Lazio: Rome and what surrounds it.

Which part of Lazio should you choose?

Lazio is Rome and everything around it. Most travellers never leave the city, and with good reason: Rome is enough for a week. But less than an hour away by train there are Renaissance villas, an entire Roman town and Etruscan tombs, and further north, tuff villages above gullies.

Rome needs at least three days: one for the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine; another for the Vatican; another for the Baroque centre, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Trastevere. With five, you add the Borghese Gallery, the Appian Way and a neighbourhood at a leisurely pace. It's a city for walking, and the biggest task of the trip is booking the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums and the Borghese in time.

From Rome, as day trips, there are three plans worth doing. Ostia Antica, the port of ancient Rome, is an entire Roman town with streets, baths, a theatre and houses, less visited than Pompeii and about forty minutes away by train. Tivoli, to the east, brings together two World Heritage Sites: Villa d'Este, with its 16th-century fountain gardens, and Hadrian's Villa, the emperor's residence. And to the north, the Etruscan necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia hold painted tombs cut into the rock.

More day trips from Rome: the Castelli Romani, Lake Bracciano, the Garden of Ninfa and Sermoneta and Subiaco.

And four more outings: the coast of Sperlonga and Gaeta, with Tiberius's villa and the Montagna Spaccata; Lake Bolsena and Tuscania, with a boat to Bisentina Island; the Farnese palace and the Park of the Monsters at Caprarola and Bomarzo, and the village on the rock at Calcata and the Treja valley.

Further north, in the province of Viterbo, the landscape changes to volcanic hills, lakes such as Bolsena and tuff villages. The most famous is Civita di Bagnoregio, the village on a crag entered by a footbridge; it combines well with Orvieto, already in Umbria, on the same day. In the same province, Viterbo has the Palace of the Popes, the Villa Lante garden in Bagnaia, the Park of the Monsters at Bomarzo and thermal water pools open all year round.

How do you get there from Spain?

By plane, to Rome Fiumicino, with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Alicante, Palma and the Canary Islands, among others. The Leonardo Express runs non-stop from the airport to Termini station in a little over half an hour. Ciampino is closer to the city, but has no direct train: you get there by bus.

By boat, Grimaldi Lines links Barcelona with Civitavecchia, the port of Rome, on a crossing of around twenty hours. From the port to Civitavecchia station there is a shuttle bus, and from there trains to Rome: regional trains take about an hour and a quarter to Termini. It's a good option if you're travelling with your own car or motorhome.

How do you get around Lazio?

In Rome, on foot, with the metro for long journeys (Vatican and Colosseum) and the bus or tram for Trastevere. Don't drive in: the centre is a limited traffic zone and parking is almost impossible.

For the day trips, take the train. The Rome–Lido train goes to Ostia Antica from Porta San Paolo, next to the Piramide metro stop. Regional trains leave Roma Tiburtina for Tivoli, and from the station you walk up to Villa d'Este; Hadrian's Villa lies on the plain, a few kilometres away, and is reached by local bus. For the north, take a car: Civita, Bolsena and Tarquinia have few buses.

When should you go and what does it cost?

From March to May and from September to November. Spring is the best time for the Tivoli gardens; autumn gives mild days and golden light. In July and August Rome often goes above 30 degrees, and in August many Romans leave and their restaurants close. Winter is mild, with rain, and is a good time for museums without queues.

Rome has big-capital prices, but you can eat well and cheaply in neighbourhood trattorias and at pizza-by-the-slice places. Sleeping in the historic centre is expensive; Trastevere, Monti or the Prati district, next to the Vatican, offer a little more leeway. Rome charges a tourist tax per person per night, paid at your accommodation.