Best photo spots in Rome – 11 Instagrammable places in Rome

Known as the Eternal City, it’s hard to imagine a more photogenic place than Rome, Italy. With countless historical sights, ancient roman monuments, beautiful architecture and colorful streets, the city is heaven for a photography lover. Planning a trip to Rome and want photo ideas? Here is a list of 11 photo spots in Rome.

Map of the best photo spots in Rome

Want to know where to take those great Instagram photos in Rome? This Google maps points out all Rome photography spots.

➳ Is it your first time visiting Rome? Don’t miss my Complete 4-day guide to Rome!

Rome photography tips

Before I get into all the Instagrammable spots in Rome, let’s start with two important Rome photography tips.

1. Find a hotel close to the city center – then all of the beautiful photography in Rome spots will be within walking distance. My recommendation is Trastevere, a picturesque neighborhood off the beaten path filled with traditional Italian restaurants.

2. Wake up early! Rome is one of the most popular European cities, therefore there are also a lot of tourists. To get those Instagrammable photos with no other people you should start your day early. Rome is at its best at 7 am.

11 best photo spots in Rome

By following this guide you will visit all the popular Rome Instagram spots.

1. The Colosseum

Colosseum, one of the New Seven Wonders of the world, deserves to be photographed from all angles. There are plenty of good options for photographing this masterpiece, and here are a few of my favorites.

From the north: Near the Colosseo metro stop is a famous wall and a little hill with an iconic view of Colosseum. From the Colosseo metro stop, turn left and then climb the steps that will be on your left side. The steps are on the opposite side of the street.

From the west: Near the entrance of Colosseum is another great photo spot. Here you can play around with the angle and capture a larger part of the Colosseum.

Location: The Colosseum

2. Vatican City

Vatican City is home to several magnificent monuments and views, and therefore offers plenty of photo options. Your first stop should be Piazza San Pietro, also known as St Peter’s square – and more specifically the large arches that stretch out from the entrance of St Peter’s Basilica.

Location: St Peter’s square

3. The dome of St Peter’s Basilica

While in the Vatican city, continue inside St Peter’s Basilica and head to the roof. Here you can take photos of the dome, and if you climb all the way to the top you get a magnificent view of the entire city. Going up to the dome costs 10 EUR for a return ticket with the elevator or 8 EUR by stairs.

Location: St Peter’s Basilica

4. Vatican Museum Spiral Staircase

Next photo location inside of the Vatican City is the Vatican Museum. Photography is forbidden in large parts of the museum, including the Sistine Chapel. Luckily, the most interesting photography spot is located at the entrance to the museum: the Vatican Museum Spiral Staircase. The staircase is beautiful to photograph from the top looking down.

The only problem is that it’s usually crowded with people, and they don’t really add to the photo. An option to get the staircase to yourself is to get there really early, but since there’s usually a huge line to the museum even in the early hours you still risk not being alone. I suggest you lower your expectations on this particular photo, and maybe get rid of the people with post processing.

Location: Vatican Museum

5. Campo de’ Fiori

The square Campo de’ Fiori is home to one of the most popular outdoor markets in Rome. The market is open daily and houses dozens of vendors. It is the perfect place to get those beautiful photos of fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, flowers, olives and wine.

Location: Campo de’ Fiori

6. Pantheon

Yet another iconic building in Rome which you’ll want to photograph is the iconic Pantheon building. The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, but now a Catholic church, that was built in 125 B.C. Here you have two amazing photo options:

The exterior: The grand entrance with its tall pillars is majestic and very photogenic. Walk past the statue in the middle of the square and use the statue as a foreground for your photo.

The interior: What’s even grander than the entrance is the concrete dome with a height of 58 meters. The dome has a central opening to the sky that gives a spectacular ray of light into the dome. When it’s raining you can see the raindrops fall peacefully like a grand shower.

Location: The Pantheon

7. Trevi Fountain

While in Rome you must take a photo of the Trevi fountain, one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions. The fountain attracts large crowds, which is a problem when taking pictures. Again, come here early – or embrace the crowds.

Location: Trevi fountain

8. Spanish steps

The Spanish steps are beautiful from all angles. Standing at Piazza di Spagna you can get that classic photo of the Spanish Steps looking up. At the top of the stairs you get an astonishing view of the city.

Location: Spanish steps

9. Villa Borghese

Above the Spanish steps you’ll find Villa Borghese, a big garden filled with photogenic lush green trees, colorful flower bushes and cute houses. You can easily spend half a day with your camera here.

Location: Villa Borghese

10. Aventine Hill keyhole

Rome is a city of many hills, and Aventine Hill is one of them. What brings photographers here is the secret keyhole. From the keyhole you can see the entire dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica from a perfect angle. However, be prepared for the huge line to the keyhole.

Location: Aventine Hill

11. Terrazza del Gianicolo

Speaking of hills… While in Rome you shouldn’t miss Terrazza del Gianicolo. This spot is is located in Trastevere, on top of the park Parco del Gianicolo. This is, according to me, the best viewpoint in Rome. Snap a few photos and enjoy the sunset before heading to one of the great restaurants in Trastevere.

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