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Lazio · Italy
Rome
Rome is not a museum city — it is a working capital that happens to have the Forum in the middle of it. The layering is the whole appeal.
Stays from €110 a night
The place
What Rome is actually like
What separates Rome from other historic capitals is that nothing was ever cleared away. A baroque church sits on a medieval foundation built into a Roman temple, and there is a bus stop outside. You do not visit the history here so much as walk through it on the way to lunch.
The centro storico — the tangle between the Tiber, the Corso and the Colosseum — is where most of the famous things are and where you should stay if it is a first visit. Trastevere across the river is prettier and better for eating. Monti, just behind the Forum, is the neighbourhood Romans themselves would pick.
Roman cooking is aggressively regional and largely unchanged: five pasta dishes, offal, artichokes, and very good pizza al taglio. Ordering carbonara with cream, or a cappuccino after midday, marks you out more than any accent would.
Timing
When to visit
Honest seasonality — including the months we would not recommend.
- Busiest
Apr – May
Best overall
Warm, long evenings, wisteria everywhere. The busiest shoulder in Europe for a reason.
- Balanced
Jun – Aug
Very hot
Over 35°C is routine and the queues are at their worst. Do the ruins at 8am or not at all.
- Busiest
Sep – Oct
The best month is October
Warm days, cool evenings, and the light on the travertine is at its most flattering.
- Quietest
Nov – Mar
Quiet and mild
Cool and sometimes wet, but the Vatican without a two-hour queue is worth a raincoat.
Neighbourhoods
Where to stay in Rome
Each area suits a different trip. Pick the one that matches yours.
Centro Storico
Pantheon, Navona, Campo de' Fiori — everything on your list, on foot
- First visits
- Walking
- Sightseeing
Monti
Behind the Forum, full of Romans, wine bars and independent shops
- Repeat visits
- Food
- Atmosphere
Trastevere
Ivy, cobbles and the city's best trattorie, across the river
- Dining
- Nightlife
- Couples
Prati
Elegant, residential and calm, ten minutes from the Vatican
- Value
- Families
- Quiet
Stays
Popular hotels in Rome
Live prices from our accommodation partners for a sample three-night stay.
Things to do
What to do in Rome
- The Colosseum and Forum on a combined ticket, entering at opening
- The Pantheon, which is free, extraordinary, and takes ten minutes
- Galleria Borghese — two-hour timed slots, book weeks ahead
- The Vatican Museums on a Friday evening opening, at a fraction of the crowd
- Aperitivo on a Monti side street before dinner
- The Appian Way by bike on a Sunday, when it closes to traffic
Eating and drinking
- Cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana and gricia — the four Roman pastas, in that order of difficulty
- Pizza al taglio by weight, eaten standing up
- Carciofi alla giudia in the Jewish Ghetto, in season from February to April
- Suppli — fried rice balls with a molten mozzarella centre
Book ahead
Tours, tickets and day trips
Practicalities
Things worth knowing
Book the Colosseum and Borghese in advance
Both use timed entry and both sell out days ahead in season. Walk-up is not a plan.
Drink from the nasoni
The little cast-iron street fountains run continuously with cold, excellent drinking water. Carry a bottle and never buy one.
Dress code at the Vatican is enforced
Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone. People are turned away daily.
Eat away from the sightlines
Two streets back from any monument, the quality roughly doubles and the price roughly halves.
Orientation
Rome at a glance
Questions
Rome FAQ
How many days do you need in Rome?
Four nights is the sensible minimum: one for ancient Rome, one for the Vatican, and two for the centre and Trastevere at walking pace.
Is the Roma Pass worth buying?
Marginal. It covers transport and two sites, but the major attractions now need separate timed reservations anyway, which is the actual bottleneck.
How do I get from Fiumicino into the city?
The Leonardo Express runs to Termini in 32 minutes. A fixed-rate taxi to the centro storico is around €55 and makes sense with luggage or a group.
Is Rome walkable?
The historic centre is, comfortably. Bring shoes that cope with cobbles — sampietrini are punishing in anything thin-soled.
Elsewhere
