Rome packs its landmarks tightly. In Piazza della Rotonda the Pantheon’s dome measures 142 feet (43 m) across, and from the Rose Garden on the Aventine Hill the view runs over the Circus Maximus to the Palatine Hill. Start with the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, add the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain, and give the Vatican Museums a day of their own.
At a glance
- Top sights to see first: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Vatican Museums
- Pantheon visit: 30 to 60 minutes
- Colosseum opening time: 8:30 a.m.
- Colosseum tickets: timed entry, sold 30 days before the visit
- Trevi Fountain basin: €2 ticket
- Vatican Museums: Viale Vaticano, ticket valid only on the day it is issued
What are the best things to do in Rome?
The Colosseum
The basic Colosseum ticket is valid for 24 hours. It gives one entry to the Colosseum (first and second order, without the arena) and one entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine. Other tickets add more. The Only Arena ticket gives a 20-minute visit to the arena floor. The Full Experience Attic ticket includes the attic and the panoramic lift, and it lasts two consecutive days. The Domus Aurea is entered from via della Domus Aurea.
The Colosseum opens at 8:30 a.m., and entry requires a reserved time slot. Sales open 30 days before the visit, so book as soon as your dates are set and pick an early slot. The free MyColosseum app has interactive audio guides in Italian and English.
The Roman Forum and Palatine
The Roman Forum was the administrative center of the city. Today you can see the remains of the Temple of Vespasian and Titus, the Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina, the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Basilica of Maxentius on the Velia and the Column of Phocas. Guided tours can be booked, and audio guides are available.
The Forum Pass SUPER covers the Roman Forum, the Imperial Fora and the Palatine, without the Colosseum. The Domus Aurea opens at 9:00 a.m. and can be visited on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with a visit every 15 minutes until 4:30 p.m. A suggested two-day plan puts the Colosseum and the Forum on the first morning.
The Pantheon
The Pantheon stands on Piazza della Rotonda. Agrippa built the original structure between 27 and 25 BC, and it was rebuilt under Hadrian between 118 and 125 AD. It became a church in 609. The dome is the largest unreinforced dome ever built, 43.30 m in diameter and equal to its height. Inside there is a single circular room with no set route.
A typical visit lasts 30 to 60 minutes. Half an hour is enough, and an hour gives more satisfaction. Visits are in order of arrival, with no skip-the-line option, and booking is mandatory for the Easter opening. The piazza will be crowded. Santa Maria sopra Minerva is directly behind, with Bernini’s elephant in the square and a Michelangelo work inside. San Luigi dei Francesi is five minutes the other way and holds three Caravaggio works. A nasone with three dragon-head spouts, about 287 feet (87 m) away, gives free drinking water.
The Trevi Fountain
Nicola Salvi designed the Trevi Fountain, and Giuseppe Pannini completed it between 1732 and 1762. It is the most famous of the Roman fountains. During a one-year trial it recorded over 10 million visitors, about 30,000 a day with peaks of 70,000.
Since February 2, 2026, entering the basin requires a €2 ticket. Entry stays free for residents of Rome and the Città Metropolitana, children up to 5, and people with disabilities and their caregivers.
The Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums are at Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome. The ticket covers the Museums and the Sistine Chapel, and it is valid only on the day it is issued. In the suggested two-day plan, the Vatican fills the second day.
The full ticket costs €20 without online booking. The skip-the-line version costs €25 when booked on the official Vatican Museums website, the only official site for online tickets. The reduced ticket costs €10 without online booking. Entry is free on the last Sunday of the month. Tickets cannot be refunded, so lock in your date before buying.
The Capitoline Museums
The Capitoline Museums fill two palaces on Piazza del Campidoglio, the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo. You can see the Capitoline Wolf, the equestrian Marcus Aurelius and the Dying Gaul. The collection goes back to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV gave the great Lateran bronzes to the Roman people. The museums have been open to the public since 1734.
The address is Piazza del Campidoglio 1, a five-minute walk from Piazza Venezia. A ticket costs from €15 (€9.50 reduced), or €20.50 (€15 reduced) with the current exhibitions. It also covers the Lapidary Gallery, the Tabularium and the Pinacoteca. The suggested two-day plan sends you here from 4:30 p.m. on the day you spend in ancient Rome.
Castel Sant’Angelo
Castel Sant’Angelo stands at Lungotevere Castello 50.
The full-price ticket costs €18. European Union citizens aged 18 to 25 pay €2. Admission is free for everyone on the first Sunday of every month, so that is the day to pick if you want to save the fee.
When is the best time to visit Rome for sightseeing?
Summer brings heat: highs reach 88°F (31°C) in July and 89°F (32°C) in August, so plan outdoor sights for the morning. May is milder, with highs of 74°F (23°C), about six rainy days and long sunny hours. October runs 72°F (22°C) at its high and has about eight rainy days. January days reach 54°F (12°C), cool enough for long museum visits. Itineraries are built for 48 hours, 72 hours or five days.
Beaches and outdoor things to do in Rome
Castel Porziano is the beach of Rome, on the Via Litoranea between Ostia and Torvaianica. It has more than two kilometers (1.2 miles) of sand and sits between the sea and the Mediterranean scrub of the Capocotta and Castel Porziano estates. It is one of the few stretches of coast where nature has not given way to buildings and bathing establishments. It is part of the Litorale Romano state nature reserve, created in 1996. Until 1964 it belonged to the presidential estate, and the gates opened to all citizens on August 7, 1965.
- II Cancello Free Beach: Via Litoranea 1350 · free beach with showers and facilities for disabled visitors · opening guaranteed all season · for a simple beach day
- VI Cancello Sunny: pedalo, umbrella and lounger rental, beach volleyball court, bar and restrooms · for an equipped day
For rentals and a bar, pick VI Cancello. For free access and accessible facilities, pick II Cancello.
The Roma Capitale Rose Garden is on the slopes of the Aventine Hill, at Via di Valle Murcia 6, opposite the Palatine Hill. Its upper part is shaped like an amphitheater and holds over a thousand varieties of roses. Entry is free. The spring opening runs April 11 to June 14.
The Parco dei Quattro Venti has reopened after redevelopment. It now has urban gardens, a pedestrian path, a fitness trail and a dog area.
Day trips from Rome
Several heritage sites sit outside the center. Ostia Antica is one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world. Its park also includes the Castello di Giulio II, the Museo delle Navi and the Necropoli di Porto all’Isola Sacra. Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Orvieto’s historic center sits on a tuff platform called La Rupe, and a funicular climbs to it. Orvieto draws about two million tourists a year and has only 20 thousand residents.
- Rome in 48 hours: two days · the unmissable attractions in a short time · for a quick visit
- Rome in 72 hours: three days · a deeper pass through the same attractions
- Roman Holidays: five days · a complete itinerary for a long stay
For two days, spend day one on ancient Rome (Colosseum and Forum in the morning, Capitoline Museums from 4:30 p.m.) and day two at the Vatican.
What to eat in Rome
Campo de’ Fiori market sells meat, flowers, fish, cheeses, cured meats and typical products. Testaccio market has many stands preparing street food and vegan dishes. At Mercato Centrale, artisans prepare hot, fresh food on site. Eataly sells km 0 products and has many small restaurants inside where you can taste them.
Things to do in Rome at night
Late October and early November are busy. The chocolate festival in Piazza del Risorgimento runs from October 30 to November 1, with artisan chocolate tastings and workshops for children. Halloween at the Hard Rock Cafe, on Via Vittorio Veneto 62, runs October 30 and 31. KARAWAN, a festival of new citizenships, takes place in the Tor Pignattara neighborhood from October 26 to November 13. Romaeuropa Festival, in its 41st edition, runs from September 8 to November 15.
Food events run into November. Sapori Capitolini continues until November 11, and Fuori Centro, which explores five neighborhoods through food and local culture, until November 12. Ottobrata romana at Palazzo Massimo covers the whole month of October. After 10 p.m. the Trevi Fountain can be seen free. The first Sunday of every month is free in the Roma Capitale museum network.
Things to do in Rome with kids
Castel Porziano suits a day with children. The VI Cancello beach rents pedalos and has a beach volleyball court and a bar. The Rose Garden has a free amphitheater-shaped garden with over a thousand varieties of roses, and an afternoon there costs nothing. The Parco dei Quattro Venti was redeveloped with urban gardens, a pedestrian path, new benches, a fitness trail and a dog area, and it also has a children’s play area. The Play!Ground Together project offers three afternoons of free games, workshops and sports, with its inauguration running June 16 to 18, 2026.
Sources
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- colosseo.it (https://colosseo.it/en/opening-times-and-tickets/), checked 2026-10-30
- turismoroma.it (https://turismoroma.it/fr/places/vi-cancello-sunny), checked 2026-10-30
- turismoroma.it (https://turismoroma.it/fr/node/170262), checked 2026-10-30
- museivaticani.va (https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/organizza-visita/tariffe-e-biglietti.html), checked 2026-10-30
- pantheon.museum (https://pantheon.museum/it/pianifica-la-tua-visita-al-pantheon/), checked 2026-10-30
- cultura.gov.it (https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/parco-archeologico-dell-appia-antica-villa-dei-quintili-e-santa-maria-nova), checked 2026-10-30
- turismoroma.it (https://www.turismoroma.it/it/node/168455), checked 2026-10-30