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Rome sits in the middle of seven different landscapes, and each one gives you a different day. Pick the direction first — the rest follows.
63 things to book31 placesthe nearest is a 33 min drive from Rome
Almost everything worth a day out of Rome is within a two-hour drive, and most of it is within one. What changes is not the distance but the kind of day: volcanic lakes south of the city, tufo towns and hot springs to the north, Etruscan necropoleis on the way to the coast, a river valley full of abbeys to the east, and beaches that Romans have used for two thousand years to the west.
This page is the map of that. Each section is one direction, with what you can actually book there — not a list of monuments, but days you can be inside by tomorrow. If you already know what you want to do rather than where you want to go, the other guides are sorted that way instead.
A word on how to choose, because seven directions is one more than anybody wants to weigh up. If you have one day and no car, go south to the Castelli or east to Tivoli, both of which have trains. If you have one day and a car, go north into the Tuscia, which is the least visited and the strangest. If it is August, go up or get in water. If it is winter, go where the water is hot.
The directions are also not equally supplied. South and east have the most bookable days because they are close and the operators are used to visitors; the Ciociaria and the Lepini have the fewest, which is precisely why they are empty. Neither is a judgment on the place — it is a fact about how much of it has been organised for you, and it decides how much you should plan in advance.
Everything on this page ends with somebody else's booking, not ours: the cards go to the operator who runs the day, and we never take the payment. What we do is put the seven directions in front of you with what is actually available in each, so the choice is made once, at the start, instead of at eleven at night in a hotel room.
Fifteen small towns on the rim of a dead volcano, half an hour from the city and cooler than it in August. Two crater lakes at the bottom, white wine on every terrace, and the pope's old summer palace at Castel Gandolfo. This is the shortest real day trip Rome has.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
On two wheelsThirty minutes from Termini by train, then six hours through Frascati vineyards.
€89 per person
Books on Bicycl-e
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On the waterTrendingThree hours paddling across Lake Albano, gear included, children from six up.
€42.40 per person
Books on ckacademy.it
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With your handsMake the pasta at a Frascati winery: 22 minutes by train, picked up at the station.
€109 per person
Books on farmexperiencestours.com
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On the trailClip into a harness and cross the trees: from age four there is a course to do.
€5 per person
Books on ViviAvventura
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On the trailA Greek-rite abbey founded in 1004 by monks from southern Italy led by St Nilus of Rossano, the last of the Byzantine monasteries that were once spread across southern Italy and…
See the day
With your handsThe estate sits in an eighteenth-century casale on a hill at Monte Porzio Catone, thirty hectares of Frascati DOCG vineyard in front and the skyline of Rome beyond.
See the day
With your handsA private visit that starts in the vineyard and ends in the eighteenth-century rooms of the estate, led by a dedicated sommelier or by the owners.
See the day
On the trailThe Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo was opened to the public in 2014.
See the day
On the waterKayak rental on Lake Albano below Castel Gandolfo.
See the dayViterbo and the country around it are built from volcanic rock, which is soft enough to carve — so the Etruscans cut tombs into it, medieval towns sit on top of it, and hot sulphur water comes up through it. It is the least visited third of Lazio and the strangest.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
In the hot waterFive hours in a thermal park, and cold weather is the reason to go.
€25 per person
Books on termedistigliano.it
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In the hot waterThe water leaves the ground at 58°C, and on Saturday you can still be in it at 1am.
€12 per person
Books on termedeipapi.it
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In the hot waterFive hours in thermal water up to 58°C and nothing else to plan that day.
€12 per person
Books on tusciaterme.it
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In the hot waterA three-hour late-afternoon slot in the Stigliano thermal park, from 17:00 to 20:00, that combines the pools and thermal lakes with an aperitivo.
See the day
In the hot waterA full day, 10:00 to 20:00, with access to the whole spa and the outdoor thermal park.
See the day
In the hot waterDay access to the outdoor thermal park at Stigliano, in the countryside of Canale Monterano about 50 km from Rome.
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In the hot waterA five-hour morning slot, 10:00 to 15:00, with the sauna, salt room, infrared rooms, cold chamber, sensory showers, the heated indoor pool, the thermal basin and the outdoor the…
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With your handsA family farm below Caprarola on the Cimini hills that grows hazelnuts and makes creams, spreads, mostarde and biscuits in its own laboratory.
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With your handsA ten-hour day out of Rome with a private driver: your choice between Caprarola with the Farnese palace or Sutri with the Roman amphitheatre and Etruscan necropolis, then an oli…
See the dayThe lake Rome drinks from — no motorboats allowed on it, which is why the water is clean and the shore is quiet. Beyond it the road reaches the Etruscan coast and, eventually, the sea at Santa Marinella and Civitavecchia.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
On the waterA course of four lessons on the lake, board and wing included, with the club that runs them.
€400 per booking
Books on Sporting Club Sabazia
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On the waterNinety minutes on Lake Bracciano with an instructor: board, paddle, dry bag.
€15 per person
Books on Sporting Club Sabazia
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On two wheelsA guided ride of about 25 km on a semi-loop from Camping Europing in Tarquinia to Montalto di Castro, crossing the seasonal Arrone stream and taking in the old town of Montalto …
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On horsebackThe centre teaches western riding with CONI federal instructors, working with Quarter Horses.
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On horsebackThe riding centre sits in localita Monte Sughero, inside the Parco di Veio, 15 km north of Rome.
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On two wheelsA guided 7 km ride on the Ciclovia dei Laghi, inside the Bracciano-Martignano regional park, with panoramic points over the two lakes, the Monti Sabatini, the Monti della Tolfa …
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On two wheelsMountain bike rental in the old town of Anguillara Sabazia, on Lake Bracciano, run by the In Itinere cooperative.
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On the waterA guided canoe outing along the shores of Lake Martignano, run inside the regional park programme of naturalistic events.
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On the trailGuided walk through the tumulus tombs of the Banditaccia, carved to reproduce the inside of Etruscan houses, and along the Via degli Inferi, the sunken road that led to the buri…
See the dayTivoli first, with its two villas and its waterfalls, then the river valley climbing behind it to Subiaco, where Benedict lived in a cave and where the water is cold enough to raft on in July. The highest, greenest and least Roman-feeling direction out of the city.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
Down the riverFive kilometres down the Aniene. Helmet and paddle included, shuttle to the start.
€25 per person
Books on viverelaniene.com
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With your handsThey collect you at your Rome hotel; you come back having made lunch by hand.
€250 per person
Books on Villa Proietti
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In the hot waterSix pools at a steady 23°C, and the station is right behind the park.
€16 per person
Books on termediroma.org
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In the hot waterSulphur pools open till 18:30, and the operator publishes the train to get there.
€12 per person
Books on Terme Sabine di Cretone
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On the trailEntry to the monumental Roman sanctuary of Hercules Victor at Tivoli, the third site of the VILLÆ complex.
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On the trailEntry to the archaeological area of Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, part of the VILLÆ state institute along with Villa d'Este and the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor.
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On the trailA private guided tour of Hadrian's Villa covering the emperor's private quarters, the Canopus and Serapeum, the Pecile portico and the Large and Small Baths, including the under…
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On the trailEntry to the Renaissance villa and terraced garden of fountains at Tivoli.
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On the trailThe park in the gorge cut by the Aniene at Tivoli, managed by FAI since 2002, with a waterfall of about a hundred and twenty metres and Roman temples above it.
See the dayAnagni, Ferentino, Veroli, Fiuggi: papal towns on hilltops, with the Lepini mountains between them and the sea. Cesanese, the red wine of Lazio, comes from this side. Fewer foreign visitors here than anywhere else within an hour and a half of Rome.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
Under the groundWalk into the hill on wet steps, in a guided group of no more than twelve.
€10 per person
Books on grottepastenacollepardo.it
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With your handsAn organic estate at Colletonno, near Anagni, producing Cesanese del Piglio DOCG.
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With your handsThe estate produces Cesanese del Piglio DOCG and takes visitors for a tasting and direct sales on site.
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In the airA 2,225-metre steel cable strung between two pylons above Rocca Massima, up to 310 metres off the ground, with a 350-metre drop.
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In the airA two-kilometre zipline descent from Rocca Massima at over 110 km/h, over olive groves and karst country down towards Monte Sant'Angelo, packaged with a guided cellar visit and …
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With your handsTasting of three wines from the native Nero Buono and Bellone grapes, served with bruschetta, cheeses and cured meats, at the cooperative founded in Cori in 1947.
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With your handsGuided tour through the vineyard and the barrel cellar, then a tasting of the sparkling wine and the two DOC wines of the house, served with local food products.
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With your handsA walk through the vineyards and a guided visit of the cellar of an organic estate at Cori, followed by a tasting of three wines paired with local products.
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With your handsA three-hour terracotta workshop in the studio of the artist Martino Antocchi: mixing clay, learning basic modelling, making natural engobe colours and burnishing with olive oil…
See the dayOstia is under forty minutes from the centre of Rome and has both a beach and a Roman city. Further down the coast: Sabaudia's dune, the Circeo headland, Sperlonga white on its rock, and the two islands, Ponza and Ventotene.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
On the waterForty-five minutes from Piramide by train, then you take the helm off Ostia.
€45 per person
Books on barcadicarta.it
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On the waterForty caves along the Circeo promontory, twelve aboard, two hours and a quarter.
€40 per person
Books on ilovecharter.it
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On the waterCast off at 9:30 for the Blue Grotto of the Dolls, snorkel kit on board.
€60 per person
Books on Gaeta Escursioni
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With your handsBe there for the 8:30 milking and the 9:00 curd: the timetable is the tour.
€15 per person
Books on agricolacirce.it
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On the waterAn hour and a half out of the harbour to the Grotta Azzurra, with a swim stop.
Books on Sperlonga Escursioni
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On horsebackThree to four hours in the saddle for experienced riders: from the ranch through pinewood and forest out to the beach at Ostia, Rome's own coast, where the ride stops at a beach…
A sports club — you join them for the day
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With your handsGuided visit of the cellar at Le Ferriere with a tasting of the vintages available, in Italian or, on request, in English, French or German.
See the day
With your handsAbout an hour and a half: a tour of the estate, then a sommelier leads a tasting of five of the winery's labels paired with local food, a hand-made tarallo, sheep's milk caciott…
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In the airA tandem parachute jump from 4,200 metres over Monte Argentario, its lagoon and the Maremma beaches, harnessed to an instructor who flies the whole descent.
See the dayTwo hours out you leave Lazio: Orvieto on its cliff, Narni and the Marmore falls in Umbria, the Maremma and Pitigliano in Tuscany. Long days, but the drive is motorway most of the way and the towns are the ones people remember.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
Under the groundTurn up, pay at the door, and climb down an Etruscan well and its caves.
€5 per person
Books on orvietobooking.com
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With your handsA family winery on the Amerino hills, working since 1960, with a published price list that starts at €5 for two wines and climbs to a vertical of five vintages of the same label.
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Under the groundA guided visit to the rooms under the former convent of San Domenico: a frescoed church, a Roman cistern and the cell used by the Holy Office, whose graffiti are still being res…
A sports club — you join them for the day
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With your handsThe Suatoni family mill at Amelia opens the Rajo grove, planted with a local cultivar the Romans already knew and now backed by a Slow Food community.
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With your handsA working winery at Bardano, on the hills facing Orvieto, in a farmstead that belonged to the Templars.
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With your handsThe same Bartolomei oils as at the Montecchio mill, tasted in the middle of Orvieto's old town between the Duomo and the Torre del Moro.
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With your handsA hands-on Umbrian cooking class held at the Decugnano dei Barbi estate outside Orvieto, capped at twelve people so everyone actually cooks.
See the day
With your handsA private, appointment-only tour of a hillside estate 25 minutes from Orvieto, where wine has been made since 1212.
See the day
Under the groundBeneath a house on Via della Pace in Orvieto lie more than 400 square metres of caves and tunnels on several levels, cut into the tufo across three thousand years: Etruscan grai…
See the dayDriving time from the middle of Rome, on the road network and without traffic. It tells you whether the day stands up; it is not a timetable.
Getting there
No parking to find, no wrong turns, and you leave when the day is done.
Affiliate link — you pay their price, never more, and they pay us. You book with Welcome Pickups, and anything about that booking goes through them.
See prices on Welcome PickupsUnder an hour and you can leave after breakfast and still be back for dinner without hurrying. Between one and two hours works if you commit to a single place instead of two. Past two hours it stops being a day trip and starts being a night away — which is fine, but plan it as one.
South and east, because both climb. The Castelli Romani sit several hundred metres above Rome and the Simbruini valley higher still, and the difference is real by mid-afternoon. The coast is the other answer, and the sea south of Rome is better than the sea at Ostia.
Seven directions, and the grids above are what you can book in each: the Castelli Romani and their crater lakes to the south, the tufo towns and hot springs of the Tuscia to the north, Lake Bracciano and the Etruscan coast to the north-west, Tivoli and the Aniene valley to the east, the papal towns of the Ciociaria to the south-east, the sea to the west and south, and Umbria and Tuscany beyond.
Tivoli or the Castelli Romani, because both are close, both have trains, and both give you a completely different kind of day from the city in under an hour. After that the Etruscan coast at Cerveteri and Tarquinia, which is the thing Rome itself cannot show you.
One is enough to be somewhere genuinely different. Two lets you take one short day and one long one, which is the combination most people are happiest with on a four or five night trip. Three and you should be thinking about a night away rather than three returns to the same hotel.
Not for all of it — Tivoli, Ostia, Frascati, Bracciano and Orvieto are reachable without one, and where an operator says they can meet you, their card says so. For the rest, a hire car or a driver is what turns a day out into a day rather than a sequence of waits. That is the honest answer, and it is also the one we earn on, which is why we would rather say it plainly than bury it.
North, for the hot springs, which are better in cold weather than in warm. East, for snow in the Simbruini and above Rieti. And any of the hill towns on a clear January day, when the air is at its most transparent and nobody else is there.
One day out of four, yes, and most people who do it say it was the day they remember. Rome rewards two full days and starts to blur on the third; an hour outside it there is a volcano with lakes in it, a coast with Etruscan tombs behind it, and hot water coming out of the ground.
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