Rick Steves Rome

by Rick Steves, Gene Openshaw

Rick Steves offers opinionated commentary on the best museums and historic sights (such as St. Peter's, the Sistine Chapel, and the Coliseum), plus strategies for navigating them. He's also got lots of information on Rome's new and improved pedestrian-only streets and new trolleys that make exploring the city even more fun. There's also a special section of Jubilee Year festivities for the biggest year in Rome's tourism since ancient times.

The book includes the best sights and activities, friendly places to eat and sleep (personally inspected by Steves and his staff for both character and affordability), suggested day plans and itineraries, and clear transportation instructions that make it easy to get anywhere by car, train, or foot.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Italy, Reference, History, Italian Literature, Art

552 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Rick Steves is an American travel writer, television personality, and activist known for encouraging meaningful travel that emphasizes cultural immersion and thoughtful global citizenship. Born in California and raised in Edmonds, Washington, he began traveling in his teens, inspired by a family trip to Europe. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in European history and business, Steves started teaching travel classes, which led to his first guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door, self-published in 1980.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best traveling book series. Download his free podcasts for walking tours and other tourist sites.

The list of recommended restaurants was particularly helpful allowing me to discover Baked Artichokes in the Jewish Ghetto district. Not really a ghetto anymore.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you plan a trip to Rome and have to read just one book, this is one to get! He also has a free app, which I highly recommend. In the future, I wont' go anywhere without Steves.

[Linniegayl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Far more on restaurants, hotels, and a day trip to Naples than I would have liked, but still some interesting information.

[Katya · Rating 4 out of 5]

In-depth and comprehensive as always. This edition has even more of Steves's trademark wit and features some wild zingers that had me raising my eyebrows while laughing. Steves really dives into each city he describes, and Rome is no exception. While this is by no means an exhaustive guide of the city (which would be nigh impossible) Steves selects the most popular and worthy landmarks and does a deep dive into each.

A favorite aspect of Rick Steves guides for me is his ability to illuminate local customs for visitors. While the breadth of information was overwhelming at times, I was comforted by his insight into Roman life, traditions, and culture. A must for anyone trying to be a conscientious traveler.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this cover to cover. Love him. Best trip thanks to Rick!

[Jason Golomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family lives and dies by Rick Steves' European travel books. He provides practical and immediately usable advice, tips, guidance on all aspects of traveling in Europe. He provides no-nonsense reviews on sites, food, and all locations a traveler might want to visit.

Each of his guides provides detailed turn-by-turn tours of all major attractions, while giving valuable advice restaurants and shopping nearby. His guidance on travel was 100% spot on, never once erring in those little details that can leave a traveler irrevocably lost and frustrated.

My family also loves his free downloadable audio tours, which are essentially exactly the same as the site tours he provides in his books. He narrates the tour with practical advice (when to get in line, where tickets can be had for a discount, etc) as well as a reasonable amount of history and humor to appeal to all but the most hardcore of historians and travelers.

We always buy multiple travel books when planning our overseas experience, but we only use one: Rick Steves.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preparing for my first trip to Rome and knowing Rick Steves' reputation, I chose this book as introductory reading. I'd hoped to gain insight and recommendations to seeing Rome in a short span of time. Though I understand why the book is laid out the way it is, I found it at times confusing and repetitive.

Then there's the fear factor. Yes, there is a risk of pickpockets in any area of a large crowded city. This is reinforced multiple times throughout the book, leading the reader to believe that Rome is a dangerous city to visit. I certainly did not find this to be the case when I was there at all.

I also found some of the information was not always accurate or up to date.

As a relatively inexperienced traveler that spends a lot of time planning in advance, I didn't find this book very helpful. I wish I hadn't also bought the London 2016 edition at the same time, finding the same issues with it.

This book may be perfect for some people. I just found I was better off with a GPS app (while there) and internet access (while planning) and could have saved my money.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time, I made fun of Rick Steves for being cheesy.
He's still cheesy, but as far as making fun of the guy: never again.
There's a reason he's a mogul and expert on all things travel-- Steves knows his stuff, as proven by this fantastic guidebook to the city of Rome.

Steves covers just about everything, from which sights to include to which restaurants are good (though the latter part does come off, in part, as a bit of salesmanship). Steves tells you what times are least crowded to visit the big attractions, and he tells you plainly what to look out for and avoid as a tourist.

I really appreciated his encouragements to "live as a temporary local," and his sparse-but-useful language tips were helpful. I will definitely use his guidebooks in the future, and I'll be sure to steer library customers toward his work. I thought he was just for old people, but Steves' friendly, knowledgeable way of explaining things is great expertise for any American traveler.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my usual reading of each new volume of this book. Rome has a lot to offer and Rick Steves leaves out nothing.

Surprise- he actually includes a few good places to stay other than the usual cheap dumps where you have to rent sheets and sleep with a bunch of strangers while showering and using the toilet with a crowd of smelly strangers. Several of his suggestions are pretty good.

He is in search of places to drink liquor as usual but does manage to run into some good good and non-alcoholic beverages along the way.

Pay more attention to his descriptions of shopping and sightseeing as well as detailed info on saving money and the ins and outs of transportation.

My favorite thing about Rome is the great artwork. If you love art like I do, you will not be disappointed in Rome.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're visiting Rome in spring 2013 and this is the first book I've read in preparation. Unfortunately, I think that Mr. Steves presumes his reader to have far more familiarity with the layout of the city than I do; I will definitely be picking up some other books as adjuncts.

That said, his descriptions of walking tours and various sites are entertaining, as they incorporate no small amount of humor, puns and so on into the mix. This is no dry guidebook, that's for sure.

I do enjoy Mr. Steves' programs on PBS, and it would probably be great fun to go on one of his tours. Unfortunately, I need a book that is a little longer on basic information than this one. (Is there a "Rome for Dummies"?)

[Stacy Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes this does count even if it is a travel how to book. I read the whole thing and found it helpful and entertaining. Rick Steves is a great travel writer and I love his philosophy about travel and the world. I used him waaaaaay back in 1988 when I was backpacking around Europe. It was my bible. Don't worry everyone, I also had a real bible too. Anyway, I used this on my trip and kept seeing people with the Rick Steve's book. I overheard this one guy at a trattoria say to his wife, "why is that Italian guy using a Rick Steve's book?" He was talking about Steve! I was so proud of my pseudo Italian husband. So next time any of you take a trip ... travel the Rick Steves' way.

[Mkb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a useful book. Instead of surfing around the internet looking for advice, you can get it here all in one place. It is also very good for outlining clearly the "how things work" stuff that is hard to figure out. Do you pay first or order first? How do you read the bus schedule? All these very boring but necessary questions are are answered clearly. It might not be the glossy travel guide you read while dreaming of a future trip, but it was exactly the right thing to have with us in Rome. Right down to the fact that it is printed on thin newsprint to keep the weight down, it is a well-designed tool to help you enjoy your trip.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must have for anyone visiting Rome. Of all the Rome guides we brought along it became our travel 'bible' while touring the city. Great tips with a bit of history thrown in on all of the major attractions one might want to visit. Great tips on local restaurants, when to tour the most popular sites etc. The only problems we had were attempting to use his descriptions of how to easily travel from one location to another - we continually got lost. Of course that may speak to our lack of ability to navigate in a strange city rather than poor directions : )

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly a novel, but I read every word of this travel book twice in anticipation of my vacation. While it had a lot of great information about sites, prices, travel tips, etc. - it is certainly not the last word in travel guides.

This being my first experience with prepping myself for a foreign trip using only guides, I would advise someone to get a sampling of guides to get various perspectives rather than a single guide.

Nevertheless, Rick Steves uses humor and sarcasm to make the reader feel more comfortable about new adventures.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Steves' travel books may not be pretty to look at compared to other flashy travel books, but his books have substance and good advice.

Rome 2013 helped me navigate Rome perfectly...the only thing I do not like about Rick's books is the restaurant suggestions...I am a foodie and the places he suggests are not to my standard at all.

The basic summary of historical sights and the walks are great. Loved the "Heart of Rome" walk, it takes a tourist through the prettiest part of Rome, it would be so easy to miss the pretty streets without this book.

[JG (Introverted Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Cut and pasted from my review of the Florence and Tuscany version)

I used this to plan our trip to Rome. If we missed anything, I don't know what it is! I found out about places I didn't know existed and learned how to skip a lot of lines. I personally enjoyed the guy's sense of humor also, but I can see how it wouldn't appeal to everyone. He's kind of corny, but I can be too. Anyway, highly recommended.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best guide we found for Rome for our kind of travel. If you like to really get to know the culture you need a Steves guide. We used it every day to combat Rome's chaotic, delightful, overwhelmingness.

Many of the tours in the book are free on his website as audioguides for you iPod. Don't read them, listen to them when you get to your destination. The Sistine chapel audioguide was fab.

Found this guide much more accurate and helpful than his Venice guide.

[Maryclaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't need another book if you take this along on your Nook. It contains any possible information you could use before you go and while you are on your trip. This book contains maps, guides for tours that you can walk, day or night, train travel, subway instructions and what to wear. Everything you need about the areas and the buildings is all included. It is a wonderful reference for Rome.

[Clayton Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who hasn't enjoyed watching Rick travel through Europe on his TV program? Rome is one of his three favorite cities (tied with Paris & London) and Italy his favorite country, so his guidebook (of MANY) was an obvious choice. I especially enjoyed the access to the complimentary audioguides on his new mobile app, as well as the in-depth refresh on art history & events that enriched the experience beyond the traditional guidebook.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is worth reading in addition to Rick Steves' Italy if you are going to spend more than a few days in the Rome and want more detailed information on specific sights. Gives more complete walk throughs (room by room highlights) on most of the major sights. We spent a week in Rome and used a couple of his neighborhood walks, room description walk throughs of museums and even used his free audioguides for some sights to give us more information as we toured.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource


So excited to see this in person!

[Paige Y. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read the 2008 version but couldn't find it in the list. I really like the way Steves writes -- he always mentions those things that I'm most eager to see. I especially like the attention he pays to art -- both his discussion as the best way to get through a museum and his attention to specific pieces of art.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book cover-to-cover for my recent trip. Overall, I don't think I find Steves as funny as he finds himself, and the majority of restaurants were disappointments, however, he has a great way of cutting to the chase on what to do in a city and his self-guided tours are really good if you can get past the jokes.

[Nancy Chantraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Steves has written a clear, concise and comprehensive guide. Well worthwhile and helpful to me for my trip to Rome. Mr. Steves even includes "tours", as written by him, of the major attractions of the city. They are well done and it was helpful to read them before I went to the historic/art venues.

[Annie Vu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is thorough with clear and valuable information for practicalities. I've also enjoyed the self guided walks and museum tour very much, although sometimes it walks a very fine line between being cheesy and funny. All in all, highly recommended especially to help your imagination for all Rome's magnificient ruins. I like his motto 'don't be a tourist, be a traveller'

[Allegra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guide book, it tells you almost everything you need to know. It also injects some personality and humor that you don't get from other guide books. A lot of his walks took us much longer than the estimated time, but I was traveling with someone with bad knees. Maybe he could have included some alternate routes for people with limited mobility?

[Lamadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't use Rick Steve's for planning purposes, as I think it's quite lacking in that regard, but it's brilliant and wonderful for his tours of all the major sights and museums. This is the one I actually bring with me on the trip after all the planning is done. I can always be sure that I won't miss something interesting following Rick Steve's tour.

[Margaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be buying the 2018 edition for our trip later this year. Joey and I can't wait for our honeymoon! And I was able to use the discount codes to save around $40 on tours. An after-hours catacombs trip and a guided trip to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Every penny counts, right? And that's enough for a decent meal! Salud!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Steves is the best travel friend a person can have. For every sight he tells you the opening/closing times, costs, how much time you should to expect to be there, best entrances/exits, places catagorized by neighborhood to avoid constant criss-crossing...best part is he tells you where to find the clean toilets. Three cheers for Rick Steves!

[Kellyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredibly helpful to me while I was in Rome. Definitely followed through the whole book, doing the walking tours and following his advice for the best of Rome. And yes, I did read the book, not just use it as a flip-through reference book.