A photograph of Rome

City guide · Italy

Up to 1 hour in Rome, Italy — page 2

Rome is a broad historic city whose central archaeological, papal and baroque districts are close enough to walk but too dense to compress into one route. The C...

Photograph · Bert Kaufmann from Roermond, Netherlands · CC BY-SA 2.0

11,530 Places
Suggested stay
4-5 days
Getting around
Walking, metro, tram and bus

Turn this list into a plan

Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.

Plan Rome

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Rome is a broad historic city whose central archaeological, papal and baroque districts are close enough to walk but too dense to compress into one route. The Colosseum and forums, the Pantheon-Navona core, Vatican-Prati and Trastevere form separate clusters. Public transport handles longer links, yet much of a visit still happens on foot over uneven surfaces. Plan fewer major interiors per day and keep each route on one side of the Tiber where possible.

Checked 2026-08-26

Practical information

Language spoken
Italian
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+39
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
112
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type C, F and L · 230 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Not recorded
No verified nationwide visitor statement was recorded

Planning a visit

September · September cools Rome to a 26.5°C mean high, though normal rainfall rises to 73.3 mm.

  1. January: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  2. February: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  3. March: good time to visit
  4. April: good time to visit
  5. May: best time to visit
  6. June: best time to visit
  7. July: good time to visit
  8. August: good time to visit
  9. September: best time to visit — current month
  10. October: good time to visit
  11. November: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  12. December: viable with meaningful trade-offs

Sources

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. Piazza Venezia Piazza Venezia
    26 30 min

    Piazza Venezia

    Piazza Venezia is a major central square in Rome, Italy, located at the foot of the Capitoline Hill.

    • Must see
    • Activity
  2. Piazza della Rotonda Piazza della Rotonda
    27 30 min

    Piazza della Rotonda

    Piazza della Rotonda is a public square in the historic centre of Rome, Italy. The square takes its name from the Pantheon, the ancient Roman temple with its distinctive circular dome, which dominates the piazza.

    • Must see
    • Activity
  3. Piazza Farnese Piazza Farnese
    28 30 min

    Piazza Farnese

    Piazza Farnese is a historic square in Rome's Regola district, taking its name from the imposing Palazzo Farnese that dominates its northern flank. The square developed during the Renaissance as an expression of papal power and architectural ambition.

    • Must see
    • Activity
  4. Piazza Mattei Piazza Mattei
    29 30 min

    Piazza Mattei

    Piazza Mattei is a small square in Rome's historic Jewish Ghetto district, situated between Via della Reginella and Via dei Funari. The piazza takes its name from the Mattei family, a prominent Roman noble house.

    • Must see
    • Activity
  5. Jewish Ghetto Jewish Ghetto
    30 45 min

    Jewish Ghetto

    Ghetto ebraico

    The Roman Jewish Ghetto is a historic district in Rome's Rione Sant'Angelo, established in 1555 by papal decree. It served as a compulsory residential area for the city's Jewish population until 1870.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  6. Theatre of Marcellus Theatre of Marcellus
    31 45 min

    Theatre of Marcellus

    Teatro di Marcello

    The Theatre of Marcellus is an ancient open-air theatre in Rome, Italy. Its local name is Teatro di Marcello. Construction began under Julius Caesar and was completed by Augustus in 13 BC, dedicated to his nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  7. Porticus Octaviae Porticus Octaviae
    32 45 min

    Porticus Octaviae

    Portico d'Ottavia

    The Porticus Octaviae, known locally as Portico d'Ottavia, is an ancient Roman portico in the heart of Rome's Jewish Ghetto.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  8. Isola Tiberina Isola Tiberina
    33 20 min

    Isola Tiberina

    Isola Tiberina is the only island in the Tiber River within Rome's historic centre.

    • Must see
    • Viewpoint
  9. Santa Maria in Trastevere Santa Maria in Trastevere
    34 30 min

    Santa Maria in Trastevere

    Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere

    Santa Maria in Trastevere is a basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the heart of Rome’s Trastevere district.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
  10. Villa Doria Pamphili Villa Doria Pamphili
    35 1 hour

    Villa Doria Pamphili

    Villa Doria Pamphilj

    Villa Doria Pamphili is a historic villa and extensive public park in Rome, Italy. It is among the largest landscaped public parks in the city, situated on the Gianicolo hill.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
  11. Orto Botanico dell'Università di Roma "La Sapienza" Orto Botanico dell'Università di Roma "La Sapienza"
    36 1 hour

    Orto Botanico dell'Università di Roma "La Sapienza"

    Orto Botanico

    The Botanical Garden of Rome, or Orto Botanico, occupies the slopes of Janiculum Hill in Trastevere. It is a university botanical garden and a historic landscape descended from the grounds of Palazzo Corsini.

    • Must see
    • Nature site
  12. Baths of Diocletian Baths of Diocletian
    37 45 min

    Baths of Diocletian

    Terme di Diocleziano

    The Baths of Diocletian, known locally as Terme di Diocleziano, constitute one of ancient Rome's most massive bath complexes. Constructed between 298 and 306 CE, these public baths were commissioned by Emperor Maximian and named after his co-emperor Diocletian.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  13. Crypta Balbi Crypta Balbi
    38 45 min

    Crypta Balbi

    The Crypta Balbi is a museum and archaeological complex in Rome, Italy. It stands on the site of the ancient Theatre of Balbus, built by Lucius Cornelius Balbus in 13 BCE.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  14. largo di Torre Argentina largo di Torre Argentina
    39 45 min

    largo di Torre Argentina

    Largo di Torre Argentina

    Largo di Torre Argentina is a square in Rome that contains the remains of four Republican-era temples and the Theatre of Pompey. The ruins were uncovered during demolition work in the 1920s.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  15. Domus Aurea Domus Aurea
    40 45 min

    Domus Aurea

    The Domus Aurea, or Golden House, was the vast palace built by Emperor Nero after the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  16. Oppian Hill Oppian Hill
    41 1 hour

    Oppian Hill

    Parco del Colle Oppio

    Oppian Hill Park, or Parco del Colle Oppio, is a public green space on Rome’s historic Oppian Hill in the Monti district.

    • High
    • Nature site
  17. Basilica of San Clemente Basilica of San Clemente
    42 45 min

    Basilica of San Clemente

    Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano

    The Basilica of San Clemente is a layered historical church near the Colosseum in Rome. The present structure dates from the twelfth century, built over a fourth-century basilica, which itself covers Roman-era buildings including a mithraeum.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  18. San Pietro in Vincoli San Pietro in Vincoli
    43 30 min

    San Pietro in Vincoli

    Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli

    San Pietro in Vincoli is a basilica in Rome, officially named Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli. The church stands on the Oppian Hill near the Colosseum.

    • High
    • Place of worship
  19. Santa Maria della Vittoria Santa Maria della Vittoria
    44 30 min

    Santa Maria della Vittoria

    Santa Maria della Vittoria is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy. The church was begun in 1608 and completed in 1620.

    • High
    • Place of worship
  20. Sant'Andrea al Quirinale Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
    45 45 min

    Sant'Andrea al Quirinale

    Chiesa di Sant'Andrea al Quirinale

    Sant'Andrea al Quirinale is a Jesuit church on Rome’s Quirinal Hill, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and completed in the late seventeenth century. Dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, it is one of Bernini’s most accomplished religious buildings.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  21. Saint Charles at the Four Fountains Saint Charles at the Four Fountains
    46 30 min

    Saint Charles at the Four Fountains

    San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

    San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, known in English as Saint Charles at the Four Fountains, is a Baroque church in Rome designed by Francesco Borromini.

    • High
    • Place of worship
  22. Church of the Gesù Church of the Gesù
    47 30 min

    Church of the Gesù

    Chiesa del Gesù

    The Church of the Gesù, or Chiesa del Gesù, is the mother church of the Society of Jesus in Rome. The church is a major Baroque landmark and an architectural model for Jesuit churches around the world.

    • High
    • Place of worship
  23. Basilica of Saint Augustine in Campo Marzio Basilica of Saint Augustine in Campo Marzio
    48 30 min

    Basilica of Saint Augustine in Campo Marzio

    Basilica di Sant'Agostino

    The Basilica of Saint Augustine, or Basilica di Sant'Agostino, is a Roman Catholic church near Piazza Navona in Rome's historic centre. Dedicated to Saint Augustine of Hippo, it sits within the Campo Marzio district's dense collection of historic religious buildings.

    • High
    • Place of worship
  24. San Luigi dei Francesi San Luigi dei Francesi
    49 30 min

    San Luigi dei Francesi

    Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi

    San Luigi dei Francesi is Rome’s national church of France, located between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona in the historic centre.

    • High
    • Place of worship
  25. Santa Maria sopra Minerva Santa Maria sopra Minerva
    50 30 min

    Santa Maria sopra Minerva

    Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva

    Santa Maria sopra Minerva, also called Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva, is a Dominican basilica near the Pantheon in Rome’s historic centre. Its Gothic structure stands out in a city known for Renaissance and Baroque buildings.

    • High
    • Place of worship

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

How the city is laid out

The historic centre lies east of the Tiber around the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo de' Fiori and the Trevi-Spanish Steps axis. Southeast, the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine, Aventine and Baths of Caracalla form the main archaeological corridor. Across the river, Vatican City and Prati sit north of Trastevere and the Janiculum. Termini, Monti and Esquilino form the transport-facing eastern centre, while the Appian Way, EUR and Ostia Antica are separate outings beyond the core. The official tourism map treats these as distinct visitor zones for good reason.

Checked 2026-08-26

Getting around

Walk within the historic centre and use metro, tram or bus for the longer jumps. Rome's official tourism service notes that the public network connects the principal visitor sites, while the Metrebus system provides the common ticket framework. Metro coverage is useful for Termini, the Colosseum, the Vatican side and selected outer districts, but many central sights sit between stations. Buses fill those gaps and are vulnerable to road traffic. For the Appian Way or Ostia Antica, plan the complete outward and return connection before leaving the centre.

Checked 2026-08-26

More city guides

Common questions

How many days does Rome need?

Four to five days suit a first visit. Three days can cover the ancient core, the baroque centre and the Vatican side, while extra time allows the Appian Way, Ostia Antica or less compressed museum visits.

When is the best time to visit Rome?

April through May and September through October generally offer more comfortable walking weather than midsummer. Rome remains busy in these periods, but lower heat matters because the historic centre is best explored on foot.

Is Rome easy to explore on foot?

The central clusters are walkable, but the whole city is not. Use walking for the Pantheon-Navona area, the forums or Trastevere, then use public transport between those zones rather than linking every district on foot.

Which Rome sights should be grouped together?

Keep the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine together; pair the Pantheon with Piazza Navona and Campo de' Fiori; and give the Vatican-Prati side its own day. Trastevere works naturally after a central river crossing.

Do visitors need a car in Rome?

No. Walking and the public transport network cover the principal visitor areas, while a car adds parking and restricted-access complications in the historic centre. Outer trips are generally better planned by rail, metro or bus.