Day trips from Rome are possibly one of the best things you can add to your Italian vacation allowing you to explore more of Italy without the hassle of spending the night there. Rome is one of Italy’s most spectacular highlights and therefore rakes in a high number of visitors every year. And while there are innumerable attractions that one should explore while in the city, one should also dare to step beyond and embark on some day trips from Rome.
Rome is surrounded by some very versatile and very stunning cities that have the potential to blow your mind. Given that the city is well-connected with the rest of the country, making day trips is convenient and an excellent way to explore the Italian essence in a budget-friendly way.
Related Posts:
Here are our best day trips from Rome to five amazing destinations worth your time:
1. Vatican City
Easily the shortest and the most rewarding day trips from Rome is to Vatican City. Surrounded by Rome, a trip to Vatican City is perhaps the most convenient trip you can make. Although walking and taking a train to the city are two viable options, they might not be the best modes of commute, depending on your location in Rome at the time of departure. The best way of transportation that links the two destinations is by car. You can grab a taxi or a car service and get to Vatican City in less than half an hour, at extremely affordable rates.
Although Vatican City is the center of Catholicism, it is an attractive day trip spot for people of all faiths. You need to have the soul to appreciate art, history, and architecture to fall in love with the city-state. The major attractions in the city-state, i.e., The Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, and the St. Peter’s Square, feature some of the world’s finest displays of art and architecture, and even contributions from legendary artists like Michelangelo and Botticelli.
You should start your tour of the city from the Vatican Museum, which boasts some exquisite articles. Exploring all of it in a day is not possible, so you might want to take a guided tour that would let you see the most important things. The end of the tour seamlessly transitions to a Sistine Chapel visit, which is as breathtakingly beautiful as a Chapel can get. Following these tours, you can take a lunch break in eateries like Pizzeria and Osteria delle Commari before resuming your exploration of the remaining attractions. It is truly a day trip destination you would not want to miss!
More Things to Do in Vatican City:
There is so much more you can do in Vatican City, click here to see the full list of tours, sightseeing, and activities you can do during your day trip to Vatican City from Rome.
2. Tuscany
How does the idea of exploring the cultural hub of Italy sounds to you? Imagine being surrounded by remarkable architecture, pristine vineyards, gorgeous hills, exquisite wines, and tantalizing food. Does that not sound like the ideal escape? You can have it all if you embark on a day trip from Rome to Tuscany.
Now, although the entire region of Tuscany is too large to be covered in one day trip, you can concentrate on a few key destinations that allow you to get a flavor of the area. You can take an early morning bus from Rome to Montepulciano, a journey that lasts around 3hr 30min, and has one of the most rewarding outcomes.
Montepulciano is a gorgeous town untouched by time. This Renaissance hill town is famous for its Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a full-bodied, delicious red wine. You can learn about the wine in detail here and get the chance to taste it right where it is produced. Other major highlights in the town include Piazza Grande, Duomo, and Sant’ Agostino, which ensue centuries-old vibes and add to the destination’s charm.
You can travel further north to Siena by a road ride that lasts less than an hour from this town. It is another city with outstanding architecture reminiscent of the Gothic period of European architecture. The Cathedral of Santa Maria, Piazza del Campo, and the National Gallery are a few of the very popular sites you could visit in the city.
More Things to Do in the Tuscany Region:
There is so much more you can do in the Tuscany region, click here to see the full list of tours, sightseeing, and activities you can do during your day trip to the Tuscany region from Rome.
3. Florence
Close your eyes and think of Florence. What images does your mind conjure? For most people, it is fine culture, Renaissance art and architecture, and breathtaking monuments, and rightfully so. If one is to call Florence the essence of Italy, one would not be wrong. Plus, the best thing is that it is related to Rome via high-speed trains that only take an hour and 30 minutes to take you back and forth each. This makes Florence one of the best day trip spots from Rome.
Now, Florence is rich in its offerings, so understandably so, you cannot possibly see everything in a day. Therefore, you should select a few highlights and enjoy exploring them thoroughly for a relaxed yet fulfilling experience. A few sites that should be on your list include Accademia Gallery, Florence Cathedral of Santa Maria, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Della Signoria, and the Uffizi Gallery. Walking through these sites, you can witness famous stunning exhibits of Michelangelo’s art and Renaissance influences in architecture. And when you feel hunger pangs, you can make stops along your way at Mercato Centrale, Gelateria Edoardo, and All’Antico Vinaio for delicious and savory Italian snacks and meals.
More Things to Do in Florence:
There is so much more you can do in Florence, click here to see the full list of tours, sightseeing, and activities you can do during your day trip to Florence from Rome. To make the most of your day, see also other Florence day trip options (with a guided tour, arranged sightseeing, transportation, food & wine and etc. included) from Rome here.
4. Pompeii
The allure of Pompeii is quite understandable. An ancient city marked by one natural destruction after another, the final one rendering it abandoned, attracts people worldwide. Lying on Mount Vesuvius’s foot ( the mountain whose eruption in 79AD buried the city under six meters of ash and stone), Pompeii became a major excavation site in the 18th century. Although early excavators relocated all found artifacts to the museum in Naples, those who worked after 1911 let the findings be where they were. This gives you a glimpse into what ancient life looked like in the region and how well-developed the society was, with its elaborate structures of homes, shops, and public areas. Truly a journey back in time, Pompeii manages to wow its visitors with its ruins and haunting vibe.
The fact that the city is well-connected to Rome via high-speed trains, the city brings itself to the list of best day tours from Rome. While in town, you can set out to explore the many historic buildings and remains littered around. For example, you can visit the Temple of Jupiter, the Temple of Isis, the Shrine of Lares, etc., to witness the worship places of the ancient Roman people or wander to the theatres and the Forum and imagine how communal living ensued in the city hundreds of years ago.
You can also step a bit further out of the main excavation area to visit the Villa of Mysteries, which is mysterious in all possible ways, featuring ancient wall paintings dating back to the 2nd century. After you are done exploring or just seeking a break, you can stop at the President or La Bettola de Gusto to enjoy scrumptious meals that enhance your trip experience.
More Things to Do in Pompeii:
There is so much more you can do in Pompeii, click here to see the full list of tours, sightseeing, and activities you can do during your day trip to Pompeii from Rome. To make the most of your day, see also other Pompeii day trip options (with a guided tour, arranged sightseeing, transportation, food & wine, etc. included) from Rome here.
5. Tivoli
Tivoli is another one of those cities that are situated very close to Rome and are hence ideal for day tripping. Located at an hour’s drive from Rome, Tivoli is a must-consider destination if you are looking to embark on road trips from Rome.
Being an ancient city founded in Roman times, Tivoli has seen the test of times and the rise and fall of empires, dynasties, movements, and governments, all of which impacted the city in many ways. You can find influences of each era in the city in the form of architecture and city construction. Therefore, there are a plethora of fantastic attractions in the city, especially if you are looking for some historical buildings to witness.
Some of the most popular sites in the city include Villa d’Este, San Lorenzo Cathedral, Tivoli Cathedral, Roman Amphitheatre. and Rocca Pia. You can also find several fine eateries to treat your tastebuds in Tivoli, like the famous first-class Ristorante Osteria la Briciola.
More Things to Do in Tivoli:
There is so much more you can do in Tivoli, click here to see the full list of tours, sightseeing, and activities you can do during your day trip to Tivoli from Rome. To make the most of your day, see also other Tivoli day trip options (with a guided tour, arranged sightseeing, transportation, food & wine, etc. included) from Rome here.
Video Guide: 5 Best Day Trips from Rome & How to Get There
Related Posts:
Travel Resources for Planning a Trip to Rome
To make planning your trip to Europe with your girls easier, we included some of our recommended travel resources below. You can search and find the best flights, transportation options, hotels to stay in, tours/activities, and things you can do in each destination during your trip.
Flights:
Agoda: Search thousands of destinations around the world & quickly compare prices to find amazing deals on the best flights.
CheapOAir: You can find airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and vacation packages all on one site!
Kiwi.com: What we like about Kiwi is the fact that they are able to create combinations of flight, train, and bus tickets and offer them in a single itinerary. Also, Kiwi has what they called “Nomad” which helps you find the best way of visiting multiple destinations, saving you time and money.
JetRadar: You can search and compare airfares from 726 airlines and dozens of travel agencies and systems.
Hotels:
Agoda: Agoda is one of the world’s largest online travel accommodation platforms with a network of over 2,000,000 vacation rentals and hotels worldwide.
Hotellook: They have more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.
Transportations:
Airport Transfers: KiwiTaxi, Viator
Train: EuroRail, Trainline or RailEurope
Bus: Flixbus: Very affordable (as low as $6) and convenient way to transfer between cities in Europe.
Car Rentals: AutoEurope, EconomyBookings, or GetTransfer (transfers & car rentals with a personal driver)
Bike Rental: BikesBooking (Bikes & scooter rentals)
Transportation Comparison: Omio (search, compare, and book tickets for buses, trains, and flights all in one site)
Tours & Activities:
TakeWalks (WalkofItaly): This is our favorite site for walking tours & day trips.
Tiqets: Great site for entrance tickets. It offers directly bookable, instantly available, and completely mobile tickets for museums, shows, and attractions all over the world.
Musement: They have good activities and tours in Italy and Spain, also many great day trips you can choose from.
GetYourGuide: A large number of tours, excursions, and other travel activities
Viator: The largest one. It has everything from tours, attractions, shore excursions, and private guides in over 2,700 destinations worldwide. It also has many transportations and transfers options and some unique experiences we didn’t find anywhere else.
Need help planning an Italian vacation with some of the best day trips?
Want to add some day trips to your Italian vacation but don’t know where to begin? If you find this type of multi-city trip planning to be too complicated to plan on your own, we’re here to help!
At MultiCityTrips, multi-destination travel and complicated itineraries such as European vacations that include day trips to nearby cities, private trips to multiple cities, countries are our specialties. Contact us today to learn more about how one of our experienced travel experts/destination specialists can personalize your multi-city European travel and craft your European vacation package (with the most amazing European day trips of course!) at the best price.
Don’t want to start from scratch and need some trip inspiration? Check out our marketplace for customizable pre-designed packages available right now for many amazing destinations in Europe.
To learn more about how our process of trip planning works in detail, please see our “How It Works” page or check out our video on “How to Plan a Multi-City Trip to Europe in 5 Easy Steps” here.
Have questions for us? Schedule a FREE Call with us here or contact one of the travel experts/destination specialists at [email protected], call/text us at (888)223-2316 today
