We’d just spent 2 weeks traveling through Spain before taking a ridiculously cheap flight from Seville to Pisa for 9 euros each, seeing the leaning tower and hopping on a fast train bound for Rome. This was back in early July 2018 – it was our first time visiting the Eternal City and we were genuinely so excited for the train to slowly creep into Termini station so we could get to work on our jam-packed Rome bucket list.

We were traveling on a tight budget, so we spent 3 nights in a cheap hotel in Monti near Cavour metro station and we couldn’t afford to book any tours. But we made it to the Colosseum and Vatican and we walked thousands of steps through the city every day. We also took a big bus tour, which wasn’t worth the money. Rome was busy, hot and expensive, but we absolutely loved the city’s ruins, architecture, history and food.

We took this selfie late at night outside the Pantheon after a fantastic wine and pizza fueled dinner

Fast forward a few years, we returned to Rome for another 3 nights in May 2022 as part of a longer Italy itinerary and we had a totally different experience. Rome was cooler, quieter and more affordable, and we also had a much healthier budget so we booked a hotel on Via del Corso in the Centro Storico, went to tons of museums, took a few great tours, ate at excellent restaurants and explored further afield.

We always imagined Rome would be an overwhelming place to visit, but it’s really not. And based on the two polar opposite trips we’ve taken, we’re going to walk you through the experiences we think are unmissable on a first vacation to Rome. Read more about us.

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Visit The Colosseum And Roman Forum

We had to wait ages to get this clear photo of the Colosseum at night The Colosseum was pretty busy when we visited for the second time in May 2022

Okay, let’s kick things off with the most famous attraction in Rome – the Colosseum. Will you be entertained? Yes definitely, but it’s important to manage your expectations because (unfortunately) there’s no dressing up as Maximus, riding out into the arena on horseback, holding a sword up and shouting “single column, single column!”

We paid to go inside the Colosseum both times we went to Rome. The first time we turned up without a ticket and waited in a long line to get in, which was a mistake. Then the second time we made sure to book in advance and we walked straight in through a separate entrance. So do yourself a favor, be organized and buy your tickets before arriving.

Now, it’s important to know there are different tickets available – essentially the more you pay the more areas you unlock within the Colosseum like the arena, underground or attic. But every ticket (even the cheapest and most basic) also includes entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, which we actually prefer because they’re slightly less crowded.

Both times we bought basic tickets, circled around the upper level of the Colosseum, took tons of photos, imagined watching Gladiators fighting to the death and then spent hours walking around the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The Colosseum is chaotic and feels a bit like a theme park, whereas the other areas are easier to relax and really picture how impressive Rome would have looked in its prime.

Another mistake we made was doing the three areas self guided because we didn’t really learn much and this is one of the most interesting places to visit in Italy. Next time, we’d definitely book a highly rated guided tour like this one that doesn’t cost too much so we knew exactly what we were looking at and what it once was.

Tour The Vatican Museums

We were able to get this photo with nobody in the Gallery of Maps because we took an early bird special tour We loved taking photos of this snail-like walkway called the Bramante Staircase

Along with the Colosseum and Roman Forum, the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel were the other experiences we absolutely couldn’t miss in Rome. And just like the Colosseum, we also paid to do the Vatican both times we visited. Was it worth it? 100%. Would we go again? Absolutely.

Neither of us are art aficionados and we’d never claim to know the difference between sculptures or paintings, but what we do have is a deep appreciation for things like history, skill, innovation and accomplishments – like Da Vinci’s the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel, which more than lives up to its hype. But there’s so much more to see in the Vatican Museums – 70,000 works in 24 different sections to be precise. That’s 9 miles of art.

We explore the world for a living, so naturally we love the gallery of maps (it took 3 years to complete, what dedication!) and as photographers, we couldn’t tear ourselves away from the incredible Bramante Staircase. Okay, but what about downsides? Well, there’s one great big glaring negative aspect to visiting the Vatican Museums – the crowds are out of control.

When we visited in 2018, we waited in an outrageously long line only to be packed inside the museum like sardines. It was hard to enjoy the artwork because we couldn’t move. So in 2022 we splashed the cash on this early bird special guided walking tour that got us in before anyone else. Not only did we learn about the rooms, art and history, but we also had entire galleries and halls to ourselves, which was so cool.

Throw A Coin In The Trevi Fountain

This is how busy a typical early evening is at the Trevi Fountain We went out at dawn to get this photo of Kristen standing alone in front of the Trevi Fountain!

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we rocked up to the Trevi Fountain for the first time. We’d just eaten dinner and it was only when a blob of gelato melted off and dropped onto Mark’s hand that our trance was broken. There must have been 500 hundred tourists buzzing around the three exposed sides of the fountain, and it took us a minute to take it all in before we hurried around the outside to escape!

Since then we’ve been back a dozen times during the day, at night and our personal favorite right after sunrise when we got the photo you can see above. And yes, we did the classic thing you just have to do as a tourist – stand with our backs to the fountain and throw a coin in our right hand over our left shoulder. Why? Because it’s said to ensure a return to Rome. Cheesy, but fun.

Now here’s a bit of a downer, historically it’s always been free to visit the Trevi Fountain but there’s talk of a small entry price being implemented, alongside a new queuing system that’s already been put in place. In the morning and during the day it probably won’t get busy enough to take effect, but from 6:00pm-10:00pm this is definitely going to cause long lines. And they are lines you won’t find us standing in!

Walk Up The Spanish Steps

Here’s Kristen at the famous Spanish Steps Again, we went out at dawn to get this photo with nobody else around

Another classic (and free!) experience you just have to try as a proper tourist on a first visit to Rome is a walk up the famous Spanish Steps. There’s nothing special to do so don’t expect any great song or dance, but the steps are postcard-perfect which is why hundreds of people flock there each day to take photos.

On top of that, the steps are located close to the super trendy area around Via del Corso, which is Rome’s main shopping street with lots of small piazzas and cobbled alleys, and Piazza del Popolo which we think is well worth checking out. But what we find most interesting is the French church at the top of the steps, and the fact the steps were financed by a Frenchman! It’s only named the “Spanish” steps because the Spanish embassy is at the bottom of the staircase.

We’ve been to see this famous landmark a few times and it’s always been jam-packed, so in 2022 we went at sunrise to get a photo with nobody else on the steps, and even then we had to wait for a few Instagram or TikTok selfie video shoots to end! Overall, we wouldn’t say this is an absolutely essential place to visit on your Rome itinerary, but if you have plenty of time it’s fun to see.

Go Inside The Pantheon

We love this photo we took of the Pantheon during a calm period at dawn Even late at night we had to wait a long time to get this photo with no tourists in front of the Pantheon

The Pantheon is one of our favorite buildings to photograph in Rome because it’s so attractive from the outside, especially when there’s nobody else standing in the cobbled Piazza della Rotonda. We had to go at dawn to get the clear photo you can see above (which you can buy in our print store), but it’s always been swarming with people every other time we’ve visited.

Why is it so busy? Well, we consider the Pantheon to be the beating heart of Rome’s touristy Centro Storico so it acts like a gravitational force in the evenings when people are walking dinner off. To save a bit of money when we visited Rome on a budget, we’d buy a few cans of beer and cider or a bottle of wine (in a plastic container) from a grocery store and sit outside the Pantheon because it had such a lively atmosphere.

But what’s inside the Pantheon? Okay, after we paid 5 euros each to get in, we saw the tombs of Vittorio Emanuele II (the first king of Italy) and Raphael, whose work we’d enjoyed seeing in the Vatican Museum. Oh, and there’s also a tomb for Queen Margherita who inspired the first ever pizza – one of our heroes! But for us it was all about the architecture and giant dome with a hole that lets natural sunlight burst in.

So for 5 euros, we think it’s well worth going inside the Pantheon. It’s open daily from 9:00am-7:00pm (last entry 6:30pm). And if you’ll be visiting Rome over the weekend, it’s free to enter on the first Sunday of every month.

Walk Around Trastevere

This is a one of the lovely narrow cobbled streets in Trastevere We didn’t eat here but it looked like a lovely setting so we had to take a photo

Rome is a surprisingly walkable city with some seriously cool, attractive, vibrant, historic and trendy neighborhoods. And we love walking because it’s the best way to see everything, or stumble into a great pub. We’d love to give you a hidden gem recommendation here, but we can’t because the super popular Roman neighborhood of Trastevere is our favorite place in town to eat, drink and people watch.

We always walk across the Ponte Sisto to enter Trastevere’s picturesque cobbled streets and within minutes we inevitably find ourselves in a random bar drinking an Aperol Spritz. It’s like the two things just come hand in hand. Then we’ll find somewhere amazing to eat like Tonnarello, Otello or Nannarella, before grabbing a gelato for the walk back to the Centro Storico.

For us, Trastevere is all about food and atmosphere. It reminds us of Williamsburg in NYC and St Germain in Paris. There’s not a huge amount to do except walk around the streets, eat, drink and socialize. And everyone else knows it, so it’s become the most popular place in Rome to take top rated food tours like this one in the evening and this one combining other nearby areas.

If we were going to Rome for a long weekend with the intention of doing no tourist attractions, we’d probably book a hotel in Trastevere. But on a first visit we’d stick with the Centro Storico for a more central location among the most popular things to do.

Go To The Borghese Gallery

We walked a long way on paths like this through Villa Borghese to reach the art gallery This was Kristen walking up to the Borghese Gallery

One thing that confused us last time we were in Rome was the distinction between Villa Borghese and the Borghese Gallery. We didn’t do enough research (which is unlike us), and based on the name alone we expected to find an art gallery inside a villa. But it turned out Villa Borghese was the name for a 200-acre park, and the Borghese Gallery was just a small building on the eastern (and furthest away) edge.

So after walking up Via del Corso, seeing the Spanish Steps, going through Piazza del Popolo and enjoying the view from Terraza del Pincio, we walked for another 25 minutes through Villa Borghese (which is essentially Rome’s version of Central Park) until we reached the Borghese Gallery.

Then things got even worse for us – they had sold out of tickets for the day. We hadn’t even given it a thought, assuming that it was only May and it wasn’t exactly the Vatican Museum, so we’d be fine to turn up on the day. Nope. The Borghese Gallery is small and they limit the amount of people allowed in at once. An old saying instantly sprung to mind – assumption is the mother of all … failures.

They do sell a very small amount of last minute tickets for each time slot, but the chances of getting them are slim. So if you want to see paintings, sculptures and antiques from the likes of Caravaggio, Raphael and Bernini, don’t make the same mistake we did – book your tickets well in advance!

See Southeast Rome

This is Kristen enjoying the views from Aventine Terrace in the Giardino degli Aranci Here’s Kristen with her 4D goggles in the Caracalla Baths

This is a unique entry to our list of Rome experiences because it’s far more broad than anything else we cover. So what do we mean by the southeast? Well, we took a long walk (and scooter!) from the Centro Storico down through Ripa and San Saba the last time we were in Rome and we thought it was a great way to see some different places away from the main crowds.

We started with the enormous Circus Maximus that once held chariot races in front of 250,000 Romans, then we walked through Roseto comunale to Giardino degli Aranci – an orange tree garden with a terrace called Terrazza Aventino which had magnificent city views. Next, we scootered to Piramide di Caio Cestio which was a strangely out of place pyramid, before continuing to the Baths of Caracalla.

We paid a bit more to get 4D goggles for our walk around the baths so we could see recreations of what it would have looked like back in 215 AD. It was a great stop and there was barely anyone else there, which made it even better. We didn’t go further but next up would have been the Aurelian Walls, which look a bit like the bar walls in Mark’s hometown of York in England.

Then even further southeast is the Appian Way, which was one of the most important roads built by the Romans. A popular thing to do is hire a bike and cycle down a part of the old road. Instead, we used up one attraction on our Go City Rome Pass to see the Catacombs of Rome on a tour, which we also enjoyed more than expected considering they’re burial chambers!

Enjoy The Piazzas

We got this photo in Piazza Navona at dawn when it was totally empty This is the huge Piaza del Popolo at the top of Via del Corso

Here’s something we found unusual about exploring Italy – Rome is by far the biggest and most popular tourist destination, it’s the capital city and it was the heart of the Roman Empire, yet none of its piazzas are especially famous. We’d heard of St Mark’s Square in Venice. And we knew about the Piazza del Duomo in Florence. But Rome? We had no idea.

Then we arrived and began exploring. It turns out there’s so many more piazzas in Rome than any other Italian city. And while they might not be as famous, they’re still very attractive and worth seeking out when you visit. We recommend starting with Piazza Navona, Rome’s most well known and beautiful square, as well as Piazza San Pietro in Vatican City which looks amazing when lit up at night.

Piazza del Popolo is a really stunning square you shouldn’t miss (it’s the one we walked through to get to Villa Borghese). Then of course there’s Piazza di Spagna at the bottom of the Spanish Steps and Piazza Venezia which is a huge square in front of the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, a free to enter temple and war memorial with a viewing platform that’s definitely worth going to. Oh, and check out Campo de’ Fiori if you like food markets.

Gorge On Italian Food

We’ve eaten so many delicious pizzas like these during our trips to Italy This was just one of many gelatos we devoured in Rome!

Okay, we’re saving the best until last. Attractions are fun and history is educational but they’re things that divide opinion based on different travel styles and preferences. What’s the one thing every tourist will do when they visit Rome? That’s right, they’ll be on the hunt for amazing Italian food. And trust us when we tell you the hunt won’t last very long!

So what should you eat? Well, for us it’s all about authentic Neapolitan style pizza, tasty homemade pasta and milky gelato. Just thinking about those three things is enough to make us want to book a flight to Italy right now. But there’s also risotto and gnocchi, then tiramisu and cannoli for desert for when you can’t take anymore pizza or ice cream.

We ate at so many superb places in Rome. Some that we can remember in the Centro Storico area are Pane e Salame for cheese and wine, along with La locanda del tempio, Trattoria Antonio and Cantina e Cucina for dinner. On the back side of the Colosseum we had a lovely lunch at Ristoro Della Salute, and near the Vatican we had a delicious meal at Rione XIV Bistrot.

But let’s not forget about drinks. We don’t mind a cold beer on vacation and in Italy it’s all about Moretti or Peroni. Both are refreshing and crisp lagers perfect for a hot day. And you simply must try an Aperol Spritz. When in Rome, right? Finally, we can’t imagine how many bottles of wine are consumed each day in Rome in the tourist season, but if we had anything to say about it there’d be one bottle more!

We hope our version of the top experiences in Rome helps with planning your trip!

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.

Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.

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