Ancient Rome Travel Guide

Ancient Rome Travel Guide: Discover the Roman Forum, the heart of the ancient city and the stage for its most important events. Here you can admire the monuments and temples that showcased Rome’s power and glory.

They killed Caesar here, listened to Mark Antony’s speech here, and made laws and armies here that ruled the world for a thousand years. They also threw epic parties here that would make Cleopatra jealous. But look around you now. All you see are broken bits of marble. What a letdown! You might feel like saying: “So much for Rome’s glory.” But don’t be too quick to judge. There are still some awesome monuments here that will blow your mind: the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum (you can’t miss it). These are reminders that this place was where Western civilization began. Before Rome became a superpower, it was just a bunch of hills with people on them. Two of those hills, the Capitoline and the Palatine, are next to the Roman Forum. That’s where the Romans worshipped their gods, talked politics, and did business. It’s all history now, but it’s still one of the most amazing places to see ancient ruins: a testament to Rome’s greatness and influence.

When you’re done with the old stuff, check out Monti and Celio. They’re not just any neighborhoods. They’re the oldest ones in Rome, and they have a lot of character. You’ll find a cool mix of ancient and modern here. And you’ll also find some great places to eat and shop. Trust me, you’ll love it here.

Guide about the Things to See in Rome

Table of Contents

The Campidoglio

Ancient Rome Travel Guide: Begin your journey at the Campidoglio, the hill that overlooks the Roman Forum and the city. It’s a hill that’s seen it all: from Rome’s glory days to its downfall. A guy named Edward Gibbon got so inspired here that he wrote a huge book about how Rome went down the drain. The Campidoglio is the smallest and holiest of Rome’s seven hills. It’s always been where the big shots run the show. And it’s where we get the word “capitol” from. You can get some awesome views of the Roman Forum from here. Just go to the sides of the Palazzo Senatorio or to the Tabularium (it’s part of a museum now). And don’t miss the caffè on the Terrazza Caffarelli. You can see Trastevere and St. Peter’s from there. And you don’t need a ticket to get in. How cool is that?

The Roman Forum

Get ready to go back in time at the Foro Romano and the Palatine Hill. You can enter from Via dei Fori Imperiali or from the Arch of Titus. This place was where everything happened in ancient Rome. It was a swampy valley at first, with some graves and huts. But then they drained it and turned it into a busy center of politics, religion, and commerce: the Forum. Now it looks like a mess of ruins, because people stole stuff from here for centuries. But this place used to be awesome, with fancy temples, palaces, and shops and people from all over the empire. And it changed a lot over time; you can see bits and pieces from different periods here, from about 500 BC to AD 400. It’s hard to make sense of it all, but it’s still very cool and romantic. You’ll feel like you’re in a movie here.

Emperors 101: A Crash Course in Being Awesome

Caesar Augustus (27 BC–AD 14) was the first emperor of Rome and kicked off the Pax Romana, a golden age of peace and prosperity. He also gave his name to a salad dressing.
Nero (AD 54–68) was a bad boy who killed his wife, his mom, and many others. He also hated Christians and may have set fire to Rome while playing music. He was not a good actor either.
Domitian (AD 81–96) had a big ego and called himself Lord and God. He didn’t care about the Senate and they hated him back. After he died, they erased his name and face from everything.
Trajan (AD 98–117) was born in Spain but became a great Roman emperor who conquered new lands like Romania, Armenia, and Mesopotamia. He also built roads, bridges, aqueducts, and monuments.
Hadrian (AD 117–138) was an architect who designed the Pantheon and his own villa at Tivoli. He also built walls to protect the empire’s borders, like the one in Britain that bears his name.
Marcus Aurelius (AD 161–180) was a wise emperor who wrote philosophical books called Meditations. He was also a warrior who fought to expand the empire. He inspired a movie character named Maximus.
Constantine I (AD 306–337) changed history by making Christianity legal in the empire. He also moved the capital to Constantinople (now Istanbul). He had a big influence on the future of religion and politics.

The Palatine Hill

If you walk past the Arco di Tito, you’ll find the Clivus Palatinus—the road that takes you from the Forum to the Palatine Hill. This is where Rome began, according to legend. Romulus built his city here and named it after himself. Now it’s a lovely green spot with pines and olive trees. You can enjoy some peace and quiet here, away from the busy Forum below. But don’t let the nature fool you—this was where ancient Rome’s elite lived. The rich and powerful patrician families had their mansions here—think Cicero, Catiline, Crassus, and Agrippa. And when Augustus became emperor (he was born here too), he made the Palatine Hill his home base. He and his successors built huge palaces here that you can still see today. The best ones are the Houses of Livia and Augustus (you need a S.U.P.E.R. ticket to get in). They have amazing frescoes that will blow your mind. If you have to choose one, go for Augustus’s house—it’s more impressive than Livia’s. Tiberius added more rooms to Augustus’s palace and Domitian built a massive complex that covers most of the hill. You can get a combined ticket for €16 (€18 online) that lets you visit the Palatine Hill–Forum site and enter the Colosseum once (within 24 hours). Or you can get a Full Experience ticket for €22 (€24 online) that also gives you access to the Houses of Augustus and Livia, the Palatine Museum, Aula Isiaca, Santa Maria Antiqua, and Temple of Romulus.

The Imperial Forums

The Fori Imperiali are five huge complexes with columns, monuments, courts, and temples. They were built next to the Roman Forum by different emperors from Julius Caesar in the 1st century BC to Trajan in the 2nd century AD. They needed more space for their administration and their glory.

Start from Piazza del Colosseo and walk northwest on Via dei Fori Imperiali toward Piazza Venezia. You’ll see the Foro di Cesare (Caesar’s Forum) and the Foro di Augusto (Augustus’s Forum) along the way. The biggest one was the Foro di Traiano (Trajan’s Forum), with its half-circle Mercati di Traiano and the Colonna Traiana (Trajan’s Column). You can explore part of Trajan’s Markets on Via Alessandrina and check out the Museo dei Fori Imperiali. It shows you what the Imperial Forums looked like and how people used them with ancient pieces, artifacts, and modern multimedia.

The Colosseum

People say that Rome will last as long as the Colosseum does—and when Rome falls, the world will fall too. You can’t miss the Colosseum when you visit Rome. It’s the big oval symbol of the city that has been around for centuries. Vespasian and Titus built it as a huge sports arena for the Roman Empire. They showed off their wealth and power with other amazing monuments nearby. The Arco di Constantino is one of them. It’s a beautiful triumphal arch that honors Emperor Constantine. He and his armies walked under it after winning wars. The Domus Aurea is another one. It’s Nero’s fancy palace under the Colle Oppio hill. It shows how rich and extravagant the emperors were. You can see it every day if you join a guided tour.