Rome is possibly the most beautiful and interesting city you’ll ever visit. And I highly recommend that you add this to your bucket …

This is your complete guide to the city of Rome. How to get here, what attractions to see, how to avoid those stupidly long queues, advice on where to get the best gelato and pizza, and how to have the best time of your life in the most interesting historical city that you’ll ever visit. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Eternal City. As you’re probably aware, Rome is the capital city of Italy, and was once the epicentre of the Roman Empire. But it’s also home to Vatican City the smallest country in the world. This is the defacto head of the Catholic church and millions of people make the pilgrimage to Rome every single year. And it’s definitely true what they say no matter what street you go down in Rome, there’s always something interesting to look at. It’s a pretty massive city with a lot of historical sites and attractions, so where do you begin? Well let’s start by looking at a map of Rome. As you can see; pretty much everything is everywhere. My advice to you is to split up your trip to Rome in these specific coloured areas. This ensures that you see everything that Rome has to offer without needlessly traversing the city many times over. If you’re flying internationally you’ll come across one of either two airports; Fiumicino which is the main airport, and Ciampino which is the smaller of the two. I’ll leave detailed instructions as to how to get to the centre of Rome from these airports towards the end of the video. But with both airports you’ll most likely end up at Termini station. This is the main train station that services Rome. From Termini station you can get just about anywhere in the city. The best way to do this is to go to one of the ticket booths and buy yourself an all-inclusive travel pass. This works on the Rome Metro, the buses, the trams and some of the local trains. So it’s definitely the easiest way of getting around the city. I’ll explain more at the end of the video on how to actually use this pass, but suffice to say it’s mostly self-explanatory. So now that you’ve arrived, let’s focus on this area south of Termini station and let’s go to the most visited attraction in all of Rome. The Coliseum. Possibly the most famous amphitheatre in the world and the symbol of Rome itself. It’s about 2,000 years old and in its heyday hosted over 50,000 spectators for plays or gladiatorial fights. It’s a very interesting and historic place. Whilst you might have seen photos and videos on the internet or on TV, nothing prepares you for the sheer scale of this place. And I’ve got to admit, I was absolutely overwhelmed with this place. I genuinely can’t believe that they’ve built this place two thousand years ago without the aid of machinery. If you want my advice; pay for access to all areas of the Colosseum, which includes the arena floor which is where I am now, and the underground down there. There’s lots of places where you can learn all about the Coliseum. Bear in mind that this is the most visited attraction in the city, and it can get quite crowded with tourists and the like, so please bear that in mind. Even with the crowds it’s definitely a bucket list attraction that you don’t want to miss if you’re visiting Rome. Right outside the Coliseum you’ll find the Constantine Arch which is good for a quick photo or video or two, and then you’ll come across the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. This is the epicentre of the ancient Roman Empire. Okay, it’s in ruins right now as you’d expect. But walking around these ruins is actually very very interesting. You can see how the ancient Romans used to live two thousand years ago, and the fact that most of it is still standing is pretty impressive. Be sure to climb up Palatine Hill for some of the best views of these Roman ruins that you’ll ever see. If you are interested in visiting the Coliseum and you want a more detailed explanation, I’ve actually made a separate video right here. It’s definitely worth watching because there’s a lot that you need to know before you actually come here. One of the cool things about this particular area is that it’s full of Roman ruins everywhere you go. For example, this place Circo Massimo. But to be honest you’ll find that pretty much everywhere around here. Literally with every street that you go to you’ll find something that’s ancient and ruined. Do if you’re a bit of a history buff this is pretty much the perfect destination for you. If you go east of the Coliseum you’ll find some equally interesting things. First of all; the Basilica de San Giovanni in Laterano. This believe it or not, is the second largest church in the city, and is the official seat of the bishop of Rome aka the Pope. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, it looks like a very fancy building with a very large orange building bolted to it. But when you go inside, you will be stunned at the sheer size of this place. Not only the amount of marble statues that are on display, this is pretty much a mega super church, and it’s not even the most famous one! Because it’s a little bit out of the way, it’s usually quieter than the other famous Church which we’ll talk about later on in the video. Up the street is the Piazza Vittorio Emmanuelle. It’s a lovely park space with this rather interesting Roman ruin in the middle. What’s between the Coliseum and Termini station you’ll find one of the other important churches here in Rome. The Basilica Papale de Santa Maria Maggiore. It looks pretty palatial, and from the inside it looks like Buckingham Palace on steroids! If you’re wondering if all of this is actual real gold, errr yeah! They actually mix real gold in the paint here on the ceilings. This chair that’s reserved for the pope, yep you better believe that’s painted in gold as well. It’s definitely an amazing church to look at. But pay close attention to the ceiling because it’s so detailed that you probably won’t see this anywhere else in the world. And oh my goodness there’s a dead Pope in a box on display. Yippee (!?) Don’t let that put you off visiting this amazing basilica. All of this area will take you at least a day to explore. But let’s go north of that now into this area in blue where you’ll find most of the famous attractions that you’ll have heard of. You might not have heard of this place though; the Borghese Gardens. It’s a very well-manicured green space. Perfect if you want to get away from the city. It definitely reminds me of the manicured gardens that we have here in England, albeit a little bit nicer. It’s also home to the Borghese Gallery; a very interesting art gallery. And if you’re an art lover it definitely comes highly recommended. South of the Borghese Gardens you’ll come across this; The Villa Medici. It’s technically another Art Gallery / Museum. If you’re really interested, you can go inside. But the reason why I want you to visit this place, not just because of the building, but because it’s right next to this lookout point that overlooks this; The Piazza del Popolo. It’s one of the more famous public squares here in Rome. Complete with its ancient Egyptian obelisk ride in the middle. This cool looking fountain where you can take nice photos and videos. And you’ve got at least three iconic churches that you can visit off this square. I tried to go into this one but it became quickly apparent that I walked straight into the middle of a funeral. So yeah … probably best to come back on another day?! But if churches isn’t your thing there’s a very interesting museum right here on the corner devoted to Leonardo da Vinci. If you’re a big fan of the world’s most famous inventor, you’ll be enthralled at this exhibit. But admittedly, I was more entertained at this room of mirrors. Round and round and round and round we go. Boy, I really need to get a life! If anything, this exhibit definitely highlights the sheer amounts of contributions that Leonardo da Vinci made to the world. Whether it was paintings, sculptures or inventions. And the church right next to it that’s definitely worth a look as well. And whilst we’re speaking about churches; Rome famously has over 900 churches. Now, I don’t expect you to visit every single one. I certainly didn’t. But if there is an interesting looking church, it might be worthwhile just having a quick nosy around, as most of them in fact pretty much all of them are free to go inside. This is especially true here at Trinita Di Monti. It’s a nice church for sure, probably not the most amazing church you’ll find here in Rome, for obvious reasons. But it is attached to this; the Spanish Steps. This famous staircase links the Trinita Di Monti with the Piazza di Spagna, and is a very famous venue for photos videos films. And it’s easily possibly the most recognizable steps in all of Europe. Personally, I don’t see what the big fuss is all about. It looks like a big giant staircase to me, but maybe you can see something a bit more special than I can. But what’s definitely special and only a few streets away from the Spanish Steps you’ll find this … The Trevi Fountain. Possibly the most famous fountain in all of Europe. Millions of people come here to toss a coin over their shoulder, the superstition being that if you toss a coin into the fountain, you’ll one day return to Rome. I assume that quite a lot of people doing this are actually making wishes, but each their own I guess. It’s possibly the most beautiful fountain you’ll ever come across. But it’s not without its problems. As you can see from this video footage I took, it’s incredibly busy. It’s also full of wannabe influencers and people taking pictures of their ice cream. I never understood why people did that? It’s also a prime spot for pickpockets to target you. So be aware at all times if you are visiting the Trevi Fountain. Whilst you’re here next to the Trevi Fountain, you’re also next to the main shopping street in all of Rome. The Via del Corso. It’s here that you’ll find high-end boutiques, amazing fashion outlets, football shops and everything in between. This is even a place where you can buy cannabis from Amsterdam! It’s definitely a nice street to walk along. You’ll be entertained by street performers, and find lots of interesting shops. It definitely reminds me of Oxford Street in London, or Fifth Avenue in New York, albeit with an Italian twist. Via del Corso famously joins The Piazza del Popolo which we visited before … to The Piazza Venezia. Another Public Square full of impressive colonial buildings. But none are more impressive than this. The Altar of the Fatherland. This was built to commemorate Italy as a unified country, and everywhere you look it is impressive. I mean look at the share size of this place! The best time to visit this place is at sunset. The crowds aren’t too busy, and you can watch the sunset and turn all of these lovely buildings into a nice peachy colour. Inside you’ll find this cool photographic gallery, which is free to enter of course. And behind the altar of the Fatherland you’ll find the famous three palazzos. One of which banks onto the Roman Forum, which we visited earlier in the video. A creepy thing to do if you are in this particular area is to visit the Capuchin Crypt. It’s yet another church and another exhibit but there’s also up to 3,600 dead Capuchin monks that are now permanently on display in bone format, in this rather creepy underground crypt. Creepy but cool at the same time. And as night falls, Rome becomes an even more beautiful city than it already is. If you go to some of the attractions that we’ve already visited at night, I guarantee that you’ll fall in love with the architecture, and scenery, and it makes for some amazing photos and videos. Speaking of which let’s visit the pink and purple areas of the map, where believe it or not you’ll find the oldest church in all of Rome. The Pantheon. Now you’re probably going to be asking me, hang on a minute Ninh, isn’t that the place with the hole in the roof? Why yes?! Yes it is! They did this to basically save weight on the roof AKA to stop it collapsing. It also provides light but also it acts as a ventilation system, particularly in summer where the hot air rises and escapes out of the hole in the roof. It’s a working Church yes, but also it happens to be the final resting place for some very important people. Such as King Humbert and the artist Raphael. Literally one street away you’ll find the famous Piazza Navona. Complete with its iconic fountains, Egyptian obelisk and the church there happens to have one of the nicest domed roofs I’ve ever seen. And it also has somebody’s skull on display. Okay …? Even if you’re all churched out it definitely is worth seeing. In this Piazza, you’ll also find the Museum of Rome. So if you want to learn more about Rome, this is the place to do it. A lot of travel guides will tell you to visit the famous Campo di Fiori, an iconic Italian marketplace. But when I went; it was disgusting! Dirty, smelly, full of junk, full of rubbish and definitely not worth visiting, especially if you have a short time here in Rome. But rather interestingly go south of that to visit the famous Great Synagogue, the largest synagogue in the entire country. And it’s right next to the River Tiber, which famously splits the city into two. There’s a much better and much more iconic viewpoint of the River Tiber upstream and we’ll show you that later on in the video. But cross the river at this point and you’ll come across this yellow area. This is the area known as Trastevere. Immediately you can tell it looks completely different to the rest of Rome. The locals here will tell you that this is a true representation of what Roman life is actually all about. As far as they’re aware this is authentic Rome. Life is definitely a lot more laid back here, and people are more happy to take it easy. This is also where you’ll find the most authentic food in the city. I can see why the locals like this area so much. Because you get some amazing food at non-tourist prices. So if you are exploring Trastevere, bring money for lots of food. I guarantee you won’t regret overeating. The main church in the area, the Santa Maria is definitely worth walking around, especially if you’re trying to burn off all that food. And to burn even more calories, climb Gianicolo Hill for some of the best views across the city of Rome. From here you’ll see this area in green. Believe it or not, this area will take you at least an entire day to explore. Because this is the area that encompasses Vatican City. Officially the world’s smallest country, you can walk entirely around it in less than 30 minutes, is famously the home of the Catholic church, and the spiritual Temple of over a billion Catholics worldwide. But there’s no border police and you definitely don’t need your passport to enter. You can walk freely in and out of Vatican City. There’s plenty of things to see and do here in Vatican Citym but I’ll condense it down to these four. The easiest to access is Saint Peter’s Square. This is the large public square that Catholics from all around the world will congregate to, especially if the Pope is delivering one of his services. But when he’s not here, this is actually quite a nice public square to hang around in. You’ll be amazed at the architecture, the fountains and the hundreds of handcarved statues that overlook the square. But the jewel in the crown of Vatican City is the largest church in all of the world; Saint Peter’s Basilica. And when I said it’s the largest church in the world, I honestly wasn’t joking. Because inside, it’s absolutely massive. Words cannot describe how big this place actually is! And my video footage here really doesn’t show the scale of it. Everything from the statues, the paintings, they’re pretty huge too. Even the tombs housing dead Popes, yeah they’re pretty massive too. And this is possibly the biggest, most beautiful, most colourful, most amazing church that you’ll ever walk into. I know we visited a lot of churches in this video so far but nothing, absolutely nothing beats this place. If you’re a worshiper, they hold various services throughout the day, and you’re more than welcome to join in any single one of them. Because remember this is still a working church, it’s not just a tourist attraction. This altar which is 10 stories high is built over the tomb of Saint Peter himself. The third thing that you’ll need to visit in Vatican City; is the Vatican Museum. Now you’ll need to access the museum via the north side of the city, as you can’t access this from St Peter’s Square. Inside you’ll find the collection of art and historical artefacts that belong to the Catholic church. And there’s thousands of them! This is one of the biggest museums you’ll ever come across, and it’s very doubtful that you’ll get to look at every single little thing. Because there are literally thousands of artefacts dotted across several wings. The most interesting one for me was probably Van Gogh’s Pieta, which I found very interesting. But right at the end of the museum, you’ll find the world famous Sistine Chapel. Completely decorated with Michelangelo’s paintings. A word of warning though; photography and videography is strictly forbidden here in the Sistine Chapel, and those caught doing so will be ordered by security to delete any footage that has been taken. I’m seriously not joking about that. The fourth thing to do here in Vatican City if you can manage it, is literally climb the dome right to the top of Saint Peter’s Basilica. This is a pretty hefty climb, it’s about 600 steps. If you can manage it you’ll get this iconic view over St Peter’s Basilica and the city of Rome. It’s definitely hard work but the views at the top more than make up for it. Please, please, please check out my separate video about visiting Vatican City. Because there’s a lot that you need to know especially if you’re here visiting the Pope. But also if you want to visit Vatican City without the hassle of crowds or drawing the ire of security because you’re dressed incorrectly. Be sure to check out this video guide here. But let’s say you’re done with Vatican City … what next? If you walk away from Saint Peter’s Square down the street you’ll find Italy’s most iconic castle … Castel Sant’Angelo. Or in English, the Castle of the Holy Angel. Movie buffs will instantly recognize this place from that iconic hits film; Angels and Demons. And when you get here in real life, it does come pretty much as advertised. It’s a super imposing castle, originally built as a mausoleum. And inside there’s lots of interesting things to see. But it’s definitely a long climb up, and this spiral walkway goes along for quite some time. But when you do get to the top, there’s lots of interesting statues, historical artefacts and educational models for you to look at. And it’s all very very lovely. Have a look at the original throne from where the King of Italy used to sit. One of the best things about Castel Sant’Angelo is the sheer incredible views from the outside. From here you can see Sant’Angelo bridge and all these amazing views across the River Tiber. So when I mentioned before that there’s a much better place to take pictures of the River Tiber, now you see why. Because this is the place! There’s also a cool little restaurant where you can sit and have your dinner, while staring at this amazing view over Vatican City. Climb up a few stairs more to the roof where you’ll arguably get the best views over the entire city of Rome. And you’ll get to see the famous statue of the Sant’Angelo itself. Possibly the most famous angel statue in the world. Before you leave Castel Sant’Angelo for good, walk along Sant’Angelo Bridge. Where you’ll be flanked by all of these angel statues, which will also recognize from Angels and Demons. Especially if you come here at sunset or at night you will be disappointed with any photo that you take from here. Believe it or not that pretty much covers most of Rome, and if you follow this guide you’ll pretty much see everything that Rome has to offer within three or four days. But if you’re willing to travel a little bit outside of Rome and especially if you like sports there’s a place that you need to visit there’s a short bus ride away. That place is the Stadio Olimpico. The venue for the 1960 Olympic Games is now a modern stadium that’s home to the Italian National Football and Rugby teams. But is also home to two Serie-A football clubs. SS Lazio and AS Roma. These two arch rival teams absolutely hate each other. And if you get tickets for any of their games, it does come highly recommended. If there are no games on you can actually do a stadium tour of the place. I’m not going to talk too much into detail about that because I made a separate video right here, so if you are interested in sports, check this out. There’s a few other places that I haven’t talked about in this video, and if you do come across them they’re probably worth checking out. But the ones I’ve mentioned so far in this video are the must see and do things that you’ll encounter here in Rome. And if you manage to touch on all of these during your trip to Rome, you’ve done really well. Overall guys I think you’ll agree that Rome is possibly the most interesting city that you’ll ever come across. Whether it’s the history, the culture, the churches, the food, the things to do or the atmosphere, you will definitely fall in love with this city. And if you are still umming and ahhing about whether or not to visit, don’t hesitate! Book your trip now, and I guarantee you will regret it! Okay Ninh, I’m sold. What do I need to do? Well, you need to come here to Rome. As mentioned in the beginning of the video, you’ll probably fly into one of two airports; Fiumicino or Ciampino. If you’re flying internationally, it’s dead easy to get in and out of the city centre. Simply buy a ticket for the direct train, known as the Leonardo Express, and it will take you there directly without stopping. You could reach Rome Termini station in about 20 to 25 minutes. If you’re flying into Ciampino, it’s slightly more complicated. Before you exit the airport, you’ll need to buy a bus ticket for the Ciampino AirLink. Once you exit the airport you’ll need to find the bus stand that has the Ciampino AirLink graphics all over it. You’ll need to get on this bus, which will take you into the town of Ciampino, where you’ll then transfer directly onto a train that will take you to Rome Termini station. From start to finish it’s about 40 minutes. To buy a train ticket for either of these two services, simply go to one of the ticket booths, select your language select, which train you want and literally pay with it with cash or a contactless credit card. And before you board any train, please validate the ticket by sticking it into one of the ticket validators on one of the platforms. Because otherwise they might fine you, even though you bought a valid ticket. Alternatively from each airport, you could take a direct shuttle bus or a taxi into the centre of Rome. But it’s certainly not easier and it’s definitely not cheaper or quicker, so bear that in mind if you use alternative services to get you to the centre of Rome. When you’re in the centre of Rome, either at Termini station or one of the Metro stations, I highly recommend that you buy an all-inclusive travel pass. Once again all you need to do is go to one of the ticket booths, select your language, select which ticket you want to buy, in my case it was a 72 hour ticket. Pay for it with your contactless credit card or cash and then it’ll spit you out your ticket. To use the ticket simply walk to a turnstile and insert your ticket hologram side up. Wait for it to spit it back out before taking your ticket, and walk through the turnstile. It’s literally that easy. And you can follow a similar procedure for buses, trams and local trains. The Metro system is fast, efficient and easy to use and it’s no different to any other mass transit system that you’ll find in mainland Europe or North America. That said, when you’re in the centre of Rome you’ll most likely just be walking anyway. If you’re looking for a place to stay Rome has a plethora of hotels with vast and varied prices. If you want my advice, try and get a hotel next to Termini station, so that you can get in and out of the city fairly easily. If it’s right next to a metro stop, that’s a massive bonus. On my trip to Rome I stayed in a serviced apartment right next to Republicca station. And I found this to be a happy compromise between transit time and location. I strongly advise that you look at where your hotel is located on Google Maps (or something similar) before you actually come to Rome. Because sometimes the entrances to these hotels aren’t really that obvious. The cost of Rome, well as you can imagine the cost of attractions can easily add up, especially if you want to do absolutely everything like I did. If you’re on a budget, try and avoid anything with a guided tour as is usually cheaper to show yourself around these attractions. And the food prices vary wildly as well. The rule of thumb is that the more touristy the area is, the more expensive the food and drink will be. If you go to an out of the way place like Trastevere, you’ll notice a significant drop in prices. Is there anything else I need to know? Yes quite a lot actually. The best way of avoiding the stupidly long queues, particularly at Vatican City is to visit the attraction as soon as they open. In some cases particularly at Saint Peter’s Basilica, they’re open from 7:00 am. So if you’re able to get up at the crack of dawn and go to these attractions as they open, you’ll thank me for when you can visit all these attractions without standing in a mile long queue, and be done with it all before everybody else turns up. Wear the most comfortable clothing and shoes that you can, because you’ll be doing a hell of a lot of walking. If you can be fashionable and wear comfortable shoes, that’s great. But definitely pack a pair of trainers or running shoes when you’re here visiting Rome. Speaking of clothing, various places will have a strict dress code, particularly at Vatican City. And the general rule of thumb is that knees and shoulders should be covered. They don’t care how long you’ve been waiting in a queue, you will be turned away if you’re not dressed appropriately at some of these attractions. The spoken language here is Italian and it helps to learn some basic Italian words and phrases. But you can easily get by if you’re in English, French or Spanish speaker. You’ll find most attractions in Rome are more than happy to accept contactless card payments, and in some places that’s the only way you can pay. So be sure to have at least a contactless credit card with you, but otherwise bring a plethora of cash. There are two things that you really have to watch out for in Rome. The first is pickpockets. Rome is rife with them! And they usually target tourists specifically in crowded touristy areas such as the Coliseum, the Vatican City and the Trevi Fountain. So always be on your guard when you’re visiting Rome, and keep valuables out of sight and out of reach. The other thing that you have to watch out for is the crossings. There are pedestrian crossings everywhere in Rome, that you’re freely able to walk across the street with. But the cars, they don’t exactly slow down. So you have to watch out when you’re crossing the road here. Drones are prohibited in most of Rome, and especially over Vatican City. Everywhere is guarded with local police, security, and Carbinieri, and flying a drone over the top of Rome’s most famous attractions is a one-way ticket to get arrested and to spend your holiday in prison. So unless you’re working commercially and have all the relevant permits and permissions, definitely don’t fly your drone if you’re an amateur or a hobbyist. And finally most hotels here in Rome will hand you a paper map of the city. I recommend keeping at least two copies of this with you at all times, so that you know where you’re going and you can easily find your way out of trouble if you get lost. If you have enjoyed this Rome City guide, or found it at least remotely helpful, please be sure to like, share and subscribe. Comment on that comment section below, if you have any comments or questions. Be sure to check out my other Rome based video guides, and if you have any other suggestions; tweet them at me. And if I get enough suggestions, I’ll probably make a video about it. But guys, thanks very much for watching and we’ll see you in the next episode. Ninh Ly – www.ninh.co.uk – @NinhLyUK

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