Rome makes a superb base for exploring central Italy. Within an hour you can wander the fountain-gardens of Tivoli, the ancient port of Ostia Antica or the wine towns of the Castelli Romani; a fast train reaches Naples, Pompeii or even Florence for the day. Here are the six best excursions, each with realistic travel times, ticket prices and tips on how to make the most of a day away from the city.
€10Tivoli: Villa d'Este & Hadrian's Villa
Area
30 km east
Distance
1 hour
“Do both UNESCO villas in one day — Hadrian's Villa in the morning, then Villa d'Este's fountains after lunch.”
€18Ostia Antica
Area
30 km southwest
Distance
40 min
“Rome's own Pompeii and far quieter — take the cheap urban train, and climb the theatre for the best overview.”
Train €25+Florence
Area
230 km north
Distance
1.5 hours
“The high-speed train makes it a doable (long) day — book Uffizi and Accademia tickets in advance before you go.”
Train €15+Naples & Pompeii
Area
230 km south
Distance
1–1.5 hours
“Fast train to Naples, then the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii — do the ruins in the morning before the midday heat.”
Train €8+Orvieto
Area
120 km north
Distance
1 hour
“A dramatic hilltop Umbrian town — ride the funicular up from the station and don't miss the golden cathedral façade.”
Train €3+Castelli Romani & Castel Gandolfo
Area
25 km southeast
Distance
40 min
“Escape to the wine-town hills — see the pope's lakeside palace at Castel Gandolfo and lunch on porchetta and Frascati.”
Day trips from Rome in detail
1.Tivoli: Villa d'Este & Hadrian's Villa
Tivoli, a hilltop town 30 kilometres east of Rome, holds two of the finest villas in Italy, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and together they make one of the best full-day trips from the capital. Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana) is the sprawling second-century country estate of Emperor Hadrian, an enormous complex of palaces, baths, pools, libraries and pavilions — including the beautiful Canopus reflecting pool lined with statues — recreating in ruins the grandeur of imperial retreat; allow a couple of hours to wander its olive-shaded grounds. A short bus or taxi ride away in the town centre, the Renaissance Villa d'Este dazzles with a completely different spectacle: a steep, terraced garden of some five hundred fountains, cascades, water jets and grottoes, engineered in the sixteenth century entirely by gravity, with the famous Hundred Fountains and the theatrical Fountain of Neptune. Reach Tivoli by regional train or Cotral bus in about an hour. Do Hadrian's Villa first while you are fresh, break for lunch in town, then finish among the cooling fountains of Villa d'Este. Wear good shoes, as both involve plenty of walking and steps.
Hours
Both sites ~08:30/09:00 until ~sunset (Villa d'Este closed Mon)
Price
Villa d'Este ~€13; Hadrian's Villa ~€12
Getting there
Regional train from Roma Termini/Tiburtina to Tivoli (~1h), or Cotral bus from Ponte Mammolo metro
Insider tip: Do both UNESCO villas in one day — Hadrian's Villa in the morning, then Villa d'Este's fountains after lunch.
2.Ostia Antica
Ostia Antica is one of the best and most underrated day trips from Rome — the extensive, beautifully preserved ruins of the ancient city that served as the port and commercial gateway of imperial Rome, and a genuine rival to Pompeii that receives a fraction of the crowds. Once a bustling town of some 50,000 people, Ostia silted up and was abandoned, which left its streets, buildings and mosaics remarkably intact. You can walk the original paved main street, explore multi-storey apartment blocks (insulae), warehouses, bath complexes with intricate black-and-white floor mosaics, temples, taverns with their marble counters still in place, communal latrines and a wonderfully complete Roman theatre that still hosts summer performances. It gives an unusually vivid, human sense of everyday Roman life. Best of all, it is astonishingly easy and cheap to reach: a 40-minute ride on the urban train from Piramide, covered by an ordinary city transport ticket. Bring water, sun protection and comfortable shoes, as the site is large, open and shadeless, and allow three to four hours to do it justice. For history without the queues, Ostia is unbeatable.
Hours
Tue–Sun ~08:30 until ~sunset (closed Mon)
Price
~€18 (higher with exhibitions)
Getting there
Urban train from Roma Porta San Paolo (Piramide metro) to Ostia Antica (~40 min, covered by a standard city ticket)
Insider tip: Rome's own Pompeii and far quieter — take the cheap urban train, and climb the theatre for the best overview.
3.Florence
Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, lies just an hour and a half north of Rome by high-speed train, which makes it an ambitious but rewarding full-day trip for those who want to add a second great Italian city to a short visit. The compact, walkable historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site packed with masterpieces: Brunelleschi's terracotta-domed Duomo and its baptistery, the Piazza della Signoria studded with sculpture, the Ponte Vecchio lined with goldsmiths spanning the Arno, and above all the art — Michelangelo's original David in the Accademia and the Botticelli, Leonardo and Raphael treasures of the Uffizi Gallery. To make a day trip work, take an early Frecciarossa or Italo train, book timed tickets for the Uffizi and Accademia well in advance to avoid hours of queuing, and prioritise a short, focused itinerary rather than trying to see everything. Fast trains run frequently and fares are far cheaper booked ahead. It is a long day and Florence deserves an overnight if you can spare it, but even a single day delivers an unforgettable hit of Renaissance splendour, Tuscan food and riverside beauty before the evening train back to Rome.
Hours
Full-day trip; museums Tue–Sun (many closed Mon)
Price
High-speed return from ~€50; museum tickets extra
Getting there
Frecciarossa/Italo high-speed train from Roma Termini to Firenze S.M.N. (~1h30, book ahead for cheaper fares)
Insider tip: The high-speed train makes it a doable (long) day — book Uffizi and Accademia tickets in advance before you go.
4.Naples & Pompeii
One of the greatest day trips from Rome combines the electric city of Naples with the haunting ruins of Pompeii, the Roman town frozen in time by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. A high-speed train reaches Naples in around seventy minutes, from where the local Circumvesuviana line runs out to the archaeological site. Pompeii is vast and extraordinary — entire streets, houses with vivid frescoes and mosaics, shops, bathhouses, brothels, a forum and an amphitheatre, and the poignant plaster casts of victims caught in their final moments — offering an unrivalled window into ancient daily life beneath the still-active volcano. Given the distance, most visitors focus on Pompeii, arriving early to explore the shadeless ruins before the midday heat and allowing three or four hours. If time allows, a few hours in Naples add a completely different flavour: chaotic, characterful streets, the birthplace of pizza (eat one, it is a revelation), superb archaeological treasures in the national museum and views over the bay. It is a long, full day, so consider a guided tour to smooth the logistics, and wear sturdy shoes, sun protection and carry water for Pompeii.
Hours
Pompeii daily ~09:00 until ~sunset
Price
Pompeii ~€18; high-speed return to Naples from ~€30
Getting there
High-speed train Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale (~1h10), then Circumvesuviana train to Pompei Scavi (~35 min)
Insider tip: Fast train to Naples, then the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii — do the ruins in the morning before the midday heat.
5.Orvieto
Orvieto is one of the most dramatic and accessible hill towns near Rome, an ancient Umbrian settlement perched atop a sheer plateau of volcanic tufa that rises abruptly from the valley floor, just over an hour north by regional train. From the station at the base, a charming funicular hauls you up to the old town, a maze of medieval lanes, honey-coloured stone and quiet piazzas that feels a world away from the capital. Its crowning glory is the Duomo, a breathtaking Gothic cathedral whose façade is a riot of gold mosaic, sculpture and rose window that glows in the sun, while inside the San Brizio chapel holds Luca Signorelli's magnificent, apocalyptic fresco cycle. Beneath the town lies a labyrinth of Etruscan and medieval caves, wells and tunnels carved into the soft rock, which you can tour, including the astonishing St Patrick's Well with its double-helix staircase. Orvieto is also famed for its crisp white wine, best enjoyed over a leisurely Umbrian lunch. Compact enough for a relaxed half or full day, walkable, atmospheric and easy to reach by train, it is an ideal escape from the intensity of Rome into small-town Italy.
Hours
Half/full-day trip; cathedral ~09:30–19:00 (shorter in winter)
Price
Regional return from ~€16; funicular + cathedral a few euros each
Getting there
Regional train from Roma Termini to Orvieto (~1h15), then the funicular up to the old town
Insider tip: A dramatic hilltop Umbrian town — ride the funicular up from the station and don't miss the golden cathedral façade.
6.Castelli Romani & Castel Gandolfo
The Castelli Romani are a scenic cluster of small hill towns scattered across the Alban Hills, the cool, green volcanic uplands just south-east of Rome, and they make a lovely, easy escape into the countryside and the region's food-and-wine culture. The most famous is Castel Gandolfo, the traditional summer residence of the popes, a graceful little town perched above the deep-blue crater lake of Albano; since Pope Francis opened the Apostolic Palace and its beautiful gardens to the public, visitors can tour the papal apartments and grounds that were off-limits for centuries. Nearby Frascati is synonymous with the crisp white wine that bears its name, best enjoyed in a rustic osteria or a traditional fraschetta with a plate of porchetta (herbed roast pork) and local cheese. Other towns — Ariccia, famed for its porchetta, Nemi with its wild strawberries and lake, Grottaferrata with its abbey — each add their own charm. Reachable in about forty minutes by regional train or bus, the Castelli offer lakeside views, walking, papal history and superb, unpretentious local eating, making them a relaxed half-day break from the monuments and crowds of the city.
Hours
Half-day trip; papal palace & gardens ~09:00–18:00 (closed some days)
Price
Regional return from ~€6; palace/gardens tickets ~€11–26
Getting there
Regional train from Roma Termini to Castel Gandolfo or Frascati (~40 min); or Cotral bus
Insider tip: Escape to the wine-town hills — see the pope's lakeside palace at Castel Gandolfo and lunch on porchetta and Frascati.