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Rome City Breaks

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Rome City Breaks & Holidays

When you book any of our Rome holidays, you'll soon be jetting off to see the capital city of Italy. This busy city is home to around four million people and is an essential item on any city break bucket list.  

Located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, this place is bursting with over 2000 years of history. And with breathtaking beauty around every corner, there's always something new to discover in Rome. 

Its many attractions and lifestyle crown this city as the perfect choice for couples of all ages. Make sure to see the Colosseum, Pantheon, and of course, the Trevi Fountain. Other must-see attractions include Spanish Steps, the Guetto, Piazza Navona and the Sant' Agnese baroque church. The Vatican City, St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum are also great starting points.

Ready to explore Rome? Get in touch with our holiday experts today, either on the phone or in-store. They'll be happy to help you plan your dream city break.

Top 5 things to do
Enter the iconic Colosseum where gladiators would fight
Throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain to ensure a return to Rome
Step into the Pantheon & admire it's famous roof
Visit the Vatican, we recommend doing a guided tour round the museums as well as viewing the renowned Sistine Chapel
Taste the amazing Italian food on offer in this amazing capital. Enjoy the famous pizza, pasta & gelato
Location
Our Top Rome City Breaks

Price is based on 2 adults sharing one room for 3 nights. The prices shown below are guide prices only. Refine your results using your preferred departure airports and travel dates below.

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Explore classical Rome

Be transported back in time to the days of ‘Gladiator’ when you visit Rome’s epic monuments. Go to the Colosseum and imagine what it was like standing in the arena and hearing the roar of the crowd. Or follow in Julius Caesar’s tracks when you stroll around the magnificent marble Pantheon and Roman Forum.

Hang out in a piazza

Soak up the atmosphere as you sip an espresso in one of the city’s squares. Hang out in Piazza Navona and you’ll be entertained by street performers while you admire the ornate buildings and fountains. The Piazza di Spagna has the Spanish Steps at the top – the perfect place for a photo op.

Visit the Vatican City

The smallest state in the world is in the heart of Rome and packed with must-sees. St Peter’s Basilica and St Peter’s Square, where the Pope holds his audiences, is here. So is Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel with its fabulous frescoes. You can enjoy peace and quiet in the cool greenery of the gardens.

More on what to expect on your Rome city break

Rome is like a living museum, liberally dotted with fascinating ruins, ancient relics and archaeological sites. Centuries are peeled back from the Eternal City with each new vista in this great metropolis of fearsome gladiators and gorgeous art. Vespas, sports cars and nippy Fiats speed past trendy sidewalk cafes, bistros and nightclubs, revealing the Rome of Fellini's La Dolce Vita, while the stark facades of the Stadio Olimpico remind visitors of Mussolini's attempts to reinvent the architecture of the Caesars.

For a taste of the Baroque, visitors need only climb the famous Spanish Steps, walk through the Piazza Navona or toss a coin into the beautiful Trevi Fountain. Renaissance splendour is best revealed in the Vatican Palace, specifically Michelangelo's efforts on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. From early Christian Basilicas and the Roman Forum to the Colosseum and the Pantheon, the sequence of history trails back to the dizzying heights of the empire.

It may sound like a city of contrasts, but Rome's timeless magic lies in its ability to blend the old with the new. Empires have risen and fallen, old gods have been replaced with the new, but Rome nonetheless remains.

Rome's network of buses, trams, metro and trains covers the whole city from 5.30 am to around midnight, and night buses take over until about 5 am, covering the main routes. The metro only has two lines but is the easiest and fastest way to get around. The bus service is cheap and reliable, albeit slow due to traffic congestion. Tickets cover all forms of transport and must be pre-purchased and validated at the start of every journey; there are daily tickets valid for unlimited rides or standard tickets that allow for any bus or metro ride within a 75-minute time frame. Taxis are notoriously expensive and display a list of surcharges. The historic centre of Rome is compact and manageable on foot, and most of it is closed to normal traffic. Driving in Rome is an experience to be avoided.

In true Italian style, the nightlife in Rome is laid-back. People like to sit at cafes or restaurants, taking their time with lots of food, wine and coffee. Campo dei Fiori, the Piazza Navona area and Trastevere are some of the best places for bars and cafés, while the Testaccio and Ostiense districts are better for nightclubs.

There are many wine bars and cafes near Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Navona and Via della Pace. Cafes in Trastevere attract visitors to see Piazza di Santa Maria's fountain and 12th-century church lit up at night, as well as occasional guitar performances.

There are always spectacular nightclubs for real party animals in Rome, but some of them do close during August. When the clubs close for summer, there are numerous outdoor venues around town and near Ostia; outdoor festivities on Via di Monte Testaccio in Testaccio take centre stage and include food stalls and markets.

The Teatro dell'Opera is home to the Rome Opera Ballet and opera is performed at the Baths of Caracalla's open-air ruins in July and August. Rock bands often perform at Stadio Flaminio and the Palazzo dello Sport.

Rome, only too aware of its popularity with international tourists and investors, is an expensive shopping destination; but some deals can be found on trinkets like crafts, leather goods and glasswork. To find these bargains, look to the markets of central Rome, which generally operate Monday to Saturday from 7 am to 1 pm. On Sundays, the popular Porta Portese flea market operates from the Trastevere district.

Another budget shopping option popular in Rome is second-hand book and clothing shopping, with an abundance of stores located throughout the city. Antique shopping is also pervasive but could prove expensive for those who aren't sure of what they're doing.

If you have the means, Rome has an assortment of boutique stores with brands like Prada, Valentino, Gucci and Fendi all represented in the Piazza di Spagna. The Piazza San Silvestro exhibits Rome's best jewellers, such as Bulgari and Martinelli, among others. In addition to an assortment of clothing department stores, in Via del Corso one can find the flagship stores for Ferrari and Swarovski, with exquisite crystal-wrought crafts.

Legend has it that Romulus founded Rome from the top of Palatine Hill in 753 BC. With more than two millennia of history, the city offers a spectacular and unmatched array of sights and experiences.

Rome's most famous ancient attraction is the Colosseum, the great arena of the gladiators dating back to 80 AD. Nearby lies the Roman Forum, established in the 7th century BC, and now the ruins of what was once the social, political and commercial centre of the Roman Empire. Next on the list of historic attractions is the Pantheon, where tourists enter the great church through massive bronze doors to marvel at the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built. Watching the sun stream into the church through the oculus is an unforgettable experience.

Within Rome's borders lies the independent state of the Vatican City. Its museums' house one of the world's great art collections, culminating in Michelangelo's famous frescoes adorning the Sistine Chapel. Rising above these spectacular works of art is Italy's largest basilica, St Peters. Michelangelo was also the architect behind the soaring dome that looks down over St Peter's square and beyond.

Tourists still thirsting for art can visit the Museo e Galleria Borghese for paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael and Titian, and sculptures by Bernini. The Capitoline Museums are the oldest public museums in the world, dating back to 1471, and house an incredible collection of sculptures.

Those tired out by the endless attractions can fall back into the Roman way of life. Wander the streets, relax at cafes and watch the world go by before heading to a pizzeria or trattoria for authentic Roman fare, gelato and a shot of strong Italian coffee.

Rome has been an enticing and romantic holiday destination for decades, drawing lovers of art and history from all over the world. This may seem more appealing to adults, but Rome also has a barrage of culture and entertainment to offer children.

A holiday with kids in Rome is made fun and easy by the vast amount of parks, theatres and entertainment centres, while a multitude of galleries and museums bring beautiful images and legendary characters to life. Historical sites, such as the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, are also great for kids to explore.

If the weather turns bad, there are indoor entertainments like puppet shows and Looneys Indoor Entertainment Centre, a great place for kids to hang out featuring costumed characters and entertaining shows, as well as fun play areas. There are many theatres throughout Rome staging excellent puppet shows in English that will keep the kids amused. Well-known venues include the Pulcinella Puppet Theatre which is an open-air theatre on Gianicolo Hill, as well as the Teatro delle Marionette degli Accettella on Via Genocchi.

Most of the attractions in this beautiful, ancient city can be enjoyed throughout the year. But the best time to take children on holiday to Rome is during the spring (April and May), when comfortably warm temperatures and blue skies make for perfect sightseeing adventures.

Rome is both delicious and affordable when it comes to dining out. While many in the world claim to love Italian food, one can't really compare ordinary pizza and pasta to the wonderful dishes in the nation's capital. Traditionally-prepared Italian food is strong in flavour, meagre in ingredients and richer and higher in calories than global imitations.

The typical meal is accompanied by a bruschetta ammazzavampiri (garlic canapé) and grated cheeses. Not surprisingly, pastas and pizzas are in abundance, the local varieties of which are not to be missed. Red meat and seafood dishes in the international tradition are also on offer but are more expensive and come in less generous servings.

There are three main types of restaurant in Rome: an osteria is an informal gathering spot, serving basic spaghetti meals and some wine; trattorie are more languid, bistro-style affairs, offering large meals in a homely setting; and ristorante offers the more fancy and lavish silver spoon and wine-list dining experience. All three can be found in the popular districts of Centro Storico, along Via Cavour and around Stazione Termini. The Borgo district near the Vatican offers some of the cheapest dining options in Rome.

Breakfasts in Rome, as in most of Italy, are minimal, and people rarely leave the house for their first meal of the day. The main event is lunch, which sees restaurants open between 1 pm and 3 pm. Indeed, most locals enjoy their lunch breaks in three courses.

So what's the weather like in Rome?

Rome enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and hot, dry summers. January is the coldest month in Rome, and July and August are the warmest. The weather in Rome during summer (June to August) can be uncomfortably hot, with temperatures often exceeding 95°F (35°C) at midday, and locals tend to close up their businesses during August. Winter (December to February) is mild, with the average temperature in December hovering around 55°F (13°C). Heavy snowfall is rare but almost every winter there are light snow flurries in the city. Rain showers are possible any time of year but the drizzle is seldom very disruptive to visitors. The best time to travel to Rome is in the springtime, between March and May when skies are blue and the weather is warm. Autumn is also considered the peak tourist season, as the months of September and October are very pleasant.

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  • Currency Euro (€)
  • Flying time from the UK Flights from Glasgow to Rome are around 3 hours.
  • Language Italian
  • Passport & Visas If you are a British passport holder you do not need a visa to enter Italy & your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay.