Rome Bucket List
This city was constructed by four different civilizations over thousands of years, with each civilization leaving behind remnants of their existence. Unfortunately, none of them bothered to clean up before leaving. The result? Endless ancient ruins, magnificent Renaissance churches, and ornate Baroque fountains scattered throughout the city, and the architecture will blow your mind. And the food? Let’s just say that after eating in Rome, you’ll never look at a plate of pasta the same way again. You’ll be furious about every mediocre pasta dish you’ve ever consumed before stepping foot in this incredible city.
Why Rome belongs on your bucket list
The past is not a distant memory, something you keep locked behind glass and visit on weekends. In Rome, the past engulfs you. You'll eat it for lunch and walk on it for dinner and lean against it to get your picture taken. Your cacio e pepe will be served to you in a restaurant built into a 2nd-century wall. You'll cross the bridge that actual emperors crossed. You'll watch the sunset paint the Forum gold from some random terrace in Monti and think, "This cannot be happening." The Romans themselves are half the fun. They're the people we all secretly wish we could be when we grow up. They're opinionated about food, fiercely loyal to their neighborhood, and 100% sure that their grandmother's recipe for whatever it is they're making for you right now is the only correct one. The city will make you want to rip your hair out and shout at the top of your lungs. It's also the most beautiful place you'll ever have the pleasure of doing so.
When to go
The best times to visit Rome are from April to June and from September to October when the nice weather, pleasant temperatures, and beautiful Roman light will make every picture you take look as if you were a Renaissance master. Easter week is busy and special events drive up the cost of accommodations, so make sure to reserve well in advance. In August it will be 35+ outside and 150 degrees inside every building with no air conditioning. Winter will get you the lowest prices and the fewest lines of the year. The tradeoff will be the unease of eating alfresco and the certainty that cats will jump out of the bushes. The best time to visit is during the Rome Film Festival in November or December when Christmas markets are taking place.
Must-visit places in Rome
Colosseum & Roman Forum
The Vittoriano. We weren't even going to visit it until the woman at our hotel desk said we must at least walk up to the terrace for the view. She didn't mention the museum, and I'm so glad—I probably would have missed an extraordinary collection of Garibalidan artifacts including a lock of his hair and the plaster death mask. The building is another matter—it is all of the things its detractors say: too big, too white, too grandiose, and yet? I can't take my eyes off it when I see it from the street. It's like nothing else I've ever seen.
Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
There are 54 galleries in here. Maybe the single greatest collection of art in one place. And it all funnels down to the Sistine Chapel at the end, which, I’m really sorry, okay? But it left me standing there like an idiot with my mouth hanging open. No picture you’ve ever seen even… no. It’s just… Yeah. The scale, the epicness, the detail… yeah. It’s just . Go early in the morning or on the Friday night opening. Regular day hours? A nightmare. A sweaty, pushing, shouting nightmare. Three, four hours… minimum. No sandals. WAKE UP! TIE YOUR SHOES! Your feet are going to be sore when you get out of there, let me tell you. Sistine Chapel, Rome.
St. Peter's Basilica
It is the biggest church I've ever been in. The art is overwhelming but stunning. It's kind of like being in the Sistine Chapel without the padded shoulders. It's easy to get around the majority of the church free. The line to go down to the dungeons, where most popes are entombed is long. They raise the body count once you get down there. It's 12 euros, which seems a little pricey but you know, supply and demand. You can bolt to the front of the line if you buy the more expensive Scavi tour. It's a literal blast.
Pantheon
Nearly two millennia old. Still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. And the most sophisticated. For an 1,800-year-old building, it has the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. There is a nine-meter hole in the ceiling – open to the sky, no glass, nothing. There are no supports. The weight of the walls presses outward and is supported by the circular shape of everything. There is a beam of sunlight that moves across the walls, kind of like a sundial. When it rains, water just falls through and drains out through nearly invisible floor holes that the Romans put in 2,000 years ago. It's free if you make a small reservation. Just stand in the center and look up. Don't lose your mind in front of all that engineering.
Trevi Fountain
Imagine turning a corner in a narrow alley and suddenly being faced with a wall of marble and rushing water crammed into a piazza much too little for this marvel. The shock is something you'll always remember, regardless of the number of photographs you've seen. It's a wall of sightseers and cameras during the day. Go after 11 PM or before 7 AM – a whole different world. Flip a coin over your left shoulder with your right hand – you'll return to Rome. It works – everyone always does return.
Trastevere
Stroll over the river at sunset, without a destination in mind. Trastevere will do the rest: cobblestone streets, trattoria walls intertwined with ivy, a musician on each corner, the sound and smell of dinner flooding into the alleys. Da Enzo al 29 for classic Roman dishes, get there at opening or laugh. Three of the most incredible fried rice balls at Suppli, bar in Piazza di Santa Maria for aperitivo with that basilica gilded before you.
Piazza Navona
The Piazza Navona is an urban oasis in Rome. The perfect place to sit back and take in the incredible surroundings. You won't find such a great place ever. So skip those tourist trap cafes and find your own little peaceful spot. Florean Ices and Emotions is our absolute favorite gelato shop in a corner of the square. The plaza and Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers in the center are stunning. The people-watching's even better.
Antico Forno Roscioli
From 1824. The pizza bianca at Roscioli a due passi, essentially complimentary and topped with olive oil, salt, and THE best crust you’ve ever tasted, is the best bite in Rome. I know I just said that about your carbonara, but it’s true. Three ingredients. Two hundred years. The Roscioli restaurant next door has some of the best pasta in Rome and a wine list that would make a vintner weep.
Monti
Monti is that Rome neighborhood that your friend went to 10 years ago, loved, and no one else knows about yet. Oh, it also has the best gelateria in town. - Will, Founder of The Crowded Planet
Borghese Gallery
You will also find Bernini's "Apollo and Daphne" here. You will stand before it, and your mind will deny that those are marble fingers pushing into marble flesh and marble leaves sprouting from marble fingertips—but they are. The whole museum is like that. Every room has something that cannot be carved from stone in it, and you have two hours, booked well in advance through timed tickets so that it is not too crowded, to come see them all.
Campo de' Fiori
It's a place where you can find two different worlds in the same spot. During the day, you will see an open marketplace selling fresh produce, flowers, and spices, with locals gathering their weekly supplies. At night, you can visit numerous bars while the piazza is crowded with people enjoying their drinks and conversations. In the middle, there's the Giordano Bruno statue, which signifies the exact spot where a man was burned for heresy in 1600. It's a perfect place to sip a Negroni while seated in the piazza. Come here to get your picnic supplies from the marketplace and then head to one of the side streets for an authentic Roman restaurant.
Rome insider tips
- Water Fountains: Those small iron water fountains on every corner, the water is clean, cold, and free. Put your finger in the spout, and it shoots straight up through the small opening on the top. Bring your refillable water bottle. You will need it frequently.
- Coffee Rules: Sit at the bar. It's cheaper. "Caffe" means espresso. If you want more, ask for "caffe americano." And for the love of all things good, don't order cappuccino after 11 a.m. It's just not done. Italians will shun you. Not openly, just silently. Trust me on this one.
- Steer clear of tourist traps: Pictures on the menu? Don't eat there. Someone trying to get your attention from the sidewalk? Don't eat there. Restaurant with a direct view of one of the major landmarks? Eat one block away in either direction, and the quality of the food will increase exponentially. Trust us on this one.
- Sunday Closures: Many shops, and some restaurants, are closed on Sundays. Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays, except for the last Sunday of the month, when they are free, but packed. Take your pick of which kind of pain you want to endure.
- Walking: Rome's city center is tiny. Everything is within walking distance. And don't say it's not. Wear good walking shoes, however. Rome's cobblestones are treacherous, especially at night. Save the pretty shoes for dinner. Rome gives away the good stuff to the pedestrians.
Save your Rome bucket list
Discovered those locations in a Reel? Triply identifies each destination, and maps them out for you.
Get on the App Store