Rome
Two thousand years in a single walk, with lunch in the middle.
Rome layers empire, papacy and modern capital on top of one another, and lets you walk through all three before dinner. The Forum and the Colosseum are the ancient city; the Vatican and the baroque squares the Christian one; Trastevere and Monti the living one, with its trattorias and evening passeggiata.
Why go
In Rome the ruins of an empire are simply part of the street plan. You turn a corner and there is the Pantheon; you walk down a hill and there is the Forum. The churches hold Caravaggios and Berninis the way other cities hold postcards.
And the everyday city is as good as the monuments: coffee at the bar, carbonara in a back street, gelato by the fountain, the light on ochre walls at the end of the afternoon.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01The Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine
The amphitheatre, the ruined heart of the republic and the hill of the emperors' palaces are one site with one ticket. Go early or late; the middle of the day is hot and crowded.
02The Vatican
St Peter's and its square, the Vatican Museums with the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel. Book the museums ahead; climb the dome for the view over the city.
03The Pantheon and the baroque centre
The Roman temple with the open dome, the Piazza Navona with Bernini's fountain, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, all within a few streets of each other.
04Trastevere
The quarter across the river, with cobbled lanes, the mosaics of Santa Maria and the evening crowds in the squares. The place to eat.
05The churches and their paintings
San Luigi dei Francesi and Santa Maria del Popolo for Caravaggio, Santa Maria della Vittoria for Bernini, and a hundred others with something in a side chapel.
06The Borghese and the parks
The Galleria Borghese in its villa, with Bernini's sculptures and timed entry, sits in the city's great park; the Gianicolo and the Aventine's keyhole are the other viewpoints.
07Ostia Antica and the Appian Way
The excavated port city is a suburban train ride away and quieter than Pompeii; the old road with its tombs and catacombs is a bicycle ride from the walls.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
Centro Storico
The baroque heart around the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Everything on foot, and the most sought-after base.
Monti
Village streets between the Forum and the station, with wine bars, boutiques and a local feel.
Trastevere
Across the river: atmospheric, lively at night, and a short walk from the centre.
Prati
Orderly streets beside the Vatican, quieter and well served by the metro.
When to go: Rome
- SpringApril and May
- Warm, bright and the classic time to come; Easter fills the city. Wisteria on the walls and long evenings.
- SummerJune – August
- Hot, with the ruins baking by midday. Early starts, long lunches and evenings out are the rhythm; August is quieter as Romans leave.
- AutumnSeptember – November
- Warm into October with softer light and thinner crowds. November brings rain and the emptiest museums.
- WinterDecember – March
- Cool and often sunny, with the sights at their calmest. Christmas and New Year are the exception.
Getting there
Airports
Two airports in our search serve Rome. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- FCOFiumicino Leonardo da Vinci
- CIACiampino–G. B. Pastine International
Distance from
- CDGParis1,110 km
- LHRLondon1,450 km
- DXBDubai4,330 km
- BOMMumbai6,170 km
- JFKNew York6,880 km
- JNBJohannesburg7,740 km
- SINSingapore10,030 km
- SYDSydney16,320 km
Getting around: Rome
The historic centre is a walking city, and most of the great sights are within half an hour of each other on foot. Two metro lines skirt the centre and serve the Vatican, the Colosseum and the station.
Trains from Fiumicino run to Termini in about half an hour; buses and taxis fill the gaps. Ostia and the beaches are on the suburban line; Naples is about an hour and Florence about an hour and a half by high-speed train.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Italy
- Currency
- EUR · Euro
- Languages
- Italian
- Time zone
- Central European Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +39
The atlas
Rome in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Rome, month by month
- Jan11°
- Feb12°
- Mar15°
- Apr19°
- May23°
- Jun28°
- Jul32°
- Aug32°
- Sept27°
- Oct22°
- Nov16°
- Dec12°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: April to June, September and October.
Mean highs run from 11°C in January to 32°C in August, with about 775 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for RomeModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBRome
4,330 km
5 hrs 50 mins · Estimate
From AUHRome
4,320 km
5 hrs 50 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Rome
Plan this trip: Rome
Open the trip builder with Rome already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
