History · Rome · Italy
8 historic sites to see in Rome
The places that tell the story of how the city came to be.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: NikonZ7II, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Start with Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill and Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 14–17 hours across 6 areas; 1 is free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 1
- Time to see them all
- 14–17 hours
- Areas
- Colosseo, Vatican City and Centro Storico
Historic sites in Rome
Historic site · Colosseo
1.Colosseum
Standard tickets cover the public levels and are combined with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill; separate tours visit the underground passages (hypogeum) and the arena floor.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours (half a day with the Forum)
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Architecture
Historic site · Colosseo
2.Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Above it, the Palatine Hill holds the ruins of imperial palaces and gardens with views over the Circus Maximus.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Iconic
- Views
- Outdoors
Museum · Vatican City
3.Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
Photography is not allowed in the chapel.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Religious site · Vatican City
4.St Peter's Basilica
Entry to the basilica is free; a paid climb of the dome ends on an outdoor walkway above St Peter's Square.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours with the dome
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Views
- History
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Historic site · Centro Storico
5.Pantheon
It has been a church since the 7th century and holds the tomb of Raphael. Sightseeing requires a low-cost ticket.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Gallery · Villa Borghese
6.Borghese Gallery
Visits are limited to timed slots, which keeps the rooms uncrowded.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Couples
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Capitoline Hill
7.Capitoline Museums
Highlights include the original bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, the Capitoline Wolf and Caravaggio's Fortune Teller, and an underground passage through the Tabularium frames a classic view over the Roman Forum.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Views
- Rainy day
Castle · Borgo
8.Castel Sant'Angelo
A spiral ramp climbs through papal apartments to a terrace beneath a bronze archangel, with views of St Peter's and the Tiber; Bernini's angels line the Ponte Sant'Angelo below.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Views
- Kids
- Architecture
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Colosseo | Colosseum and Roman Forum and Palatine Hill | 1.5 hours (half a day with the Forum) + 2–3 hours |
| Vatican City | Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica | 3–4 hours + 1.5–2 hours with the dome |
| Centro Storico | Pantheon | 30–45 minutes |
| Villa Borghese | Borghese Gallery | 2 hours |
| Capitoline Hill | Capitoline Museums | 2 hours |
| Borgo | Castel Sant'Angelo | 1.5–2 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 1 free, 1 low cost, 6 mid-priced. Book ahead for Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, Pantheon and Borghese Gallery. The longest visit is Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Colosseum: Timed tickets are required and sell out days or weeks ahead in high season; buy from the official Colosseum site or authorised resellers.
- Roman Forum and Palatine Hill: Entry is included in the combined Colosseum ticket; reserve in advance.
- Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel: Timed tickets bought on the official Vatican Museums site avoid queues that can last hours.
- Pantheon: Buying tickets online skips the ticket queue on busy days.
- Borghese Gallery: Reservations are compulsory and sell out weeks ahead in high season.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Colosseo): Colosseum → Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Vatican City): Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Vatican City, Centro Storico and Villa Borghese): St Peter's Basilica → Pantheon → Borghese Gallery, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Capitoline Hill and Borgo): Capitoline Museums → Castel Sant'Angelo, at least 4 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- January: highs of 12°C (54°F), about 7 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cool and often sunny between rainy spells, with short queues at the Vatican and some of the lowest hotel prices of the year after Epiphany.
- February: highs of 13°C (55°F), about 7 rainy days, quiet crowds. Quiet and mild on sunny days; the Roman artichoke season begins and carnival pastries fill the bakeries.
- November: highs of 17°C (63°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. The wettest month, but prices fall and museums are quiet; roast chestnuts and new-season olive oil appear.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Centro Storico — The Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Campo de' Fiori inside the bend of the Tiber
- Monti — Vintage shops, wine bars and the Colosseum around the corner
- Prati — Wide boulevards, local shopping and the Vatican on foot
More of Rome
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Rome?
Colosseum. The largest amphitheatre of the Roman world was inaugurated in AD 80 and held an estimated 50,000 spectators for gladiator fights and animal hunts.
+Which of these are free in Rome?
St Peter's Basilica.