🇮🇹Rome

Stops

• Ancient Rome — the archaeological core — one ticket covers three of these
  • Colosseum — the amphitheatre itself; timed entry, about 75 minutes inside
  • Roman Forum — the civic and political centre of the ancient city
  • Palatine Hill — the imperial palaces, with views down over the Forum
  • Monument to Victor Emmanuel II — go to Caffetteria Italia al Vittoriano on the rooftop terrace to enjoy a drink and a snack with a view after all the walking

  🎟️ One ticket (around €18 including the booking fee) covers the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill for 24 hours from your first scan — you don't have to do all three in one go. Slots release 30 days ahead and the morning ones sell out fast in season, so book as soon as your dates are fixed.

• The centro storico — the walkable historic centre — do it as one loop
  • Piazza Navona — baroque square built on a Roman stadium
  • Pantheon — the best-preserved Roman building; small entry fee, book a slot, go in the morning for smaller queues
  • Trevi Fountain — baroque fountain; free to see from the piazza above

    💶 Since February 2026 it costs €2 to go down to the Trevi Fountain basin, roughly 9am to 10pm. The fountain is free to see from the piazza above at any time, and the basin is free outside those hours — go late in the evening and you get both the close-up and a fraction of the crowd.

  • Spanish Steps — the staircase up to Trinità dei Monti — sitting on them is fined
  • Campo de' Fiori — morning produce market, 7am–2pm, closed Sundays
• Villa Borghese — the big park north of the centre, and the gallery inside it
  • Villa Borghese — landscaped park, a 20-minute walk up from the Spanish Steps
  • Galleria Borghese — Bernini sculpture and Caravaggio in a 17th-century villa

  🎟️ Galleria Borghese is the hardest ticket in Rome. Entry is a strictly enforced two-hour slot, there are no tickets at the door, and dates disappear weeks ahead in season. Book it before you book anything else, including restaurants. Around €18 with the compulsory reservation fee — check the current price when you book.

• Vatican City — half a day minimum; go at opening
  • Vatican Museums — miles of galleries leading to the Sistine Chapel
  • Sistine Chapel — Michelangelo's ceiling, at the end of the museum route
  • St Peter's Basilica — free to enter; pay to climb the dome

  👕 Shoulders and knees covered for both the Museums and the Basilica — no vests, no short shorts, and they turn people away at the door. Book the Museums online for a timed slot; they're closed most Sundays.

• Trastevere & Janiculum Hill — the other side of the river; where you'll want to eat
  • Trastevere — cobbled streets, trattorias and evening crowds
  • Janiculum Hill — the best panorama of the city, above Trastevere

  🔭 Walk up to the Janiculum in the late afternoon for the view over the whole city. A cannon is fired from the terrace every day at noon.

• Testaccio — the working food neighbourhood south of the centre
  • Testaccio Market — modern covered market; go for lunch, not dinner
• The great basilicas — an easy walk east of the Colosseum
  • Santa Maria Maggiore — fifth-century mosaics under a gilded baroque ceiling
  • San Giovanni in Laterano — Rome's actual cathedral — not St Peter's
  • Basilica of San Clemente — three churches stacked on top of each other

  ⛪ San Clemente is the one to make time for: a 12th-century church built over a 4th-century one, built over a Roman house and a temple of Mithras. The upper church is free; you pay a few euros to go down through the levels.

• Via Appia Antica — half a day out of the centre; best done by bike
  • Via Appia Antica — the original Roman road, still cobbled
  • Catacombs — underground burial tunnels; guided visits only

  🚲 The Appian Way is closed to most traffic on Sundays, which is the day to cycle it. The main catacombs — San Callisto, San Sebastiano and Domitilla — each close on a different day of the week, so check which one is open before you commit to a day.

Day by day

1. Day 1

   Centro storico on foot

   Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi, and an evening passeggiata.

2. Day 2

   Ancient Rome

   Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill — book timed tickets ahead.

3. Day 3

   Vatican

   St Peter's early, then the Museums and Sistine Chapel.

4. Day 4

   Via Appia Antica

   Day trip outside central Rome.

5. Day 5

   Trastevere & slow day

   Markets, lunch across the river, and whatever you missed.

Good to know

Where to eat and drink

Worth booking

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