Few tourist destinations are more famous than the ancient city of Rome, and anyone who has been there understands why. With all of the city’s spellbinding historical and cultural attractions, it’s no challenge to fill several days in Rome. Even once you’ve gotten a handle on the city, you have all the surrounding towns and regions to explore.
You’ll find that the best places to visit from Rome all have their own unique appeal, constantly showing you new sides to Italy. That’s what makes it so hard to choose from the best day trips from Rome – but don’t worry, there are no wrong choices here.
How to Get Around
Although you can make many of these day trips with public transport, consider renting a car for the day to give yourself more flexibility and independence. With your own four wheels, you control your time and schedule. Depending on how many people are in your group, renting a car might even work out to be cheaper than other forms of transportation. You can compare car rental deals and find the lowest prices at Rentalcars.com, an aggregation site that searches and displays prices and availability from hundreds of car rental companies, helping you find the best possible car for your budget.
Don’t want to drive or deal with the hassle of public transport? No worries! We’ve listed the best tour for each day trip (where available).
Tivoli
The small town of Tivoli is an absolute treasure trove of spectacular attractions. As a short trip from Rome, Tivoli has been a favored retreat for wealthy locals since ancient times. As such, most of its attractions are enchanting historic villas, particularly Hadrian’s Villa and the Villa D’Este. Hadrian’s Villa is an archaeological complex that features the remains of a home owned by Emperor Hadrian in the second century, while the Villa D’Este is a spellbinding 16th-century Renaissance estate, famous for the terraced fountains flowing through its gardens.
There’s plenty to see in Tivoli beyond the historic residences, though. The town in general is a treat to explore, with the waterfalls of the Villa Gregoriana park and the ancient castle of Rocca Pia being some highlights.
Getting there: Tivoli is easy to reach from Rome, with regular buses and trains making the journey in roughly an hour. For a more relaxed visit, though, a guided tour is a great way to go.
Florence
As much as Florence deserves its own stop and several days to explore its depths, that’s not always an option. A cultural and historic powerhouse, this Renaissance city in Tuscany is one of the best things to see in Italy outside of Rome.
To fit the best of the city into a single day, make a beeline for Piazza del Duomo to see the Florence Cathedral and Florence Baptistery. You can then enjoy a panoramic view from the top of the cathedral or Giotto’s Campanile, the baptistery’sbell tower. Next, head to Piazza della Signoria, where you’ll see the Fountain of Neptune and the gallery of statues in the Loggia dei Lanzi.
Don’t miss a trip across the Arno River via the Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s most iconic bridge, nor the world-class art in the Galleria dell’Accademia. If you have time, also head up to the classic viewpoint at Piazzale Michelangelo before returning to Rome.
Getting there: Florence is one of the easier Rome day trips, with frequent trains making the journey in an hour and 30 minutes. To make the most of your time and avoid the hassles of finding your way around, though, it’s best to go with a guided tour.
Orvieto
Another one of the best side trips from Rome is clearly Orvieto, a small, fortified city perched on a rocky cliff. To reach it, you’ll either hike or take the funicular up to Albornoz Fortress. Before you get too far, take in the scenery from the fortress walls and take the stairs down into the atmospheric St. Patrick’s Well.
Once inside the city, you’ll be treated to classic cobblestone streets and intriguing alleyways, but the main attraction is surely the glamorous Orvieto Cathedral with its mosaic facade. Just across the square from the cathedral is the entrance to Orvieto Underground, the extensive tunnels that served the city for centuries. After exploring the city center, head down to see what remains of Orvieto’s ancient Etruscan necropolis, the Crocifisso del Tufo.
Getting there: Fairly regular trains take around an hour and 20 minutes to reach Orvieto from Rome. Another way is to take a guided tour, which lets you sit back and enjoy the sightseeing – and even see another destination, such as Assisi, along the way.
Pompeii
One of Italy’s most fascinating destinations is the buried city of Pompeii. With nothing else like it in the world, Pompeii is one of the most popular day tours from Rome. What traveler doesn’t want to see an ancient Roman city hauntingly preserved under ash from a volcano?
With a visit to this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you can learn what Pompeii was like before the fateful eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. As you walk through the ancient city, you’ll see important landmarks like the Temple of Apollo, the Suburban Baths, and various private homes of the elite class. You can also find statues, mosaics, and frescoes throughout the ruins, giving you a sense of the city’s former splendor.
Getting there: You can take a full guided tour of Pompeii or just get there from Rome and back with a shuttle bus, both options allowing for a hassle-free visit. Otherwise, you’ll have to take the two-hour train ride, which requires a transfer in Naples.
Naples
Although it’s best known as a gateway to Pompeii, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast, Naples is an interesting destination in its own right. For instance, the city has the largest historic center in Europe, earning it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Start your visit with a walk down Spaccanapoli, the bustling street that carves through the Old Town. You’ll pass several important churches, including Gésu Nuovo and the complex of Santa Chiara. Turn off into the Spanish Quarter to take in its traditional atmosphere as you wander its pedestrian streets.
Down by the waterfront, you’ll find the medieval Castel Nuovo, one of the city’s magnificent castles. Not far away is the Royal Palace of Naples, whose lavish interior includes a museum of historic artifacts and paintings. Also, of course, you can’t leave without treating yourself to the city’s famous pizza.
Getting there: You can catch the regular train to Naples from Rome, with the journey taking an hour and 10 minutes. However, if you want your day trip to include other places, such as Pompeii, it’s easier to go on an organized tour.
Ostia Antica
If you haven’t gotten your fill of ancient Roman sites yet, consider a visit to the archaeological site of Ostia Antica down by the coast. Ostia Antica was an early Roman harbor town that was abandoned after the fall of the Roman Empire, but you’ll see just how well preserved it is as you walk through its expansive remains.
Take a stroll down the ancient street of Decumanus Maximus, where you’ll pass ruins of bathhouses, taverns, and various other buildings from the first to fifth centuries B.C. The most impressive sight here is the Teatro di Ostia, a large ancient amphitheater, although the mosaics inside the Baths of Neptune are also quite something.
Getting there: Ostia Antica is one of the easy train trips from Rome, with the ride taking under 30 minutes and only half a day needed for the visit. If you want to learn about the town’s history in more depth, though, it pays to go with a guide who can fill you in on the details.
Assisi
Italy is home to plenty of important religious destinations beyond Vatican City, including the pilgrimage town of Assisi. This hilltop town in Umbria is the birthplace of St. Francis, namesake of the Franciscan order, making it a major destination for Catholics the world over. The key places of worship to see here are the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the Cathedral of San Rufino (Assisi Cathedral), and the Basilica of St. Clare, each moving in its own way.
After admiring these churches, wander down the town’s historic stone streets, stopping in at the Piazza del Comune to see the classical Roman remains of the Temple of Minerva. Above the town, you’ll find the old fortifications of the Rocca Maggiore and Rocca Minore, along with spectacular views of Assisi.
Getting there: Unfortunately, Assisi is a three-hour bus ride from Rome, with only a few departures each day. A better use of your time is to join a tour, which will get you there faster and show you around the sights.
Sorrento
To see a picture-perfect coastal town, make your way south to Sorrento, another one of the best places to visit in Italy. This classic Italian town is defined by its clifftop perch overlooking the Bay of Naples and its many marinas.
As you enter the town’s maze of alleys, start your visit with the serene cloisters inside the Church of San Francesco. Head on to the Correale di Terranova Museum to see the priceless artworks inside this 18th-century villa. Take a break at one of the cafes lining the town’s central square, Piazza Tasso. Finish up on the outskirts of town to see the mystifying Vallone dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills), where you’ll find an ancient sawmill overtaken by greenery.
Getting there: You can reach Sorrento from Rome on a 2.5-hour train that runs frequently via Naples. If you’d like to see more of this region on your day trip, though, a guided tour is the better way to go.
Siena
Another fantastic slice of Tuscany besides Florence that you can visit from Rome is the thoroughly impressive city of Siena. Start your visit in the middle of the Old Town, surrounded by the many medieval brick buildings that earned Siena its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. At the center lies Piazza del Campo, a distinctively shell-shaped plaza that hosts the semiannual Palio di Siena horse race. This square is also where you’ll see the Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia, two major Siena landmarks.
Next, weave your way through the streets to the elegantly Gothic Palazzo Salimbeni. You should also head up to Piazza del Duomo for its many attractions, particularly the outstanding Siena Cathedral, whose magnificent exterior is only rivaled by its own interior.
Getting there: Siena isn’t the easiest city to reach via public transport from Rome, as connections are limited and the journey takes at least three hours, though the bus is slightly faster than the train. A more enjoyable way to visit Siena, not to mention other places in Tuscany, is to go with a guided tour, which handles the transport for you.
Viterbo
While it may not be a household name, the central Italian city of Viterbo is an enticing day trip from Rome. Its greatest claim to fame is that it was a major player in various disputes between the popes and emperors during the 12th and 13th centuries. You can learn about this history at Palazzo dei Papi, once the seat of the popes who, for various reasons, weren’t based in Rome. This is also where you’ll find the Viterbo Cathedral with its historic Gothic belfry, arguably the finest of the city’s many churches.
Another inviting palace is the city hall, Palazzo dei Priori, known for its beautiful Baroque frescoes. Just outside the city, you can go for a dip in one of the historic thermal spas at Bagni di Viterbo, which is said to have healing properties in the water.
Getting there: Viterbo isn’t well known enough yet for there to be many tours to the city from Rome. You’ll need to take the hourly train, which reaches Viterbo in about an hour and 40 minutes.
There’s just no end to the wonderful destinations Italy has to offer, and you can reach a good portion of them from the capital. This list of day trips certainly isn’t comprehensive, but it’s the best place to start looking for journeys out of Rome.
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