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Rome

Rome

Italy, Europe

Two thousand years of ruins, churches and piazzas, stacked on top of each other in a city you can cross on foot.

Quick decisions

How many days?

3 days: the Colosseum, the Vatican and the historic centre, one per day. 4 to 5 days: add the Borghese Gallery, Trastevere, Testaccio and longer lunches. 6 days or more: a day out to Ostia Antica, Tivoli or the Appian Way.

Where should I stay?

Centro Storico: around the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, walkable to almost everything. Monti: a short walk from the Colosseum, with a neighbourhood feel. Trastevere: lively at night, across the river. Prati: calm and close to the Vatican. More in our where to stay guide.

Do I need a car?

No. Most of the centre is a restricted traffic zone (ZTL) enforced by cameras, parking is scarce, and the sights sit close together. Walk, and use the metro and buses for the longer hops.

Best for

First-timers: yes, and it rewards a second trip too. History lovers: nowhere in Europe has more of it on the street. Families: yes, with gelato breaks and short museum visits. Food lovers: four pasta dishes and a lifetime of arguments about them.

Before you go

Book ahead: the Colosseum (named, timed tickets), the Vatican Museums and the Borghese Gallery. Cover up: shoulders and knees for St Peter's and most churches. Trevi Fountain: the area by the basin now has an entry fee during the day.

Getting around

From Fiumicino: the Leonardo Express to Termini in about half an hour. From Ciampino: a coach, or a shuttle plus train. In the city: walking, the metro, and buses where the metro doesn't reach. Details in our getting there guide.

Continue your trip

High-speed trains from Termini reach Naples in a little over an hour and Florence in about an hour and a half. Orvieto, on its rock above the Umbrian countryside, is an easy regional-train day trip.

Overview

Rome is a city where you step off a bus and find a 2,000-year-old temple wedged between a pharmacy and a pizza shop. The Colosseum, the Pantheon and St Peter's are exactly as big as you imagined. What surprises people is how much else there is: Baroque fountains on quiet corners, medieval bell towers, a church built on top of an older church built on top of a Roman house.

Give it four days if you have them. Three works, but Rome punishes rushing, mostly through your feet and the midday heat. Book the big sights, do one per morning, and spend the afternoons walking and eating. Our Rome travel guide covers the practical side.

Getting there

Most visitors land at Fiumicino, the main airport, which has a non-stop train to Termini station. Budget flights often use Ciampino, which is closer but has no rail link of its own. High-speed trains arrive from Florence, Naples, Milan and Venice. Our getting there guide compares every option.

Where to stay

Rome's historic centre is compact, so staying inside it saves hours of transport. Monti and the Centro Storico keep you on foot, Trastevere is where the evenings happen, and Prati is quieter and handy for the Vatican. Our neighbourhood guide explains the trade-offs.

Things to do

Two sights shape most first trips, and we have full guides to the Colosseum and the Forum and to the Vatican Museums and St Peter's. For the Pantheon, the Borghese Gallery, the Aventine keyhole and the rest, see our things to do list.

Food and drink

Roman cooking is simple and fiercely defended: carbonara with guanciale and egg, never cream, and cacio e pepe made with pecorino, pepper and pasta water. Eat supplì (fried rice balls) as a snack and artichokes in spring. Our Rome food guide explains what to order and where tourists go wrong.

Culture

Rome has been a capital for most of its history: of a republic, an empire, the Catholic Church and, since 1871, modern Italy. Each era built on the last rather than clearing it away. That's why the Theatre of Marcellus has apartments in its upper floors, and why Renaissance palaces reuse marble taken from ancient monuments.

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