12 Unforgettable Things to Do in Rome Italy at Least Once in Your Life

Rome hooked me on my very first trip in 1998.

I had expected this huge, historic city to feel too big and overwhelming to a small-town girl like me. Instead, Rome felt surprisingly approachable. Maybe it was the piazzas. Maybe it was all the walking. Maybe it was the handsome Italian who chatted my girlfriend and me up one evening and then led us to his family’s restaurant “just nearby” — which turned out to be more than several blocks away. By the time we got there, it felt less like a sales pitch and more like we’d been welcomed into the family.

That was also one of my first Rome lessons: wear good walking shoes. Italians think nothing of walking several blocks — and then several more — and Rome is one of those cities that reveals itself best when you’re exploring it on foot.

I’ve returned to Rome seven times since then, once as a walking pilgrim, and every trip has shown me something I missed before. So this is not meant to be an exhaustive list of every monument, museum and church in the Eternal City. These are my favorite things to do in Rome Italy — the famous places I’d tell you not to miss, along with a few experiences that have stayed with me long after I came home.

I remember sticking my hand into the Mouth of Truth — Bocca della Verità — for the first time. I knew the legend said the ancient stone face would bite the hand of a liar, but somehow my imagination went in a completely different direction. I half expected a poisonous centipede or some other creepy Roman creature to come crawling out of that dark mouth and sting me.

Nothing happened, of course.

But that’s Rome. One minute you’re laughing at yourself with your hand shoved into a 2,000-year-old marble face, and the next you’re standing beneath a Michelangelo, tossing a coin into the Trevi Fountain or walking stone roads where Romans walked centuries before you.

And after eight trips, I’ve learned something else: Slow down, look up, peek down side streets and pay attention to the details. Some of my favorite Rome discoveries weren’t things I had circled on a map at all.

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In a hurry? Here are my top picks for things to do in Rome:

Rome is one of those cities where a little advance planning can save you a lot of time standing in line. If your trip is coming up soon, I’d book your big-ticket sights and hotel first — especially during spring, summer and fall.

Experiences to Book Ahead

🎟️ Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill — One of the most popular experiences in Rome, and timed-entry tickets can sell out.
🎟️ Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel — Reserve in advance if this is high on your Rome wish list.
🎟️ Rome food or walking tour — A fun way to get oriented, learn the neighborhoods and taste your way through the city.

👟 UNSTOPPABLE Tip: Bring comfortable walking shoes. Rome is wonderfully walkable, and some of your favorite discoveries may happen while wandering between the places you planned to see.

⏰ Short on time? Book the Colosseum and Vatican first. Those are the reservations I would not leave until the last minute.

Rome has never felt as overwhelming to me, partly because I’ve learned to reserve tickets ahead of time and avoid wasting vacation hours in line. And don’t worry if you get turned around. I remember wandering with my husband, Dan, on my fourth or fifth visit, map in hand, and somehow we still couldn’t find Piazza Navona!

That’s part of the fun when you have time to wander. But if your days in Rome are limited, a good guide can save you steps and help you notice things you might otherwise miss. So put on those walking shoes, and let’s get into my best things to do Rome Italy, from the big-name sights to the experiences that keep drawing me back.

1.) Walk Inside the Colosseum

I remember trying not to laugh during my first Colosseum tour when our guide casually said “vomitorium.” Of course, my mind went exactly where yours probably just did. But no — the ancient Romans did not build special rooms for losing their lunch after too much wine.

A vomitorium was actually a passageway designed to move huge crowds quickly in and out of an amphitheater, essentially “spitting” spectators back onto the streets after an event.

That little language lesson stuck with me because it made the Colosseum feel less like a monument and more like a place that once buzzed with real people. Tens of thousands of spectators packed the stands to watch gladiatorial contests, animal hunts and other public spectacles, and the Romans engineered the building to move those crowds remarkably efficiently.

If this is your first trip to Rome, the Colosseum belongs near the top of your list of things to do in Rome Italy. I recommend going inside rather than just admiring it from the street, because standing within the arena gives you a much better sense of its enormous scale and ingenuity.

STAY UNSTOPPABLE TIP: Reserve a timed-entry ticket or guided tour before your trip. The Colosseum is one of Rome’s busiest attractions, and advance booking can save you from spending valuable sightseeing time waiting in line.

Here’s my recommendation for booking your experience: Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill.

2.) Things to Do in Rome Italy: Wander the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

If the Colosseum shows you how Romans were entertained, the Roman Forum shows you how they lived, governed, worshipped and argued. Walking through the ruins, you’re moving through what was once the heart of ancient Rome, surrounded by temples, arches and the remains of buildings where some of the empire’s biggest decisions were made.

Then head uphill to Palatine Hill, one of Rome’s legendary seven hills and traditionally considered the birthplace of the city. I love this part because you get both history and some of the best views over the Forum. It also gives you a chance to slow down after the intensity of the Colosseum and take in how enormous ancient Rome really was.

If you’re visiting both, plan them together. The Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill naturally fit into the same half-day, and a good guide can help turn what might otherwise look like “a lot of old rocks” into the stories of emperors, senators, temples and everyday Roman life.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: Wear shoes with good traction. The stones and pathways around the Forum and Palatine Hill can be uneven and slick in places, especially after rain.

3.) Experience St. Peter’s Basilica

Even after multiple visits to Rome, walking into St. Peter’s Basilica still makes me stop and look up. The scale is almost hard to take in — soaring marble columns, elaborate chapels, Michelangelo’s Pietà, and so much art that you could spend hours here and still miss something.

For me, though, St. Peter’s is more than one of Rome’s most magnificent buildings. It is a sacred place tied to the earliest days of Christianity and traditionally built over the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle. That connection gives the basilica a depth that goes far beyond its architecture.

I climbed all the way to the top of St. Peter’s dome on one of my early visits, and I still recommend doing it if you’re able. You can take the elevator partway, but you’ll still have 320 steps to climb before stepping outside for an incredible view over St. Peter’s Square and Rome.

Take your time inside the basilica, too. Don’t rush from masterpiece to masterpiece. Step into the side chapels, look closely at the mosaics and details, and give yourself a few quiet moments to absorb where you are.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: Visit early in the morning if you can. St. Peter’s Basilica is free to enter, but the dome requires a separate ticket, and security lines can grow long as the day goes on. I recommend buying your dome ticket in advance.

Book official St. Peter’s Basilica and Dome tickets

4.) See the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums

The first time I walked into the Sistine Chapel, I remember craning my neck toward Michelangelo’s ceiling and thinking, How could one person possibly create all of this? Even after seeing the images reproduced in books for years, standing beneath them is something entirely different.

Of course, the Sistine Chapel is only part of the experience. To reach it, you pass through the Vatican Museums, where room after room is filled with sculpture, tapestries, frescoes and treasures collected over centuries. It can be a lot to take in, so don’t feel like you have to absorb every single gallery.

If this is your first visit, I recommend either booking an early-entry ticket or going with a knowledgeable guide. The Vatican Museums are enormous, and a good guide can help you understand what you’re seeing instead of simply following the crowd from one masterpiece to the next.

And when you finally reach the Sistine Chapel, slow down. Look at the ceiling, but also turn your attention to The Last Judgment behind the altar. It’s easy to become so focused on the famous ceiling that you miss one of Michelangelo’s other great works right in front of you.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: Reserve your Vatican Museums tickets in advance. This is one of the busiest attractions in Rome, and advance booking can save you a tremendous amount of time — time you’ll probably be very happy to have once you see just how much there is to explore.

Skip the line when you book this guided experience now: Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel

5.) One of the Top Things to do in Rome Italy: Toss a Coin into Trevi Fountain

You can see a hundred photos of the Trevi Fountain, but the real thing still has a way of stopping you in your tracks. It feels almost theatrical, tucked into the city with all that marble, rushing water and larger-than-life sculpture suddenly opening up in front of you.

And yes, I’m going to tell you to toss a coin.

The tradition says that if you toss one coin over your shoulder into the fountain, you’ll return to Rome. Considering I’ve been back seven times after my first visit, maybe there’s something to it!

What I love about Trevi is that it’s more than a quick photo stop. Give yourself a few minutes to look at the details, watch the crowd and take in how dramatic the fountain feels in such a tight urban space.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: As of 2026, you’ll pay €2 to enter the area closest to Trevi Fountain. Buy your ticket ahead of time if you want to get down near the water and toss your coin; you can still see the fountain from farther back without entering the ticketed basin area. The new system was introduced to control those enormous crowds and make the experience more manageable.

Official Trevi Fountain information and tickets: Trevi Fountain official website

6.) Step Inside the Pantheon

The Pantheon is one of those Rome sights that sneaks up on you. You wander through narrow streets, turn a corner and suddenly there it is — massive, ancient and somehow still standing after nearly 2,000 years.

What always gets me is the dome. Once you step inside, look straight up at the oculus, the circular opening in the center of the ceiling. It is the Pantheon’s only source of natural light, and watching that beam move across the interior makes the whole building feel alive.

The Pantheon began as a Roman temple and was later consecrated as a Catholic church, which is a big reason it survived when so many other ancient buildings did not. Today, it is also the burial place of important Italians, including the artist Raphael.

This is one of those places where you do not need hours. Give yourself enough time to walk slowly around the interior, look up, notice the marble and architectural details, and appreciate just how sophisticated Roman engineering really was.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: The Pantheon now requires a ticket for most visitors, so I recommend buying yours in advance if you are visiting during busy season. Buy your guided tour with reserved entry tickets now. It is an easy stop to combine with Piazza Navona and Trevi Fountain while you are exploring central Rome on foot.

7.) Relax in Piazza Navona

I love Piazza Navona because it feels like Rome showing off — fountains, churches, cafés, street life and layers of history all packed into one elegant square.

The shape of the piazza gives away its ancient past. It was built over the site of the Stadium of Domitian, and today you can still see that long, oval footprint in the way the square curves around you.

The centerpiece is Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers, but don’t rush through just to snap a photo. This is a place to slow down, grab a coffee or gelato, watch the street performers and simply enjoy being in Rome.

One of my favorite bits of Piazza Navona history came much later than ancient Rome. From the 1600s until the mid-1800s, the square was partially flooded on summer weekends so Romans could cool off and enjoy the spectacle. The tradition echoed the ancient Roman naumachiae, or staged naval entertainments, but these Piazza Navona floods were a Baroque-era tradition — not something happening back when the Stadium of Domitian was filled with ancient spectators.

I still laugh remembering one visit when my husband, Dan, and I had a map in our hands and somehow couldn’t find Piazza Navona. Rome can do that to you. The streets twist, the piazzas hide around corners, and sometimes the best part is what you discover while you’re looking for something else.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: If your time in Rome is limited, consider arranging a private walking tour that includes Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. These sights are close together, and a good guide can save you steps while helping you understand what you’re seeing.

8.) Climb the Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps are one of those Rome landmarks that are as much about the setting as the steps themselves. Start at Piazza di Spagna, look up toward the sweeping staircase and the church of Trinità dei Monti, then take your time climbing.

I like this area because it gives you another good excuse to experience Rome on foot. The streets around the Spanish Steps are packed with shops, cafés and beautiful corners, so don’t treat this as a quick photo stop and rush away.

At the bottom, look for Bernini’s Fontana della Barcaccia, the boat-shaped fountain that sits right in the middle of the piazza. Then climb to the top for a different view back over the neighborhood and rooftops of Rome.

One thing has changed since some of my earlier visits: you can no longer sit on the Spanish Steps. Rome introduced the rule to protect the monument, and police can issue fines if you decide to settle in for a long rest.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: Go early in the morning if you want photos with fewer people. Later in the day, the entire Piazza di Spagna area can feel packed, especially during peak travel season.

9.) Put Your Hand in the Mouth of Truth

I remember sticking my hand into the Mouth of Truth — Bocca della Verità — for the first time and feeling just a little ridiculous about how nervous I was. The legend says the ancient stone face will bite the hand of a liar, but my imagination had already gone rogue. I was half expecting poisonous centipedes or other creepy Roman creatures to slither around my hand.

Of course, nothing happened.

That’s part of what makes this such a fun stop. The massive marble face is set into the portico of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, and people have been lining up for generations to test the old legend and snap the classic hand-in-the-mouth photo.

If you’ve seen the movie Roman Holiday, the scene may look familiar. Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn helped turn this quirky Roman curiosity into an international must-see.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: The line can move slowly because nearly everyone wants the same photo. If this is high on your list of things to do in Rome Italy, go earlier in the day and have your camera ready so you can enjoy the moment without holding up the queue.

10.) Walk or Bike the Appian Way

The Appian Way — Via Appia Antica is especially meaningful to me because I once walked it as part of a pilgrimage from Rome to Bari on the Adriatic. I was staying in a monastery near the Colosseum, and from there I set out on foot, following the ancient road south out of Rome.

Walking the Via Appia gives you a completely different feel for the city. The crowds thin, umbrella pines line the route and ruins appear along the road. Instead of simply looking at ancient Rome, you’re literally walking on stones that carried travelers, soldiers and pilgrims for centuries.

Today, you can explore portions of the Appian Way on foot or by bike. Even if you’re not walking all the way to Bari like I did, a few hours here gives you a refreshing break from museums and busy piazzas.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: Wear sturdy shoes. Those ancient paving stones are beautiful, but uneven. Sunday is also a good day to go because vehicle traffic is more restricted along parts of the historic route.

11.) Go Underground in the Roman Catacombs

After walking the Appian Way, head underground to explore some of Rome’s catacombs. These ancient burial complexes stretch through miles of tunnels beneath the city and offer a fascinating look at early Christian Rome.

What makes the catacombs especially meaningful is knowing that early Christians buried their dead here and gathered to remember them during a time when Christianity was still developing in the Roman world. You’ll see narrow passageways lined with burial niches, family tombs and, in some places, early Christian symbols and frescoes.

Several catacombs are located along or near the Via Appia Antica, including the Catacombs of San Callisto and San Sebastiano, so they’re easy to combine with your Appian Way outing.

You must visit the catacombs with a guide, which I actually think makes the experience better. Without someone explaining what you’re looking at, those long underground corridors could easily become just dark tunnels.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: Bring a light layer even in summer. The catacombs stay cool underground, which can feel wonderful after walking Rome’s sun-baked streets. But first, book this top-rated guided tour now before it sells out for your dates.

12.) Taste Rome on a Food Tour

One of the best ways to understand Rome is to eat your way through it. A Rome food tour gives you a chance to try local specialties while learning why certain dishes belong to this city rather than simply ordering whatever looks familiar on the menu.

Look for opportunities to taste Roman classics such as cacio e pepe, carbonara, supplì and crispy Roman-style pizza, then save room for gelato. A good guide can also steer you toward family-run shops and neighborhood places you might walk right past on your own.

Food tours are especially fun early in your trip. You’ll learn what to order, how Romans eat and which neighborhoods you may want to return to later for dinner. It’s an easy way to turn a meal into one of your best things to do Rome Italy experiences.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: Book your food tour now for early in your stay. You’ll come away with restaurant ideas, foods to look for and a much better idea of what you want to eat for the rest of your time in Rome.

— Reserve in advance if this is high on your Rome wish list.

Don’t be disappointed when this Rome food or walking tour books up! Reserve you place now!

BONUS Thing to do in Rome: Attend a Papal Audience at the Vatican

Attend a Papal Audience at the Vatican

If your Rome visit falls on a Wednesday, check whether a Papal Audience is scheduled at the Vatican. Even if you’re already planning to visit St. Peter’s Basilica, this is a completely different experience — thousands of pilgrims gathering from around the world in St. Peter’s Square or, depending on the season, inside the Paul VI Audience Hall.

You don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate the energy of the crowd, but for Christian travelers, attending a Papal Audience can add a meaningful spiritual dimension to your time in Rome. You’ll hear Scripture, prayers and a message from the pope, with portions typically repeated in several languages for the international crowd.

Tickets for the general audience are free, but you need to request them in advance. Arrive early, because security lines can be long and the best seating fills quickly.

UNSTOPPABLE Tip: Don’t pay someone simply for a Papal Audience ticket — the tickets themselves are free. A paid guided experience may include help with logistics or sightseeing afterward, but admission to the audience does not carry a ticket fee.

Stay UNSTOPPABLE Tip: Did you know you can save a boatload of money by purchasing the Rome Tourist Card?

It allows you to pick your dates for:

Skip the Line Ticket for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
Colosseum & Forum ticket
St. Peter’s Basilica or the Roman Pantheon
10% discount on other attractions!

Get all the details now before they’re sold out!

In a hurry? Here are my top picks for places to stay in Rome:

Rome rewards a little advance planning, especially if you’d rather spend your time exploring than standing in line. If your trip is coming up soon, lock in your hotel and must-see attractions first — particularly if you’re visiting in spring, summer or fall.

Where to Stay in Rome

🛏️ Hotel Raphaël – Relais & Châteaux — Top-rated hotel centrally located; Castel Sant’Angelo is only 2297 feet away!
🛏️ Radisson Collection Hotel, Roma Antica — 360-degree panoramic views of Rome, including sights like the Pantheon and Piazza Venezia from the rooftop cocktail bar and terrace.
🛏️ Casa per ferie Suore Domenicane — I so enjoyed my monastery stay near the Colosseum that I am recommending that spiritual adventurers do the same!

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Hi, I’m Stacey

UNSTOPPABLE Stacey Travel is a travel blog focused on immersive travel that highlights food, wine and the spirituality of place. You can count on me for accurate reports and insightful analysis as your trusted travel writer since 2008.

As the author of several spiritual and walking guides, I occasionally write about life as a Camino de Santiago pilgrim. See my Amazon author page here. You may review my credentials as a professional travel writer on LinkedIn.

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