Are you looking for day trips to Rome? There are many options. Some places you can easily reach by train, while others require hiring a car. These are our top five picks.
Nota Bene: Despite the many wonderful sites and towns that surround Rome, it is possible to spend a week or more in Rome and not see all of it. We don’t recommend you take a day trip to Rome at least four days in advance. If you have the time and are looking to explore other options, we recommend you read our top recommendations for how to travel by train in Italy.
Day trip to Tuscany
There is no better place than Tuscany for its food, wine, and scenery. If you’re planning a day trip to Rome, we recommend Pienza, a hill town, for shopping and visiting the Montalcino castle. You can also visit the Brunello di Montalcino wineries. We also recommend stopping at small towns like Montepulciano and Monticchiello, and the hot springs town at Bagno Vignoni if time permits. For those of you who are short on time, Walks of Italy offers a day trip from Rome to Tuscany.
Tuscany is full of incredible places. For more ideas, see our guide to the ten best Tuscany towns.
Day trip to Tivoli
The train ride from Rome to Tivoli takes only one hour and costs just 3 euros. This is a small, but the very interesting town in Lazio. Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli is a major attraction here. This is where Emperor Hadrian went to escape from the capital. The sprawling, lavish, ancient villa is still intact today. It boasts columns, marble pavement, and ancient statues. The Villa d’Este is another major attraction. It was built in the 16th century by the grandson and pope Alexander VI. It is one of the most beautiful villas in Italy. It has formal gardens, frescoed rooms, and stunning fountains.
You can take the train to Tivoli, but you will need to then take one of the city buses to Hadrian’s Villa. This is outside the town. www.trenitalia.com can provide information about train times.
Day trip to Naples
It doesn’t matter what you think about Naples. This city is fascinating and vibrant. It is also home to one of the most important archaeological museums in the world (if you want to know where the mosaics and sculptures from Pompeii’s villas ended up, it is here). And one of Europe’s top art museums, including pieces by Caravaggio and Raphael. There’s amazing food, beautiful churches, and an underground. 9 reasons to avoid Naples if you are interested.
It takes only 1 hour, 10 mins to get from Rome to Naples and costs just 29 euros. This makes it a great excuse to visit this amazing city. www.trenitalia.com can be used to search train times.
Day trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum
You can do Pompeii within a day of arriving in Rome. This is a hard day but rewarding!
The world-famous sight of Pompeii from Rome is a city that was “frozen in the time” after the eruption of 79 A.D. It’s both atmospheric and spine-tingling. You’ll need to take the train from Rome to Pompeii. Then, follow the signs to the “Circumvesuviana”. You can check Circumvesuviana train time ahead of time, but they only run about every half an hour. It takes 35 minutes to get from Naples to Pompeii Scavi. You can reach the scavi in just 2 hours if you take the Naples fast train.
Pompeii is an enormous sight and you don’t want to waste your time wandering aimlessly around, especially if it’s short on time. To see the best of Pompeii and hear the amazing stories behind it, visit our “Best of Pompeii” experience. Herculaneum is a more accessible site that you can visit on your own. You can save 15-20 minutes by taking the “Ercolano” stop on Circumvesuviana. It’s closer than Naples so it takes you 15-20 minutes. The site is smaller than Pompeii but offers the same experience of going back in time.
Another advantage: Carbon survived the volcanic process. This means that you don’t have the plaster body casts of Herculaneum but you have preserved wood furniture and bed frames. Walks of Italy offers daily departures for a fully-guided day trip by luxury minibus from Rome to Pompeii.
Day trip to Orvieto
Umbria is a region that shares a lot with Tuscany. It is a short day trip from Rome… Orvieto is our favorite town there! To reach Orvieto, take the train from Rome. It takes about an hour. The cost is less than 10 euro. You will need to take the funicular to the top of the hill to get to the town. www.trenitalia.com can provide information about train times.
Orvieto’s underground is worth a visit. It contains tunnels and caverns dug out by the Etruscans some 3,000 years ago. Or its Duomo with frescos that have inspired Michelangelo.
Day trip to Ostia Antica
You can travel to another part of the world for half the cost of a metro ticket. Ostia Antica is ancient Rome’s port. It has a forum, bars, and restaurants. There’s even a brothel! Ostia Antica, a great alternative to Pompeii, is an excellent choice!
You can’t use trenitalia.com to check the times as it is a different train than the national system. Instead, take the metro line B to Piramide metro station and follow the signs to the Roma Porta San Paolo train stop. Then, you can take any of the trains since they all travel in the same direction and arrive at Ostia Antica.
Another great experience is the Amalfi Coast Day Trip from Rome. This allows you to visit beautiful towns such as Positano and Amalfi Town. You can also take a boat ride along the coast. You can also explore the Pope’s Palace and Castel Gandolfo & Barberini Gardens via train from Rome.
