# Spanish Steps, Rome > The Spanish Steps are 135 late-Baroque steps climbing from Piazza di Spagna to the church of Trinità dei Monti, built in 1723–1725. They're free and open at all hours, but since 2019 sitting on them has been banned and fined. Twenty to thirty minutes is plenty; early morning is the quietest time. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/spanish-steps - City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy - YesGo score: 62/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 20 min - Opening hours: Open 24 hours, free - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free, 24 hours - Steps: 135, with several landings - Not allowed: Sitting, eating or drinking on the steps — fined - Time needed: 20–30 minutes with the piazza and the view from the top - At the top: Trinità dei Monti church and the Sallustiano obelisk - Location: Piazza di Spagna; Metro A Spagna exits at the bottom - Coordinates: 41.90611, 12.48278 - Facts checked: 10.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1723–1725** — built to a design by Francesco de Sanctis (source: English Wikipedia) - **135** — steps from Piazza di Spagna to the church at the top (source: English Wikipedia) - **Gueffier** — a French diplomat left the money to build them (source: English Wikipedia) - **Spanish Embassy** — to the Holy See on the square gave the steps their name (source: English Wikipedia) - **1627–1629** — the Barcaccia fountain below, by Pietro and Gian Lorenzo Bernini (source: English Wikipedia) - **2019** — Rome banned sitting on the steps (source: Rome urban police regulations) ## Can you sit on the Spanish Steps? No. Since **2019**, Rome's urban police rules ban sitting, eating and drinking on the Spanish Steps. Officers stand at the bottom and blow whistles at anyone who sits down, and offenders can be fined — sources quote **€250 to €400**. Walking up and down and taking photos are fine. ## Spanish Steps history For centuries the slope between the square and the French church of **Trinità dei Monti** was a muddy bank of paths. A French diplomat, **Étienne Gueffier**, left money in his will for a proper staircase, but popes and the French crown argued about the design for decades. The steps were finally built in **1723–1725** by **Francesco de Sanctis**. The square at the bottom is **Piazza di Spagna**, named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, based here since the 17th century — hence the English name. In Italian it's officially the *Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti*. ## Design and what surrounds it De Sanctis made the staircase deliberately **theatrical**: flights split and rejoin, wide terraces alternate with narrow runs, so people above and below watch each other like an audience. It's a textbook piece of late Roman **Baroque**. In spring the landings are lined with pots of flowering azaleas. At the top stand the 16th-century church of **Trinità dei Monti**, with its twin bell towers, and the Egyptian-style **Sallustiano obelisk**. At the bottom is the **Barcaccia**, 'the little boat', a fountain by **Pietro Bernini** and his son **Gian Lorenzo**, said to recall a boat washed up here by a Tiber flood. ## What to see around the Spanish Steps - **Barcaccia fountain** — at the foot; its water is drinkable, like most Roman fountains. - **Keats-Shelley House** — to the right of the steps, where John Keats lived in 1821. - **Trinità dei Monti** — free to enter, with Daniele da Volterra's Deposition inside. - **The view from the top** — over Piazza di Spagna and Via Condotti to the dome of St Peter's. - **Via Condotti** — Rome's luxury shopping street, starting at the foot of the steps. - **Column of the Immaculate Conception** — at the southern end of the square by the embassy. ## How to get to the Spanish Steps 1. Metro line A to **Spagna** — the exit opens at the bottom of the steps. 2. From the [Trevi Fountain](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trevi-fountain), along Via dei Due Macelli: 10–12 minutes. 3. From [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo), down Via del Babuino: about 10 minutes. 4. To skip the climb, take the lift inside Spagna station up to Via di Trinità dei Monti. ## Best time to visit **Before 9am** the steps are nearly empty and the light is soft — ideal for photos. By midday hundreds of people fill them, and sunset is busier still, with views of the domes from the top. In **late April and early May** the azaleas go out, and in December a nativity scene appears on the square. ## Are the Spanish Steps worth it? Yes, as part of a walk: they're free, right by the metro and between the Trevi Fountain, Piazza del Popolo and the [Pincio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pincio) gardens. The steps alone take twenty minutes, but do climb to the top — the rooftop view from Trinità dei Monti is one of the best in the centre. Shoppers can carry straight on down Via Condotti. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Arrive before 9am for crowd-free photos - [ ] Remember: no sitting on the steps - [ ] Climb to Trinità dei Monti for the view - [ ] Refill your bottle at the Barcaccia - [ ] Walk on to the Pincio or Trevi ## Rome's squares and streets: compare and choose Squares and walking spots in Rome rated by YesGo. - [Trevi Fountain](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trevi-fountain) — YesGo score 79/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free; basin €2 - [Roman Forum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/roman-forum) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum - [Spanish Steps](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/spanish-steps) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free - [Capitoline Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-hill) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Piazza Navona](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-navona) — YesGo score 56/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Palatine Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palatine-hill) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum - [St Peter's Square](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-square) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Piazza Venezia](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-venezia) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free - [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Appian Way](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/appian-way) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free - [Villa Borghese](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/villa-borghese) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Campo de' Fiori](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/campo-de-fiori) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free - [Pincio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pincio) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Via del Corso](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/via-del-corso) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Aventine Keyhole](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/aventine-keyhole) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Imperial Fora](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/imperial-fora) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free from the street; museum ≈ €13–15 - [EUR District](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/eur) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free - [Testaccio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/testaccio) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free - [Ostia Antica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/ostia-antica) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €12–18 ## Spanish Steps to Piazza del Popolo The Spanish Steps early, then up past Villa Medici to the Pincio gardens, and down to Piazza del Popolo. 1. [Spanish Steps](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/spanish-steps) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free 2. [Villa Medici](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/villa-medici) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Paid, scheduled tours 3. [Pincio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pincio) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free 4. [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free ## Don't mix it up The Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna are the same spot — the steps rise from the square. The famous Roman Holiday scene with Audrey Hepburn eating gelato here would earn a fine today. ## Tips - Before 9am the steps are nearly empty. - No sitting — the police are strict. - The Barcaccia's water is safe to drink. - The lift in Spagna station takes you to the top. ## Questions ### Can you sit on the Spanish Steps? No — since 2019 sitting, eating and drinking on the steps are banned and fined. ### How many Spanish Steps are there? 135. ### Why are they called the Spanish Steps? After Piazza di Spagna, home of the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See since the 17th century. ### Who designed the Spanish Steps? Francesco de Sanctis, in 1723–1725. ### Are the Spanish Steps free? Yes, free and open 24 hours. ### What is at the top of the Spanish Steps? The church of Trinità dei Monti and the Sallustiano obelisk, with a view over the city. ### When is the best time to visit? Before 9am for space; late April to early May for the azaleas. ### What's near the Spanish Steps? The Barcaccia fountain, Keats-Shelley House, Via Condotti, and the Trevi Fountain 10 minutes away. ## How we checked History, architects and step count from English Wikipedia; the sitting ban from Rome's urban police regulations. Fine amounts differ between sources, hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, Spanish Steps - Roma Capitale: urban police regulations --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.