Welcome to Rome, the Eternal City, a place that needs no introduction.
There are a few types of free tours in Rome, Italy, one of ancient Rome, another of Rome's centre, the Vatican museums, and St. Peter's Basilica, one that covers the Trastevere neighborhood, as well as free food tours.
You can also find evening ghost tours that operate on a name your own price basis.
We let you know about your options, provide schedules, and explain what you will see on each tour.
We are a group of local walking tour guides who lead daily walking tours throughout Rome.
We have also written several self-guided walks as well as audio tours of the city.
And, in the video below, Matteo from Rome Free Tours, one of our local guides, takes you on a virtual walk of Piazza Navona.
Two of our favorite tour companies in Rome are WhatAbout Tours and New Rome Free Tours.
New Rome Free Tour
New Rome Free Tour is one of the longest-running free walking tour companies in the city, offering daily tip-based experiences that showcase Rome’s most iconic landmarks and hidden corners.
Their guides lead visitors through highlights such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona, often weaving in history, art, and local stories.
With a wide range of routes, including Ancient Rome, Vatican, and evening city center walks, the tours are designed to give travelers a solid introduction to the Eternal City while leaving room for discovery.
What About Tours
What About Tours brings a creative and alternative twist to Rome’s free walking tour scene, focusing on storytelling, legends, and unusual perspectives of the city.
Their guides mix history with humor, mystery, and art, leading tours that explore themes like ghost stories, the life and scandals of Caravaggio, and the darker side of ancient Rome.
Many of their walks are offered at night, giving a different atmosphere to exploring the Eternal City.
With a tip-based format and a focus on unique narratives, these tours are well-suited for travelers who enjoy entertainment blended with cultural insight.
More Tour Options? More tours are available in the individual tour sections below.
This model of free tours is that they are technically free to take and there is no obligation to pay anything at the end.
However, they are popularly understood as pay-what-you-like tours. How much you pay is dependent on you.
You can pay what you think your walk was worth or what you could afford at the tour’s end.
According to online reviews, most participants contribute between €10 to €20 per adult to the tour guide when they feel the tour was good.
Just about all of the companies have local guides who grew up in Rome or nearby.
We also offer tours throughout Italy including:
ANCIENT ROME FREE WALKING TOURS
These free walking tours cover notable historic sites which, in some cases, date back more than two millennia.
If you’re interested in learning why Rome is called the Eternal City, these tours will give you plenty of information about how this city became home to one of the most remarkable empires in the history of the world.
Learn about the emperors who ruled over the Roman Empire and the gladiators who entertained the masses.
Here are a few of the ancient sites you can expect to see on these tours:
- Roman Forum
- Palatine Hill
- Colosseum
- Capitoline Hill
- Circus Maximus
- And more!
You will also see not-so-ancient sights such as Piazza Venezia and the Campidoglio.
This walk is an abridged version of our Ancient Rome audio tour. Listen to a sample of the tour.
There is no schedule (take our tours anytime you wish). We also have an audio tour of Central Rome.
- Purchase this audio tour above.
- You’ll receive a confirmation email with a .pdf, Google Map link, and audio tour.
- Enjoy the tour(s).
For more information, check out our self-guided tour of the Roman Fori.
New Rome Free Tour offers dedicated Ancient Rome walks that highlight the city’s most famous archaeological treasures. T
heir guides take visitors around the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Imperial Fora, explaining the history of emperors, gladiators, and daily life in the Roman Empire.
While the tours do not go inside ticketed sites, they provide rich context and storytelling from outside the monuments, making it easier for travelers to understand the layers of history before exploring further on their own.
What About Tours approaches Ancient Rome with a more theatrical, story-driven style.
Their “Colosseum & Ancient Rome by Night” tour, for example, lets visitors experience the ruins under atmospheric evening lights, blending history with dramatic tales of gladiators, emperors, and Roman legends.
Rather than focusing only on the factual side, they often include myths, curiosities, and sometimes darker anecdotes, offering a more entertaining and unconventional way to explore Rome’s ancient past.
The free tours will not include admission to any of the attractions listed above and cover them from viewing platforms.
You can purchase tickets for them either before or after your free tour.
However, the free tours cover areas not usually covered on the paid tours, including the Imperial Roman fora.
The paid tours, on the other hand, all include tickets to the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill.
Reservations are required for all tours.
Paid Ancient Rome Tours
If you’re looking for a tour that offers small group sizes, there are several paid tours you can take that you might want to consider.
In contrast to the free tours, all of these tours include admission to the Colosseum, the Forum, and Palatine Hill.
Ticket prices range from €20-€80 and last for 2-4 hours on average.
Check this list of paid ancient Rome tours to find an outing that fits your itinerary. (affiliate link with partners we trust)
FREE CENTRAL ROME TOURS
These free walking tours focus on the centre of Rome, such as the baroque squares and fountains and Renaissance architecture, rather than ancient Rome.
While some of the sites you’ll see are very old, this type of tour is about both helping first-time visitors become more familiar with the city and covering some of the history of Rome.
Join licensed Rome tour guide, Sara from Rome Tour Guide on a walk on and around the Spanish Steps.
If you’re looking for an introductory tour that provides a look at a wide variety of attractions and historical landmarks, central Rome tours are an excellent option.
Here are a few of the sites you can expect to see on these outings:
- Piazza Navona
- Bernini's 'Fountain of the Four Rivers
- The Pantheon
- Trevi Fountain
- Spanish Steps
- Venice Square
- Campo de' Fiori
- And more!
A few tours even cover Villa Borghese from the outside.
GPS-Led Audio Tour
Before we list the live guide tours, if you are looking to explore on your own in this age of social distancing, then we recommend taking a look at the following resource.
We offer a GPS-led audio tour of Rome’s City Centre researched, written, and recorded by one of our very own tour guides.
Our tour begins at the Spanish Steps and visits some of Rome’s top sights, including most of the locations listed above in the intro.
Here's a sample.
There is no schedule (take our tours anytime you wish). We also have an audio tour of the Roman Forum.
- Purchase this audio tour
- You’ll receive a confirmation email with a .pdf, Google Map link, and audio tour.
- Enjoy the tour(s).
Both New Rome Free Tour and What About Tours offer free walking tours through Rome’s historic city center, but with their own distinct styles.
New Rome Free Tour focuses on the classic highlights, guiding visitors to landmarks such as the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona, while also revealing small hidden gems tucked into the winding streets.
What About Tours, meanwhile, brings a more playful and narrative-driven approach to the same heart of the city, weaving in legends, curiosities, and humorous anecdotes alongside the main sights.
In both cases, travelers get to experience the vibrant piazzas, fountains, and atmosphere of central Rome without a set price tag, leaving tips according to what they feel the tour was worth.
To learn more about these locations and get help finding your way around the Eternal City, consider one of the free walking tours listed below.
TRASTEVERE + THE OLD JEWISH GHETTO
Discover a side of Rome that you might not otherwise visit on a tour of neighbourhoods you usually won’t visit on other tours.
Trastevere is the area across the River Tiber.
In addition to visiting this location, you’ll also make a stop on Tiberine Island to see the area once known as the Old Jewish Ghetto.
You can expect to visit the following locations while taking one of these free walking tours:
- Trastevere
- Vicolo dell’Atleta
- Isola Tiberina
- Portico d’Ottavia
- Jewish Ghetto
- And more!
If you want to learn more and see these neighbourhoods for yourself, consider taking one of the tours listed below.
We also have our self-guided walk of the Old Jewish Ghetto.
New Rome Free Tour offers a walking tour through the Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere that blends history, culture, and everyday life. Guides explain the long and complex story of the Roman Jewish community, from ancient times through the ghetto period, while showing landmarks like the Great Synagogue, Portico d’Ottavia, and the Turtle Fountain.
The walk then continues across the Tiber into Trastevere, a lively neighborhood of cobbled streets, churches, and trattorias, where participants learn about local traditions and the contrast between sacred history and the district’s bohemian atmosphere.
What About Tours also explores the Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere, but with a more narrative-driven and atmospheric approach.
Their guides often focus on legends, curiosities, and personal stories tied to these neighborhoods, highlighting not only the historical significance of the Jewish community but also the quirky, hidden corners of Trastevere.
They bring out the human side of the area—its folklore, traditions, and local characters—while still guiding visitors through the same landmarks and piazzas that define these districts.
Paid Tours of Trastevere & Jewish Ghetto
There are a variety of paid services that cover the Trastevere and Jewish neighbourhoods.
Whether you want to learn more about the area on foot, by bike, or by segway, there are several different tours to choose from.
In addition to these options, there are also some food tours in each location you might want to consider.
Ticket prices tend to range from €60-€100 or more, and many of these tours are also limited to smaller groups or are entirely private, allowing you to decide who joins you on the outing.
Check this list of paid Trastevere and Jewish Ghetto tours to learn more and find a service that fits your itinerary. (affiliate link with partners we trust)
Rick Steves’ Audio Tours
If you want to discover these neighbourhoods at your own pace, Rick Steves offers two audio tours, one of Trastevere and one of the Old Jewish Ghetto.
You can use your smartphone to either download the Rick Steves app and listen to the audio tour with their service or you can download the audio file and listen to it that way.
There is also a map you can download with each tour which will help you to find your way around the city.
FREE VATICAN TOURS
Although the Vatican Museums do require a ticket for admission, there are some audio tours you can use for free after entering the building.
There is also at least one audio tour that covers St. Peter’s Basilica as well (which is free to enter).
You can expect to visit the following locations while taking one of these free walking tours:
- Castel Sant'Angelo
- Ponte Sant'Angelo
- St. Peter's Basilica
- St. Peter's Square
- Via della Conciliazione
- Vatican Museums
- Passetto di Borgo
- And more!
We do not offer our own free walking tours anywhere in Vatican City, but there are usually a few options to choose from here. (affiliate link with partners we trust)
There are also several audio tours to choose from.
New Rome Free Tour runs tip-based walking tours around the Vatican area, covering St. Peter’s Square, Castel Sant’Angelo, and the grand avenues leading into the tiny city-state. These tours focus on history, architecture, and the role of the papacy, and while they don’t include entrance to the Vatican Museums or St. Peter’s Basilica, they provide rich background stories to help visitors understand the significance of what they’re seeing.
Paid Vatican Tours
There are several paid tours for visitors who are looking for a guided tour or a different kind of experience at the Vatican.
Some of these outings offer reserved entrance, others cover both the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, and there are even early morning priority access tours you may want to consider.
Ticket prices range from €20 - €60 on average.
Some tours are either private or limited in size, so if you want to be part of a small tour group, these tours may be right for you.
Look at this list of paid Vatican tours to find the right service for your needs. (affiliate link with partners we trust)
Rick Steves’ Audio Tours
If you’re planning to visit either the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, or St. Peter’s Basilica, this company offers an audio tour of each location which is available either to download or via their app.
In addition to Rick’s audio tours, some maps will help you find all the best pieces of art and historical sites within each building.
FREE ROME FOOD TOURS
Currently, there is only one company offering free food tours in Rome, and they focus on three neighbourhoods in the city: the Jewish Ghetto, Trastevere, and Monti.
Each of these outings includes at least 3-4 stops at great restaurants and food shops where you’ll find some of the best dishes in the city.
The foods you will try on these tours vary quite a bit depending on which neighbourhood they cover, but most outings will cover some of the following options:
- Pizza
- Gelato
- Pastries
- Prosciutto
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- And more!
Although you don’t have to pay for the tour, you will have to pay for any food you might purchase along the way, and you should expect to spend around €10-€15 on average.
The nice thing is that even if you tip them another €10-€15 for the tour, you’ll still spend significantly less on this than you typically would on a paid Rome food tour.
New Rome Free Tour offers a food tour designed to introduce travelers to Roman cuisine while exploring the city’s local neighborhoods.
Instead of just focusing on monuments, this tour takes participants to traditional shops, bakeries, and markets where they can sample authentic staples such as pizza al taglio, supplì (fried rice balls), salumi, cheeses, and of course gelato.
Along the way, guides explain the cultural importance of food in Roman daily life, share stories behind classic recipes, and point out how culinary traditions have evolved over centuries.
The experience is still run on a tip-based model, making it an accessible way to taste Rome’s flavors while combining sightseeing with gastronomy.
Paid Rome Food Tours
If you’re looking for a different kind of food tour or one that covers another area of the city, there are several paid options to choose from.
While some outings cover specific types of dishes such as street food, others provide a look at the best places to grab a bite in the city centre, Testaccio, and many other locations in Rome.
Ticket prices range from €40-€100 and some services offer small or private tour groups so that you’ll get the full attention of your guide.
Take a look at this list of paid Rome food tours to find one you like. (affiliate link with partners we trust)
If you’re looking for another option, consider our self-guided Rome food tour.
ROME NIGHT AND GHOST TOURS
Rome is wonderful at all hours but Rome at dusk and by night is magical.
There are a few free night tours available most evenings as well as several ticketed tours, including tours of the Colosseum and the Vatican.
Ghost and Mystery Tours
There are usually a couple of pay-what-you-wish ghost or mystery/dark Rome tours available multiple times a week, if not daily.
What About Tours offers a ghost tour that dives into the darker, more mysterious side of Rome, guiding visitors through winding alleys, dimly lit piazzas, and ancient landmarks tied to legends, hauntings, and unsolved mysteries.
Instead of focusing solely on traditional history, the tour blends chilling stories of restless spirits, cursed sites, and eerie tales with historical context, creating an atmospheric experience that’s both entertaining and spine-tingling. Held mostly at night, this walk transforms familiar monuments into dramatic backdrops for ghostly narratives, making it a fun choice for travelers who enjoy history with a supernatural twist.
They also runs an art-focused walk centered on the dramatic life and works of Caravaggio, one of Rome’s most celebrated yet controversial painters. This tour traces the artist’s footsteps through the city, visiting churches and streets where his masterpieces still hang and where episodes of his tumultuous life unfolded.
Guides blend art history with gripping stories of Caravaggio’s scandals, duels, and brushes with the law, painting a vivid picture of a genius whose turbulent character matched the intensity of his canvases. The result is an engaging journey that combines the beauty of Rome’s art with the intrigue of its most infamous Baroque artist.
Click here for even more options. (affiliate link with partners we trust)