Top 10 Experiences You Cannot Miss In Rome
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 Level Up Your Trip To Rome
To help you save SO many hours of research, we curated a list of top 10 experiences you don't want to miss during your trip to Rome, especially if this is your first time or you haven't visited in a long time. If you love tours for convenience and peace of mind, we included the highest rated options.
Top Experience #1: Galleria BorgheseÂ
The Galleria Borghese is one of Rome’s most beautiful and important art museums. Located within the quiet Villa Borghese gardens, within the city’s main park, this museum feels more like a private palace than a gallery. Each room features masterpieces by Bernini, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Canova, framed by frescoed ceilings and marble details that make the space as nearly as stunning as the art itself.
Visitor numbers are limited to small groups every two hours, creating a calm and intimate atmosphere. Pro tip: iIt’s best to book a skip-the-line or guided tour in advance, as tickets often sell out quickly.
After your visit, stroll through the surrounding gardens for a peaceful walk among fountains and shaded paths. It’s one of Rome’s most refined and beautiful locations.
Top Experience #2: Pantheon
The Pantheon was originally built as a temple for all Roman gods. Nearly two thousand years old, it’s the best-preserved monument from ancient Rome. It has survived fires, wars, and centuries of change. Today, it stands as a church and a symbol of Roman history. Its most famous feature is the massive dome, still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.
You can walk in freely, but to truly appreciate its design and history, join a short guided tour. A good guide will help you notice the details most people overlook, from hidden inscriptions to the precision of its dome. Right in the heart of Rome, surrounded by cafés and lively piazzas, it’s an easy and unforgettable stop on any itinerary.
Top Experience #3:Â Ancient Rome
You can’t visit Rome for the first time without exploring the ancient part of the city. The Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill are the three most famous ancient sites in Rome, and together they represent the heart of the Roman Empire.
The Colosseum is Rome’s most iconic landmark. It’s an enormous amphitheater built nearly 2,000 years ago. Right next to it, you'll find the Roman Forum, the political, commercial, and social center of ancient Rome. It’s filled with the ruins of temples, basilicas, and monuments that once hosted public speeches, markets, and celebrations.
Overlooking it all is Palatine Hill, one of the city’s seven hills and the legendary birthplace of Rome. It later became the home of emperors, with impressive palaces and gardens that still offer some of the best panoramic views of the Forum and Colosseum today.
We highly recommend exploring these sites with an expert guide to help you see beyond the ruins and imagine what this city once was.
For popular sites with lots of crowds in Rome, like the Colosseum, we highly recommend a small group or private tour like this one for the best experience. If your travel budget doesn't accommodate a small group/private tour, you can also opt for a group tour like this one.
Top Experience #4: Appian Way, Catacombs & Roman Aqueducts
To experience ancient Rome beyond the city center, the Appian Way offers one of the most atmospheric experiences you can have. Known as one of the oldest and most important Roman roads, it’s lined with ruins, tombs, and countryside views that feel untouched by time.
Cycling or walking along the Ancient Appian Way lets you explore landmarks such as the Roman aqueducts, which once carried water into the city and the Catacombs, an underground network of tunnels where early Christians once buried their dead and practiced their faith in secret.
Top Experience #5:Â Vatican City
Vatican City is the world’s smallest independent country, entirely surrounded by Rome, and serves as the spiritual and administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church. It’s home to the Pope and some of the most important religious and artistic treasures in the world.
Inside the Vatican, you’ll find St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the largest and most impressive churches ever built, famous for Michelangelo’s Pietà and the breathtaking view from its dome. Just next door are the Vatican Museums, a vast collection of art and history gathered by popes over centuries, including the legendary Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo painted his iconic ceiling frescoes.
To make the most of your visit, we highly recommend booking a tour guide, particularly a small group or private tour.
Expect crowds! Lots of them! If you dislike busy sites, make sure to book this early morning tour at 7:30 AM to enjoy the experience without suffocating crowds.
Pro tip: Check the clothing guidelines so you're not turned away during your visit. It happens more often than you may think!
Top Experience #6:Â City Iconic Locations
You can't visit Rome without exploring the city's main open sites. If you're a first-time visitor, make sure to include locations these iconic locations:
- Trevi Fountain: The most famous fountain in Rome.
- Spanish Steps: AÂ monumental staircase of 135 steps connecting Piazza di Spagna to the TrinitĂ dei Monti church above.Â
- Piazza Navona:Â A lively square built over an ancient Roman stadium, now surrounded by Baroque palaces and fountains.
- Piazza Venezia: A central square in the ancient part of the city.
To discover more iconic and hidden gem locations, we highly recommend a city tour. With so much history and so many landmarks spread across different neighborhoods, guided tours help you see more in less time while learning Rome's fascinating history.
We particularly recommend a city tour if you’re visiting Rome for a short trip (up to 5 days), and want to make the most of your visit.
Because many key locations are spread around Rome, two popular ways to do a city tour is either by golf cart or by vespa at night.
These are private tour experiences that take you around the city in a relaxing and enjoyable way, where you can visit landmarks like the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and the Trevi Fountain without rushing or walking long distances. It’s an ideal way to see a lot in a short time, especially after long days on foot.
Top Experience #7:Â Food Tours
Food is the heart of Rome’s culture, and one of the best ways to experience the city and fully immerse yourself in the local culture is by eating very well! A food tour is a must if you want a local expert guiding you through the best places to eat, while sharing about the local history.Â
The go-to places for food tours in Rome include the Trastevere, filled with family-run trattorias along the cobblestone streets, the Jewish Ghetto, and the Campo de' Fiori known for its morning market. There are also food tours in Prati, where you'll find wine bars and gourmet shops, and Testaccio, where you'll taste the simple, comforting dishes Romans eat every day.Â
If you are visiting for the first time, make space for at least one food tour. It is the easiest way to experience incredible food and wine.
Top Experience #8:Â Cooking Class
A superb experience when traveling to Italy, in particular Rome, is to take a cooking class. This is a fantastic way to bring Italy back home with you. In the center of Rome, near Piazza Navona, you can join small, hands-on classes that teach traditional dishes like fettuccine, ravioli, and tiramisu. Each one is led by local chefs who make cooking feel fun and personal.
If you love pizza, there’s a class where you learn to knead and bake your own, followed by homemade tiramisu. For something livelier, the Spritz and Spaghetti experience combines pasta-making with cocktails. You can mix drinks like Aperol or Limoncello Spritz while your pasta cooks.
Top Experience #9: Day Trip To Tivoli
Just an hour from Rome, Tivoli is a beautiful hilltop town located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Rome, famous for its stunning villas, gardens, and ancient ruins. It’s one of the most popular day trips from the capital and offers a fantastic escape from the city’s crowds.
The town is best known for two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The first is Villa d’Este, a Renaissance villa with elegant fountains, waterfalls, and perfectly manicured gardens. The second is Hadrian’s Villa (Villa Adriana), an enormous archaeological complex built by Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century, featuring ancient temples, baths, and sculptures spread across lush countryside.
Top Experience #10:Â Day Trip To Pompeii
A day trip to Pompeii offers a fantastic look into ancient Roman life, particularly if you love history. Pompeii is one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in the world, located near Naples in southern Italy. Once a thriving Roman city, it was completely buried in ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Today, Pompeii offers an extraordinary glimpse into daily life during the Roman Empire. Walking through its ancient streets, you can see remarkably preserved houses, temples, baths, frescoes, and even bakeries.Â
The site is very large, so joining a guided tour helps you understand and appreciate the visit and the overall experience.