Guide to Rome

Rome, Italy’s capital is a city that you will never forget after visiting. Rome’s history, architecture, art, and culture make it a captivating city with sights to see around every corner.

Sights to See in Rome

Colosseum: It is surreal seeing such an amazing architectural feat in person. The colosseum is the largest amphitheater ever built and held over 50,000 spectators. Being inside the Colosseum brings you back in time to ancient Rome where the gladiators fought for their lives. Tip: buy tickets and tours in advance online to skip the long lines to get in. 

Roman Forum and Palatine Hill: Palatine Hill is one  of the Seven Hills of Rome. You must go to the top of the hill as it stands 40 meters above the Roman Forum and gives you spectacular views of the ancient ruins and the rest of the city. The Roman Forum are the ruins of ancient Rome’s city center. You can truly immerse yourself and visualize a busy city full of life while walking through the Forum’s ruins. 

Trevi Fountain:  The Trevi fountain is a must see in Rome as it is one of the most beautiful fountains I have ever come across. Legend has it that if you throw a coin in the fountain you will return to Rome. So I threw 3 coins just to be safe. 🙂 

Spanish Steps: You can easily walk from the Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps as they are close together. Be prepared to climb 135 steps! The climb is well worth it as you get a gorgeous view over the Piazza di Spagna. 

Pantheon: The Pantheon is a former Roman temple that is now used as a church. You can go in to the Pantheon for free. The inside is beautiful on a sunny day as there is a giant circular opening at the top which allows the sunlight to shine through. It makes you feel like the gods are looking down on you!

Castle Sant’Angelo: Located right near Vatican City is the huge castle Sant’Angelo with a bridge that has an array of statues lining the walk way. 

Vatican City: This city-state is home to the Pope and don’t worry your passport is not required to visit! Vatican City is known for its museums and galleries containing sculptures, paintings, and tapestries. While in Vatican City you must go marvel at Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. It shows how amazing of an artist Michelangelo was considering he had to paint staring at a ceiling for 5 years! The Basilica di San Pietro is the largest church in the world and is also a must see in Vatican City with its amazing art, sculptures, and decor throughout the building. Vatican City gets VERY crowded, but it is worth it as visiting this city-state is a once in a lifetime experience whether you are religious or not.

Altare della Patria: This ginormous monument was built to honor the first King of unified Italy.

Piazzas of Rome

Rome has piazzas or “squares” all over the city. Each one is captivating and unique in its own way. Below are some of the piazzas you need to experience while in Rome. 

Piazza di Spagna: This piazza is home of the Spanish Steps and is surrounded by shops along with a fountain. It is a perfect place to relax on the steps and enjoy all that Rome has to offer.

Piazza Navona: This is one of Rome’s very popular piazzas with its restaurants and two beautiful fountains to enjoy.

Piazza della Rotonda: This piazza is where you will find the Pantheon along with a fountain and cafes surrounding it. This is a great place to sit and do some people-watching.

Piazza San Pietro: The Piazza San Pietro leads you to the Basilica di San Pietro in Vatican City. This square has two colonnades that were designed to represent welcoming arms. The square is HUGE and was purposely built that large to allow as many people as possible in to the piazza to see the Pope when he emerges on the balcony.

Piazza del Popolo: This is one of the larges piazzas in Rome and contains the twin churches. There are also stairs along the edge of the square that will lead you to the Pincio Terrace which offers a gorgeous view over the piazza and city.

Pro tip: If you are like me and dislike sharing sights with tons of people and tourists, I recommend waking up before the sun comes up to get to some of Rome’s main sights. Trust me, it’s worth being tired for. We got to the Trevi fountain by 6am and there were still a dozen people there already, but I didn’t have to push and shove to get pictures. 

Tours in Rome

I highly recommend buying tours or tickets online before going to these sights as a lot of them will allow you to skip the lines and zip right through security. Otherwise you will be waiting in line for hours depending on the time of day you go. It was worth every penny being able to go experience all the history Rome has to offer hassle free. 

Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill Tour

We booked a tour through Headout and this company is great! The guides are very knowledgable and friendly. If you book a tour through this company, your group gets to skip the lines, plus you get to enter in to the Colosseum through the gate that the gladiator’s took!

Vatican City Tour

We booked a tour through Veniero Tours by Hello Tours because we were able to once again skip the lines to get in. If you are interested in going to Vatican City, be sure that your shoulders and a majority of your legs are covered or you will have to buy a cover up to be allowed in to the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. 

I hope you have fun “Roming” around this fantastic city! 🙂