Take a walking tour of Rome’s top 6 attractions.

Rome is overflowing with art, architecture, incredible food & people and wonderful neighborhoods with their own distinct flair.  You could spend weeks here and still have things on your list to see and do.  You could also spend weeks here café-hopping and people watching and be perfectly content and wanting more time to linger.

I came to Rome when I was a study abroad student in Strasbourg, France during the spring holidays and all these years later Rome is still one of my favorite cities.  This time I returned with my family and since I was the only one here before, I became the guide.  We started with a walking (& bus) tour through the heart of Rome to capture the city’s best highlights.

The Colloseum

The Colloseum is Rome’s most iconic attraction with good reason.  Join the queue to purchase a ticket or buy one online beforehand.  There are a lot of ticket agents so the line moves fairly quickly but in summer I would buy this ticket online to not waste time.

This ticket costs $12 euro and gets you in to see the Colloseum’s inside structure (as well as the Forum and Palantine Hill) and is valid for 2 days.  There are daily guided tours in English to see the inside structure at set times.  To see the underneath you will have to buy a special tour/ticket (from the same ticket office or online) that also has set times.  Metro: Colloseo

The Roman Forum

The Forum is a roman city that was unearthed near the Colloseum but which rests below ground (ie. below street level).  You can glimpse parts of the remnants of the old city (Forum) by walking on the streets (near the Colloseum).  If you are a history buff you may want to explore more thoroughly but know that appreciation can be had at the street level as well.

For a panoramic view, head to the Piazza del Campidoglio (terrace) where you can get a beautiful view of the Forum and the Colloseum.

Of course this is just a sampling of Rome – there are neighborhoods, restaurants, sculptures, churches, gardens and more but this walking tour will hit the highlights.

To get psyched for a trip to Rome, check out these movies that feature this great city: Roman Holiday, Inferno, Angels and Demons.

Some Rome books that you can check out: Fodor’s and Lonely Planet.

Getting to/from/around Rome:

Rome’s main airport is Fiumicino International Airport (FCO).  From the airport, you can take a taxi, bus or train into the heart of Rome (Metro stop: Termini).  For example, a taxi from FCO to Crowne Plaza Rome (where I stayed) cost $40 euro for 4 people.  I approximate this ride to be 16 miles and 20-25 minutes.

In Rome, buses abound all over.  Ask a local or bus driver where the bus is heading. You can hop on/off when you see someplace interesting.  There’s also the Metro/subway – you can buy a 3 day pass which I did for $16.5 euro.  A ticket for metro, bus or costs $1.5 euro and is good for 75 minutes after initial stamp.

You can use ticket initially for the metro then take the bus but not vice versa (bus to metro).  The metro will help you cover large areas and avoid street traffic if you’re going from one end of Rome to another but the bus is more scenic as it is above ground.
And of course, you can walk which is the best way to discover hidden gems.  Secure a map and “roam” around.