Rome is one of the capital cities of the world, and with so much history and life, it can be difficult to figure out just where and how to spend your time when visiting. To streamline things for your next trip, check out five cool things to do in Rome, Italy! Rome is easily my favorite city in the world. I have never visited a more walkable and convenient city — and every corner is packed with tons of fascinating history, great food, amazing places and incredible photo opportunities.
I would highly recommend going in January, when the prices are super cheap (flights for less that $700/person from even smaller airports in the US and highly rated hotels for $65/night). Two people can easily get to Rome and stay for 7 nights for less than $2,000 — and the weather when I went was fantastic… there was some rain and it could get a little chilly, but pack a coat and you are good to go. Plus, there are fewer tourists in January, so while you’ll never get this city to yourself, it’s nice to not be overwhelmed with the tourist population.
1. See the Historic Sites (obviously)
Location: Everywhere in Rome
Website: Visit Rome
The Coliseum. The Pantheon. The Forum. The list goes on… and on… and on. Plan on spending days upon days exploring the beautiful sites in this city. The great thing about these sites is that since they are within the city, I felt comfortable visiting them at anytime, day or night (the ones that stay open). It’s worthwhile to see most of them at both times for a completely different experience.
Must sees here include: The Coliseum, The Pantheon, The Forum (we didn’t schedule enough time to explore the Forum so I’d recommend spending most of a day here wandering around and taking in the history), The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona. There are so many more, obviously, but these are ones you can’t miss.
2. Eat Gelato at Venchi
Location: Via del Corso, 335, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Website: Venchi Cioccolato e Gelato
This chocolate & gelato shop is the real deal — amazing gelato and always busy. There are three locations in Rome, but I recommend the one at Via del Corso because they have the flowing chocolate wall shown above, and who doesn’t like to watch tons of chocolate flowing down a wall. You can choose from a huge selection of gelato flavors, and even get your cone dipped in chocolate fudge that sticks to the top portion of the cone and stays soft, not like the ones I get in the States that have hardened chocolate.
You can also get the chocolate rolled in one of 3 coatings… I don’t really know what they were, but they looked good, so I got one. It was unbelievably delicious. See below. When in Rome, get gelato. When getting gelato, get it at Venchi.
3. Explore the City
Location: Everywhere in Rome
Website: Visit Rome
When I say this city is walkable, I am not joking. Take a look at any map of Rome and the historic sites and they are so concentrated it’s not even worth taking a cab most of the time. If you take a cab/ride share, you miss so many nooks and cranny’s with all the interesting things that make this city truly amazing.
I can’t name how many times we turned down a street (and when I say street, I really mean a cobblestone alleyway that is considered a street in Rome) and discovered a fountain, or a super-cool shop or an amazing cathedral or church in the most unusual places. A small street would hold the entrance to what would be the most amazingly beautiful church in the United States, and it was one of probably hundreds scattered throughout Rome. If you can, explore Rome on foot 99% of the time and just go and discover. I could spend a month here just exploring.
4. Visit Vatican City & the Vatican Museums
Location: Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome
Website: Vatican City Museums
Truly amazing. Very few places are spectacular enough to leave me speechless. This did. The art throughout the museums is truly stunning, most of which is painted on the ceilings throughout the Vatican, from masters Michaelangelo, Raphael and more.
The statues that grace the halls and grounds and are centuries old and are some of the rarest pieces in the world. My favorite room was the Gallery of Maps shown below. I was blown away by the ornately painted and decorated ceiling that seemed to stretch for hundreds of feet. Amazingly beautiful. Plan to spend at least an entire day here, appreciating the works of some of history’s greatest artists.
After the museums, venture into St. Peter’s Square and then into the world’s largest cathedral, St. Peter’s Basilica. Another awe inspiring site to behold, it must be seen to be believed. If you are headed to Rome, I assume this is on your list. If not, is should be.
5. Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!
Location: Pretty much any restaurant in Rome
I say pizza, but really any Italian food I had in Rome is better than any Italian food I’ve had in the US. The pizza was really amazing in multiple places we went, in addition to homemade pasta in every restaurant. You can easily find great places to eat on every street, so I recommend just finding a close place when you are hungry… I would bet it’s hard to go wrong.
