Close-up of the Colosseum's tiered stone arcades against a clear blue sky

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RomeTravel Guide

Italy8 stories

Rome layers 2,800 years of history into one walkable, chaotic, endlessly rewarding city. Ancient amphitheatres sit beside baroque fountains, espresso bars and trattorie where the carbonara has not changed in generations. Come in spring or early autumn, walk everywhere, and accept that you will leave with a list of things you missed — that list is the reason everyone returns.

When to come

April–June, September–October

What it costs

It depends where you stand. There is a cheap version and an expensive one — the guides below say which is which.

What we've planned, and who for

We publish a multi-day route for this one.

Our editors pick it for a trip with one other person.

Rome is inThe ones everyone goes to Enough for a long weekend Deepest in Europe Just the two of you Ancient wonders

When to go

April–June, September–October

Budget level

Mixed

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with

Siena180 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, June
Naples190 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, June · a different price level (budget)
Florence230 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, June · a different price level (mid)
Pisa270 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, June · a different price level (budget)

Plan itWhere to stay in Romead · Booking.comTours and tickets

On the map

Finding Rome

Open in Google Maps Larger map

The stories

Reading Rome

The Colosseum in Rome at dusk, its arches glowing with warm light under a deep blue evening sky

Stays

The Storied Hotels of Rome: Where to Stay, Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood

In Rome, the address is half the experience. From the grand names above the Spanish Steps to hilltop resorts overlooking the dome of St Peter's, here is how to choose your Roman base.

Italy · 2 min

Aerial view from St Peter's Basilica over the colonnades of St Peter's Square and the rooftops of Rome

Itineraries

48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt

Two days, two millennia. A fast, focused itinerary that covers the Colosseum, the Vatican and the best plate of carbonara of your life — without ever feeling like a checklist.

Italy · 3 min

A plate of spaghetti alla carbonara topped with crisp guanciale and grated pecorino, the definitive Roman pasta

Food

From market to table: a full food day in Rome

Rome's cooking starts at the market stalls and ends in a trattoria at ten at night. Spend one day eating the city in the right order — this is the route.

Italy · 2 min

Planning

Rome, place by place

Everything below is named in one of our own stories about Rome. The line under each is the sentence that recommended it, and the link goes to the piece it came from.

Where to stay

The areas and addresses our writers put first

Via Veneto
Rome
The curving boulevard made famous in the Fellini era still carries its glamour in its hotels.
The Storied Hotels of Rome: Where to Stay, Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood Check prices
Monte Mario
Rome
On a hill northwest of the centre, the Rome Cavalieri — a Waldorf Astoria hotel — is Rome's answer to a resort: expansive pools and gardens, a famous art collection, and a panorama that takes in the dome of St Peter's.
The Storied Hotels of Rome: Where to Stay, Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood Check prices
Trastevere and Monti
Rome
Rome's two most village-like central neighbourhoods offer smaller boutique stays amid trattorias and artisan shops.
The Storied Hotels of Rome: Where to Stay, Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood Check prices

Where to eat

Tables worth crossing the city for

Armando al Pantheon
Rome
Armando al Pantheon, a family-run trattoria steps from the Pantheon, has been serving Roman classics since 1961 — book ahead and order the carbonara or the cacio e pepe.
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Da Enzo al 29
Rome
Da Enzo al 29, a tiny trattoria on Via dei Vascellari, is worth the queue for its amatriciana and seasonal artichokes; arrive before opening or expect a wait.
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Pizzarium
Rome
Lunch nearby at Pizzarium, Gabriele Bonci's celebrated pizza al taglio counter near the Cipro metro stop — order by weight, eat standing.
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Testaccio
Rome
The covered Mercato di Testaccio, in the quarter that grew up around Rome's former slaughterhouse, is where food lovers head first — a working neighbourhood market that has grown a superb layer of prepared-food stands.
Rome's great markets: what to taste, stall by stall, and when See on the map
Trionfale
Rome
A short walk north of the Vatican walls, Mercato Trionfale is one of the largest covered daily food markets in Rome — the Mercati di Roma guide counts something in the region of 270 stalls — and among the least touris…
Rome's great markets: what to taste, stall by stall, and when See on the map
Esquilino
Rome
The Nuovo Mercato Esquilino, a few minutes from Termini, reflects the city's immigrant kitchens — spices, exceptional produce, halal butchers and Chinese greengrocers alongside Roman stalls.
Rome's great markets: what to taste, stall by stall, and when See on the map

What to see

The things that justify the trip

Chad Greiter
Roman Forum
Your ticket typically covers the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill next door; take them slowly.
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Tamal Mukhopadhyay
Palatine Hill
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
MChe Lee
Piazza Navona
Loop past Piazza Navona and its Bernini fountains, then thread the alleys east to the Trevi Fountain.
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Michele Bitetto
Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain between roughly mid-morning and early evening.
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Fineas Anton
Trastevere
Cross the Tiber to Trastevere as the lanes turn golden.
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Leonardo Di Manici
Gianicolo
Walk it off with the climb to the Gianicolo terrace for the city lit up below.
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Calvin Craig
Sistine Chapel
Pace yourself through the Raphael Rooms so you arrive at the Sistine Chapel with attention to spare.
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Andrea G
Via Giulia
A Renaissance street laid arrow-straight behind the Tiber bend for Pope Julius II in the early 1500s, Via Giulia is Rome with the volume turned down: ochre palazzi, antique dealers, and the ivy-draped Farnese arch spa…
The Most Beautiful Streets and Squares of Rome, Ranked See on the map
Colosseum
Rome
Be at the Colosseum for the first entry slot — the light is soft, the crowds thin, and the scale of the amphitheatre lands hardest when the arena floor is quiet.
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Monti
Rome
Spend your last hours in Monti, the village-like quarter between the Forum and Termini: aperitivo in Piazza della Madonna dei Monti, dinner at whichever enoteca has a free table, and a final unhurried look at the floo…
48 Hours in Rome: The Eternal City at Full Tilt See on the map
Piazza del Popolo
Rome
The grand northern gateway, and the first thing a traveller arriving overland from the north saw for three centuries.
The Most Beautiful Streets and Squares of Rome, Ranked See on the map
Via dei Coronari
Rome
Once the pilgrim road to St Peter's, cut through the medieval tangle in the 1470s, and named for the coronari who sold rosaries to the walkers.
The Most Beautiful Streets and Squares of Rome, Ranked See on the map
Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
Rome
The basilica's golden mosaics glow above the fountain steps, where locals and travellers share the evening in roughly equal numbers.
The Most Beautiful Streets and Squares of Rome, Ranked See on the map
Via Margutta
Rome
A green, quiet ribbon below the Pincio, long beloved of artists and film directors.
The Most Beautiful Streets and Squares of Rome, Ranked See on the map

Things to do

Walks, tours and days out we would book again

Porta Portese
Rome
Rome's sprawling Sunday flea market, running along the edge of Trastevere, is about objects rather than eating — clothes, vinyl, tools, furniture, a great deal of junk and the occasional real find.
Rome's great markets: what to taste, stall by stall, and when Find tours

Our picks

What we'd do in Rome

See and do

Minimum useful stay
four nights, which buys you three full days
Read: Rome, season by season: an honest guide to timing your trip
Find tickets
Piazza Navona
Built over the stadium Domitian raised in the first century AD - you can still read the oval in its footprint - Navona is baroque Rome at full volume.
Read: The Most Beautiful Streets and Squares of Rome, Ranked
Find tickets
Shoulder sleepers
November (bring an umbrella) and early December
Read: Rome without the crowds: its secret best months
Find tickets
Via Giulia
A Renaissance street laid arrow-straight behind the Tiber bend for Pope Julius II in the early 1500s, Via Giulia is Rome with the volume turned down: ochre palazzi, antique dealers, and the ivy-draped Farnese arch spanning the road.
Read: The Most Beautiful Streets and Squares of Rome, Ranked
Find tickets
Daylight
short, with sunset around 4.50pm in early January and nearer 6pm by late February
Read: Rome without the crowds: its secret best months
Find tickets

Eat and drink

Golden seasons
late winter and spring, for Rome's vegetables
Read: Rome's great markets: what to taste, stall by stall, and when
Time needed
one market, done properly, is about ninety minutes
Read: Rome's great markets: what to taste, stall by stall, and when
Antico Forno Roscioli
the bakery arm of the Roscioli family's small empire, trading since the early 1970s — does the same pizza bianca and will split it and fill it with mortadella, which is the correct order.
Read: Rome's great markets: what to taste, stall by stall, and when

Before you go

Practical essentials for Italy

Money

Euro (EUR)

Language

Italian; English is spoken in hotels and tourist businesses but thins out quickly in smaller towns

Power

Type C/F/L, 230V 50Hz (Type L is the Italian three-pin)

Getting around

Frecciarossa and Italo high-speed trains link the major cities in a few hours; in town you buy a local paper ticket such as Rome's €1.50 BIT and validate it as you board.

Tipping

Service is included and tipping is uncommon — a few euros for genuinely good service is plenty, and the coperto on the bill is a cover charge, not a tip.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink everywhere, although restaurants will normally bring bottled.

Driving

Right-hand side; a UK or EU photocard licence is accepted, though hire companies commonly require an International Driving Permit as well.

Emergency

112 (single European number; the old 113, 115 and 118 route to it)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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