Things to Do in Rome 2026: 10 Stops, Best Photo Spots & Honest Tips
Rome is packed with things to do, and almost all of the essentials sit within walking distance of each other. We have spent our days here working through the big three, the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, and the Pantheon, and then found that some of our favorite hours were the unplanned ones by the river. This guide covers the best things to do in Rome, what is worth booking in advance, and the honest version of what we would do differently.
If you want the eating side of Rome, that lives in our Rome Food Guide. And for neighborhoods and hotels, see where to stay in Rome.
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The best things to do in Rome: the Colosseum underground tour, the Vatican Museums, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, plus the quiet corners we loved most.
📌 Pin this guide →The Colosseum: Do the Underground and Arena Tour
Obvious #1 option here, but honestly this was the highlight of our time in Rome. We booked the tour that includes the underground chambers and the arena floor, and it is worth the upgrade. You walk the entrances, stand on the arena where the most celebrated fighters faced exotic beasts in front of thousands of people, and go down into the tunnels underneath where all of it was staged.
The guides were excellent and the headphones they hand out make a real difference, so you can actually hear the guide over the crowds. Practical warnings: the tour runs about three hours, and it feels longer on a hot day, so bring water and a hat. The upside is that the columns and the underground are a welcome break from the sun.
One honest tip. Most tours bundle a walk through the Roman Forum at the end, and we found it was too much after three hours in the heat and not nearly as interesting as the Colosseum itself. If you can find a Colosseum-only tour, take it, and spend the time you save on a spritz and aperitivo instead. We would.
🏛 The Tour We Did
Colosseum Underground and Arena Access
The underground chambers and the arena floor are the part people remember. Around three hours with a guide and headphones, so book ahead and bring water.
Check the tour →The Vatican Museums: Book Skip the Line
We booked skip-the-line tickets and it was absolutely worth it. The line to get in was wrapped around the corner, and we would have lost about 30 minutes standing in it. It is crowded as you go in, but once you are inside there is plenty of space to breathe, right up until you reach the smaller rooms like the Sistine Chapel and the tighter sculpture galleries, where everyone bunches up again.
We used the audio tour rather than a guided one and it was plenty. It let us move at our own speed and go deeper on the art and sculpture we were actually curious about instead of following someone else’s route. Worth doing once if you are in Rome.
The Pantheon
The Pantheon is still the building that stops us. Two practical notes: entry is free on weekdays, but we went on a Sunday, when they charge admission because it is the busiest day to visit. It was quite crowded, and still worth going inside. The space opens up once you are through the door and the scale of that dome does not really come across in photos.
Piazza Navona: Photos and a Rooftop Aperitivo
Piazza Navona is worth building into your walk, and it falls naturally on the way to either the Vatican or Trastevere. The fountains and the long open square make it one of the easier places in Rome to come away with a good photo.
If you have the time, go up to Terrazza Navona, the rooftop at the Palazzo Navona Hotel. It is a good place to stop for an aperitivo, and the view over the rooftops was one of the nicer ones we found in the center of Rome.
The Trevi Fountain (and How to Actually See It)
The Trevi Fountain is the real challenge of Rome. It is always crowded, and getting a decent photo is genuinely hard unless you arrive before 8am. More recently they have introduced a queue that walks you around the fountain for your photo, which is either a positive or a negative depending on what you came for: more orderly, less spontaneous.
🍝 Do Not Skip the Food
Eating Is Half of What You Do in Rome
Between the monuments, the other thing that fills a Rome day is the eating, and we would argue it belongs on any list of things to do here. Cacio e pepe at lunch, carbonara at dinner, a supplì on the walk home. We keep all of it in a separate guide.
🍝 Read the Rome Food GuideOur Favorite Quiet Corners in Rome
The monuments are the reason you come, but a couple of our best hours in Rome were the slow ones.
Walk Along the Tiber
The riverside is peaceful and relaxing in a city that is mostly neither, and it is a lovely way to get between neighborhoods on foot instead of fighting through the crowds.
Giardino degli Aranci
We stumbled on this park near the river on a walk, and it has an amazing high vantage point over the city. It is the perfect place to stop for a water break, and it sits near the Colosseum on the way back toward Trastevere, so it slots naturally into a day of sightseeing.
The Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese
Both are a bit out of the way, so we would only recommend them if you are already in the area or genuinely interested. That said, Villa Borghese is a huge and very walkable park with little shops dotted around where you can grab snacks and drinks for a picnic. We stumbled upon a band playing and ended up staying for the music, which turned into a lovely afternoon.
Altare della Patria: Take the Lift to the Roof
We walked past the Altare della Patria on our way to the Colosseum and ended up staying far longer than we planned. The white marble monument to Victor Emmanuel II rises around 230 feet above Piazza Venezia and stretches about 440 feet wide, so it looms over everything around it. Standing at the foot of those staircases gives you a sense of scale that photographs flatten completely.
For about 20 euro you can take the lift all the way to the roof terrace, and we would do it again. You get a genuine 360 degree view across the city, and best of all a direct line of sight to the Colosseum, which makes it one of the best places in Rome to actually photograph it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Colosseum underground tour worth it?
Yes, it was the highlight of our trip. You get the arena floor and the underground tunnels where the fights were staged, which the standard ticket does not include. It runs about three hours, so bring water and a hat on a hot day.
Should you book skip-the-line tickets for the Vatican Museums?
Yes. The regular line was around the corner when we visited and would have cost us about 30 minutes. Inside it is crowded at the entrance but opens up, apart from the Sistine Chapel and the smaller rooms.
Is the Pantheon free?
It is free on weekdays. We visited on a Sunday, when there is an admission charge because it is the busiest day. Either way it is worth going inside, because the scale of the space only lands in person.
What is the best time to see the Trevi Fountain?
Before 8am. It is crowded at every other hour, and early morning is the only reliable way to get a clear photo. There is now also a queue system that walks you around the fountain.
Do you need a guide for the Colosseum?
A guide adds a lot for the underground and arena sections, and the headphones help you hear over the crowds. If you can find a Colosseum-only tour, we would take that over one that bundles the Roman Forum walk.
Can you go to the top of the Altare della Patria?
Yes. A panoramic lift runs up to the roof terrace for about 20 euro, and we thought it was worth it. You get a full 360 degree view across Rome from the top, including a direct line of sight to the Colosseum, which makes it one of the best places in the city to photograph it.
🇮🇹 Keep Exploring Italy
More from Teal Lemon
Sort out your base and your dinner reservations next. Here is the rest of our Rome and Italy coverage.
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Pin these Rome must-dos: the Colosseum underground and arena tour, skip-the-line at the Vatican, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, plus quiet corners by the Tiber.
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