Around Piazza di Spagna: what to see within a 10-minute walk

Piazza di Spagna is one of the best starting points in Rome for visiting on foot: within ten minutes' walk you reach a villa of the French Academy, a terrace over the city, Piazza del Popolo and the Trevi Fountain. This guide does not repeat the guide to the Tridente: it gives you, site by site, the distance from the steps, what you will see at a glance and in what order to link them so as not to retrace your steps. Walking times are estimates on flat ground or gentle slopes.

The 10-minute radius in short

The district is compact but hilly: Piazza di Spagna is at the bottom, Trinità dei Monti and the Pincio hill are at the top, and every trip to the north climbs. To the south and east the ground is flat as far as the Trevi Fountain. Wear comfortable shoes: the streets are paved with sampietrini, the small basalt cobbles.

The Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna

Within 5 minutes

The steps and the Barcaccia. At the starting point, the 135-step staircase and Pietro Bernini's fountain are described on the page on Piazza di Spagna. Sitting on the steps is forbidden.
Trinità dei Monti. A climb of a few minutes leads to the church and its forecourt, from which the view plunges down Via Condotti.
The Keats-Shelley House. At number 26 on the square, it can be visited in under an hour: see the page on the Keats-Shelley House.
Via Condotti. It runs straight from the steps: see the page on Via Condotti and Via del Corso.
The Column of the Immaculate Conception. On Piazza Mignanelli, next to the square, it stands in front of the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide.

Between 5 and 10 minutes

The Villa Medici

The gardens of the Villa Medici

At the top of the steps, to the right of the church, the Villa Medici is the seat of the French Academy in Rome. It is visited in groups: check the official website for time slots before going.

Via Margutta

Five minutes to the north-west, Via Margutta is the street of artists' studios. You can walk it in a quarter of an hour; the courtyards are private, so you look from the street. The names of Federico Fellini and of the film "Roman Holiday" are associated with it (see the guide to the Tridente).

The Trevi Fountain

To the east by Via delle Muratte, the Trevi Fountain is ten minutes on foot. Go early in the morning to avoid the crowd. On the way, the church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte keeps the originals of Bernini's angels intended for the Ponte Sant'Angelo, replaced there by copies: see the page on the Ponte Sant'Angelo.

The Pincio Terrace

Along Viale della Trinità dei Monti, a ten-minute path leads to the Pincio Terrace, the viewpoint above Piazza del Popolo. It is the most pleasant stop at the end of the day.

Piazza del Popolo and Santa Maria del Popolo

Piazza del Popolo is reached in ten minutes along Via del Babuino, straight north. The church of Santa Maria del Popolo holds two paintings by Caravaggio; its opening hours are limited, so check them before setting out.

A little further: up to 15 minutes

The Ara Pacis and the Mausoleum of Augustus. On the Tiber, ten to fifteen minutes by Via dei Condotti or Via Tomacelli: see the Ara Pacis and the Mausoleum of Augustus.
The Villa Borghese. Via the Pincio, the Villa Borghese opens on foot.
Palazzo Barberini. 12 to 15 minutes' walk uphill towards Via Veneto: see Palazzo Barberini.

Three ways to link them

Duration	Route
2 hours	Steps, Trinità dei Monti, Villa Medici, Pincio
Half a day	Steps, Via Margutta, Piazza del Popolo, Santa Maria del Popolo, Pincio at sunset
A day	Morning in the Tridente, Trevi at the end of lunch, Ara Pacis in the afternoon

Getting your bearings, eating, getting around

Spagna metro station (line A) is at the foot of the steps; Flaminio serves Piazza del Popolo. To have lunch without paying for the view, read our guide: where to eat near Piazza di Spagna. Ticket details are in our guide to transport in Rome, and the rules of the centre (steps, fountains) in our guide to the rules of central Rome.