman emperor to have survived to present day. Most such statues were melted down for coins, partly to get rid of any evidence of a time before Christian domination. The original of this treasured statue is in the Capitoline Museum nearby.
The Capitoline Museum buildings are the two on either side of you as you walk up the steps - buy your tickets in the building to your right, the Palazzo dei Conservatori. An audioguide is available for around €4, and the museum telephong number is 06.3996.7800.
Around the back of the Palazzo Senatorio, the building opposite the staircase, you'll find an excellent viewpoint for sweeping photos of the Rome Forum.
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 09:00-20:00, last entry one hour before closing time
Admission: between €4-9, depending on what kind of ticket you purchase
Address: Piazza del Colosseo, 00184 Roma
Arguably the most famous monument in all of Italy, the Roman Colosseum - or Colosseo as it's known in Italian - is a must-see sight in the capital city. It is the most visited monument in Rome, with more than 1.5 million people standing in awe of it every year. While it might not be the best-preserved Roman amphitheatre in existence, it is the largest. And that counts for something.
The lines can be long to get in, especially in the height of summer (when there's also no shade to protect you from the glaring sun), so be sure to read these tips to get around the Colosseum lines. You can also find information there on getting a Rome combination ticket which will get you into several sights without the need to stand in more than one line.
There are audioguides which can be rented from the Colosseum ticket office, or guided tours which run several times throughout the day.
The Rome Colosseum is at - and this is shocking, we know - the "Colosseo" stop on Metro B, and also on several bus lines, including 75, 85, 87,175, 810 and 850. The telephone number is 06700426.
Hours: Every day from 09:00-19:00, or about an hour before sunset
Admission: €9 - slightly less if you're under 18 or over 65, or if you're an EU citizen between 18 and 24, slightly more if there's a special exhibit going on inside
Address: Via dei Fori Imperiali, 00184 Roma RM
No visit to Rome is complete without a look back in time in the Forum Romanum, or the Roman Forum. Although this is just the tiny fragment of ancient Rome that's been unearthed, it's the old city center and so contains many of the most important buildings of the height of Roman civilization.
Entry into the Roman Forum ("Foro Romano" in Italian) is free, but without guidance the ruins can be confusing. There are a few ways to make sense of the rubble, which you can read more about in the guide to the Rome Forum. The easiest options are to take an official tour or a free promotional tour with a guide advertising his/her company's other Rome tours.
If you can avoid it, don't try to visit the Forum at midday in hot weather. There is very little shade, and the area can get alarmingly hot. Try to visit early in the day or in the later afternoon. Should you get stuck in the Forum Romanum in the heat, there's a water fountain near the toilets by the main entrance.
You've got to walk through the Forum, as there's no other way to see it, and the entrance is off the Via dei Fori Imperiali. There's a significant drop from present-day Rome's ground level to the cobbled streets of the Rome Forum, but there are stairs and a ramp for disabled visitors. After the ramp, however, wheelchair users will likely find the going a bit bumpy.
Hours: Every day from about 09:00-19:00 every day, or about an hour before dark
Admission: Free
Address: Piazza della Rotonda, 00186 Roma
Rome's Pantheon is an architectural wonder, the best preserved Roman building on earth. This poly-theistic temple survived destruction only because it was converted into a Christian church since the 7th century, but no matter the reason, this amazing structure stands today the same way it has for roughly 2,000 years, and has been in continuous use throughout its entire existence. That alone makes it a must-see stop in Rome.
Built in A.D. 125, the current building replaced the first Pantheon (built in 27 B.C.E. and destroyed by fire in A.D. 80). The dome has traditionally been the most stunning feature, especially as architects couldn't figure out how a dome could be constructed that high and that large without supports. You'll notice a small hole bored through the ceiling just to the right of the entrance where one Renaissance architect was granted the right to pierce the pristine surface to come up with the answer. (He did, and was able to build the Florence cathedral's similar dome as a result.)
The oculus - the hole at the center of the domed ceiling - is the only light source for the Pantheon, given the great room an eerie (but not creepy) quality. In addition to the structure itself, other sights on the interior include the tombs of Renaissance painter Raphael as well as Italy's first two kings.
Entry into the Pantheon is free, and the portico at the entrance is sometimes called "Rome's umbrella" - to understand why, be close in a sudden downpour. The telephone number is 06.6830.0230.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 08:30-19:30, Sunday 09:00-18:00, holidays 09:00-13:00
Admission: Free
Address: Piazza di Spagna, 00187 Roma
The main draw of the Piazza di Spagna is the enormous grand staircase, the Spanish Steps, which cascade down the hill from the Trinità dei Monti church at the top to La Fontana della Barcaccia, or the Fountain of the Old Boat, in the center of the Piazza. The steps were built in the 1720s and have long been a popular hang-out spot for locals and tourists alike.
Back in the day, poets, artists and dreamers like Byron, Keats and Goethe liked to watch the world go by from the Piazza di Spagna - Keats even died in the pink building to the right of the steps, which is now a museum dedicated to him. These days, the Piazza and the Steps themselves ("Scalinata di Spagna" in Italian) are the place to be in the evenings, especially if you're young or in love - it's even better if you're both.
In certain seasons, the Spanish Steps are embellished with pots of flowers or Christmas decorations, but no matter how appealing they look for a place to spread out and have a picnic, don't try - munching your lunch while sitting on the Steps is not allowed. Each summer the Steps become the perfect backdrop for a parade of Italian style during the annual "Donna Sotto le Stelle" (Woman Under the Stars) fashion show. The Spanish Steps serve as the catwalk, a purpose the architect probably never saw coming but likely wouldn't mind.
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free
Address: Piazza Navona, 00186 Rome
The oddly-shaped Piazza Navona might look funny now, but imagine the rounded buildings you see today pushing up against an oblong 1st century track where chariot races and other competitions were staged - makes more sense now, right? The arena is long gone, but the hubbub of a central meeting place remains. Today, Piazza Navona is a popular destination for tourists as well as some locals, especially at night.
Notable sights in the Piazza Navona include Bernini's famous "Four Rivers" fountain at the square's center and Borromini's church of Sant'Agnese in Agone, though plenty of people come just for the evening spectacle. Depending on the season, you will likely find the Piazza full of street performers, artists, musicians and all kinds of knick-knack sellers. The square is lined with inviting cafes, but be warned that the prices are often exorbitant and the fare only so-so. Still, if you're in the mood for people-watching, consider the overpriced espresso the cost of admission.
One stand-out among the gelaterias and cafes is the Bar Tre Scalini, which features tartufo gelato - that's "death by chocolate" to you and me. Budget chocoholics should get theirs to go - it's twice the price if you sit at one of the cafe's tables.
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free
Address: Piazza di San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano
St. Peter's Basilica is, without question, the largest church in Christendom and one of the most impressive structures on the planet - whether you're religious or not, it's a must-see sight in Rome. The good news is Vatican City is an easy half-day trip when you're spending time in Rome, and the best news is that entry into St. Peter's is free.
To get to St. Peter's Basilica ("Basilica San Pietro" in Italian), take bus #40 or #64, or get off at Metro stop Ottaviano, which is a 10-minute walk from the Basilica. No one is permitted inside the church with exposed knees or shoulders, regardless of age, so dress appropriately. Don't try to fool the guards - trust us, they won't fall for it.
Guests are welcome to attend mass in the church, which is held several times every day. Guided tours are available for free - check at the TI office to the left of the church's entrance for departure times. The TI's phone number is 06.6988.1662.
While the lines to get into the Vatican Museums can be hours long in the height of the summer tourist season, there are usually not similar lines for St. Peter's. What's more, in hot weather the cool interior of the church is a welcome break. See the Italy Travel Guide for more information about visiting Vatican City.
Hours: May-September St. Peter's is open from 7am-7pm. October-April it's open from 7am-6pm.
Admission: Free to enter, €6 to climb the dome
Address: Piazza di Trevi, Rome 00187
Throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain might be touristy, but it's also fun. Plus, the area is a prime location for excellent people-watching (just be sure you don't get so caught up in the people-watching that you forget to watch your purse).
The Baroque Trevi Fountain ("Fontana di Trevi" in Italian) is a testament to Roman excellence in water transportation, from the time of ancient Rome to the present, but nowadays the fountain is just a hang-out spot for Italian teenagers and tourists of all ages. Legend has it that a coin tossed with your right hand over your left shoulder as you stand with your back to the fountain will assure you of a return trip to Rome. Even if you don't believe in the superstition, go through the motions anyway - the coins are collected each night and the money donated to charity.
The piazza around the Trevi is a great spot to slurp down some gelato (sold at high prices nearby) or rest your feet for a few minutes, provided you can find a space to sit. In summer, it's incredibly crowded - you may even have to wait in line to do the ritualistic tossing of the coin - but it's one of those things you've got to do in Rome.
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free (except for the coins you'll throw in)
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