#1 VIP Tour with pre-entrance Vatican Museum
It’s not surprising, that Vatican Museum is a pretty busy place. If you want to take pictures with almost no one in it, get educated and have a delicious breakfast, you might consider doing the VIP tour. The tour starts around an hour before the museum officially opens. As soon as the tour is done, the tour guide drops you off at the café, where the breakfast is included. The tickets cost 50€.
#2 Photo shooting
Selfies are great but booking an actual photo shooting with a professional is better. I always enjoy doing a shooting within the first days, as it’s kind of a city tour. And the pictures are so much more worth than just selfies. You can find photographers on AirBnB.
#3 Pasta cooking class
Cooking like a real Italian. Thankfully there are plenty great chefs who are willing to share their secrets of Pasta and Pizza making with us. It’s a fun thing to do for everyone no matter if you’re traveling by yourself, with kids or as a couple.
#4 Colosseum tour
A must do when you’re in Rome. If you don’t want the busy tours, I can highly recommend doing the ‘Colosseum under the moon’ tour. This tour is after the official closure of the day. Like the name says, your tour starts, when the moon is high in the sky. The ticket is 25€.
#5 Eat Gelato
I had the best ice cream ever in Italy. Do not care about the calories. Calories do not count while on vacation. An Italian friend recommend to not go to the touristy Gelateria. How do I know if the place is touristy? Apparently, if the Gelato is “big” and with so much decorations, it’s to seduce tourists. “Real” Italians know, that their ice cream is good and doesn’t need impressive decorations to get the people in.
#6 Visit Trastevere
This truly Italian neighborhood is worth a visit. Stroll around and explore the narrow alleys or enjoy the plenty cafes and restaurants. With the wealth of the Imperial Age, several important figures decided to build their villas there like Julius Caesar. Nowadays, Trastevere – Latin for beyond the Tiber’ offers many well-known sights like the Basilica of Santa Maria, one of the oldest churches in Rome. But don’t expect to be the only tourist, because this hidden gem isn’t so hidden anymore.
#7 Go to Eataly
Eataly may seem like a big supermarket, but it’s not. Well, not only. Eataly offers plenty of restaurants, food and beverage counters, bakery, retail items, and even a cooking school.
#8 Toss a coin into Trevi Fountain
When visiting the Trevi Fountain, you will see a lot of people throwing coins into the fountain. Legends say, if you throw one coin, you will return to Rome. If you throw two coins, you will return and find love. If you throw three coins, you will return, find love and get married. But there are rules how to throw the coins, if you want your wish to come true. You can with your back to the fountain, toss one coin at a time with your right hand over your left shoulder. Almost 1.5 million Euros ($1,7 million) get collected out of the Trevi fountain each year and given to the catholic charity to help poor and homeless people and used to improve the infrastructure in Rome.
#9 Santa Maria Immacolata a Via Veneto
This church was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII in 1626. It is famous for the into five chapels divided crypt right under the church. You can find the remains of 4000 friars, buried between 1500 and 1870 as they’re used as ornamental designs on the walls.
#10 St. Peter’s Basilica dome
The entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica and the tombs of the former popes are free. However, if you want to enjoy the view from the St. Peter’s Basilica dome it is either 8€ when you take the 551 steps or 10€ for the elevator. But even if you take the elevator, there are 320 steps left for you. Unfortunately, it is not wheelchair accessible.
