5 Must-See Churches To Visit On A Vacation In Rome, According To Reviews

Rome is the perfect place to kick off a vacation in Italy, and after you visit the famous Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum, you're probably going to want to continue your sightseeing tour by visiting some of the most impressive churches in the world. Whether you're religious or not, Rome has hundreds of iconic churches that are definitely worth a visit for history buffs, art lovers, and architecture fans of all kinds. According to recent visitors who left reviews about their experience in Rome on sites like Tripadvisor, Google Reviews, and Yelp, while you're visiting Rome, you won't want to miss a trip to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria del Popolo, The Pantheon, Santa Maria Maggiore, and St. Peter's Basilica.

To ensure you make it into these must-see destinations, many reviewers note that you should consider what you're going to wear while you're packing for your vacation. These fascinating spots are also sites of religious worship, and in many of them, dress codes are enforced. On days when you're going to visit churches in Rome, you should avoid wearing sleeveless shirts, crop tops, shorts, and short skirts.

While you're visiting the churches of Rome, you can't miss its official cathedral. In a city of ancient places, the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (also known as Basilica of St. John Lateran) is the oldest basilica, not only in Rome, but in the entire world. This site dates back A.D. 324, when the first Christian emperor of Rome, Constantine I, ordered it built. It has changed significantly since then, with architects and artists rebuilding and embellishing the structure many times throughout history, allowing you to walk through the history of Rome in a single building.

"I do not have the words of a poet to describe how overwhelmingly opulent, ornate, and beautiful is this Basilica," one the many visitors on Google Reviews enthused. "I can't begin to imagine the skill and craft of countless painters, sculptors, stonemasons, carpenters, and so many more who contributed to this masterpiece." As historically significant and beautiful as this church is, multiple visitors on Google Reviews in 2024 reported that it isn't as crowded as many of the other popular basilicas in Rome, with one noting that the surrounding area was especially quiet after dark. Visiting this basilica is free, though if you want to visit some parts, including the museum and Sancta Sanctorum, you'll have to buy a ticket for about $15 per person.

The exterior of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo does not look particularly impressive compared to the towering domes and spires of many of the other churches of Rome, but inside you'll find an incredible art collection with works by some of the great masters. As one reviewer on Tripadvisor stated: "This is a very small church, but every single one of its corners has magnificent art ... It's a must do."

Two paintings by Caravaggio, including the "Conversion of Saint Paul" depicting Paul having just been thrown from his powerful horse, can be found in the Cerasi Chapel. The nearby Chigi Chapel was designed by Raphael and completed by famed sculptor and architect Bernini. The chapels are relatively small, and while that gives you an intimate view of the works inside, it does mean that some parts of the church can feel crowded if you arrive at a time when there are many other travelers trying to see the art at the same time. While it's free to enter this church, they have an unusual way of making money — if you want to turn on the lights over the Caravaggios, you'll have to put a coin into a nearby donation box. Note that Santa Maria del Popolo is temporarily closed for renovations until November 2024, at the time of this writing.

"This supreme masterpiece of ancient architecture will simply take your breath away," one local guide on Google Reviews stated. If you're exploring Rome, make sure to take in the best architecture ancient Rome had to offer: the Pantheon. While you'll find plenty of Roman ruins in the city, the Pantheon looks almost new in comparison, despite being 2,000 years old. You can walk between its massive stone columns and step into history, getting a sense of what this great city was like long ago, when Emperor Hadrian had this enormous structure built. Inside, standing on its patterned marble floors and looking up at its tall domed ceiling with a circle light streaming in through its perfectly centered opening, you can imagine how ancient Romans once came here to worship their own pantheon of gods before it became a Christian church.

The best time to show up to tourist hot spots is usually first thing in the morning, and that is definitely true of the Pantheon. According to reviewers on Tripadvisor who visited the Pantheon in 2024, this ancient place can be packed in the afternoons, but you can still have a more private experience in the mornings or evenings. Unless you come on the first Sunday of the month when it's free, you'll need to pay for a ticket if you want to go inside the Pantheon (which costs around $17 or $28 if you're interested in a guided tour.)

If you're interested in seeing the best churches in Rome, you can't miss a trip to Vatican City to see St. Peter's Basilica. The only religious leader permitted to say mass here is the Pope himself. Not only is it among the biggest churches on the planet, able to fit tens of thousands of people and so large you could put Cinderella's Castle from Disney World inside, it also houses some of the most famous religious art in the world.

The most famous piece is certainly the Pietà, a famous Michelangelo statue of the grieving Mary holding the body of her son Jesus. Although this spot is always intensely crowded and the Pietà is behind bullet proof glass, it's still possible to get a good look if you have time to wait. St. Peter's Basilica is free to visit, though you will likely have to wait in line for around two hours to get inside. However, as stated by a reviewer on Tripadvisor, you shouldn't let that deter you. "Ok. You're going to have to stand in line, there is not a skip the line option and even private tours require you to stand in the big line, BUT it is totally worth it ... There is floor to ceiling artwork, relics from the church including pieces of the cross, and every 5-10 steps is a completely new scene to take in."

Santa Maria Maggiore dates back to the 400s, but it brings to mind even earlier Roman throne rooms and holy buildings, with rows of columns, windows letting in tons of natural light, and mosaics on every wall depicting stories from the Bible. The entire structure seems to glow with light from above, lighting up the ceiling in a luminous gold. While this is one of the major basilicas in Rome, according to reviews on Tripadvisor, you can visit this church for free without having to battle the crowds at some of the other churches around the city. While you're there, you can visit the tomb of sculptor and architect Bernini, whose work can be seen in many of the greatest churches in Rome.

While late spring might be the best time to vacation in Italy, if you visit around the Christmas holiday, you'll see this church (and many others around Rome) come alive with visitors looking for nativity scenes. The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is a particular favorite of Christmastime visitors, because the church has several planks of wood on display which are said to be relics from the actual original manger. As stated by one reviewer on Yelp, the appeal of this magnificent church goes beyond its religious significance. "Even if you are not Christian or practice any religion, the art and beauty and history of this classical Roman style basilica is magnificent. Absolutely breathtaking and a must visit when in Rome."

There are more than 900 churches in Rome, so unless your trip to Rome is exceptionally long, you're going to have to choose which ones you most want to see. To help you decide, we created a long list of the most iconic, popular, beautiful, and historically significant churches in the city by reviewing the analysis of experts about the art inside and details from historians about the significance of the churches. We made sure to consider the most famous locations along with ones where you can see works of art by great masters so that you can get the most out of your sightseeing tour.

Finally, we scoured tens of thousands of reviews from travel blogs and sites like Google Reviews, Yelp, and Tripadvisor to see which ranked the highest among visitors and to provide insight into the experience of visiting the famous sites. We made sure to note the cost of admittance, how easy to access they are, and how crowded these famous places were at peak times.