Last Updated on December 13, 2022
“Rome wasn’t built in a day”, everyone is very much familiar with that saying – but no matter how much the actual building of what we now know as the city of Rome may have taken, we are more than delighted with the results.
We have always said it, and we will always say it: you can pick the most random location in Italy, go there, and you will instantly fall in love with everything there. That’s just the effect Italy has on people – and if it’s so strong with a random location of sorts, can you imagine just how amazingly powerful it is for Rome itself?
What are some of the very best things to do in Rome?
We have some tips for you – so read on and find out more.
1. Visit the Colosseum
A genuine vestige of the ancient days of Rome, the Colosseum is just the kind of thing you don’t want to miss out when in Rome. You can’t, because it’s huge and uniquely distinguishable, and because it is located in one of the most central areas of Rome.
You can admire it from afar and bask in the odd savor of the uniqueness of the architecture of this place. You can bathe yourself in the former glory it stands for and in the quintessential marks of a fallen culture. You can take photos in front of it.
And if you want to take an actual tour of it, you can also do it for a pretty modest price – just 12 Euros if you come from outside of the EU, 2 Euros if you are from the EU, and Zero Euros if you are under 18.
There’s a pretty strict schedule of visiting you might want to know, which is available on their official site right here, together with the means by which you can purchase tour tickets. A tour will take about one hour – so take into consideration that the last tourist will enter one hour before the closing of the visiting hours.
2. The Roman Forum
The Roman Forum is one of the quintessential touristic attractions in Rome, tightly connected to The Colosseum – you simply cannot miss it. This historical vestige used to lie at the very core of Roman life. It’s where everything happened – the very heart of Rome.
You will find the Roman Forum at Via Della Salara Vecchia, 5/6, 00186 Roma RM, Italy.
The place is open for visits every day from 8:30 am to 7:15 pm.
Skip the line tickets are available for the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and the Palatine Hill starting at 20 Euros. Also, keep in mind that visiting the Roman Forum will take approximately one hour – so plan this into your visiting schedule!
3. The Vatican Museums
You don’t have to be Catholic or religious in any way to go and visit the Vatican Museums. More than anything, these museums are cultural vestiges of hundreds and hundreds of years in the life of something that was archetypal to the European culture itself: Christendom.
The art exhibited here is mind-blowingly beautiful (this is a leitmotif you will see throughout entire Italy, as good taste and uniqueness in the artistic senses abound everywhere here). The Vatican Museums also “hosts” the Sistine Chapel frescoes – works of art so breath-taking, so unbelievably beautiful that you will never forget them.
The Vatican Museums can be found on Viale Vaticano, 00165 Roma RM, Italy.
Tickets are 17 Euros for the full price, but some discounts may apply as well. If you want to skip the line, you might have to add an additional 4 Euros to that price as well.
The place is open from Monday to Saturday, and on the last Sunday of every month. On normal days, it is open from 9 am to 6 pm, but on Sundays when it’s open, keep in mind that the visiting hours will end at 2 pm. Every tour takes one and a half hours to two hours, so keep that in mind as well!
4. The Borghese Gallery
If you’re into art, you simply don’t want to miss out on this one, as it exhibits galleries full of works of art that are at the core of the entire Renaissance and Italian culture in general. The place opened in 1903 and it boasts splendid collections signed by Caravaggio himself (along with many others). So, if you love art, you cannot love this place!
The Borghese Gallery is to be found at Piazzale Scipione Borghese, 5, 00197 Roma RM, Italy.
It is open every day, except for Mondays. During the days it’s open, the gallery is there for you to visit between 9 am and 7 pm.
Tickets (at their full price) cost 15 Euros (which includes the reservation as well).
As for how long you will need to visit the gallery, it all depends on how much detail you want to look into while there!
5. Fontana di Trevi
You cannot allow yourself to be in Rome and miss out on this. It doesn’t even matter if you believe in the power of the Trevi fountain or not. All it matters is that this place has gathered so much hope and positive energy around it that you might actually find it’s growing on you.
Toss a coin into Fontana di Trevi, located at Piazza di Trevi, 00187 Roma RM, Italy. Enjoy the gorgeous design, enjoy the vibes here, and enjoy the sunlight as it reflects from the water of the fountain and all the hopes that have reached it.
No need for ticket, reservations, or visiting hours. This fountain will always be there to hear out your deepest hopes and desires!
6. The Pantheon
Pertaining to the same time period of Ancient Rome like the Colosseum, The Pantheon is one attraction you really want to see. There’s something magical about it and the way it has absorbed the energy of so many generations of people that came towards it – at first, to use it, and then, to visit it, just like you will visit it too.
The Pantheon used to be a temple, but as Rome grew fonder of Christendom, The Pantheon was transformed into a church. You can still see pretty clearly, though, that it belongs to a culture that is far older than that of Christendom.
You can find the Pantheon address is Piazza Della Rotonda, 00186 Roma RM, Italy – the crowds of people usually swarming around it will most likely give away.
You can admire it for free, from afar, but if you want to enjoy the royal treatment, we definitely advise you to get a guided tour. Prices for this are of about 20 Euros for the tour (and children under 10 get to enter for free). The tour also takes one hour, so consider that when making the plan.
7. The Vittorio Emanuele Monument
Located between Piazza de Venezia and the Capitoline Hill, the Vittorio Emanuele Monument is also known as the Altar to the Fatherland. Created in 1885 by Giuseppe Sacconi and completely finished in 1935, this monument is the kind of attraction you should really see in Rome. Why? Because it is a powerful symbol of Italian culture and history – the kind that will touch you to the core.
You will find the Vittorio Emanuele Monument at Piazza Venezia, 00186 Roma RM, Italy, rising 70 above the ground in its full glory.
You can get an elevator to see it every day from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, and you can also visit the museum backing it up every day from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm (and 4:30 pm in the wintertime). Visiting the monument is free, but if you want to take the elevator, it will cost 7 Euros – and it will take about 30 minutes at the most. It will be worth everything, we promise!
This is Rome. Culture and history at once, enigma, faith, and grace everywhere!
It’s hard not to love Rome with its grand piazzas and its grandiose sculpture and architecture, it’s hard to forget Rome once you walk past its little cobbled streets and allow the culture of millennia to infuse you from head to toe.
Rome is the kind of destination you can visit all year round, alone or in a group (or with your significant other) – and it will still be amazingly beautiful and unforgettably elegant.
There’s something about Rome we cannot ever forget. It’s the kind of place you will happily return to again and again until you simply cannot do it anymore. There’s something in the grace and elegance.
If you ever go to Italy, definitely stop by Rome – it’s simply impossible not to want to recommend it to other people, not for any other reason, other than the fact that everyone deserves to see Rome at least once in their lifetime. It should be compulsory, truly!
