Rome travel guide

Colosseum

Opened in AD 80, this arena held around 50,000 Romans for gladiator fights and animal hunts, and standing inside its broken tiers you can still feel the size of it. Entry is by a timed ticket in your name, sold on the park’s own site from 30 days ahead, and you show ID that matches at the gate. The standard ticket also gives one visit to the Forum and Palatine; the arena floor and underground need a Full Experience ticket.

Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

Here you walk the Sacred Way past the Senate house and the spot where Julius Caesar’s body was burned, with the emperors’ palaces on the hill above; the word palace comes from Palatine. There is little shade, so go in the morning with water. Entry is included with the Colosseum ticket, and free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month.

Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel

Long galleries of popes’ treasures lead to Raphael’s rooms, with his School of Athens, and finally to the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo painted the ceiling and the Last Judgment. Book on the Vatican’s own site, tickets.museivaticani.va; lookalike sites charge far more. The museums close on Sundays except the last Sunday of the month, when entry is free and the queue is long. No photos in the Sistine Chapel.

St Peter’s Basilica

Just inside on the right is Michelangelo’s Pietà, carved when he was in his twenties, and under the dome Bernini’s bronze canopy rises over the high altar. Entry is free, but everyone goes through a security check in the square, and guards turn away bare shoulders and knees. Arrive at opening to keep the wait short, and avoid Wednesday mornings, when the papal audience fills the square. The dome climb has its own ticket.

Pantheon

Look up: a Roman concrete dome nearly 1,900 years old, still unreinforced, opens to the sky through a round eye that lets in sunlight, and rain that drains through the floor. Raphael is buried here. It is a working church with a small entry ticket, and entry is free on the first Sunday of the month.

Trevi Fountain

Oceanus, god of the sea, rides a shell chariot out of a palace wall in this late-baroque fountain, and tradition says a coin thrown over your shoulder brings you back to Rome; the coins are collected for charity. Since February 2026, visitors pay €2 to step down to the edge of the basin, by card, between 9 AM and 10 PM; the view from the square is still free. Come early in the morning for a quieter look.

Piazza Navona

The long oval of this baroque square follows the race track of an ancient stadium that lies beneath it. In the middle, Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers sets four giant river gods around an Egyptian-style obelisk, facing Borromini’s church. It is a few minutes’ walk from the Pantheon.

Galleria Borghese

Bernini carved marble here so that it looks soft: Daphne’s fingers turning into laurel leaves, Pluto’s hand pressing into Proserpina’s thigh. A room of Caravaggios completes a small villa you can see properly in one visit. Visits run in timed two-hour slots that must be booked ahead, and the gallery is closed on Mondays.

Trastevere

Across the Tiber, ivy-hung cobbled lanes are full of trattorias, and this is the place to work through the four Roman pastas: carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana and gricia. The neighbourhood is at its best on a warm evening. Book a table on weekend evenings.

Campo de’ Fiori

A hooded statue of Giordano Bruno, burned here as a heretic in 1600, looks down on an open-air market on weekday and Saturday mornings. The stalls lean toward souvenirs now, so come for the scene and pick up a slice of warm pizza bianca, crisp and oily, from a bakery on the square.

Testaccio Market

Testaccio was Rome’s slaughterhouse district, and its cooking of offal and slow-braised meats is the city’s working-class tradition. Its covered market south of the Aventine is where locals shop, and lunch counters sell sandwiches and Roman street food. It is closed on Sundays.

Supplì and pizza al taglio

Bite into a hot supplì, a fried rice ball, and the mozzarella inside stretches out in a long string. Pizza al taglio is cut to order with scissors and sold by weight. Both are cheap Roman snacks, eaten standing at the counter.

Artichokes in the Jewish Ghetto

Carciofi alla giudia are whole artichokes fried until they open like a bronze flower, the outer leaves crunchy and the heart soft: a dish of the Roman Jewish kitchen for centuries. Restaurants around Via del Portico d’Ottavia serve them. They are at their best in late winter and spring, when Roman artichokes are in season.

Best: April to June

Warm, bright days before the midday heat of summer. Easter week is very busy at the Vatican.

Best: September to October

Warm days and cooler evenings, with thinner crowds than summer.

Harder: July and August

Hot and busy at midday, so see sights early and late. Around 15 August many Romans leave and some small restaurants close.

How do you get around Rome?

• Transit ticketA BIT ticket lasts 100 minutes on buses and trams and includes one Metro ride. You can also tap a contactless bank card at Metro gates and on buses.
• Airport trainThe Leonardo Express runs non-stop from Fiumicino to Termini in about 30 minutes.
• TaxisTake white licensed taxis from the rank. From Fiumicino to anywhere inside the Aurelian Walls there is a fixed fare set by the city.
• New Metro stopMetro line C now stops at Colosseo, in a station opened in December 2025 that displays finds from the dig.

Do you need cash in Rome, and do you tip?

• CardsVisa and Mastercard are accepted at most hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and established stores.
• Cash for small spotsKeep some euro notes for cafés, markets, public restrooms and small tips.
• Choose eurosWhen a terminal or ATM offers dollars, choose euros to avoid a costly conversion markup.
• ATMsUse ATMs attached to recognized banks where possible, rather than standalone machines in shops.
• Cover chargeMany menus list a coperto, a per-person cover charge for bread and the table. Servizio incluso means a service charge is already added.
• City taxHotels and rentals add a city tax per person per night, for up to 10 nights; children under 10 are exempt.

Useful phrases

• Hello (morning)Buongiorno
• Good eveningBuonasera
• PleasePer favore
• Thank youGrazie
• Excuse meScusi
• Do you speak English?Parla inglese?

Local manners

• DressItalians dress neatly, even for a casual day out.
• ChurchesCover shoulders and knees when you go inside.
• CoffeeOrder a coffee at the bar; standing is cheaper than sitting.
• MealsRestaurants open for dinner around 7:30 PM, but most Romans sit down from 8:30. Lunch runs roughly 1 to 3 PM.
• GreetingsSay buongiorno or buonasera when you walk into a shop.
• TippingTipping is not expected. Many menus add a coperto, a per-person cover charge; round up or leave a little for good service.
• Named ticketsColosseum tickets carry your name; bring ID that matches, or you can be refused entry.

Useful apps

• Uber: Rides, eats, and moreBooks licensed white taxis and Uber Black cars in Rome, paid in the app
• Google MapsWalking directions and Metro routes in Rome
• Moovit: Public Transport LiveBus, tram and Metro times across Rome
• Google TranslateReading menus and talking with locals
• Deliveroo: Food & ShoppingFood delivery to your Rome accommodation

Download links for these are in the Rome guide in the Journey app.

Before you book

Check your government’s travel advice before you book.