Citytrip Rome

Citytrip Rome – Rome is one of the most popular destinations for a city trip in Europe. This is not surprising because the Italian capital has so much to offer. The Etruscans, the ancient Romans, gladiators and slaves, Egyptian royals, kings and emperors, saints, young and old popes, gentle and malicious cardinals, presidents and pilgrims: so many different individuals have visited Rome and left their mark.

The history of this impressive city includes so much that there is every reason to name it: the Eternal City. Rome has so many sights, monuments and museum that it is difficult to decide where to start. Should you see every detail and turn every pebble? Our advice is: Start with the breathtaking monuments and daily life in this lively capital will do the rest.

City Passes and Day Passes for Rome

Purchase a discount card if you want to see and do a lot in Rome. It will save you much hassle and money! A city pass allows you free entry to the most important sights and museums in Rome. You will save time and money because these passes are cheaper than buying single tickets. Besides, you need not spend hours in the hot sun waiting in the queue. With a city pass in hand, you skip the waiting line so that you have more time to enjoy the splendours of Rome. Purchase your city pass online: the Rome Tourist Card, the Roma Pass, the Omnia Vatican & Rome Card, the Rome City Pass or the Rome iVenture Card.

Rome passes at a glance:

  • The Rome Tourist Card is especially suited for people who want to see only the most important museums and attractions of Rome and not everything the city has to offer. This card gives fast track entry to St Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum, Forum Romanum and the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The Rome Tourist Card also includes an app with audioguide. With this you will discover more than 130 sights in Rome. The Rome Tourist Card is not a physical pass. Arrange everything online at home: there is no need to pick up your pass in person. After purchase the tickets ordered will be sent to your home address or download them on your mobile.
  • The Rome City Pass is available for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 days and gives access to the most important attractions of Rome. Also, there is an option for free public transport or the use of the hop-on-hop-off-bus. In addition, the Rome City Pass also includes a handy app with a map, route planner, audio guide and information about sights in Rome. You also get discounts with the card.
  • The Omnia Vatican & Rome Card is the most comprehensive city pass for Rome. This card is valid for 72 hours and allows you free and skip-the-line entry to the most important attractions and museums in Rome. During the validity of your card you are entitled to free and unlimited use of public transport as well as the hop-on hop-off bus in Rome.
  • The Roma Pass is the cheapest city pass for Rome. It allows free entry to one or two attractions of your choice (e.g. Colosseum and Galleria Borghese) and free public transport. The Roma Pass is valid for 48 or 72 hours.
  • With the Rome iVenture Card you can book tickets for 3, 5 or 7 attractions in Rome. You can choose from almost 50 sights, museums, activities and experiences. This Rome Flexi Attractions Pass is valid for 7 days.

Compare Rome City Passes and Day Passes:

Omnia Card

Omnia Pass Rome

Included:

  • Vatican museums
  • Sistine Chapel
  • Saint Peter’s Basilica (audio guide included)
  • St John’s Lateran Basilica
  • St. Peter’s Mamertine Prison
  • Public transport (3 days)
  • Hop-on hop-off bus (3 days)
  • One to two other museums/attractions
  • Discounts on museums, attractions and tours

Roma Pass

Roma Card

Included:

  • 1 attraction (48 hrs)
  • 2 attractions (72 hrs)
  • Public Transport
  • Many discounts
  • Discount vouchers

Rome City Pass

Roma Card

Included:

  • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 days
  • Most important attractions
    • Colosseum
    • Forum Romanum
    • Sistine Chapel
    • Vaticans Museums
    • and more
  • Public Transport (optional)
  • Hop-on-hop-off bus (optional)
  • App with audio guide
  • Discounts

Rome Tourist Card

Rome City Pass

Included:

  • St. Peter’s Basilica
  • Colosseum
  • Forum Romanum
  • Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel
  • Audio guide app
  • Discount on museums and attractions
  • Discount on tours, cruises and excursions
  • 100% mobile

Rome iVenture Card

Rome City Pass

Included:

  • Tickets for 3, 5 or 7 attractions
  • Skip-the-line access
  • Choice of 50 attractions and activities
  • Handy app
  • Valid for 7 Days

Rome iVenture Card

Flights to Rome

Many tourists travel to Rome by plane. Rome has two international airports: Rome Fiumicino Airport (also known as Rome Leonardo da Vinci Airport) and Rome Ciampino Airport. Fiumicino is the largest and busiest of the two airports. Fiumicino airport is located 30 kilometres from Rome centre and Ciampino 15 kilometres. Rome is connected to many European airports by direct flights. Many budget and other companies fly to Rome: KLM, Alitalia, Vueling, Easyjet, Transavia, Ryanair, Germanwings, Wizzair and more.

From the Airport to Rome City Centre

The cheapest way to get to the city or to the central station Roma Termini are the shuttle buses of Terravision and a few other companies. These buses will take you to the centre of Rome in about 55 minutes. A taxi will set you back about €50. Several bus companies (including Terravision) run services between the airport and the city centre. The journey time to Rome Termini train station is about 40 minutes. At Rome Termini station you take the metro, train, taxi or bus to your final destination in Rome.

Hotel and B&B Rome

The variety of hotels, apartments and other accommodations in Rome is huge. The closer to the centre and the major attractions of Rome the more expensive the hotels are. The most expensive hotels are in the vicinity of Via Veneto and Via dei Condotti. In other neighbourhoods, away from the centre, you will find accommodation that is more affordable. These hotels are often close to a metro or train station. Public transport is fast and you will be in the city centre in no time.

The Blue Hostel is a comfortable budget place in the heart of Rome on Via Carlo Alberto 13, near Stazione Termini and the Coliseum. This hostel offers hotel rooms at a budget price. What’s more, many attractions are within walking distance. Another very affordable hostel is Hostel Trustever on Via Francesco Benaglia in the Trastevere district. Hotel Art is a luxury hotel in Rome on Via Margutta, close to the Spanish Steps. The Abitart Hotel is a four-star hotel in the Ostiense district, the rooms in the hotel on Via Pellegrino Matteucci are decorated with works by Picasso, Matisse, Mirò and Keith Haring. If you want to sleep in a former monastery, go to At Relais Le Clarisse in the Trastevere district.

In addition to hotels, Rome also offers a large number of bed & breakfasts and apartments. A B&B usually involves small-scale accommodation where the owner, apart from bed and (Italian) breakfast provides you with tips for events, city walks and other activities in town. A highly recommended B&B is Gli Artisti on Via degli Scipioni, only a 10-minute walk from Vatican City. In the Trastevere district you will find Casa della Fornarina on Via di Porta Settimiana 7, named after the muse of painter Rafael. Apartments can be rented through a private individuals or through companies such as Wimdu, Waytostay and Rental in Rome.

Things to do in Rome

Rome abounds in sights and monuments; each has its own charm: the imposing Colosseum, the mighty Pantheon, baroque fountains, peaceful squares and gardens, dozens of museums and intimate churches. The editors of City Passes list for you the most important highlights and hotspots in Rome.

TIP: A good start to your city trip Rome is a ride on the Hop-on Hop-off bus. Lean back and see Rome’s highlight in a leisure way! You will pass most of the city’s sights. You decide where to get off, which attraction or museum you are going to visit and then you hop back on to see even more highlights.

Colosseum and Roman Forum

Sightseeing Rome Colosseum Forum Romanum
How to get there
Location

The Collosseum and the Roman Forum are next to each other. The Collosseum is located at Piazza del Colosseo and the Roman Forum at Via della Salara Vecchia.

Metro and bus

Colosseo Metro Station (line B) on Piazza del Colosseo is a 3-minute walk from both attractions. Take bus 51, 75, 81, 85 or 87 get off at bus stop Via di San Gregorio. A five-minute walk takes you to the attractions.

Colosseum and Roman Forum: two iconic highlights. Colosseum, world’s largest amphitheater – or what is left of it – was once the setting where thousands of Romans enjoyed re-enacted naval battles, gladiators fighting each other and gruesome executions. The Roman Forum, on the other hand, is the place where skirmishes took place: it was the business, judicial and religious heart of ancient Rome where judges administered justice, clergy fought against the unbelievers and traders bickered with each other.

Ara Pacis Museum

Sightseeing Rome Ara Pacis
How to get there
Location

Museo dell’Ara Pacis is located on Lungotevere in Augusta, overlooking the Tiber River.

Bus

Bus 70, 81, 87, 117, 119, 186, 301 and 628 bus stop Lungotevere Marzio, Lungotevere in Augusta and Via Tomacelli. It is a five-minute walk to the Ara Pacis.

Many emperors considered Rome as their place of residence. Augustus is the emperor who is still remembered today. To achieve this, an emperor has to do something extraordinary, something that lingers in people’s minds. Augustus erected a monumental altar to remind people that the empire owed peace and prosperity to him. The monument houses in glass, steel and travertine museum designed by the American architect Richard Meier. This modern piece of architecture caused quite a stir but gives the Ara Pacis more importance.

Galleria Borghese

Sightseeing Rome Galleria Borghese
How to get there
Location

Galleria Borghese is located in park of Villa Borghese, on Piazzale Scipione Borghese.

Metro and bus

The nearest metro station is Spagna (on Piazza di Spagna). Galleria Borghese is a 20-minute walk from the metro station. Bus 52, 53, 61, 63, 83, 86, 89, 92, 95, 116, 160, 223, 231, 360, 490, 495, 630, 910 stop nearby at bus stops Pinciana-Museo Borghese (a six-minute walk) and San Paolo Del Brasile (a ten-minute walk).

Hoewel de oude Romeinen verantwoordelijk zijn voor de eerste massale stenen infrastructuur, hecht de hedendaagse Romein ook veel waarde aan groen – een behoefte die weerspiegeld wordt in de vele grote stadsparken die Rome heeft. In het meest centrale park, de Villa Borghese, kun je tijdens een wandeling de magistrale villa van Galleria Borghese zien opdoemen waarin een uitzonderlijke kunstcollectie te zien is met meesterwerken van kunstenaars zoals Caravaggio, Titiaan en Bernini. Kardinaal Scipione Borghese moest zijn creatieve ei kwijt en is hiermee ontzettend geslaagd. Vooral Bernini’s marmeren beeld van Apollo die wanhopig zijn in een boom transformerende crush Daphne probeert te grijpen neemt je helemaal in beslag.

Trevi Fountain

Sightseeing Rome Trevi Fountain
How to get there
Location

The Trevi Fountain is located at Piazza di Trevi.

Metro and bus

The square with the fountain is easily accessible from Barberini metro station (7 minutes on foot). Bus 52, 53, 62, 63, 71, 80, 83, 85, 160 and 492 bus stop at Via del Tritone at the Tritone-Fontana Trevi bus stop, a 3-minute walk from the Trevi Fountain.

Imagine: a modest town square crowned by a 30 by 20 meter rock from which litres of water clatter down. You will find this imposing scene at the Trevi Fountain. Designed by Bernini, the fountain was built in the 18th century on the site where three waterways, tre vie, converged. A life-size statue of the sea god Oceanus, together with his tamed and wild horse watches the hordes of tourists who by throwing a coin over their left shoulder hope to visit Rome again in the future. Wading through the water as Anita Ekberg did in La Dolce Vita is an illusion because the refreshing water is out of bounds.

Capitoline Museums

Sightseeing Rome Capitoline museums
How to get there
Location

The entrance to the Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini) is at Piazza del Campidoglio 1.

Metro and bus

The nearest bus stops are in Via del Teatro di Marcello and Piazza Venezia. Bus 30, 40, 44, 51, 62, 63, 64, 70, 81, 83, 85, 87, 97, 119, 715 and 716 stop here. It is a 3 to 5 minute-walk to get to the museum.

Lovers of classical antiquity can make a controlled leap of joy at the Capitol, one of Rome’s seven hills: the colossal pointing hand of Emperor Constantine’s statue shows the way. The lupa, the she-wolf that saved Romulus and Remus from a certain death, Marcus Aurelius on horseback and countless mythological figures, dressed-up members of the imperial family and Greek philosophers are honoured in the Capitoline Museums in petrified personifications.

Pantheon

Sightseeing Rome Pantheon
How to get there
Location

Pantheon is located at found at Piazza della Rotonda (between the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona).

Bus

Bus 30, 40, 46, 62, 64, 70, 81, 87, 492 and 628 stop at the Argentina bus stop on the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and on the Corso del Rinascimento. It is about 5 minutes’ walk to the Pantheon from either bus stop.

Pantheon: a temple dedicated to all gods and a place where you will feel truly at home. When seeing the light stream in through the dome, even agnostics will get the feeling that there is more to life than the eye meets. Over the ages the temple has retained its grandeur and is the last resting place for members of the Italian monarchy (1870-1946). They were allowed to rest in eternity with none other than the great painter Rafael.

Castle of the Holy Angel (Castel Sant’Angelo)

Sightseeing Rome Angel Castle Sant Angelo
How to get there
Location

Castel Sant’Angelo is located on Lungotevere Castello 50, on the banks of the Tiber River.

Metro and bus

The Castel Sant’Angelo can be reached by buses 23, 34, 40, 46, 49, 62, 64, 87, 280, 492, 926 and 990. Walk from the bus stops Ponte Vittorio Emanuele, Paoli, Rondinella and Crescenzio. Walk to the entrance of the Castel Sant’Angelo in 5 to 8 minutes.

The castle of the Holy Angel (Castel Sant’Angelo) was once built as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian (yes, the one of the Hadrian Wall). The castle was used as a refuge for the Pope to protect him from not so compliant believers, much different from those who visit the museum these days. Holy Angel refers to the archangel Michael who appeared on top of the roof to announce the end of a plague epidemic. A small passage leads from the castle along the walls of the Vatican City to the heart of this mini-state and, in case of danger, the pope used it to bring himself to safety. The Angel Bridge spanning the Tiber River and leading to the castle brims with statues of angels.

Saint Peter’s Basilica and Vatican City

Sightseeing Rome Saint Peter Vatican
How to get there
Location

Saint Peter’s Basilica is located on St. Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro) in Vatican City.

Metro and bus

Walk to St. Peter’s Square in 15 minutes from Ottaviano metro station. Bus 19, 23, 32, 81, 492, 590 and 982 stop at the bus stops at Piazza del Risorgimento. A 10-minute walk takes you to St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Vatican Museums is to be visited at the Viale Vaticano. Metro stations Ottaviano (6-minute walk) and Cipro-Musei Vaticani (line A – 10-minute walk) are nearby. If you arrive by bus, get off at the bus stops on Piazza del Rissorgimento or on the Viale Vaticano (bus number 49).

How to honour Jesus’ first followers that died a martyr’s death and where to bury them? The answer is: build a church, the largest in the world, decorate it majestically and bury the martyrs in this basilica. The pillars on St. Peter’s Square, the awe-inspiring dome, the gigantic statues of martyrs carved from precious marble: everything ensures that faith in the divine is not to be questioned. It takes more than a day to see all 1400 rooms of the Vatican Museum. The largest art collection in the world is on display here. It is impossible to see the exhibition in one day. However, a shortcut to the Sisitine Chapel to admire only Michelangelo’s supernatural creation is mere blasphemy.

Restaurants and bars in Rome

There is no shortage of good restaurants in Rome. The Eternal city offers countless possibilities for delicious lunches and dinners. You can find a restaurant or bar on practically every corner of the street. Go for simple but delicious pasta dishes ‘carbonara’, ‘gricia’, ‘amatriciana’ and ‘cacio e pepe’ or eat a Roman, thin pizza with ingredients of your choice. Traditional dishes such as oxtail and artichokes are served in the Jewish way. Tip: the brighter the lights and the easier the furniture, the greater the chance of good food.

Urbana 47 at Via Urbana 47 in the Monti district is an excellent organic restaurant. You will find vegetarian food at RistorArte Il Margutta, a combination of a restaurant and a gallery, at Via Margutta 118. In restaurants Eggs on Via Natale Grande 52, in the Trastevere district you eat classic and special egg dishes. Budget travelers in Rome go to bar Pastificio at the Spanish Steps. Order a pasta dish and a glass of wine for only four or five euros. At Lo Zozzone (Via del Teatro Pace 32) and Pizzeria Da Bafetto (Via del Governo Vecchio 114) you can eat the most delicious pizzas at a very affordable price.

Rome also has many restaurants specializing in foreign cuisine. Rome, and Italy as a whole, is also famous for its ice-cream (gelato), the best espresso and the frothiest cappuccino .If you want to take home Italian delicacies, the deli shops of Volpetti, on Via Marmorata 47, and Gusto (near the Mausoleum of Augustus) are highly recommended. Pastateca (Via della Vita 44) specializes in dozens of different types of pasta.

Shopping in Rome

Shopping in Rome is a pleasure! No luxurious shopping boulevards or huge shopping malls, instead a wide choice of unique shops and funky boutiques – shopping in Rome is a true experience. Via del Corso is Rome’s most famous shopping street. Here you will find department stores and retail chains, such as Benetton, the Disney store, La Rinascente and Sisley department store. The Via dei Condotti is one of the most expensive shopping streets in Rome. This street, which runs from Piazza di Spagna to Via del Corso, is famous for its high-end fashion stores. In addition to these well-known shopping streets, there are numerous other smaller shopping streets in the centre of the city.

If you are looking for fashion, make a beeline for Via Cola di Rienzo or Via dei Giubbonari. Via del Boschetto, in the Monti district of Rome, just behind the Colosseum. Here you will find no international chain stores, but small shops with special products, handmade bags, trendy clothing and original gifts. Via della Conciliazione offers a wide range of Vatican souvenirs and in Via dei Coronari you will find many antiques dealers. The Via del Tritone, Via del Pellegrino and Via dei Giubbonari are some other streets for shopping in Rome.

If you are a chocolate-lover, be sure to go to Moriondo e Gariglio in Via de Pie ‘di Marmo. Since 1851, they have been producing the best chocolates in Rome. Cartoleria Pantheon on Via della Rotonda 15 specializes in hand-bound notebooks, beautiful calligraphy cards, exquisite wrapping paper and other items that will grace your desk. A wonderful shop to buy fragrant scents is perfumery Campomarzio70 at Via Vittoria 52.

Include one of the many Roman markets in your city trip – the daily open-air market at Campo de’Fiori or the flea market at Porta Portese every Sunday morning. A guaranteed success!