25 best things to do in Rome: our top picks

Rome wasn't built in a day, and you won't see it all in one either. With nearly 3,000 years of history underfoot, the city is a place where ancient aqueducts still work, Renaissance art hangs in papal palaces, and daily life unfolds among ruins older than most civilizations. Here are some of the best things to do in Rome to help you get started.

1. The Pantheon and Centro Storico

The Pantheon is one of ancient Rome’s best-preserved buildings, with a 2,000-year-old dome that is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.

The oculus, a 30-foot opening at the top, lets in a circle of sunlight that moves across the interior as the day goes on. Built by Marcus Agrippa and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian, it went from a pagan temple to a Christian church, which helped it survive intact.

Around it, the Centro Storico (historic center) is full of Renaissance palaces, baroque fountains, and narrow cobblestone streets. Entry to the Pantheon is free. Visit early or later in the day to avoid the heaviest crowds. If you're looking for things to do in Rome that are a bit more low-key, see our guide to the best things to do around Rome.
 

2. Try Roman pizza

Roman pizza comes in two main styles that are worth trying. Pizza al taglio is baked in large rectangular trays, has a light, airy base, and is sold by weight. It is an easy choice for lunch while you are out walking.

Pizza tonda romana is the sit-down version with a very thin, crisp crust, usually cooked in a wood-fired oven until just charred in places. Toppings range from zucchini flowers and supplì filling to a simple marinara.

Many of the best pizzerias are small family businesses that have been making the same recipes for generations. The focus is always on good ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and high-quality olive oil. 
 

3. Museo Nazionale Romano

The Museo Nazionale Romano is spread across four buildings, each with its own focus.

Palazzo Massimo has detailed frescoes from the Villa di Livia and the well-known Discus Thrower statue. The Baths of Diocletian display ancient inscriptions and a Renaissance cloister designed by Michelangelo.

Palazzo Altemps houses classical sculptures in a baroque palace, and Crypta Balbi shows how medieval Rome was built over ancient foundations.

Highlights include realistic portrait busts, intricate mosaics, and rare bronze sculptures. One ticket covers all four sites for three days, so you can space your visits out. The garden frescoes in Palazzo Massimo still have remarkable color for something painted more than 2,000 years ago.
 

4. Villa Borghese Gardens

Villa Borghese is where you go in Rome when you want some breathing room. The 200 acres of gardens, tree-lined paths, and open lawns were created in the 1600s for Cardinal Scipione Borghese.

You can walk past small lakes, fountains, and old temples, rent a bike, take out a rowboat, or just bring something to eat and find a quiet spot under the pines.

The park links to Galleria Borghese, the Bioparco zoo, and the National Gallery of Modern Art.

It’s great on Sundays if you’re in Rome with kids, as there are puppet shows and pony rides.
 

5. Galleria Borghese, Bernini sculptures

The Galleria Borghese is known for its Bernini sculptures and is inside the 17th-century villa built for Cardinal Scipione Borghese. You have to book in advance, and visits are limited to two hours, which helps keep it from feeling crowded. That said, it's still a great addition to any Italy itinerary.

The highlights include Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne, showing a moment of transformation in stone, and his David, caught mid-action with the sculptor’s own face.

The gallery also has Canova’s Paolina Borghese, Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love, and several works by Caravaggio. The building itself is worth seeing for its frescoed ceilings and marble floors. Each room gives you a glimpse into the cardinal’s influence, the artists’ skill, and the drama of the Baroque period. If you are visiting during busy months, book a few weeks ahead.
 

6. Gelato

The best Rome gelato places keep it in covered metal containers and avoid artificial colors. A good pistachio should be a muted green rather than bright neon.

Gelato is made fresh daily and churned with less air than ice cream, so it has a denser texture and more concentrated flavor.

Romans often judge a shop by the classics like crema, chocolate, and hazelnut, but seasonal fruit flavors are worth trying in summer.

You might also find traditional combinations such as maritozzo (based on the cream-filled bun) or ricotta with sour cherry. Avoid places near major monuments with brightly colored displays piled high above the tubs. If you're wondering how to plan a trip to Italy, the answer is to include as many culinary stops as possible.
 

7. Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

The Roman Forum lies between the Capitoline and Palatine Hills and was once the main stage for politics, religion, and public life in ancient Rome. This is where Caesar was cremated, military victories were celebrated, and laws were debated.

Next to it, Palatine Hill is linked to Rome’s origin story and later became home to imperial palaces.

Walking the Via Sacra, you pass ruins of temples, basilicas, and government buildings. Up on the Palatine, shaded gardens and terraces give you open views of the Forum.

If you haven’t visited here before, it surely is one to add to the bucket list. A single ticket covers the Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum, which makes planning easier.
 

8. Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica & Vatican Gardens

The Vatican can easily take a full day if you plan to see it properly. The museums stretch across 54 galleries, from the Raphael Rooms to the Pinacoteca painting gallery, with the Sistine Chapel as the most famous stop.

St. Peter’s Basilica is vast, with Bernini’s bronze baldachin towering over the altar and Michelangelo’s dome, which you can climb for city views. The Vatican Gardens cover 57 acres (23 hectares) of paths and Renaissance landscaping and can only be visited on a guided tour.

Book tickets ahead of time since museum lines can last for hours, and don’t forget your passport. There is truly nowhereelse in the world quite like the Vatican.

9. Trevi Fountain

Completed in 1762, the Trevi Fountain is built against the Palazzo Poli and marks the end of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct, which still works after 2,000 years.

Neptune is shown riding a chariot pulled by two sea horses, one calm and one restless, with allegorical figures above.

Tradition says to toss coins over your left shoulder: one for a return to Rome, two for love, and three for marriage. The city collects thousands of euros each day for charity. It is lit at night, but there are always crowds. Early mornings before 8 a.m. are the quietest. If you walk a few blocks from the fountain, you can find better food and gelato than what is directly nearby. See our favorite day trips from Rome for some ideas of how to get out into a more authentic slice of Italy.
 

10. Basilica of San Clemente

San Clemente is made up of three layers of history. At street level is the 12th-century basilica with mosaics of the Tree of Life. Below that is a 4th-century church with frescoes telling the story of St. Clement. Another level down, you find a 2nd-century Mithraic temple and Roman buildings where water from ancient aqueducts still flows.

The Dominican priests who care for the site give clear explanations that make sense of the layers. It is one of the clearest examples of how Rome was built on top of itself over time. The lower levels are noticeably cooler, which is welcome in summer (see our guide to the best time to visit Italy for more about Italy's weather).
 

11. Domus Aurea

Nero’s “Golden House” shows both the scale of his ambition and what Roman engineering could do. After the fire of 64 AD, he built a massive palace that covered about a third of the city. It had a rotating dining room, an artificial lake, and a 150-foot (46 m) statue. Later emperors buried it, which ended up preserving its frescoes.

Centuries later, Renaissance artists like Raphael climbed in through the ceilings to study them. Today, you visit wearing a hard hat and use a virtual reality headset that recreates how the rooms once looked. Weekend tours often have guides explaining ancient painting techniques.

Excavations are still ongoing and new areas sometimes open to the public. Only a limited number of people can enter at a time.

12. Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona was built over Emperor Domitian’s athletic stadium, which explains its long oval shape. At the center is Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers, with sculptures representing the Ganges, Nile, Danube, and Plate rivers around an Egyptian obelisk.

Across from it is Borromini’s Sant’Agnese in Agone church, linked to stories of a rivalry between the two architects.

Street performers, musicians, and portrait artists give the square a lively feel. Cafés here are more for the view than for value, so look to the nearby side streets for better meals.

In December, families come for the befana celebrations and Christmas market. For more context on the area’s past, visit the Palazzo Altemps museum nearby.
 

13. Ara Pacis

The Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace, was completed in 9 BC to celebrate Augustus’s vision of peace and prosperity. Its marble reliefs show scenes of his family and symbols of abundance in remarkable detail, down to individual plants and realistic expressions.

The altar was almost lost, with fragments scattered in museums, until Mussolini ordered its reconstruction. Today it is housed in a modern glass and stone building designed by Richard Meier in 2006, a project that stirred debate in Rome.

Inside, digital reconstructions show what the altar looked like when it was painted in color. You can also buy a combined ticket to visit Augustus’s Mausoleum next door. From here it is an easy walk along the Tiber toward Piazza del Popolo or across the river to Castel Sant’Angelo.
 

14. Stadio Olimpico, Roma–Lazio match

Watching a match at Stadio Olimpico is as much about the crowd as the game.

The Rome derby between AS Roma (giallorossi) and SS Lazio (biancocelesti) is the most intense, with each side filling its section in full color. Roma fans gather in the Curva Sud, while Lazio supporters are in the Curva Nord.

The rivalry goes beyond football, with Roma historically tied to working-class, left-leaning Testaccio and Lazio to middle-class, right-leaning supporters.

Derby dates change each season, but even regular Serie A games have strong local energy. Tickets are easiest to get through the official club websites. On match days, the Metro and special buses take you straight to the stadium. Arrive early to take in the pre-match atmosphere, and if you are not supporting either side, wear neutral colors. 
 

15. Campo de' Fiori

Campo de’ Fiori starts the day as a market where vendors sell fresh produce, spices, and kitchenware. In the middle stands a statue of philosopher Giordano Bruno, executed here in 1600.

This is the only major Roman square without a church, and its character changes as the day goes on. Mornings are busy with shoppers, while evenings bring crowds from the surrounding bars.

The surrounding streets have well-regarded bakeries and wine bars, and you can also see Palazzo Farnese, now the French Embassy. For a local snack, try pizza bianca from Forno Campo de’ Fiori, which has been here for generations. The square’s history spans centuries, from executions to trade to social gatherings.

16. The Capitoline Museums

On Capitoline Hill, this museum complex has been open to the public since 1471. Michelangelo designed the square and the building facades, connecting the two palaces with an underground passage that gives views over the Forum.

The collections include the bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius, the Capitoline Wolf with Romulus and Remus, and fragments of Constantine’s colossal statue.

The sculpture galleries feature works like the Dying Gaul and the Capitoline Venus. The picture gallery includes paintings by Caravaggio, Titian, and Rubens.

That said, these collections do get busy. If you're looking for a more low-key activity, see our guide to the best things to do in Rome off the tourist trail.
 

17. The Colosseum

Photos do not quite prepare you for the scale of the Colosseum when you are standing inside it.

Built in 72 AD, it hosted gladiator contests, animal hunts, and even staged naval battles for tens of thousands of people.

The design included 80 entrances, a retractable awning, and an underground system where fighters and animals waited before events. From the upper levels you can see across the city, and from the arena floor you can look down into the hypogeum.

The building has survived earthquakes, neglect, and centuries of stone being taken for other projects. Booking tickets in advance is the easiest way to avoid long waits, and tours that include the underground or arena floor give a different perspective. 

18. Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant’Angelo has been many things over the centuries. It started as Emperor Hadrian’s mausoleum, later became a papal stronghold and prison, and is now a museum.

A covered walkway called the Passetto links it to Vatican City, once used by popes escaping danger. Inside, you move through ancient tomb chambers, Renaissance-era papal apartments with frescoes, and ramparts with views across the city.

The bronze angel on top recalls the story of Pope Gregory the Great, who, during a plague in 590 AD, saw the Archangel Michael sheathing his sword as a sign the epidemic was ending.

The castle’s history includes time as a prison, holding figures like Giordano Bruno and Benvenuto Cellini, and it was the dramatic final setting for Puccini’s Tosca. Arriving via Ponte Sant’Angelo, lined with Bernini’s sculptures, is worth it for the approach alone. 

19. Trastevere

Across the river from the historic center, Trastevere has the feel of a lived-in neighborhood. The narrow streets twist between ochre buildings draped with ivy and laundry.

At its heart is Santa Maria in Trastevere, known for its 12th-century mosaics. The area is a mix of family-run trattorias and newer aperitivo bars.

On Sunday mornings, the Porta Portese flea market stretches for blocks. In the evening, restaurants set tables outside, musicians play in the squares, and the streets fill with people.

Nightlife is mostly around Via del Moro and Piazza Trilussa. Gianicolo Hill is close by if you want a good view over the city. Trastevere is best explored without an agenda. You might come across small piazzas, artisan workshops, or centuries-old churches. This is one of the best areas to stay in Rome.
 

20. Janiculum Hill (Gianicolo) for city views

Just above Trastevere, the Gianicolo ridge has one of the best open-air viewpoints in Rome.

On clear days you can see from the Alban Hills to St. Peter’s dome. A monument to Garibaldi stands at the top, and each day at noon a cannon is fired, a tradition that began in 1847 to keep time for the city.

The botanical gardens below have around 3,000 plant species arranged on terraced slopes. The Fontana dell’Acqua Paola, a large baroque fountain, is nearby.

On weekends, small puppet shows sometimes take place for children. The walk up from Trastevere takes about 20 minutes along quiet residential streets, or you can take bus 115 to the top. 
 

21. Stadio Olimpico, Roma–Lazio match

Watching a match at Stadio Olimpico is as much about the crowd as the game.

The Rome derby between AS Roma (giallorossi) and SS Lazio (biancocelesti) is the most intense, with each side filling its section in full color. Roma fans gather in the Curva Sud, while Lazio supporters are in the Curva Nord.

The rivalry goes beyond football, with Roma historically tied to working-class, left-leaning Testaccio and Lazio to middle-class, right-leaning supporters.

Derby dates change each season, but even regular Serie A games have strong local energy. Tickets are easiest to get through the official club websites. On match days, the Metro and special buses take you straight to the stadium. Arrive early to take in the pre-match atmosphere, and if you are not supporting either side, wear neutral colors.