Rome is a city where a significant amount of the best sightseeing happens outside, in piazzas and along ancient streets. You will pay to enter the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, but a surprising amount of what makes Rome feel like Rome costs nothing.

Piazzas

Piazza Navona was built over the footprint of an ancient stadium and retains the same elongated oval shape. Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers sits at its centre. The piazza is free to walk through at any time, though be aware of the terrace restaurant prices if you sit down.

Campo de' Fiori is a working market square by day and a popular gathering spot by evening. The morning market sells produce and food; browsing is free. The statue of Giordano Bruno at the centre marks where he was burned as a heretic in 1600, a fact the cheerful atmosphere around him tends to obscure.

Piazza del Popolo at the northern end of the historic centre has twin Baroque churches, an Egyptian obelisk, and a large open space leading toward the Pincian Hill. The piazza and the ramp up to the viewpoint on the Pincian Hill are free.

Piazza Venezia and the Vittoriano monument exterior are free. The building is massive and polarising, but the exterior terrace partway up has good views without the fee charged for the very top.

The Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps

Both are free. The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and genuinely worth the crowds, particularly at night when it is lit. The Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) are free to climb. The view from the top looks south over the rooftops toward the centre.

Basilicas

Most of Rome's major basilicas are free to enter. San Giovanni in Laterano is the official cathedral of Rome (not St. Peter's, which surprises most visitors) and contains the interior of one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. Santa Maria Maggiore on the Esquiline Hill has a 5th-century mosaic ceiling that is genuinely extraordinary. Santa Maria in Trastevere has a 12th-century apse mosaic that many argue is the best in the city.

Note: some basilicas now charge for certain sections (crypts, archaeological areas, dress-circle galleries). The main naves remain free. St. Peter's Basilica is free to enter; the dome climb charges a fee.

The Pantheon

The Pantheon now charges entry (€5 as of 2023). It no longer belongs on a free list. We mention it because so many older guides still list it as free. Budget for it separately: it remains one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in the world and worth the cost.

Ancient Rome Outdoors

The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill charge entry as part of the Colosseum ticket. However, several of the most significant ancient structures can be seen for free from the street:

Circus Maximus is free to visit and walk. The ancient chariot-racing track is now a public park, with the oval shape of the original still clearly readable in the landscape.

Theatre of Marcellus on Via del Teatro di Marcello can be viewed from the street for free. The lower arches, which partly inspired the Colosseum's design, are visible without entering.

The Aventine Keyhole on Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta is free: the famous view through the keyhole of the Knights of Malta gate frames the dome of St. Peter's at the end of a long tree-lined avenue. Short queue, no cost.

Trastevere and the Gianicolo

Trastevere is one of the best neighbourhoods in Rome for free wandering: medieval streets, ivy-covered buildings, local life alongside tourism. The piazzas Santa Maria and San Cosimato are both genuinely pleasant to sit in.

The Gianicolo hill above Trastevere has the best panoramic viewpoint in central Rome and is free. The terrace below the equestrian statue of Garibaldi looks out over the full sweep of the city from north to south.

Master rome in Minutes

Don't waste hours planning. Get our condensed, digital cheat sheet with everything you actually need.

Shop Guide on Etsy →