10+ Things to Make Sure You Do in Rome, Italy
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After visiting Rome for the first time, I wanted to put together a guide that covers everything to see on your first trip. I found it a little bit difficult to find all the iconic sights compiled into one list.
There is obviously rich history, tourist attractions, and beautiful buildings everywhere you look. And if you have plenty of time, definitely go off the beaten path!! But, if you’ve heard about or seen pictures of Rome all of your life, this list compiles the classic things to do and see.
As a person who was raised Catholic, I thought I knew so much about this city. When we got there, we soon realized how massive it actually is and just how busy and touristy it can be. This being said, definitely make sure you book any tours in advance to guarantee you will get to see them. Also, check for things being open on certain days of the week (for example, since Sunday is a holy day, some things will be closed).
Rome is a standard large city in terms of tourism. There will be people trying to get you to buy things and areas that it is not safe to walk at night. As long as you follow general safety rules, you should be fine. A great way to actually see the city is by doing various guided tours. I always recommend using Viator because they have a wide selection of options that just make your experience easier and more fun. Other than that, here is my list of things to make sure you add to your itinerary for your first trip to Rome:
1. Tour The Vatican & Sistine Chapel
Vatican City is its own country. So you technically get to see 2 countries by just going to one city! Vatican City is right outside the city of Rome, just across the Tiber River. Depending on where you’re staying, you can either walk here or catch a taxi or Uber! We used Viator to find the right tour for us.
The Vatican and Sistine Chapel are NOT open for tours on Sundays!! This is important, because if you are visiting on a weekend, make sure you go on Saturday. We arrived in Rome early Saturday morning, so we had to make sure we did our tour that evening. The tour we booked on Viator was the “Skip-the-Line: The Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel Guided Small-Group Tour”. You can find that same tour or other similar tours here: Vatican and Sistine Chapel Tour.
Our tour group was only about 10 people, so we could easily ask questions to our guide. It was also easier to keep everyone together. I will say that it was super crowded by our tour time. I’m sure morning tours would be much less crowded.
These tours take you through Vatican Museums and The Sistine Chapel, like the name suggests. This simply means you will be going around the grounds surrounding The Vatican, looking at all different types of artwork and sculptures. Your guide will explain the history and significance of all the major pieces.
Every hallway and room was so ornate and detailed. This is the same for The Sistine Chapel. Please note: you cannot take pictures in The Sistine Chapel and it is meant to be a quiet space. The tour guides will take your headsets before you enter. After this, it is pretty much only a couple cafes and shops the rest of the way. These tours take about 2-3 hours depending on the amount of people, so plan accordingly!
2. Walk Through St. Peter’s Square
Next up, you definitely have to walk through St. Peter’s Square. To get here, definitely walk down the street “Via della Conciliazione”. This long street gives you a view of St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica the entire way. It helps you take in the beauty and grandeur before you step foot into Vatican City, which starts right at the edge of the square.
Due to poor planning, we did not take a tour here. But, if you have the time, I would definitely recommend booking one!! You can go inside the beautiful St. Peter’s Basilica and climb up to see views of the square and the city from above. Again, do not try to book on Sunday!!
These tours are only available on certain days of the week. So, if getting to tour this is important to you, make sure you book your trip around the days tours are offered.
You can, however, see the Pope on Sundays when he appears in the window and does a blessing. If you’re like us, you can just walk through the square! This doesn’t require a tour. But, the Pope does do events on certain days, and the General Audience is typically on Wednesdays. If you’re looking on more information and how to get tickets, click here: Papal Audience Information.
The architecture here is perfectly symmetrical with tons of detailed artwork embedded in each structure. The Swiss Guards are also on duty here, and if you go at the right time, you can see the changing of the guard ceremony! Even though the Pope is Catholic, it is the opportunity to see a major figure as well as experience a place constructed so long ago.
3. Eat Carbonara and Pizza
Obviously, the food is a major selling point for visiting Rome or Italy in general. There’s nothing like the fresh ingredients that actually feel good and taste authentic. What you won’t find in Italy is spaghetti or Alfredo so don’t even try! Their classic dish is going to be the carbonara.
When you see carbonara in Italy, you might be a little confused. It will say made with eggs, cheese, bacon, and pepper. This is the traditional way to make carbonara, unlike in America where it is made with butter, cream, and bacon.
The bacon will sometimes not be what you typically have in the US, so don’t expect it to be crispy. The “eggs” in the dish has to do with the sauce. It will have a sort of egg flavor, mixed with other ingredients, but do not let this deter you! You definitely have to at least try it once.
You might initially get your dish and wonder if it will be enough food, but the pasta here fills you up FAST. When talking to waiters, they said yes, it fills you up fast, but you’ll be hungry faster too. I could almost never finish my entire meal despite my eyes being bigger than my stomach.
You also have to try pizza! The classic pizza is going to be the Margherita pizza, which has mozzarella and basil. You can find various types of pizza in Rome, but don’t expect them to be like American. They are typically thinner and the sauce can be the main event. If you want to do as the locals do, make sure to grab pizza by the slice (or, pizza al taglio).
4. Get an Aperol Spritz at Bibliobar Rome
You can’t go to Rome without drinking an Aperol spritz, or 3. But, quite possibly our favorite place in Rome was Biblio Bar Roma. This bar is located right along the Tiber River between Castel Sant’Angelo and the Supreme Court building.
There is a sidewalk along the river that has souvenir stands during the day with lots of perfect gifts for really good prices. Biblio Bar is open during the day, and you can sit and enjoy the sunshine with a drink while people watching.
We went to Biblio Bar at night and enjoyed our drinks with the twinkle lights around us, the trees towering above, and a quiet evening. This is by no means a typical bar like you would expect, it has more of the feel of a beer garden.
What makes this bar so special is all in the name. It is full of books! The entire stand is covered with shelves of books, and it has other shelves on the sides full of books too. They also have foosball tables and plenty of seating. This is a very relaxed environment that makes for a fun night out. We walked there after dinner, and it felt great to walk around with way less tourists and see the streets at night!
Aperol spritz is a classic drink to get in Italy. It is a wine-based cocktail, and it is so refreshing especially on warm Italian evenings. Definitely order one of these at any of your meals or to get drinks with the group.
5. Toss a Coin in the Trevi Fountain
Lizzie McGuire showed us all the dream, now it’s just our turn to follow in her footsteps. Please be aware before you go: it will be crowded. Going to the Trevi Fountain can be somewhat chaotic. It is located in a square surrounded by tons of shops and places to eat, catering to all the tourists. At most times during the day, it will be hard to walk through the crowd surrounding the fountain.
This being said, you definitely can find a spot to get to the front, you just might have to be a little assertive or wait your turn. If you’re nice, offer to take a picture for someone else, and see if they can take a picture for you!
The first time we went was in the morning on a Sunday. It was pretty crowded, but it was doable. The next morning, we went back before we had to head out to the airport. It was a Monday morning, and they were actually doing the cleaning of the fountain. It was much less crowded, and the area closer to the fountain was closed off.
If you get here on a Monday morning, you can wait for them to open the area after the cleaning. They have to clean out all the coins! There will be far less people, and you might get the first coin in there. Recreate the Lizzie McGuire movie or pick a wish that doesn’t have to do with love. Don’t forget to admire the bluest water in the fountain and the ornate architecture behind it! It’s so much more than a good picture.
6. See or Tour the Colosseum
Book tickets in advance if you want to tour here! We did not do that, but we weren’t all that interested. There were definitely people trying to sell tickets for tours while walking around it, so just know what you want to do beforehand. You can take the tickets from these people, but the line can get really long (even with tickets), so plan for enough time.
Other than that, you can absolutely just take a stroll around the massive structure. The Colosseum is located in the more southern area of the city. This is where I’ll talk about bus tours. A bus tour is probably one of the best ways to get around the city.
Sure, you can walk, but that’s going to be too much, especially if on a time crunch. You can typically get a bus tour that will take you to most of these stops. They go around on a schedule, so you can hop on or off whenever you want. This saves time walking, and they usually have an audio guide on the bus while you’re riding.
We got dropped off at the Colosseum and stayed around that area for a while. This saved us so much time, and then we were able to also go to the Roman Forum (see below). After we were done in this area, we simply got picked up and were on our merry way. So, head on out and see the Colosseum and learn about the gladiator games. Admire the work that was put in to create this structure that has stayed around for so many years!
7. Eat Gelato Every Day
You cannot go to Italy without eating gelato. I don’t make the rules. When we first went to Greece back in 2019, we fell in love with it. My mom says she fell in love while in Greece…with gelato. Well, needless to say, we couldn’t wait to eat some every day of our trip.
Gelato comes in so many different flavors and it can definitely be overwhelming. Also, if you’re worried about eating sugar and sweets so much on your trip – trust me, you are walking more than enough for it to do anything. Sure, some people like to stick to their standard flavors. But, I’m of the opinion that you should try out all of the ones you might like.
Every time I get gelato, I usually get 2 scoops, and I almost always have a chocolate flavor in those. My most memorable flavors are Nutella, salted caramel, and one that was simply called “cookies”. Every shop has a variety of flavors. These gelato shops are everywhere, so whenever you’re feeling up to it, just pop in and get one!
8. See the Fountains at Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is one of the most well-known squares in Rome. Sure, there are many different “squares” all around the city, but this one is one of the largest and is known for its ornate fountains. Piazza Navona has tons of shops and cafe all around the square. This would be a great spot to spend an evening eating dinner outside people watching or getting a nice evening cocktail in.
The fountains at Piazza Navona are pretty incredible. We actually went in the morning (after our walk to Trevi Fountain) before leaving Monday morning. There was almost nobody in the square at that time. Only a few people out for their morning walk or on their way to work. We got to casually stroll around the whole square and just talk. Dare I say it was more magical than being there in the morning? I actually felt like a local, except for the fact that I was gawking at every beautiful thing.
At any rate, something you have to do while in Rome is spend some time in a piazza, or “square”. In pretty much any city in the United States, you will not find anything like this. Getting to spend time outdoors, surrounded by people in a slow-paced lifestyle is unique and shouldn’t be taken for granted! To see more about Piazza Navona, click here: Piazza Navona Rome.
9. Climb to the Top of the Spanish Steps
I will admit we did not do this; however, our hop-on, hop-off bus did have this as a stop. We just simply didn’t have enough time (we only had 48 hours and we were struggling too much from jet lag at the beginning). But, this is definitely a unique little excursion to do while in Rome.
If you don’t know anything about the Spanish Steps, it is 135 steps that lead up to a church. It could definitely be considered a more religious type of thing to do, but it is on the tour bus stops for a reason. It is said to have been a place where the physical and eternal worlds meet.
For this reason, many people walk up these stairs as a religious or spiritual experience. Walking up the stairs offers views of the city, so many people simply experience the steps for that reason too. Even if you aren’t religious or Catholic, I believe having these types of experiences in different cultures or religions opens our minds to how other people view the world.
If you’re looking for vast views of Rome, a workout, or a religious experience, you should definitely add this to your itinerary. And if you’re simply on a hop-on, hop-off bus, make sure you hop off at the Spanish Steps spot.
10. Admire the History of the Roman Forum
I’m a sucker for a good ancient city. Visiting Athens was my favorite part of my trip to Greece, because I simply LOVE feeling like I’m walking back in time. I had this same feeling when visiting the Roman Forum. You can walk both through and around the Roman Forum. Here you will see ancient buildings and ruins, untouched like they were frozen in time, albeit very old and ruined.
As you look over the different sculptures, you can start to picture what life would have been like 20 centuries ago. You can take a tour around this area if you want. Tours might be included with the Colosseum tours since they are so close together. Interestingly enough, the Roman Forum was once buried and it had to be excavated and uncovered.
It’s always such a wonder how these things can still be preserved after going through so much time and other factors. Here you will see “streets” that used to be their main streets, different temples, and so many columns and arches.
While at the Roman Forum, walking a little bit further, you can also visit “Altar of the Fatherland”. We could not figure out what it was for the life of us, but after looking it up, it is a massive temple. If you’re feeling adventurous or you like heights, you can also go way up onto the observation deck there for views of the city.
11. Visit the Pantheon
Last, but certainly not least, add the Pantheon to your list. The Pantheon has a ton of historical significance, and I’m not going to attempt to be an expert on it.
All I know is that it is a massive temple with a gorgeous dome ceiling. While we were there, a mass was going on, so we weren’t able to get inside. I would also suggest a guided tour, because that will give you all of the information you will want to know after seeing it.
Make sure you go visit outside of mass times if you want to go inside, because it is still a church! Even from the square where it is located, we could see inside the door and wow. Every wall, every column, everything about it was so majestic and other-worldly. It is apparently one of the most well-preserved buildings from the time.
When visiting, make sure to dress appropriately, as with all of Rome. Because so many of the buildings are either churches or are considered holy, it is important to show respect in that way. This typically means covering the shoulders and making sure your knees are covered (yes, you can wear jeans).
BONUS: Stay at Dulcis Inn Pantheon
We booked our hotel with about 1-2 months before. Yes, I am a last-minute planner. Always have been, always will be. So, a lot of places were already booked up or were crazy expensive for our budget. I read a lot of places that you should try to stay near the Pantheon. This is because it is a very central location, and after staying here, I can definitely confirm this.
The area and neighborhood near the Pantheon was walkable to almost every single place we wanted to go. Sometimes it was a little farther of a walk (20 minutes), but definitely doable. While part of it was closed at the time we went, it was super charming and the staff there were super accommodating. The rooms were everything we needed and easy to get in and out despite being on a semi-busy street.
To see this charming hotel or to make reservations, click here: Dulcis Inn Pantheon.
For more travel guides on cities or countries abroad, click here: International Destinations.
To read more about my travel guide to Athens, another incredible and historic city, click here: Ultimate Guide to Athens, Greece in 1 Day.
And be on the lookout for my full trip 1-week itinerary for Rome, Amalfi Coast/Naples, Malta, and Northern Ireland!
