Top 10 Things to Do in Rome

The Vatican Museums hold one of the world's great art collections, culminating in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling — universally considered one of history's greatest artistic achievements. Tickets cost €20 and must be booked online to skip the notorious queues (walk-up waits regularly exceed 3 hours). The Raphael Rooms, Gallery of Maps, and Pinecone Courtyard are equally extraordinary. Allow 3–4 hours minimum. The museums are enormous; most visitors see only 20% even on a full visit.

Trastevere is Rome's most atmospheric neighbourhood — a maze of golden ochre buildings, ivy-covered facades, and cobblestone lanes on the west bank of the Tiber. The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere (free, dating to 340 AD) has some of Rome's most beautiful golden mosaics. The neighbourhood transforms in the evening into Rome's most popular dining and nightlife area. Avoid the tourist-trap restaurants on the main piazza; explore the back streets for better quality and prices.

The Pantheon is the world's best-preserved ancient Roman building — a temple completed around 125 AD whose concrete dome with its 9-metre oculus (open hole) remains an engineering marvel 2,000 years later. The oculus allows rain to fall into the interior (the floor has drainage channels). Admission is now €5 (previously free) and timed entry is recommended to avoid overcrowding. Raphael is buried here. Located in the Campo de' Fiori neighbourhood, ideal for combining with lunch nearby.

The Borghese Gallery is Rome's most exquisite museum — a 17th-century villa housing 20 rooms of extraordinary sculpture and painting including Bernini's Apollo and Daphne (considered the greatest Baroque sculpture in existence), Canova's Pauline Bonaparte, and major works by Caravaggio, Titian, and Raphael. Entry is strictly limited to 2-hour timed slots (€15) that must be booked at least a week in advance — this intimate experience is worth every effort to secure.

The Villa Borghese is Rome's most beautiful public park — 80 hectares of formal Italian gardens, shaded avenues, a rowing lake, Pincian Hill terraces with panoramic city views, and an outdoor cinema in summer. The park surrounds the Borghese Gallery and connects to the Spanish Steps via a staircase. Rent a four-person pedal car (circa €10/hour) for a family-friendly tour of the grounds, or simply walk the shaded allees on a hot afternoon. Free to enter.

The Trevi Fountain is the world's most famous Baroque fountain — a 26-metre theatrical masterpiece completed in 1762, depicting Neptune's chariot drawn by sea horses. Toss a coin over your left shoulder with your right hand to guarantee a return to Rome (the tradition generates over €1 million per year for charity). Visit before 8am to have it almost to yourself; daytime crowds can exceed 10,000 visitors. The surrounding streets of the Trevi neighbourhood hide excellent carbonara restaurants.

Campo de' Fiori (Field of Flowers) hosts Rome's most atmospheric morning market (Monday–Saturday, until 2pm), selling fresh produce, flowers, and street food under the brooding statue of Giordano Bruno, burned here as a heretic in 1600. The adjacent Jewish Ghetto is one of Europe's oldest, with Roman ruins emerging from beneath medieval buildings. The neighbourhood's Jewish bakeries (especially those selling carciofi alla giudia — fried artichokes) are among Rome's finest food experiences.

Castel Sant'Angelo offers the most dramatic historical layers of any Roman landmark, evolving from a 2nd-century imperial tomb to a papal fortress and now a museum. Built by Emperor Hadrian in 139 AD, its €15 admission grants access to preserved papal apartments and a rooftop terrace that delivers panoramic views of the Tiber and St. Peter's dome. Its rooftop vista outperforms #12's dome climb for city-wide perspective, with fewer steps and more intimate crowd. The riverside Lungotevere walk connecting it to the Vatican is one of Rome's most pleasant evening strolls, enhanced by the castle's nightly illumination.

The Gelato Tour of Testaccio is the most authentic culinary experience in Rome, far from tourist traps. Testaccio's Mercato Testaccio hosts over 20 food stalls, and artisanal gelaterias like Flor and Giolitti serve scoops for €3.50 average. This neighborhood's gelato quality surpasses that of any central Rome district, and its crowd-free streets make it more pleasant than #9's riverside walk. Combine a morning market visit with a gelato crawl through the covered market for an essential half-day that reveals true Roman flavors.