Rome, Italy
Top places to visit in Rome
6 places worth your time in Rome, with what each is actually like and when to go.
Last updated 2026-08-08
1. Colosseum and Roman Forum
Photo: Michael Wilson from York, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0 · source
The Flavian amphitheatre of AD 80 and the civic centre of the ancient city, on one combined ticket with the Palatine.
Map: Open in Maps Tip: The combined ticket is timed for the Colosseum only; the Forum can be done at leisure the same day.Watch out Costumed 'centurions' pose for photographs and then demand EUR 20 or more per person. Skip-the-line touts at the entrance sell tickets at heavy markups.
2. Pantheon
Photo: Roberta Dragan · CC BY-SA 2.5 · source
A second-century temple with the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built, open to the sky at the oculus.
3. Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
Photo: Atel301 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Nine kilometres of galleries ending at Michelangelo's ceiling, plus St Peter's Basilica alongside.
Map: Open in Maps Best time: First slot of the day, or a Friday late openingTip: Book a timed entry. Shoulders and knees covered or you will be turned away at the door.
4. Trastevere
Photo: Livioandronico2013 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Across the river, a quarter of ivy-covered lanes and small trattorias that still feels residential.
5. Borghese Gallery
Photo: Alessio Damato · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Bernini's sculpture at its most astonishing, in a villa with a strictly capped two-hour visitor slot.
Map: Open in Maps Tip: Compulsory advance booking. There is no walk-up entry at all.
6. Trevi Fountain
Photo: RoyFokker · Public domain · source
Baroque theatre at the end of an aqueduct, with the coin-over-the-shoulder custom.
Map: Open in Maps Best time: Before 08:00 or after midnight — at any other hour it is shoulder to shoulderWatch out The friendship-bracelet grab and rose-pushing both operate here and around the Spanish Steps.
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