Best Things to Do in Rome: 15 Experiences Worth Booking

The shortlist of Rome experiences is long, but the list worth paying for is short. Booking strategy matters more than budget: two or three timed-entry bookings done early beat a dozen half-planned visits.

The big three: book these first

1. Colosseum arena and underground - the skip-the-line tour that turns a queue into an experience
2. Vatican Museums with a timed slot - the Sistine Chapel ends the route, save your legs
3. Pantheon interior - now a 5 EUR timed ticket rather than a walk-through

Ancient and monumental

• Roman Forum and Palatine Hill - the combined ticket with the Colosseum spans two days
• Ostia Antica - an easy train and an often-empty ancient port city
• Capuchin Crypt - bone-decorated chapels, strange and unforgettable
• Baths of Caracalla - vast Roman ruins with far fewer crowds than the Forum

Baroque and cinematic

• Trevi Fountain at breakfast time, when it is still possible to stand at the rail
• Piazza Navona at dusk - fountains, street artists and the late Roman light
• The Spanish Steps, watched from the rooftop cafés on the left at golden hour
• The Pantheon's oculus beam on a clear morning is the show the building designs itself

Food and neighbourhood life

• Trastevere for the city's best trattoria street, after 8pm for the real energy
• The Jewish Ghetto for carciofi alla giudia - the fried artichoke that is pure Rome
• Campo de' Fiori market in the morning, when the stalls take over the piazza
• A proper Roman carbonara - the no-cream version, from one of the famous two or three addresses

Value for money choices

• First Sunday of the month: free entry to state museums, including the Colosseum - arrive early
• Evening tours of the Colosseum and catacombs cost a little more and skip the heat
• The view from St Peter's dome costs about 10 EUR and beats every paid viewpoint in the city

Browse Rome experiences

Compare hotels in Rome

Riversmag may earn a commission when you book through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This helps keep our guides free. We only recommend products and services we genuinely believe in.