Top 10 Things To Do In Rome!

Rome is a bucket list destination for so many people. This was my #1 European destination when I was growing up, and getting to actually visit was a dream. It’s full of incredible history, literally everywhere you look, amazing food and so many activities. If we had to recommend the best things to do for your first visit, this would be it!

1. Colosseum and Roman Forum

Obviously this is the main attraction for most tourists. Despite how touristy it is – it’s still incredible. I mean – the Colosseum! We enjoyed our tour and wished we could have done the underground tour! Few tips – you can book your own tickets ahead of time via the official website and wait in the long line. You can also book with a guide who can (sometimes) skip the line. The guide does share a lot of information that you may not otherwise know. There isn’t really any signage as you walk around to understand what you’re looking at. The downside though is, you lose a bit of the flexibility of walking around on your own.

We tried to book an airbnb experience with underground tour, but about a week ahead of time the underground tickets are released and each tour guide has to try to get them. Ours didn’t get the tickets, so we unfortunately cancelled. Thankfully, we found another tour on getyourguide.com, which was fine. Knowing that – I’d recommend having a backup picked if you’re trying to get some of the more exclusive access.

2. Eat ALL of the food!

The food in Rome is amazing. There are lots of really nice restaurants, but even if you don’t want to break the bank, you can find delicious food just about anywhere. We traveled with kids and they just don’t appreciate a super long and fancy dinner, so most of our restaurants had dinners less than $15 a dish and we were amazed. The pizza, cacio e pepe and all the gelato was a favorite. More content on our food in Rome blog coming!

3. Alter of the Fatherland

This isn’t always at the top of people’s lists… but the views from the top where you can look out over ancient Rome are just incredible. The whole building is impressive, standing out in the middle of the city center. We visited first thing in the morning and were a little confused about where to enter. We eventually found, after asking around, the elevator that went to the top. From the top of the building, you’re able to see the entirety of ancient Rome in one view, it helps you imagine what life was like 2000 years ago. There is also a nice museum in the building, but the kids didn’t find it that interesting.

4. Jewish Ghetto

This was the least touristy place we visited and partially why we loved it so much. There were only a handful of tourists in the AM, the people in the stores spoke no English – we loved it! I think when you’re in such a touristy place like Rome, it’s special when you find a spot where you’re mostly with locals. There is an incredible, hundreds of years old bakery where we got breakfast. Right near the bakery you can see many ancient ruins and can observe the memorials to the Roman Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust.

5: Pantheon

This, to me, was the most impressive building we saw, just due to the pristine condition it is in, even after 2000 years. The line to get in is a little crazy, but it does move fast. We enjoyed seeing this early in the morning before it opened from the outside with way less people. Once it opens, you can expect hundreds of people in front of it at all times.

6. Vatican City

Another super touristy destination, but getting to visit the smallest country in the world, and seeing the amazing Sistine Chapel can’t be missed. We booked a tour which we enjoyed. We booked one of the shorter tours because we figured our kids probably wouldn’t want to spend quite as much time learning about the art in the museums. The tour moved quickly and we learned a lot. It was mostly wall to wall people the entire time though. We also, somehow didn’t realize that our tour did not include entrance to the Basilica. This was disappointing because it was an enormous line to enter, which we just didn’t have the patience for after the tour. Would recommend finding one that includes entrance if you want to check that out.

7. Castel Sant’Angelo

Although this is an important ancient structure in Rome, sometimes it doesn’t make the top of lists either. We felt like this was a super underrated attraction. It’s enormous inside and has lots of neat passage ways you can walk on. You take a large spiral walkway up to the top where you get expansive views of the city. There is even a small cafe at the top.

8. Campo di Fiori

This charming market is open most days of the week and has a variety of produce stands, souvenirs, food and more. We really enjoyed talking to the locals and picking up some good snacks and food to take home (pasta and risotto souvenirs for everyone!).

9. Borghese Gardens

The gardens are huge, and we barely scratched the surface. The views over the plazas and the nice green park space was a good reprieve from the hot, crowded touristy streets. There is so much to see an do here, but even if you only have an hour or two, you can get to see a bit of what this beautiful park has to offer.

10. Piazza Navona

This piazza is a huge, lively open public square with lots of restaurants, fountains, street performers and more. It sits on the site of a former stadium, 2000 years old, hence the oval shape. On the day we were there, they had a big event with lots of activities for kids. It’s a great place to people watch and enjoy the vibes of Rome!

A few honorable mentions…

Is this the best basketball court in the world… peeking through the trees there, that’s the Colosseum!

Wandering the streets and alleyways checking out the beautiful architecture. This was the entrance to our Airbnb!

Trevi Fountain didn’t make the top of my list. The crowds are insane and the modeling happening on the front of the fountain took away from the overall vibe. But – it was certainly something to see!

Shopping for souvenirs. While this probably wasn’t even made in Rome, it still made us laugh and, since we bought it, makes us laugh today also.

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