Fun things to do in Rome?

Do as they do when in Rome.

You’ve got to see the Forum, and the Coliseum, and the Pantheon, and the Vatican, and the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II for your camera. The Spanish Steps are nice. And Rome is buried up to its eyebrows in museums and churches that you can visit.
For novelty’s sake, Rome is home to the only donut shop in the entire country.
I recommend that you track down a guidebook. This one worked out pretty well for us.

Rome has an extensive public transportation network, including buses and subways. The interesting part is also fairly small; walking across it is not unreasonable.
You will be doing a lot of walking.

I would recommend that you hold off on your vegetarianism for your trip so as to get the best culinary experience that you can.

Take photos! Have a quickie at some interesting place which You’ll remember your whole life!
Eat Italian food – the best foods! test wine! Visit the Roman broken house thingies that are very popular in rome:)

look at the women, they are scorchio :)

Visit the Pope

Check out the Vatican.

My SO and I were there in January for 4 days. Other than a taxi from/to the airport, we hoofed it the whole time. We bought a guide book that included a map and read through it before going, picking out our not-to-miss places. Each night, I’d map out which section of the city we’d tour the next day.

One tip I can share: Some of the more famous sites have really long waiting lines. When we were at the Coliseum, a tour guide who spoke English offered his company’s services. We took him up on it. It cost a bit more, but were able to bypass the line.

We also used their service for the Vatican tour. We all met at a designated location, the guide radioed to someone how many tickets to buy, and once we got there, we just waltzed in. The guide also provided a head set so we could hear his narration. Both guides really knew their stuff.

Here is a link you might want to check out. Many of the attractions have a short video on their history. And if you haven’t seen it before, you might want to watch Roman Holiday before the trip, if you haven’t already.

I’ve led tours in Rome, and agree with @nullo’s recommendations for within Rome, plus I would suggest visiting the Trevi fountain, the roman baths of Caracalla and Galleria Borghese (and the surrounding park). For a treat for the senses (and some fresh fruit), visit the vegetable market in Campo dei Fiori (M-S mornings). The Porta Portese flea market Sunday morning is fun too, if you’re into that sort of thing.
If you will be there more than a couple days, I would also encourage you to take a day trip out of Rome. If it’s unbearably hot, head for the beach (the local train goes there). Frascati is a nice quiet (and cooler) town with great white wine that’s a nice break from the hustle and chaos of Rome, it’s a short bus ride away. If you have enough time for an overnight, consider taking a train to Sorrento and a boat to Capri, stop at Pompeii along the way.
It’s not hard to find vegetarian food in Rome, including Spaghetti ala marinara, pizza, fagioli (beans), salads, etc. You should be able to eat well at most restaurants. Keep an eye out for restaurants with a sign that says “tavola calda” (hot table) which is cafeteria style food.
http://to.ly/5Z76
Most dishes that have meat will be fairly obvious, except of course stuffed pasta. If in doubt, ask.
If you eat fried fish, there’s a famous little shop that’s worth a visit:
http://www.tipsandtrip.com/locations/italy/rome/restaurant/34-dar-filettaro-a-santa-barbara

Here is the Happy Cow Guide to Vegetarian dining in Rome.

Try this bakery. Giovanni Riposati,
8 Via delle Muratte, Rome 00187 Italy
It’s by the Trevi fountain and is the oldest baker in Rome. Simply incredible.

Did nobody mention gelato yet?

@janbb Good point….gelato is a must.

Okay, now that I’m awake, here is a list of a few fun things to do:
* Go to The Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (a.k.a. ‘The Wedding Cake’) and try to find the entrance on your own, plus your way around inside. You’ll see some ancient and beautiful art work along the way.

* See how fast you can make your way up The Spanish Steps without passing out.

* Find your way to Door #3 at Piazza dei Cavalierni di Malta and have a peek through the key hole. Stop by their garden and have a chat with the monks there.

* Visit “The Mouth of Truth” and stick your hand in…I dare you.

* Check out a McDonalds and order something off of the menu that you cannot get where you live. The one we went to served coffee in a ceramic cup and saucer.

* Soak in the architecture of not only ancient Rome, but regular architecture. Let me know if you find out why so many places have door knobs that are at shoulder height. I would have loved to see someone actually opening one.

* If you like Rome and wish to return someday, toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain.

@Pied_Pfeffer There’s a tastefully-decorated McDonald’s right across the piazza from the Pantheon. One of five in the old city, if I’ve got my reckonings right.

You should also consider visiting the Catacombs.

One of the most fun nights I’ve ever had traveling was when I met a friend of mine at the Trevi Fountain one night. Evening at the Trevi Fountain is just a big, super-chill outdoor party. Grab a bottle of red wine, some pizza (served by the inch) and sit down for some people-watching and meeting people from all over.

Walk around Trastiveria. Also, when you go into the Pantheon, look up. You will see one area where the stone is missing. That’s the stone Brunelleschi was allowed to remove when he was trying to figure out the curvature for the Duomo in Florence.

It’s “Trastevere” not Trastiveria. It means “across the river;” it’s the area south of the historic center of Rome.

@GeorgeGee Thanks – I wasn’t sure I had it right; was too lazy to look it up.

@GeorgeGee Specifically, “across the Tiber.”

Yes, that’s the river in question.

There are so many spots to take pictures in rome but I would definitely recommend the view from door number 3 as someone posted above. you can find a lot of rome photo spots on picaspot.com including the view that you see from the keyhole of door #3, just search rome