Rome Is Mostly Free: My Favorite Free Things to Do in Rome
Rome can feel expensive, but most of what Kim and I love here costs nothing: fountains, piazzas, churches full of Michelangelo, and long walks on ancient roads. My video covers 50 things to do on a first visit, and most are free. Here are the free ones, grouped so they are easy to plan, with details updated where things have changed. You do not need to see it all. Pick a few, slow down, and enjoy them.
Free Famous Sights You Can Simply Walk Up To
Trevi Fountain. The piazza is always free. Since February 2, 2026, stepping down to the basin costs €2 from 9:00 to 22:00 (Monday and Friday from 11:30). I like it late at night or early in the morning, when it is free and far calmer.
Column of Marcus Aurelius. A short walk from Trevi, in Piazza Colonna.
Spanish Steps. The Spagna stop on Metro line A is right beside them. Walk up and enjoy the view, but sitting on the steps is not allowed and you can be fined. I cover more rules like this in my [27 Rome tips, advice and warnings for 2027](https://www.rometravelguida.com/blog/27-rome-tips-advice-warnings-2027).
Piazza Navona. In my opinion the most beautiful square in Rome, and especially nice in the evening. Every December it hosts the city's largest Christmas market.
The Vittoriano. The Victor Emmanuel Monument is free daily from 9:30 to 19:30. The panoramic terrace is now part of one €18 ticket with the Risorgimento Museum and Palazzo Venezia.
The Colosseum and Arch of Constantine from outside. I tell people about 90 percent of the Colosseum is seeing it from the outside, and that part is free. The Arch of Constantine stands right beside it.
The Campidoglio. Michelangelo designed this square on Capitoline Hill. Walk behind the Capitoline Museums for one of the best lookouts over the Forum. In the Villa Caffarelli garden, a full size reconstruction of the Colossus of Constantine is free to see through December 31, 2026.
Largo di Torre Argentina. Temples, a cat sanctuary, and the place where Caesar was killed in 44 BC. You can see it all from the street for free. The walkways down among the ruins need a ticket.
The Jewish Quarter and Tiber Island. Start at the Fountain of the Turtles, pass the Theater of Marcellus, then cross Ponte Fabricio, Rome's oldest surviving bridge, to Tiber Island. From the start of the year to about April, try a fried artichoke. This is where they were invented.
Campo de' Fiori and Piazza del Popolo. The Campo de' Fiori market runs Monday to Saturday mornings. Piazza del Popolo has street performers and an Egyptian obelisk over 3,000 years old.
Free Churches With Michelangelo and More
Rome's churches are free, and some hold art you would pay a lot to see elsewhere. Cover shoulders and knees, and check hours, since some close at midday.
St. Peter's Basilica. If you could see only one site, I would pick this one. Entry is free, 7:00 to 20:00. The line is for security, not tickets.
Saint Peter’s Basilica at dusk
San Pietro in Vincoli. Michelangelo's Moses, horns and all.
Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. Michelangelo, in his 80s, helped turn the Baths of Diocletian into one of Rome's most beautiful basilicas. Do not miss the Fountain of the Naiads out front.
Santa Maria Maggiore. The ceiling gold is said to be some of the first brought back from the Americas.
Santa Maria sopra Minerva and Sant'Ignazio. Both sit near the Pantheon. Minerva has Michelangelo's Risen Christ and a prayer box behind the altar. Sant'Ignazio has a famous painted ceiling and a coin operated mirror that lights it up, so you can skip the sore neck.
Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Climb the long staircase on Capitoline Hill. It is stunning inside.
San Clemente. The basilica is free. The excavations below cost €10 and must be booked online.
San Giovanni in Laterano and the Holy Stairs. Next door, the Scala Santa is free, and you climb it only on your knees. It is harder than it sounds.
St. Paul Outside the Walls. Look up for the long row of papal portrait medallions.
Santa Maria in Trastevere. Grab a pizza or a gelato and enjoy the atmosphere in the piazza around what is considered Rome's oldest fountain.
Domine Quo Vadis. A small church on the Appian Way that marks where Peter is said to have met Jesus.
Free Views, Parks and Walks
The Orange Garden and the keyhole. A great view of St. Peter's dome. Peek through the famous keyhole around the corner, but if more than about 10 people are waiting, I would skip it.
Fontana dell'Acqua Paola and the Gianicolo. Above Trastevere and rarely crowded. Close by on the Gianicolo, a cannon fires every day at noon, a tradition that began in 1847.
The Capitoline terrace café. Walk around to the café entrance at Terrazza Caffarelli. You do not need a museum ticket to enjoy the view. Open daily 9:30 to 19:00.
Villa Borghese. My favorite park, right above Piazza del Popolo. Walking is free. Renting an electric buggy usually runs around €20.
Aqueduct Park. Take Metro line A to Subaugusta. Kim and I walk here almost every week.
Celio, Circus Maximus and the Appian Way. Celio is the quiet neighborhood beside the Colosseum when you need a break from crowds. Circus Maximus is open to walk, and Via Appia Antica is wonderful on foot or by bike.
The Pyramid and the cemetery behind it. Rome's pyramid is over 2,000 years old and sits right by the metro. Behind it, the cemetery where Keats and Shelley rest is free, with a €5 donation requested.
If big crowds wear you out, read [Rome without the stress] before you go.
Free Days at Paid Museums
First Sunday of every month. State museums and sites are free, including the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Baths of Caracalla (one of my favorites), the Pantheon and the Vittoriano terrace. City museums join in, including the Capitoline Museums, Trajan's Market and the Circus of Maxentius. Colosseum free tickets cannot be booked. You collect them on site and the line is long, so go early. The €2 Trevi ticket still applies that day.
Last Sunday of the month. The Vatican Museums are free from 9:00 to 14:00, last entry 12:30 (not on Easter, June 29, or December 25, 26 or 31). My honest take: if they are not a bucket list item for you, skip them. They can be very crowded and eat your day.
Planning this way is exactly why we made the Rome Travel Guida. It lets you watch only what you need: about 15 hours of video, 70 lessons, over 10 GPS walking itineraries, and the 2027 PDF booklet included, all for $29.
What Is No Longer Free
The Pantheon. It was free until July 2023, then €5, and since July 1, 2026 it is €7. It is still free on the first Sunday of the month and during Mass (Sunday 10:30 and Saturday 17:00), when entry is for worshippers. Sunday Mass there is one of my favorite things in Rome.
The Trevi basin. €2 during paid hours, as above. Looking from the piazza stays free.
The Mausoleum of Augustus. In the video I said it would reopen at the end of 2026. Restoration is in its final phase and due to finish by the end of 2026, but no opening date has been announced.
Worth Paying For, and How to Save
Catacombs of San Callixtus. Guided visits only, €10, from 9:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00. Closed Wednesdays, and closed January 13 to February 10, 2027.
The Roman Forum. If you only have time for the inside of the Colosseum or the Forum, I would choose the Forum. Both are on the standard Colosseum ticket, or free on the first Sunday.
Where you sleep makes all these walks easier. See [where not to stay in Rome if you are over 50](https://www.rometravelguida.com/blog/where-not-to-stay-in-rome-over-50), and browse our [Sites of Rome]page for more.
FAQ
Is the Pantheon free to visit?
The Pantheon at mid day in Rome
Not on most days. It is €7 since July 1, 2026, but free on the first Sunday and during Mass.
Do you have to pay to see the Trevi Fountain?
No. The piazza is free. Only the basin costs €2 during paid hours.
Which days are Rome's museums free?
State museums, including the Colosseum, are free on the first Sunday of every month. The Vatican Museums are free on the last Sunday.
Do Rome's churches charge admission?
No. Churches like St. Peter's and Santa Maria Maggiore are free. Cover shoulders and knees. A few extras, like the San Clemente excavations, have a fee.
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