What To See In Rome

Italy. False teeth, motorways, shopping centres, jeans, banks and Nutella all started life here. And at the heart of Italy is the ancient and majestic capital city of Rome. And within that is the independent country of the Vatican.

Both of these make up a city break to rival any other in the world – with millennia of history, priceless art and architecture, intertwined with modern Italian principles, it’s easy to see why Rome is one of the most-visited cities on the planet.

If you’re still not convinced, let us run you through some of the things that are totally unmissable – when in Rome, do as the Romans do!

Audience With The Pope
You won’t get a ride in the Popemobile but if you visit the Vatican on a Wednesday, you’ll be able to sit in a Papal Audience with Pope Francis. You’ll have a tour guide with you to get you the best available seats, beating the baying crowd. If you’re planning a summer trip, it’s worth noting that these Papal Audiences do not take place in July as the Pope is off on holiday jet-skiing in Corfu (maybe).

Cost: £30 adults, £27 children
Tickets: http://www.attractiontix.co.uk/tickets/papel-audience

Angels & Demons Filming Locations
If you’re a Dan Brown fan, then you mustn’t miss the chance to stand in Robert Langdon’s shoes. Our Angels & Demons Tour gives you your very own crime-fighting, art-loving, conspiracy-cracking tour guide* who will take you to see some of the easily missed symbols featured in the film. These include the “West Ponente” tile at the base of the Obelisk in St Peter’s Square and the “Demon Hole” in the Pantheon which throw the detectives off at the start of the film.

Even if you’re not a Dan Brown fan, this treasure hunt-style experience will get you a guided tour around mysterious and secret sites. Hidden passageways, secret messages, Vatican enigmas, it’s all here!

Cost: £45 adults, £40 children
Tickets: http://www.attractiontix.co.uk/tickets/angels-and-demons-tour

*Robert Langdon may not be your tour guide on the day

Gianicolo Hill
Over in the west of the city lies Gianicolo Hill, which isn’t actually one of the 7 hills of Rome. (This is because the borders of ancient Rome were a lot smaller!) But it is certainly high, offering a gorgeous lookout across the city. At the top is Bramante’s Tempietto (“little temple”) which is in the courtyard of the San Pietro in Montorio church. The Tempietto is considered a masterpiece of Italian renaissance architecture and definitely worth a photo.

Cost: Free!

Vatican City
The Vatican is mega popular – five million people visit every year! So queues for the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica can be expected. You could do with a Beat The Queue ticket which gets you past all of that and straight into the gorgeous sites. And we’ll hook you up with an experienced guide so you can pick up every fascinating fact as you go!

Cost: £50 adults, £46 children
Tickets: http://www.attractiontix.co.uk/tickets/vatican-tickets-skip-the-line

Pantheon
Some of the most fun things to do in Rome you don’t even have to break into a Euro for. The jaw-dropping Pantheon is one of these. Head inside and gaze up at the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome – incredible to think that something built 2000 years ago is still the largest of its kind in the world! Artists and architects went to the Parthenon during the Renaissance for inspiration, in fact, famous painter Raphael is buried beneath. It gathers around 6 million visitors a year, so head in early doors to beat the crowd!

Cost: Free

Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
We’ve just got our tickets in for summer 2017. Skip the long lines for these historic landmarks and see the amphitheatre that is the iconic Colosseum, the ancient buildings of the Roman Forum, and the heart of the city, Palatine Hill, all in half a day.

Cost: £42 adults, £38 children
Tickets: http://www.attractiontix.co.uk/tickets/colosseum-tour-roman-forum-palatine-hill

Buses & Boats
You can soak up the culture of the city from the roads or from the mighty River Tiber. The Hop On Hop Off cruise takes you up and down the River Tiber, and you can get off whenever you like. Stops on the way include Tiber Island, the Ponte Sisto bridge and the Mausoleum of Hadrian. Or if you’re not one for the river, the tour buses are constantly rolling around the city – grab a 24 hour ticket and just get the camera ready!

Hop on Hop off Boat
Cost: £15 adults, £10 children
Tickets: http://www.attractiontix.co.uk/tickets/rome-hoho-cruise

Hop on Hop off Bus
Cost: £24 adults, £12 children
Tickets: http://www.attractiontix.co.uk/tickets/open-top-bus-rome

Trevi Fountain
It’s tradition to throw a coin over your shoulder into the gorgeous Trevi Fountain, and every day approximately €3000 gets chucked in! The fountain is emptied daily and the money collected goes towards funding a supermarket, run by the Italian Red Cross, to help the needy.

According to the tradition, you throw one coin in to ensure you’ll come back to Rome, throw two coins to guarantee a new romance, and throw three coins to ensure marriage! AttractionTix accepts no responsibility for absence of marriage despite throwing three or more coins.

Cost: Free, excluding the Euros you throw in…

Rome with Kids
The historical and religious parts of Rome may not be ideal for the average young child, but there’s still a ton of ways to keep them entertained. Instead of dragging them from one museum to another, take them to the Colosseum and get them to walk in the shoes of a Roman gladiator. Or give them a few euros and take them round Campo de’Fiori, the bustling local outdoor market.

Alternatively, tire them out up a couple of hills and promise to reward them with the local food – pizza and ice cream!

Campo de’Fiori
Cost: Free

Rome is where the heart is! A couple of days here and you’ll be longing for more!

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