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Number 9 of 20 in Rome

Trastevere: the Rome across the river

Trastevere means beyond the Tiber. For most of its history it was the quarter of sailors, craftsmen and outsiders, and it still feels like a town of its own.

Ochre and pink houses with café tables on the square of Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Daderot, CC0
What it is
Walk
Time to allow
2 to 3 hours
Cost
Free
Best time
Late afternoon into the evening

Rome this week

    Why Trastevere is worth it

    Rome's grand buildings are all on the other bank. What Trastevere kept is the texture: lanes too narrow for a car, plaster in every shade of orange, shrines on street corners, a square where the whole district meets in the evening. It is the part of the city that looks most like the Rome people imagine.

    At its centre is Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of the oldest churches in the city dedicated to the Virgin, rebuilt in the twelfth century under Pope Innocent II. Its apse is covered in gold mosaic, and below it runs a band of scenes from the life of Mary made by Pietro Cavallini at the end of the thirteenth century.

    And it is where Rome eats. The district is thick with trattorie, bakeries and bars, and after dark the streets round the basilica are the liveliest in the city.

    What to see

    1. Santa Maria in Trastevere

      The basilica and its square. Go in for the mosaics, and look at the columns of the nave: every one is different, taken from ancient Roman buildings.

    2. The lanes

      Between the square and the river: Vicolo del Cinque, Via della Scala, Via del Moro. Take any turning that looks too small.

    3. The Villa Farnesina

      A Renaissance villa at the northern edge of the district, with frescoes by Raphael and his workshop, the Triumph of Galatea among them.

    4. The Janiculum

      The hill behind Trastevere. A twenty-minute climb brings you to a terrace with the widest view over Rome's domes. A cannon is fired from it every day at noon.

    How to do it well

    • Come twice if you can: in the morning it is a quiet village, at night a party.
    • Cross by the Ponte Sisto, the footbridge from Campo de' Fiori, for the best way in.
    • Eat a street or two away from the main square. The places with someone outside calling you in are the ones to pass.
    • The streets are cobbled and uneven. Wear flat shoes.
    • The quieter half of the district is on the other side of Viale di Trastevere, round the church of Santa Cecilia.

    Where it is

    Address

    The west bank of the Tiber, south of the Vatican

    Nearest station

    No metro. Tram 8 from Piazza Venezia and Largo di Torre Argentina crosses the river to it

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line.

    Tickets and tours: Trastevere

    Trastevere: common questions

    Is Trastevere worth visiting?
    Yes. It is the best-kept medieval quarter in Rome, with one of the city's great churches, Santa Maria in Trastevere, and its liveliest streets for eating and drinking in the evening.
    What does Trastevere mean?
    Beyond the Tiber, from the Latin trans Tiberim. It is the district on the west bank of the river, across from the historic centre.
    How do you get to Trastevere?
    On foot over the Ponte Sisto from Campo de' Fiori, or over the Tiber Island from the Ghetto. Tram 8 runs to it from Piazza Venezia. There is no metro station.
    How much time do you need for Trastevere?
    Allow 2 to 3 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

    What visitors say about Trastevere

    Rating from Google

    4.8

    23,423 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 6 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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