What to see in Rome. Walking along its cobblestones is walking through history, years in its streets and vestiges of them in every corner
Indice:
Day 1 in Rome!
Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
If there is something that we identify with Rome, it is its Colosseum, the Flavian Amphitheatre. And since it is a must-see in Rome and the desire to visit it will surely be as great as ours, we will start the day by visiting it and also the Forum and the Palatine.
Built in the first century . It is located in the east of the Roman Forum, and was the largest of those built in the Roman Empire. Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater it came to be called the Colosseum because next to it was a large statue, the Colossus of Nero.
On our previous visit to Rome we had already done this tour, entering the Colosseum, but this time we wanted to do it with a guided tour of the Colosseum, Arena, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum as we think that there is a lot you miss out on when you see things and don’t know the history or context of the time.
Access was very quick since with the guided tour you do not need to wait in lines and in a short while we were inside this magnificent construction with the guide who was already beginning to tell us details of this amphitheater that hosted gladiators, executions, wild beasts and even naval battles.
After this visit to the arena and the upper part we headed with the guide towards the Roman Forum and the Palatine.
Walking through the forum, where all the civic life of ancient Rome took place, with a guide, was great, because we had done it the other time, but honestly, walking among those ruins without knowing exactly what they were, what function they fulfilled in the life of the city, takes away your ability to appreciate history in its true dimension.
As I told you at the beginning, the visit is in Spanish and after getting the views from the Palatine Hill we ended the tour at the Forum.
If you want info or tickets without a guide I leave you the official website
Promising to return at night to see the illuminated Colosseum, something we would see later and now with part of this history of Rome in our heads, we were going to take a walking tour in the evening to continue getting to know this city, but since we had time we first went to the Vittorio Emanuelle Monument.
If you are going to visit Milan too, check out our post!
Vittorio Emanuelle II Monument
Built in white marble, the Monument to Vittorio Emanuelle II, also known as the Altar of the Fatherland, is located in Piazza Venezia and was inaugurated in 1911. It is a place to see in Rome on a visit to the eternal city.
Although it dazzles us every time we see it, we know that many Romans do not like it, and it is called the typewriter or the wedding cake, but its construction meant the destruction of a large area of the Capitoline Hill, so the low approval is understandable.
You can visit it for free up to a certain height, from there and to go up in the elevator to the top for the panoramic terrace you must get a ticket on the spot that costs € 15, the same ticket also allows you to access the Palazzo Venezia which is a few steps away, you can make this visit within a period of seven days so we would leave it for another time.
You get very nice 360-degree views from here, and since not as many people go up, it is not as crowded as other places can be, so you do it in a more relaxed way, but it is also true that if you want to save money, you can get some nice images from the steps, although not as complete.
Free Tour of Rome
For this first day for our taste we cannot miss a free tour of Rome to know more about the city, we chose to do it in the late afternoon, but it could also have been a nice option in the morning, we chose Imperial Rome.
We met near Trajan’s Column. The column was inaugurated in 113 and consists of a long spiral that surrounds it and describes the Dacian Wars. There is also Trajan’s Forum and Market, so we took the opportunity to walk around a bit before starting.
As we always say, free tours are not free as the word may indicate, but rather free in terms of how much you decide to pay for it. At the end you will leave a payment per person according to what the tour was and thinking that it is a payment, not a tip.
With it we went to the Piazza del Campidoglio, where we would return to visit the Capitoline Museums, and from where very close by you can get some beautiful views of the Roman Forum.
We went to the Bocca della Veritá in Santa Maria de Cosmedín. This mask, in which everyone puts their hand, is not certain but it could be the cover of a sewer. It was made famous in the 1953 film Roman Holiday. The legend about this monument, which is explained in the film, says that whoever lies loses their hand by putting it in their mouth. We are a few steps from the Circus Maximus, if you want to enter the price is €12.
We continue towards the Teatro Marcello, this Roman theatre completed between 13 and 11 BC where we can see how construction continued attached to it and using its structure.
We continue the walk through the Jewish Quarter, where you will find several restaurants if you want to return to the night
And we would end up in the Largo di Torre Argentina, the site of the assassination of Julius Caesar.
Day 2 in Rome
From our accommodation only a few steps separated us from the Pantheon. So we start the walk but we will pass first by Piazza Colonna and the column of Marcus Aurelius.
We pass through the Piazza de Piedra and the Temple of Hadrian. Incorporated into a building in this Piazza di Pietra we find the remains of the Temple of Hadrian, built in the year 145.
If your tour is through several European capitals, don’t miss our complete guide to Paris!
Pantheon of Agrippa
And so we come to the Pantheon of Agrippa, a must see in Rome.
This ancient Roman temple nowadays, consecrated as a Catholic church has a concrete dome with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after its construction, that of the Pantheon remains the largest unassembled concrete dome in the world.
Until last year it was not necessary to pay to enter but now it costs 5 euros, you can get it online on the official website, or right there at the ticket office, but as in all of Rome you will find many people. We took them booked in advance.
The square in front of the Pantheon is called Piazza della Rotonda and gives its name to a district of the city.
Throughout this tour, both in Rome and Italy, we were accompanied by Holafly eSIMs. In this case, we chose the eSIM Italy with unlimited internet. However, if you are going to visit several countries, I recommend choosing the Holafly eSIM Europe, which is the one we have used on other occasions. You also have unlimited internet, as in more than 190 destinations, and you can choose exactly the number of days for which you are traveling. As I have told you on other occasions, roaming is not a good option due to the high costs, and going looking for wifi is already somewhat inconvenient because in several places we have had to reserve tickets online at the time or download audio guides. You make the comparison, the QR code appears immediately and you can install it from the app. However, keep in mind that not all phones are compatible with eSIM technology, and if your phone is not unlocked by your company, both this and any other type of SIM will not be accepted by your phone. Before making the purchase, check the compatibility in the application. .
Discount code for Holafly eSIM: EUROPAACOMPAÑADA5
We make a detour before reaching our next destination and head towards some of the many other churches that you cannot miss in Rome, and also taking into account that the entrance to them is free. One recommendation is that you go into the churches that you see, their interiors are very beautiful, in any case I am leaving you some specific ones that I think are unmissable.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Its interior is wonderful, apart from the impressive works, the other thing we will see when entering this church is its dome, which does not really exist. It is painted and its visual effect makes us not notice it.
We leave this baroque church and head to
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
The basilica gets its name from the tradition that, like many other basilicas from the early days of Christianity, it was built on the site of a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Minerva. The basilica is located in the small Piazza Minerva. I recommend going inside, it is really beautiful.
Piazza Navona
The square with Bernini’s fountain is always a beauty to find and is another of the must-sees in Rome.
You will find that the signs in the square say Circus of Domitian, and indeed there was a circus in this place, but you know what, the remains are under the square, so we will go down to the basement of Piazza Navona to find it.
The entrance fee is 9 euros, you can get it there or online, at least when we went it was not so crowded. It is worth it, but with so many things to see and entering Rome would not be a must.
St. Agnes in Agony
Returning to the square we visited Santa Ines in Agony, also highly recommended, very beautiful. The church is built on the place where the Christian Saint Agnes was martyred in the ancient stadium of Domitian we just talked about.
Church of San Luis de los Franceses
But… just a few meters away we will visit the Church of San Luis de los Franceses, its interior is impressive.
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Capitoline Museums
The Capitoline Museums were a pleasant surprise on this tour of what to see in Rome, an interesting tour. It is made up of the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo. The two buildings are located in the Piazza del Campidoglio, remodeled according to Michelangelo’s design, and are linked by the Galleria Lapidaria, an underground passage that crosses the Piazza del Campidoglio without having to leave the museums. They have Roman paintings and sculptures. The Capitoline Museums were the first in the world to have opened their doors to the public during the 15th century.
You can get the ticket on the official website or on site, the price of it is €13.
Palazzo Venezia
After leaving the museum we went to another pending visit: the Palazo Venecia.
It was built between 1455 and 1467 by commission of Cardinal Venetian Pietro Barbo, who later became pope under the name Paulus II. It was used travertine from the Coliseum and the Theater of Marcellus, today converted into a museum we can walk through its halls admiring its collections as well as its internal courtyards. As we said the ticket complements the ascent to the monument Vittorio Emanuele and costs € 15.
Trevi Fountain
This tour is missing another of the icons to see in Rome, the Trevi Fountain.
This magnificent fountain needs no introduction. It’s breathtaking when you see it, but the amount of people is quite impressive and spoils the moment. You won’t see it with few people, but early in the morning you can enjoy it more, so even though we’ve put it here now, come back or choose to go early. You can access the underground passages of the fountain, the citta del aqua, for €5. You can visit it on a tour of the underground passages of the Trevi Fountain.
Day 3. What to see in Rome!
Today we are going to the Vatican State!! In our case we went by taxi, in the end I tell you the mobile application to order them since it is almost 3 kilometers, but you can do it by public transport.
There are several things to visit in this area, so you will surely spend a large part of the day.
Vatican Museums
We will start with the Vatican Museums, do not despair, when you arrive you will see a no, several queues that seem endless.
The advice is to definitely buy your ticket in advance, arrive about 15 minutes before the scheduled time, and with your reservation made, immediately ask the staff that you will find enabling the entrance where the queue is, because it is a sea of people, and if you are in the correct queue, it will start to move quickly when the time comes.
The ticket price is €20 + 5 per online booking on the official website. You can also do it on a guided tour in Spanish of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, as I told you that we did with the Colosseum, to do this tour with information given by a guide, I think it is a very good option.
These church-owned galleries and rooms display works from an extensive collection of the Catholic Church and the papacy over the centuries, including several of the world’s best-known Roman sculptures and masterpieces of Renaissance art.
The Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s paintings is the highlight of the visit and a must-see in Rome.
St. Peter’s Basilica and its dome
After leaving the museums, which will take two or three hours, we have the possibility of visiting St. Peter’s Basilica and then climbing the dome or vice versa.
We chose to enter St. Peter’s Basilica first, and once inside, even though we already knew it, we were amazed again. The basilica has the largest interior space of a Christian church in the world. And inside we will find works such as Michelangelo’s Pietà.
We clarify that entry is free. You are asked to wear clothing below the knees and covered shoulders, as all churches will request this, so it is a good idea to carry a large handkerchief in your backpack or a TNT to cover yourself at the entrance (maybe in several there are some that can be used at the time).
Once we leave, right next to it, there is a queue to get the ticket to go up to the dome. You have a ticket with or without an elevator, but the elevator will only cover part of the climb, up to the interior where you can see all the artistic work of the dome up close. Then you will continue up the stairs until you get outside and see some fantastic views.
The price of the entrance with elevator is €10 (remember that to go outside you will still have to climb 320 steps), and completely by stairs (551 steps) €8.
It’s a very nice visit, but I would dismiss it if the enclosed spaces are bad for them.
You can also visit St. Peter’s Basilica with a guided tour.
Castel Sant’Angelo
We were now going a short distance away, a little more than 1 kilometer to make a visit that we had not included the previous time, to enter the Castel Sant’Angelo.
Castel Sant’Angelo or Hadrian’s Mausoleum is linked to Vatican City through the fortified corridor called Passetto.
Again happy with my tickets in advance to Castel Sant’Angelo (they do not have a marked time, only day) because the access was very fast and we did not have to queue.
We really liked it, especially the views, which were some of the best we’ve seen in Rome. As we always say, everyone’s tastes are different, so I prefer that the images do the talking and you decide. As you can see, the entrances to the sites are not cheap, so you have to choose which ones to go to. They have passes like the Omia pass or the Go City pass, but as always you have to carefully consider whether you are going to do what is included in the pass.
We crossed the Tiber on our way back to our accommodation. We were tired but we took advantage of the opportunity to walk a little further. If you have time and energy left, you can choose something from the next day to add here.
Day 4 of what to see in Rome!
Today we wake up with all the desire to tour a picturesque area, we will cross the Tiber River and go to Trastevere!! And I can tell you that we met a magnificent fountain on this tour, do not miss it.
Trastevere
Santa Maria dell’Orto
We will first visit the church of Santa Maria dell’Orto on the way. If you have time, take a look inside. As I said, the churches in Rome are very beautiful and free, but it is also true that there are so many that it may overwhelm you to enter. That is why I am leaving you with some specific ones for those who want to visit.
And we go to the movement area, bars and restaurants in Trastevere, a guided tour of Trastevere is a good idea.
Trastevere is located on the west bank of the Tiber, south of Vatican City, its name indicates that, on the other side of the Tiber.
Santa Maria in Trastevere
Walking through its winding streets will take us to a small square with a beautiful fountain and in front of Santa Maria in Trastevere itself, the most important in the area and very pretty, I will not repeat what I said, but let’s take a look inside it.
Trastevere is one of those places that you will discover as you walk around, and in every corner you will find the charm of the area. We find another of its churches, Santa Maria della Scala, and next to it an old pharmacy.
A few steps separate us from part of the wall and the Porta Settimiana, one of the gates of the Aurelian Wall.
Fontana dell’Aqua Paola
From here we will begin a walk, a climb to Mount Gianicolo and there we will discover a beautiful fountain and a very good viewing point. We have about 700 meters but it is uphill.
We arrive at the Aqua Paola Fountain.
The large fountain or dell’Acqua Paola, is a monumental fountain located on the
hill of the Janiculum , near the church of San Pietro in Montorio It was built in 1612 to mark the end of the aqueduct Acqua Paola , restored by Pope Paul V , and took its name from him. It was the first important fountain on the right bank of theTiber river Tiber .
And behind us some of the most beautiful views of Rome.
Going up here is very worthwhile both for the fountain and for the views obtained towards the city.
We slowly begin the descent, pass by the Church of San Pietro in Montorio and cross the Tiber again.
Campo di Fiori
We will pay attention to approximately 1.5 kilometers to visit Campo di Fiore and take a break, a place where except on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. there is a market in the square.
Time will have passed quickly this day, there are many things to see in all these places.
At night we would return to Trastevere for dinner and seeing it at night is lovely, we chose to do it at Tonnarelllo since it had been recommended to us, they don’t take reservations so when you arrive you stand in a queue waiting for a free table. It was good, I repeat, I would say that the walk through Trastevere at night is a must. We say goodbye until what will be the last day in Rome with these images of the night
Day 5 in Rome
We will start the day with a walk along Via del Corso.
Via del Corso
The Via del Corso connects Piazza Venezia with Piazza del Popolo and has a length of about 1.6 kilometers. The slow walk is very nice, stores and churches we find on this route. We can deviate a little to visit the Mausoleum of Augustus or the Museum of Ara Pacis.
Piazza del Popolo
But we continued walking and arrived at the famous Piazza del Popolo. In the square there are three churches. The oldest is the basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, located next to the door of the same name.
And the twin churches Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli.
This square is undoubtedly a must to enjoy observing.
Plaza España
Then we will return to another must-see, the famous Plaza España, which is about 900 meters away. The famous staircase that goes up to the church of Trinità dei Monti and the baroque Barge fountain. 135 steps that we climbed to get the views from there.
Santa Maria della Concezione
A few meters from here you can visit Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, where we find the crypt of the Capuccinos, an ossuary. The ticket price is €10.
We pass by other remarkable fountains, the Triton Fountain, the Moses Fountain, and the Quatro Fontanes.
Santa Maria Maggiore
And now we come to Santa Maria Maggiore. The Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore also known as Basilica di Santa Maria della Neve is one of the four major basilicas of Rome. The interior is wonderful.
San Pietro in Vincoli
There is a work to visit that is sometimes overlooked, Michelangelo’s Moses. To do so, we will go to San Pietro In Vincoli, and I recommend going there to see this work. The church also houses the relic of the chains that chained St. Peter.
And now, yes, we add these two visits to add or exchange with some of the previous places and that you are not interested in knowing.
Catacombs of Callistus
The first are the Catacombs of Callixtus. The catacombs of St. Callixtus are the first cemetery official of the Roman Community and the tomb of several popes of the III century, covering an area of 15 hectares on 5 different levels, visitable in this guided tour only the second level. The tickets are booked on the official website, is guided in Spanish with schedule and the price of the same is € 10. On the web you just make the reservation at no cost and when you arrive you go to the ticket office and pay for it.
Baths of Caracalla
And finally we will end up in the not so visited ones and we really liked doing them, the Baths of Caracalla. We didn’t do it that way but I think that with a guided tour to the Baths of Caracalla we would have enjoyed it even more.
The Baths of Caracalla were the second largest baths in the city of Rome. The complex was built between the years 212 and 217. The entrance fee is €13.
And we ended the tour with a relaxed walk through the Villa Borguese park where we also found the important Borgese Gallery.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Transport from Fiumicino airport: you have an express train to Termini €14, a direct bus to Termini €7 and €6 from Ciampino. By taxi, a fixed rate to any place in the centre of Rome €55, if you are more than two people it may work out, we used a taxi. And finally, the private transfer.
Accommodation. The areas in the historic centre are the most suitable for walking. We chose for the second time, both on the way there and on the way back, to stay in Piazza del Parlamento, Rhome Luxury Suites. The place is very welcoming, the breakfast was simple in a restaurant around the corner. The attention from Luciano was magnificent, we felt at home. Keep in mind that it is not a conventional hotel, therefore you will not have a reception or the services of a hotel. Always keep that in mind because not all of us are looking for the same thing when booking accommodation. For us it was perfect, but perhaps you are looking for something else.
Travel insurance, it is essential to travel with one, whatever it is, we use Iati and from our link you have a discount. Travel Insurance
Free Tours, in practically all the areas we toured you can do a free tour, I leave you the link where you can make the free reservation, remember that later you will pay what you deem convenient.
A visit to do from Rome about two hours away is Civita di Bagnoregio.
MAP, ITINERARY AND VIDEO of what to see in Rome
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links.
