Stand on Via dei Fori Imperiali at dusk, with the Colosseum lit at one end and the floodlit columns of the Roman Forum below you, and the layers of the city become legible in a single view. That street, laid between 1931 and 1933, runs from Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum and puts the ancient city within a single walk.
Rome suits travellers who are willing to spend their days on foot among ruins, churches and museums, and who accept that the best of it is spread across the historic centre and the Vatican area rather than concentrated in one quarter. It also rewards planning: the Roma Pass and the free-admission days described below can change both your budget and your queueing time.
This guide covers the sights and experiences worth your time, ordered with the strongest first, followed by a one-day plan and answers to the questions travellers ask most often.
Top things to do in Rome
1. Colosseo
The Colosseum is the anchor of ancient Rome and the natural starting point for the area either side of Via dei Fori Imperiali. It is also the place where queues bite hardest: the Roma Pass lets you skip the waiting line if the Colosseum is one of your first two free entrances, which can save you more than an hour.
Combine it with the Arch of Constantine, immediately to its right, and with the beginning of the Palatine Hill, which continues from there towards the ruins of the Flavian Palace.
2. Forum Romanum
Walking from Piazza Venezia towards the Colosseum, the Roman Forum lies on your right. It began as a swamp between the settlements on the hills, drained and turned into the markets and fora that made the city, and it remains the clearest single place to read Rome's layering.
Approach it on foot along Via dei Fori Imperiali, which also gives you Trajan's Forum and Market on the left as you go.
3. Colle Palatino
The Palatine Hill looms over the Circus Maximus and is accessed near the Colosseum. Legend places Romulus here after his quarrel with Remus, who took the Aventine Hill on the other side of the Circus.
Continue across the hill to the ruins of the Flavian Palace and the view over the Circus Maximus. The Palatine is included in the Roma Pass along with the Colosseum.
4. Musei Vaticani
The Vatican Museums are the main reason many travellers cross the Tiber, and they are the one major sight where a pass changes the arithmetic most: the OMNIA Vatican and Rome pass includes free entry to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, along with fast-track entry to St Peter's Basilica and a hop-on-hop-off bus tour for three days.
Note that government-owned museums and historical sites have free admission on the first Sunday of every month, and that EU citizens aged 18 to 25 can get significant discounts with identification.
5. Cappella Sistina
The Sistine Chapel sits within the Vatican Museums and is covered by the same OMNIA pass. Because it is reached at the end of the museum route, treat it as the culmination of a single long visit rather than a separate trip.
Dress matters here. St Peter's in particular is known for rejecting visitors with uncovered knees, shoulders or midriffs, and you generally will not be told until you are right before the entrance, after the security line. Longer trousers or skirts below the knee are the safer choice.
6. Pantheon
In Old Rome, the Pantheon is remarkably well preserved for a building dating to 125 AD. The hole in the ceiling makes being inside during rain an experience in itself.
If you are coming from Piazza Venezia, you first reach Largo di Torre Argentina on your left, where narrow streets and small houses stood until 1926, when ruins of Roman temples were discovered and the area was cleared.
7. Castel Sant'Angelo
Crossing the Tiber along Corso Vittorio Emanuele into the Vatican area brings you to Castel Sant'Angelo, built as a mausoleum for the Emperor Hadrian. A covered fortified corridor connects it to the Vatican, and it served as a refuge for popes in times of trouble.
It sits naturally on the same walk as the Vatican Museums and the Pantheon, so it fits a day that moves between the historic centre and the Vatican.
8. Musei Capitolini
The museums of the Capitoline Hill are among the numerous collections devoted to ancient Rome, and they belong to the same group of civic museums affected by the city's ticketing arrangements. They are a sensible counterpart to the ruins you have just walked through, since the artefacts come from the city around you.
Pair them with the walk down Via dei Fori Imperiali, which begins at Piazza Venezia at the foot of the hill.
9. Bioparco
Bioparco is Rome's zoo and offers a change of pace from ruins and churches, which matters if you are travelling with children or need a slower half-day.
Build it into a day rather than treating it as a quick stop, and check the current ticketing arrangements, since civic museums in the city have seen new fees and card requirements introduced.
10. Museo delle illusioni
The Museo delle illusioni is an indoor, interactive museum and a useful option when the weather turns or when you want something that does not require standing in a security line.
It works well as a filler between the Pantheon area and the Tiber, both of which are on the same side of the historic centre.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Colosseo, using the Roma Pass to skip the queue if it is one of your first two free entrances, then walk the Forum Romanum on your right along Via dei Fori Imperiali and climb the Colle Palatino to the Flavian Palace and the view over the Circus Maximus.
Afternoon: Cross the historic centre to the Pantheon, pausing at Largo di Torre Argentina on the way, then continue along Corso Vittorio Emanuele over the Tiber to Castel Sant'Angelo. If time allows, add the Musei Capitolini near Piazza Venezia.
Evening: Return to Via dei Fori Imperiali to see the Colosseum and the forums lit, which is the view that makes the day's walking make sense.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Roma Pass worth buying?
If you are staying at least three days, the Roma Pass is valid for three days and gives free admission to the first two museums or archaeological sites you visit, full access to public transport, and discounts on other museums, sites, exhibitions and performances. A 48-hour version is also offered, with only the first museum or site free. Buy it at official tourist offices rather than from the small street booths, which may charge more, and check the expiration date on the back, because an expired card will not work in the metro ticket gate.
When can I visit museums and sites for free?
Government-owned museums and historical sites have free admission on the first Sunday of every month. Once a year, during a week known as "La settimana dei beni culturali", typically in mid-May, all publicly owned landmarks and historical sites are free for seven to ten days, including the Colosseum and the ancient Forum. EU citizens aged 18 to 25 also get significant discounts, though you will need identification.
What should I wear when visiting churches?
Some churches in Rome deny admission to people dressed inappropriately, and St Peter's in particular is known for rejecting visitors with uncovered knees, shoulders or midriffs. Long shorts and skirts reaching just above the knee are generally acceptable, but trousers or skirts below the knee are safer. You usually will not be told until right before you enter, so it is worth dressing appropriately before making the trip and joining a long security line.
What is the OMNIA Vatican and Rome pass?
It includes the services provided by the Roma Pass, free entry to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, fast-track entry to St Peter's Basilica, and a hop-on-hop-off bus tour for three days.
Decide how many days you have, check whether your dates fall on a first Sunday or in mid-May, and start building your route around the Colosseo, the Forum and the Vatican.