Best Things to Do in Sperlonga, Italy: The Hidden Gem Near Rome
Sperlonga is one of Italy’s best hidden gems, and I can’t believe more people don’t know about it. This post goes into all the best things to do in Sperlonga, Italy.
Just 1.5 hours from Rome, this charming seaside town feels just like Greece with its white-washed streets and seaside views. I visited on my birthday. I always travel to a place on my birthday that has an amazing wow factor. For me, it’s a cute village with epic views. And Sperlonga was just that!
I was so happy wandering its narrow streets, soaking up the sea views, and waking up to one of the prettiest hotel views I’ve ever had.
One of my favorite experiences was taking a boat tour along the coast. From the water, you get incredible views of Sperlonga and nearby Gaeta, plus you can explore beautiful sea caves that you’d never see from land.
If you’re looking for an underrated day trip from Rome or somewhere to slow down and escape the crowds, add Sperlonga to your Italy itinerary.
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Before you go:
🚆 Sperlonga is a 1-hour train and a 20-minute bus ride from Rome. Book Tickets on Omio
🏨 Hotels are limited and can be on the pricier side. I stayed at the most magical place with a view. Book here
🚤 Don’t miss the chance to take a boat tour which takes you to hidden sea caves & the nearby coastal town of Gaeta.
How Long Do You Need in Sperlonga?
You can do a day trip from Rome if you’re short on time, but I highly recommend staying 1-2 nights. I stayed 2 nights, and it was just perfect. I was able to enjoy taking photos on the white-washed streets, visit the beach, eat at delicious restaurants, and just enjoy it at a slower pace. I even did a boat ride passing through sea caves and Gaeta, another nearby seaside town.
Where to Stay in Sperlonga
Hotels are very limited in Sperlonga because mass tourism is non-existent here and there’s little space for development. I found that the prices were much higher as a result. However, it’s still 100% worth staying here overnight. I stayed for 2 nights and loved every minute of it. I was tempted to do a day trip, but I’m glad I didn’t so I could fully enjoy my visit at a slower pace. Plus, the place I stayed at had the dreamiest view of the sea and cute Italian houses from my room. I stayed at Casa Vipsania Sperlongaresort.
How to get to Sperlonga
From Rome, you can take the train from the Roma Termini station to Fondi-Sperlonga. It’s a quick 1-hour journey. From there, you have to take a bus to the city center. The bus is every 1-2 hours, so be sure to time it with your train. The bus ride to the center takes about 25 minutes. No cars are allowed in the city center, so you’ll likely need to walk for about 5 minutes to your hotel or destination if you’re just doing a day trip. The city is very small and very walkable, but there are many stairs and hills. So be sure to wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to climb steps.
I booked my train tickets ahead using the Omio app/website. It is the simplest way to get train tickets without confusing language barriers. To get your bus ticket, there is a bar (what Italians call a cafe) at the Fondi-Sperlonga train station where you can buy it. The bus timetable can be found online here.
Best Things to Do in Sperlonga, Italy
Sperlonga is one of the most beautiful hidden gems in Italy. Here’s some of the best things to do here. It’s a small place but all the magical views make you want to spend days here.
1. Wander the white-washed streets
My favorite thing about Sperlonga was wandering the charming streets. There’s no cars allowed within the town center and few tourists come here. In peak July, I was on my own exploring these cute streets. The best ones were the ones where you could see a glimpse of the sea behind you.
These streets were just around the corner of my hotel with a view so it was so easy to explore.
If you check out my Instagram post, you can find the prettiest street (also pictured on the left above) with the cute house and the sea view around here (I pinned it closest to where I believe it was!)
2. Take a Boat Tour
Taking a boat tour is one of the best things to do in Sperlonga and the highlight of my trip. I booked this 4.5 hour boat tour and it was a wonderful way to spend my solo birthday trip.
The tour included a few swim stops and took us to hidden sea caves. It was so cool to see the beautiful rock formations along the way. The captain explained a bit about the places we passed by including the famous Grotto of Tiberius, where ancient marble sculptures were discovered inside a cave. These sculptures are now located at the Archaeological Museum, which you can visit in Sperlonga.
When I visited Sperlonga, I also wanted to see Gaeta, another beautiful coastal town. Since I was limited on time, I decided to take this boat tour. It sails all the way to Gaeta and you can see it from the sea!
3. Relax at the beaches
Sperlonga has two main beaches, Spiaggia di Ponente on the west side of the old town and Spiaggia di Levante on the east side.
Both feature golden sand and beautiful water perfect for swimming and relaxing. I especially enjoyed watching the sunset set near Spiaggia di Ponente.
4. Try a Sperlonga Croissant
Included in my stay at Sperlonga Resort was breakfast at Bar Little in the main square (Piazza Europa). I loved the Sperlonga Croissant, which is filled with jam. Be sure to go early as they sell out!
5. Have lunch with a view of the beach
Nautilus Lunch Restaurant has views overlooking Spiaggia di Ponente. If you’re lucky you can snag a window seat. They have plenty of outdoor seating perfect for the cooler evenings. The service here was just wonderful. It’s a family owned business and the owner was so sweet and welcoming to me. I had my birthday lunch here and they definitely made it feel special. It’s also part of a hotel called Hotel Aurora. However, there is usually a 3 to 5 night minimum to stay here.
6. Watch the Sunset at Torre Truglia
The Torre Truglia is Sperlonga’s most iconic landmark. It’s a 16th centery watchtower which was built to defend the town from pirate raids. It was destroyed several times. It’s location in ideally set between both main beaches in Sperlonga. You will find the best sunset views from here with the sparkling Tyrrhenian Sea.
7. Have dinner at Don Leone
Dinner at Don Leone was my most memorable meal in Sperlonga. I visited the evening of my birthday and it was the perfect place to celebrate. I loved the intimate outdoor seating with all the white charming buildings surrounding. The tiramisu was the best thing EVER so don’t miss it. Probably one of my all time favorite tiramisus. I really enjoyed the pasta and wine too.
8. Check out the Mural Staircase on Via Lebina
This street is filled with Murals of Ulysses (Odysseus). The steps are all filled with versus from the famous poem.
It’s meant to tell a story about the legendary hero’s adventures.
You can find this street on Via Lebina: Google Maps here.
I stumbled upon some beautiful views and lookout points in Sperlonga. The first was an archway that led to Spiaggia di Ponente. If you’re at the beach you will just want to go up the stairs adjacent to it and you will find this beautiful archway with the beach in the background. As I saw it, multiple people walked by and they just said “wow.” That’s how I felt most of the time in Sperlonga, it is just so beautiful. What makes it even more special is how few crowds are here. So you can really enjoy these wow moments.
The second lookout I found was not far from the mural street I mentioned in this post. If you reach the bottom of this mural staircase and turn right you will see this viewpoint on the left not far after.
10. Grab a drink near the sea
One of the highlights of my trip to Sperlonga was enjoying an evening apertivo and drink near the sea by the Torre Truglia. This spot is called AllVida. While the bar itself doesn’t look fancy at first, the seats next to the sea are just magical. I loved sitting in the seats overlooking the water with a drink in hand. I also tried one of their focaccia panini sandwiches, and it was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend coming here at sunset or even after!
11. Day trip to Gaeta
Gaeta is another coasta town not far from Sperlonga. You can take a bus directly there and explore it in a day. Or, do what I did and take a boat tour there. The boat tour only passes by so if you want to actually explore the town, you will need to drive or take the bus there.
