Rome is one of those cities that’s on everyone’s bucket list– and for good reason! It’s a wildly romantic place, with piazzas, cozy corners, and slightly-disheveled buildings giving it an air of dreamy whimsy, untouched by time.
Its history in particular is really remarkable, of course. Around every corner is a reminder of a bygone empire, these origins of human civilization still standing witness to the years passing, unmoved.
Interlaced with the myths and ruins are office buildings and trappings of modern life– billboards, grocery stores, a roundabout around the Colosseum, scaffolding valiantly trying to keep crumbling structures upright.
It’s hard to put the vibe of Rome into words, really. Tegan studied abroad there when she was 19, so there is naturally a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in the memories of the streets, the cars, and comings-and-goings of the throngs of visitors.
But visiting again almost 10 years later, the city was virtually unchanged– down to the weathered Formica countertops of the neighborhood bar and ambient scents of her favorite gelateria.
And ultimately, this reliability amid time passing is what makes Rome, Rome– where myth and history collide with modernity, from Romulus and Remus on the Palatine Hill to Giuseppe Garibaldi’s dream of unity and the formation of a modern nation-state.
Sadly, lots of people visit cities like Rome or Athens for a day or two and make the mistake of trying to crowd in all the “must-sees” in this period of time. There are literally dozens of things to do in Rome that barely scratch the surface of the city.
Many first-time visitors feel rushed, stressed, and unsure about what to prioritize. The unfortunate abundance of scams and pickpockets, admittedly, don’t help.
Ultimately, Rome isn’t a city to be rushed– Italian culture in general is gentle and unhurried (amid bursts of that fiery Italian passion!) with “dolce far niente” (roughly meaning “how sweet it is to do nothing”) a good motto to follow while you’re here.
While Rome is certainly cosmopolitan and modern in some ways, it’s also a place meant for slowing down, truly enjoying every bite of that gelato, the warmth of the sun on your face, and the meandering flow of the river.
For sure, pretty much no one has the luxury of weeks in Italy to see everything at a nice pace. With this in mind, our biggest and most crucial advice to you is to wake up as early as you can.
Like many other European cities, Rome is practically silent in the mornings, allowing you to savor that nice cappuccino, enjoy the fresh air, and take all the pictures you want.
Famous sights like the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Forum get outrageously crowded even at breakfast time, but are serene and calm when day is just breaking.
Seriously– this is the best advice about Rome we can give you. Pick your must-see sights, group them geographically, and go enjoy them before everyone else wakes up.
Keep in mind that tickets for the most-hyped museums (namely the Vatican, the Capitoline, and the Galleria Borghese) sell out months in advance, so book those right when you get your dates and strive for first entrance before they get mobbed for the day. Sadly, you will very likely not be able to just walk in and get a ticket to any of these, even in off-season.
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With all this “early bird gets the worm” in mind, we’ve prepared some groupings of must-sees (organized loosely geographically) that you can slot into different parts of your day for a first visit. We’ve also put an AM next to the ones we strongly recommend visiting early, though, to be honest, all of them are worth visiting early.
We recommend ranking these depending how much time you have in the city. We did them all in 3 days, but we were walking about 40,000 steps per day– which is a lot! If you have the time, plan to spend 4-5 days in Rome. This way you can take your time exploring and not get too burned out by everything there is to do!
If you’re on a repeat visit to Rome, check out our list of slightly-less-packed gems to enjoy.
Rome Must-Sees
- The Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna, the Spanish Steps, and Trinità dei Monti church (AM)
- Piazza del Popolo, Santa Maria Maggiore church, Galleria Borghese, and Villa Borghese (AM)
- Piazza Venezia and l’Altare della Patria, National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (AKA the “Wedding Cake”), Via dei Fori Imperiali, the Roman Forum, and the Coliseum (AM)
- The Pantheon and Piazza Navona (AM)
- Piazza San Pietro and Basilica San Pietro (AM)
- Vatican City and the Vatican Museums (AM), the Castel Sant’Angelo and the Angel Bridge
- Via del Corso and Via Condotti shopping streets
- Bocca della Verità
- Campo dei Fiori, Via del Governo Vecchio, Piazza dell’Orologio
- Trastevere and Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere
- Piazza del Campidoglio, Capitoline Museums, Museum of Art and Archaeology
Rome Must-Tastes
- Pasta: bucatini all’amatriciana, tonnarelli cacio e pepe, and spaghetti carbonara all originate in Rome. They are all absolutely delicious, but cacio e pepe is the only vegetarian option.
- Roman-style, thin crust pizza: often sold by weight and cut into slices that you can take away (al taglio.) For hybrid Roman/Neapolitan pizza in a no-frills environment, we love Dar Poeta in Trastevere. Al taglio check out La Boccaccia (also in Trastevere.)
- Gelato (of course): while Giolitti, Gelateria del Teatro, and San Crispino are perhaps the most famous gelaterias in Rome, we find these quite overhyped, especially given their sometimes-astronomical lines. Some of our favorites are Frigidarium, Gelateria la Romana, Gelateria del Viale, or Come il Latte.
- Roman artichokes (carciofi): can be served either alla romana (Roman-style) or alla giudia (Jewish-style.) Roman-style is steamed with herbs, while Jewish-style is deep-fried. Both are absolutely delicious.
- Supplì deep-fried rice balls: sometimes with mozzarella or other fillings
- For the more adventurous… Roman-style tripe (trippa alla romana) is still a very popular dish, with pecorino on top, as is saltimbocca, a veal dish.
Rome General Tips
- Don’t take photos with gladiators or other costumed folks– they will try to extort outrageous amounts of money from you and can get really unpleasant and hostile if you refuse
- Avoid restaurants directly on the main squares, restaurants with pictures on the menu, restaurants doing “too many things” (e.g. Chinese-Italian-Indian-Mexican cuisine), or restaurants with menus in English
- Don’t buy gelato that looks fluffy– while it may look pretty, this means they pump lots of air into it, which makes it much lower-quality
- Consider skipping the inside of the Colosseum if you’re in a rush. Unless this is a dream of yours, it isn’t always worth it. The lines are insanely long, it’s pretty pricey, and you’ll get your fill of other ruins while you’re in Rome. The outside of the Colosseum is jaw-dropping and absolutely integral to visit, but the inside is something to consider skipping.
- Controversial opinion… But many people (ourselves included) find the Sistine Chapel to be insanely overrated. It’s worth seeing once, but it’s so crowded and cramped that it’s hard to really enjoy it.
- Be very mindful of your belongings at crowded attractions. There are lots of highly-skilled pickpockets and nothing ruins a vacation like a stolen phone or passport!
- Most churches have dress codes and they take them very seriously. As is often the case, this is most restrictive for women: nothing showing your shoulders, nothing above-the-knee, nothing remotely sexy is allowed. For men, shorts and tank tops are not allowed. Consider having a scarf in your bag to cover your shoulders if you visit in summer.
- Rome has amazing, absolutely delicious tap water and Romans are super proud of it. It dates back to ancient aqueducts, and you can pretty much fill up your bottle anywhere you see a fountain. However, since you can drink from the fountains… definitely don’t put your feet in them! Unfortunately, as in the rest of Europe, most restaurants will still charge you for water, though.
- Speaking of restaurants, the coperta is definitely a thing in Rome– most restaurants will charge you 1-3 euros per person to sit. For that reason, you can save a lot of money getting lunch to-go and eating on a curb or in a piazza.
- Relatedly, the “right way” to have your morning cappuccino is sul banco, standing up at the bar. This is one of the best ways to “do as the Romans do.” In other rather authoritarian food rules (no one can say Italians don’t take their food incredibly seriously!) cappuccinos are only to be enjoyed in the morning, and the frothy milk is in lieu of sugar.
- Always, always get the liter or half-liter carafes of house wine. It’s delicious, it’s cheap, and it always compliments your food perfectly, no matter what you’re eating.
- The main airport, FCO, is pretty far away from the city center– keep this in mind! You have a few options for getting back and forth:
- Train: Costs about 17 euros each way and drops off at Trastevere station or Termini.
- Bus: Most drop off at Termini train station, but there’s a bus called the SITT that drops off right next to Castel Sant’Angelo before heading to Termini. This is much better for those staying in other parts of the city. The bus should cost between 5-7 euros each way.
- Taxi/Uber: Really pricey, but an option in a pinch.
All in all, Rome is a city to be enjoyed time and time again. We hope you found these tips and tricks for a stress-free first visit to Rome helpful, and we’d love to know if there’s anything else you have questions about– just let us know in the comments!
For more Italy content, check out our winter guide to Lake Como, and our quick day guide to Milan (perfect for a layover or half-day!) And just in case you missed it above… if you’re doing a repeat trip to Rome, check out these more under-the-radar gems in the Eternal City. As always, you can save this guide for later on Pinterest by clicking here (or on the photos below!) and check us out on Instagram or Facebook.
Ciao, ragazzi!
