From the Sistine Chapel to the Colosseum to the Pantheon, Rome has a long list of tours for you to join.
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A dizzyingly long list, some might say.
Usually, visitors carefully plan out their itinerary to include all the main attractions. It’s a tightrope balance, especially if you only have a few precious days in the city. Even the most practiced travelers might leave Rome feeling like they barely got to experience its magic.
I’ll leave you to book those tours to the Vatican, Colosseum, and other hotspots by yourself. The same for those popular cooking classes and food tours.
Instead, I’m digging deep to find the best tours in Rome that most tourists miss, along with a select few day trips outside the city. After all, a city with thousands of years of history won’t be giving up its best-kept secrets so easily. And you won’t find them on a golf cart tour.
(No shade to golf cart tours—but they have a very bad reputation in Rome and are likely going to be illegal in the next year or two if locals have their way. The same for tuk-tuks and other variations.)
Best tours in Rome that most tourists miss
Cooking Class in a Real Roman Home
This is the cooking class to end all Roman cooking classes: You get to go home with Nonna and learn how to cook local dishes in a local kitchen. Italian hosts guide you through a culinary and cultural experience in the famous Trastevere neighborhood.
Three-Pasta and Spritzes Cooking Class
The vast majority of Roman cooking classes focus on wine and wine pairings. I like this one because it lets you learn the basics of how to make fresh pasta, then shows you how to make those classic, delicious Italian spritzes, including Aperol Spritz, along with the lesser-known Hugo and Limoncello spritzes.
Gluten-Free Pasta Cooking Class
A pasta cooking class in Rome… just without the gluten. I love this concept because it’s a fresh take on the almost-compulsory pasta-cooking classes in Rome, except it has a twist that your gluten-free loved ones will appreciate.
Castel Sant’Angelo Guided Tour
Once an ancient mausoleum and later on a fortress, Castel Sant’Angelo is one of Rome’s most commanding sites. I recommend avoiding the self-guided tours so that you can actually dig into the site’s insanely long and complex history. At the end, you’ll get stellar views of the Tiber River as you wrap up the tour.
Ancient Mosaic Workshop
Want a closer look at how all those gorgeous, detailed mosaics in Rome were made? Like many other ancient crafts, modern Romans are keeping their mosaic culture alive. You can learn the ropes in this interactive class, which lets you take away a small creation of your own.
Underground Temples & Crucifixion Relics
Don’t miss out on Rome’s underground temples because you got sidetracked by all the magic on the street level. This tour traces the early history of Christianity, which means you need to slip underground to hidden sites where worshippers hid their beliefs and ceremonies. You also get to see the Holy Stairs where Jesus is said to have walked.
Vintage Fiat 500 Cabriolet Tour
Imagine booking a golf cart tour in Rome to see a couple cruising by in a vintage Fiat 500. For just a little extra money, you can book your seats in the back of a Fiat convertible, seeing the best that Rome has to offer in a living, breathing piece of Italian history/machinery. This tour is semi-private, but you can find others that are fully private, for a slightly higher price.
Vespa Sidecar Tour – Morning
A Vespa sidecar tour is the second-most iconic way to experience the city. This tour lets you book with multiple Vespas, meaning you can book a tour with friends. Along the journey, you get to see all the main sites, from Trevi to the Colosseum—and even stop for a cappuccino and cornetto with your guides, too.
Luxury Boat Ride
Rome isn’t known for its sailing or river cruise excursions, but they’re out there. This VIP boat tour takes you through the heart of the city in a handcrafted, traditional Italian boat. You can sip on Prosecco as you cruise past ancient ruins.
Haunted Rome Ghost Tour
I love a good ghost tour. And Rome’s almost endless history yields spooky stories, true crime tales, and whispers of hauntings in every neighborhood. Just know that, in addition to ghost stories about emperors and heretics from across the centuries, you also get the chance to use paranormal diving equipment like dowsing rods.
VIP Vatican Tour with Key Master
There are a few ways for you to tour the Vatican, given its list of ten exclusive tours. To be blunt, I’m not sure how this early morning tour with a key master fits into the Vatican’s official list of tours… but if you want VIP access in the early morning with little to no other tourists around you, book this experience. You can even hold the keys that unlock doors into a few galleries.
The Three Tenors in Rome
Learn about Neapolitan folk music as you enjoy the sounds of the Mandolin Orchestra of the Neapolitan Mandolin Academy, accompanied by Rome’s famous Three Tenors. That’s a pretty sweet offer for fans of traditional music, but there’s something else to look forward to: the show is set inside the Church of St. Paul.
Candlelight Dinner in Ancient Ruins near the Pantheon
The name of this tour says it all. You get to sample ancient Roman cuisine as you enjoy the Roman baths of Agrippa. All dishes are paired with wines, meaning you’ll get a stellar meal that’s presented by experts while you enjoy the romantic vibes. Just know it isn’t a private experience unless you book the entire space.
Cheeky tours in Rome that you might want to book
Photo Shoot in Rome with a Professional Photographer
You can find a photoshoot ‘tour’ in most tourist cities around the world. If you’re there on a honeymoon, they’re an excellent way to commemorate the trip. If not, they’re still a really fun way to make memories with your loved ones, from family to friends to romantic partners. Rome, unsurprisingly, makes a fantastic backdrop.
Rome Bar Crawl with Karaoke and Games
I’m sure bar crawls don’t have a sterling reputation in cities like Rome—they can be noisy, and groups can be large. But this isn’t your average bar crawl. The tour is led by engaging hosts who love to entertain in Monti, where nightlife is part of neighborhood culture. While you sip on drinks and explore Rome on foot, you’ll get to make friends, laugh, drink, and be merry in one of humanity’s most important cities. That’s a great balance.
Gladiator School
You’re going to hear a lot about gladiators in Rome, especially if you book a Colosseum tour. This experience lets you train how a gladiator would in traditional garb, including a Roman belt and tunic. Consider it an interactive way to learn about the history of gladiators in Rome. It’s suitable for kids and adults, and comes with tickets to the Gladiator School of Rome Museum.
Best day trips from Rome that most tourists miss
Pompeii with an Archaeologist
There’s not much to say about this one except to remind you: If you’re visiting ancient ruins with the hopes of actually gaining some insider knowledge, you should be touring with an academic. In this case, an archaeologist will take you through Pompeii and Herculaneum to break down the tragedy and its historic context.
Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este in Tivoli
Some of Rome’s greatest estates and palaces aren’t found in the city center. This full-day trip to Tivoli takes you to two UNESCO-listed sites: Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este. From Renaissance rebuilds to archaeological ruins to stories of scandal, you’ll get a full download on Tivoli’s best stories—from two thousand years ago straight to modern day.
Saturnia Thermal Springs
Thanks to this tour’s hotel pickup, you can visit Saturnia, hot springs near Rome, with an easy day trip. It comes with a photo shoot, to boot. The thermal springs are small but lovely, and stay a constant 80 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. You’ll also get to glimpse the Italian countryside as you leave the hustle and bustle of Rome behind for a day.
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