Rome is without a doubt one of the world's greatest cities for history, culture, and entertainment, not to mention superb food and shopping. As a fairly large European capital, it's great to know a few things before your visit, so you can spend as much time as possible enjoying this gorgeous town.
Rome is perfect for all types of travellers, from groups of friends, to solo visitors, to large families. As such, it attracts tons of visitors, so plan ahead in order to make the most of your time here.
For the very best landmarks, like the Colosseum, it's a great idea to pay for a tour. While it might cost a little more than the regular entry price, you'll often be able to skip the line and will get much more insight into the place you're seeing.
If you'd prefer to skip organized tours, it still makes sense to book your regular entry tickets ahead of time. Typically, this will allow you to head straight into the attraction. This includes the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum, for example. The Vatican City itself, including St Peter's Basilica, is free to enter, but there's often quite a queue, and so arriving early is a good idea.
Rome is a large city with plenty of traffic, though the public buses are still a great transportation option. See if your destination is near a metro station, as the system is easy to understand: Fittingly for the home of Catholicism, it's arranged in a cross formation. Many of the best sights, including the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Circus Maximus are right near each other and easy to walk to.
There's a huge range of well-preserved, ancient landmarks to discover, but here are some of the most famous.
You may well have seen this place in action if you saw the 2000 film 'Gladiator'. You'll discover that the movie took a few artistic liberties, but it's still a truly astounding place, where fierce battles were held for the entertainment of Rome's emperors and citizens.
This is one of the best-preserved Roman buildings. It was originally a pagan temple, and then converted into a Christian church. Look up at the distinctive hole in the roof, which was built to provide a direct line between the church and the heavens.
This enclave of Italy is technically its own country, and houses the largest church in the world, St Peter's Basilica. The Vatican Museums house the biggest collection of religious art in existence, dating from millennia ago to today.