Location: Rome
Top Things to do in Rome
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What to do and see in Rome, Lazio: The Best Things to do Good for Big Groups
Rome wasn't built in a day--and you'll need much more than a day to take in this timeless city. The city is a real-life collage of piazzas, open-air markets, and astonishing historic sites. Toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain, contemplate the Colosseum and the Pantheon, and sample a perfect espresso or gelato before spending an afternoon shopping at the Campo de’Fiori or Via Veneto. Enjoy some of the most memorable meals of your life here, too, from fresh pasta to succulent fried artichokes or a tender oxtail stew.
Restaurants in Rome
1. Centro Storico
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6,069 reviews
This section of Rome is filled with a tangle of narrow streets, which offers some of the finest examples of Roman classical and Baroque architecture and style.
Reviewed By AndreaB1169 - London, United Kingdom
It’s always amazing visiting Rome and if you also enjoy the heat, August is a good month to visi. But for the best light and cooler weather October in Rome is wonderful!
2. Palazzo Colonna - Galleria Colonna
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 813 reviews
Right in the center of Rome, close to Piazza Venezia, Palazzo Colonna is one of the greatest Barocco Palaces of the eternal city. The impressive Colonna's Collections of paintings, sculptures and furniture from the 14th to the 18th century are unique and part of the roman history. The Colonna Gallery is open to the public every Saturday morning from 9 am to 1,15 pm (last entrance) from Via della Pilotta 17. All other days, including Saturday afternoon, private visits by appointment. Free guided tour (every Saturday): - in Italian at 10.00 And 11.00 Am - in French at 10.30 Am - in English at 12 am Private visits on request are available every day of the year. We also recommend a visit to the stunning Princess Isabelle Apartment with its incredible Van Wittel and Flemish Collections and the Pinturicchio frescoes.
Reviewed By Danielbb - Zurich, Switzerland
Recommended for the ones who have visited all the major attractions in Rome and are looking for THE insider tip. Not a cheap attraction but every euro worth (EUR 25). For a full-mind-blowing experience, do it with the guided tour IT-EN named “Isotta”. This is a privately owned palace of the Roman aristocracy that turned into a gallery opened for visiting on Saturdays only (or private tours). Impressive main gallery with frescos, paintings, sculptures, mirrors and many other beautiful decorating objects. Resembles Versailles without the mass-tourists. The Palace looks good on pictures but live it is definitively much better. The apartments contain many other impressive rooms, with centuries of history and other curious remarks, just like in a fairy tale or children book. The palace itself was beautiful, but the guide turned the experience mind-blowing. Our guide, Isotta, an English-fluent local, impeccably guided us through the marvelous palace and the private apartment rooms, cherry-picking the most important and astonishing art pieces. She also informed dates, styles, artists and commissioners that let me jaw-dropped, specially baring in mind that the whole tour took more than 1h30min. Five star gallery with a five star guide! Highly recommended.
3. Trastevere
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 16,960 reviews
This busy and lively neighborhood has the look and feel of a traditional small Italian town, with people shopping, chatting, drinking espresso and going about their daily business.
Reviewed By 82manuelal - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Trastevere, this name means literally : "Across the Tiber", and in classical times it was the area of the artisans; Nowaday Trastevere is well known for excellent restaurants and a lot of bars, many of tourists go to this area to have a good dinner and often with music ambiance; charming narrow streets and colorful painted houses; very lively in the evening and calm or peaceful in the morning. there is basilica Santa Cecilia on the same called piazza; with inside the nice fresco: the Last Jugement; and amazing decoration that covered once the entire church; Also in this aera is the church of Maria in Trastevere; Trastevere is very charming for nice walks along the river Tiber.
4. Villa Borghese
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,870 reviews
Famous villa constructed at the beginning of the 17th century for Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, which is surrounded by one of the largest and most beautiful public parks in Rome.
Reviewed By FunFilledFamily - Tulsa, United States
My fourth trip to Rome and I decided to try something new that I hadn't heard of before and that was Villa Borghese. Besides the awesome art on display, the property in this area is incredible. We walked and walked enjoying the truly beautiful park and other attractions - Villa Medici, garden, fountains, zoo - it was truly picturesque and incredible. For Americans, it was like Central Park. There were bikes and golf carts to rent to drive around the grounds. Loved my afternoon here and wished I had allowed more time to explore more. Go!!
5. Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12,067 reviews
Reviewed By Llubi - London, United Kingdom
This place is free to visit. Is a beautiful place , is imponente... every corner is perfect from the stairs to the main part.... is full of details and sculptures....in there is located the tomb of the anonymous soldier where the eternal flame is on. If you carry on walking you can reach easily the Roman forum , Constantino arch and the coliseum. Highly recommend to take pictures from the top of the monument and to walk inside is simple beautiful
6. Museo Nazionale Romano - Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,342 reviews
Palazzo Massimo alle Terme was built between 1883 and 1887 by the architect Camillo Pistrucci in a sober neo-Renaissance style. He was born as a Jesuit college and remained so until 1960. In 1981 it was acquired by the Italian State and became one of the four National Roman Museum places. The collections are distributed in the four floors of the building according to a chronological and thematic criterion: the ground floor, the first and second floors are dedicated to the ancient art section; the basement houses the numismatic and goldsmith sections.
Reviewed By SPSS_11 - Melbourne, Australia
The Museo Nazionale Romano - Palazzo Massimo is just one of the sites of the Museo Nazionale Romano. You can buy a great value combination ticket that allows you to visit the other sites (the visits need to occur within a certain timeframe that I can't remember off the top of my head - their website will tel you). The Palazzo Massimo site houses sculpture, mosaics and frescos including the frescos from the garden room of the Villa of Livia and the Boxer at Rest sculpture. The museum is located almost directly opposite the Roma Termini train station, with one of their other sites (Baths of Diocletian) located within a 2 minute walk. There is a small cafe onsite which does light lunches, coffee etc. The audioguide is well worth hiring as some of the signage can be a bit sparse.
7. Palatine Hill
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 24,994 reviews
The commercial, political and religious center of ancient Rome, which features the Arch of Septimus Severus, Temple of Saturn, Arch of Titus and the House of the Vestals.
Reviewed By genie26c - Plymouth, United Kingdom
I would certainly advise pre-booking your tickets, or join a group tour to avoid the very long queues and group tours get to use a separate entrance too, which makes it even easier. We'd just been on an express tour of the Colosseum with 'Tour in the City' and wanted to see the Palentine Hill and Forum as well (your Colosseum ticket includes entry to Palentine Hill and Forum) so our Colosseum guide was able to arrange for us go with another tour company that they are affiliated with ('Fun Tours'), which meant we were able to get into the Palentine Hill/Forum and also tag onto that tour too - which was really informative and didn't take too long, maybe about 45 mins. Then we were left to our own devices. The Palentine Hill is surprisingly tranquil and has some beautiful views. it wasn't crowded and it was nice to simply walk about and take in the scenery and history of everything at our own pace. Thoroughly enjoyed it here and if we'd been a bit more organised, it would have been nice to bring refreshments/food and find a quiet place to sit and have a picnic.
8. Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14,236 reviews
The Museum is divided into four sections, the history of Castel Sant'Angelo is illustrated by vintage prints, scenic views and interesting reconstructions ideals of the monument, as suggested by the imagination of artists and architects of the Renaissance, from its construction until the nineteenth century, in a path that highlights the intense and ongoing.
Reviewed By ClaraBqwerty
A great attraction to visit with kids. A beautiful castle with lots of rooms to visit and a magnificent view of Rome from the top. We went early and there wasn't much of a queue but it was a lot longer by the time we left. It has a lovely cafe near the top with what must be some of the best views in Rome. If you have young kids you need to keep an eye on them as there are a lot of gaps and small spaces on the walkways that they would be able to squeeze through if you're not alert. It keeps you on your toes. In the gardens behind the castle is one of the few playgrounds in Rome which was great for the kids to burn off some energy.
9. Piazza Venezia
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,370 reviews
Close to many tourist attractions such as the Roman Forum and Capitol Hill, this large sunny square is the true hub of Rome, which features the impressive monument of King Vittorio Emmanuele II.
Reviewed By MissEmilyMc - London, United Kingdom
Piazza Venezia doesn’t just serve as a central hub in Rome as there’s several intersections and it’s close to nearby attractions such as the Roman Forum, The Colosseum and Capitol Hill. Regardless of it serving as a central hub, there is one landmark that dominates Piazza Venezia which is a monument called Il Vittoriano (Victor Emannuel II) - the first King of Italy. Not only is this landmark one of the largest in Rome as well as being one of the most majestic but a very recent addition to Rome’s scenery as it was built during the 20th century. The unmissable centrepiece is the bronze equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II riding a horse, it’s so large that when it was completed there was a celebratory dinner held in the horse’s stomach (fitting approximately 20 people). Even though this landmark in itself is a magnificent work of art many Romans would disagree and refer to it as “The Wedding Cake” since they dispute the marble clashes with existing architecture. Not only is the architecture a problem for Romans but the history behind it with churches and homes being demolished in way for it as well as a place where Mussolini and Hitler were pictured. Mussolini took over the monument for political use which has left bad memories for Romans. There’s even more symbolism found when looking closer at Victor Emmanuel II such as the two fountains at either side of the monument representing the seas surrounding Italy - Adriatic Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The friezes at the top of Victor Emmanuel II represents the different regions of Italy being personified as statues, an incredible idea and sight adding to the incredible architecture. The most spectacular features are the everlasting flame, eternally shining and burning in front of the altar, which are always guarded by two soldiers - representing and marking the grave of the “Unknown Soldier” who died during World War I. The same principle applies to those who were never identified but died during the war, they’re given a tribute as well as everyone being given a symbolic reminder of the deaths during this war. Overall, the monument was constructed to represent and celebrate the unification of Italy and furthermore the power of Rome as the capital of the country. There are countless buildings surrounding Piazza Venezia such as The Via del Corso, Palazzo Bonaparte and most famously Michelangelo's House. Before leaving Piazza Venezia our tour guide brought us to Trajan’s Column which was built by Emperor Trajan in 113 AD - hence the name. The triumphal column commemorates and represents the Trajan’s victory over the Dacians to which can be seen on the column itself explains the entire campaign. The Trajan Column doesn’t proudly show the Emperor Trajan in all his glory but one of Rome’s patron saints there - St Peter, since during the 19th century Pope Sixtus V changed the statue. The great influence and reach that numerous Pope’s had throughout Rome during all eras, with such a large influence still standing today.
10. Domus Aurea
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,324 reviews
The imperial estate of Nero was built in 64AD, which is comprised of a series of pavilions, set in an articulated garden with an artificial lake in its center.
Reviewed By Lesleyjane71 - Kent, United Kingdom
If you love archaeology and Ancient Rome is your thing, and if you are lucky enough to visit Rome over the course of a weekend then please do make sure you book for a guided visit of Domus Aurea. It is only open on a Saturday and Sunday and tickets must be booked on line, which can be a little daunting but well worth it. Despite what some people have written, the site entrance is easy enough to find. Head to the Piazza Del Colosseo and if you use the Oppio Café and the metro across from the Colosseum as your marker you can not go wrong. Turn Left and take a very short walk up the hill to the entrance of a Parco delle Colle Oppio. As you go in the entrance turn left and walk about 50 paces and you will see the entrance to the Domus Aurea and there will be guides and assistants waiting. Ignore the positioning of it on google maps. It will through you right of course! If you are early, do not be scared to walk around the park, there are fine ruins there of Trajan's baths which sit atop the buried ruins of the Domus. For some reason, people think that this is the Domus it is not. Yes there are some refugees sleeping in the park but to be honest they pose no threat. In fact you are more than likely to see them cleaning up the place. The area is full of dog walkers and runners and as a single female traveller, I felt absolutely safe in there. So now that the whereabouts of the entrance has hopefully been demystified, on to the visit. You go in your designated time group and don fetching hairnets and hard hats before being led underground by one of the archaeologists fortunate enough to work at the site and who will be very passionate about their work, so some may find this a little boring others will relish it. To be able to traverse the corridors of a fraction of this once vast and oppulent palace is phenominal. It is damp but well lit so take a light weight jacket or sweater, you may need it. You are free to take as many photos as you like. The VR is amazing and puts you right in the heart of the palace as it may once have been as well as giving you an idea of what the view across Rome from here would have been like. Word of advise, if you are light sensitive or suffer a bit of vertigo or balance problems then the VR headset is likely to make you feel a bit weasy. I had to lift mine up a few times just to get my head back straight. You are sitting down for the VR session so don't panic and it is well worth persevering with. You carry on with your tour and it is hard to believe that you are walking in the footsteps of Nero no matter how sadistic and twisted he was. There are a few wall frescos still visible, the rest having been removed to safe them from being completely ruined by the damp. Unfortnatuely they have now desided not excavate further as the cost of preserving the rest of the underground network of rooms and corridors is just to expensive both in monetary terms, manpower and the tecnologies needed to keep it from deteriorating but please rest assured, what you see is well worth it. Have a great trip!
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