Spanish Steps: 135 steps from the fountain to the view
The Spanish Steps join a square and a church that stand 29 metres apart in height. They do it in curves, terraces and landings, like a piece of stage scenery.
- What it is
- Monument
- Time to allow
- 30 to 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Best time
- Early morning, or at sunset from the top
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Why the Spanish Steps is worth it
They are Spanish only by address. The square at the bottom is named for the Spanish embassy to the Holy See, which is still there. The church at the top, Trinità dei Monti, was French, and it was a French diplomat's bequest that paid for a stair to join the two. After decades of argument a competition was held in 1717, Francesco de Sanctis won it, and the steps were built in the 1720s.
The design is what people come for without knowing it. The stair narrows, widens, divides in two and joins again, so that you are always arriving somewhere. From the top terrace you look straight down Via dei Condotti, across the domes of the centre, towards St Peter's.
The English Romantics made the place theirs. John Keats died in 1821 in the house on the right of the steps, which is now a small museum to him and Shelley. Audrey Hepburn ate an ice cream here in Roman Holiday in 1953, which you may no longer do.
What to see
The Barcaccia
The fountain at the foot, a sinking boat in marble made between 1627 and 1629 and usually credited to Pietro Bernini, father of Gian Lorenzo. The water is from the same aqueduct as the Trevi Fountain.
Trinità dei Monti
The twin-towered church at the top, with an obelisk in front of it. The terrace before it is the viewpoint.
The Keats-Shelley House
The pink house at the bottom right. Keats's room, on the corner overlooking the steps, has been kept as it was.
Via dei Condotti
The street that runs straight away from the foot of the steps is Rome's smartest row of shops, and home to the Antico Caffè Greco, open since 1760.
How to do it well
- Sitting on the steps is forbidden, and so is eating or drinking on them. The fines are real and the police are always there.
- In spring, until early May, the steps are covered with pots of azaleas. It is the best time for a photograph.
- Go early for the stair without people, or at sunset for the view from the top.
- There is a lift inside the Spagna metro station that comes out near the top, if 135 steps are too many.
- From the top, the Pincio terrace and the Villa Borghese are ten minutes' walk along the ridge to the left.
Where it is
Address
Piazza di Spagna, at the end of Via dei Condotti
Nearest station
Spagna, on line A
Museums and sights nearby
- Trevi Fountain550 m
- Pantheon1.0 km
- Galleria Borghese1.2 km
- Castel Sant'Angelo1.4 km
Distances are in a straight line.
Tickets and tours: Spanish Steps
Spanish Steps: common questions
- Can you sit on the Spanish Steps?
- No. Sitting on the steps is forbidden under the city's rules, and so is eating or drinking on them. Visitors who do are fined.
- Why are they called the Spanish Steps?
- After the square at the bottom, Piazza di Spagna, which takes its name from the Spanish embassy to the Holy See. In Italian the stair is named for the church at the top: the Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti.
- How many steps are there on the Spanish Steps?
- There are 135, climbing a slope of 29 metres from Piazza di Spagna to Trinità dei Monti.
- How much time do you need for the Spanish Steps?
- Allow 30 to 45 minutes. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.
What visitors say about the Spanish Steps
Rating from Google
Things to do near the Spanish Steps
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 5Throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain550 m awayMonument, 20 to 40 minutes, free from the square, ticket for the basin
- 14Watch the sunset from the Pincio900 m awayGarden, 1.5 to 3 hours, free
- 4Stand under the dome of the Pantheon1.0 km awayMonument, 30 to 45 minutes, ticket
- 20Find Caravaggio's paintings in three churches1.0 km awayChurch, 1 to 2 hours, free
Hotels near the Spanish Steps
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Rome. Distances are in a straight line.
- Hotel Hassler4.8Five-star hotel, Spanish Steps100 m away
- Hotel de la Ville4.8Five-star hotel, Spanish Steps150 m away
- Portrait Roma4.8Five-star hotel, Via dei Condotti200 m away
- Hotel d'Inghilterra4.5Five-star hotel, Via dei Condotti250 m away