Rome travel guide
I fell in love with Rome. It is the birthplace of the Ceasar and full of ruins. You actually don’t need a guide for Rome because almost every corner has something to see and a couple of days is definitely not enough to see it all. It has so many museums, ruins that need to be renovated, the city of Rome can’t afford it. So they rely on donations from people. It is affordable for capital and offers delicious food and the climate is warm. What else do we possibly want? Don’t be surprised when you see a modern building next to the ruins. The Vatican is also here but I will cover it in another post. In this Rome travel guide, you will find typical costs, money-saving tips, major tourist attractions and getting around in Rome. I would say if you spend at least 2 days for Rome and 1 full day for the Vatican you will cover a pretty big part of the city. I will cover the Vatican in another post.
Here we go.
Special tips for Rome
- Find cheaper accommodation around Termini. (Termini is a big station so make sure that you are close to the entrance).
- Be aware of tourist tax. Authorities charge this depending on accommodation type. (4€–7 €, 3star/5star per night, per person). Some hotels include this to their price.
- Stay away from Euronet ATM’s as they have a very bad rate and high process fee. Avoid it at all cost. Instead, use a local bank for money withdrawal.
- From October to March, first Sunday of the month state-owned museums are free of charge. (For Vatican it’s the last Sunday of the month)
- In summer, make sure you purchase tickets in advance.
- If you want to buy souvenirs, you find more options and competitive prices (1€) around Trevi Fountains.
- Watch out pickpockets especially in Trevi fountains.
- In summer, churches don’t allow open tops and shorts above knee for both men and women.
- Avoid restaurants nearby major tourist attractions for eating. They are overpriced.
- Make sure tto check these common travel scams before going to Rome.
Top 5 things to see and do in Rome
Colosseo
Visit the Castel Sant’ Angelo
See ‘Spanish Steps’
Throw a coin to Trevi fountains
Visit Villa Borghese
Rome travel guide: Typical costs
In general, Rome is affordable compare to for example Florence and Milan. You don’t need to buy public transport because the city is accessible on foot. If you really need to use public transport, you can get a single ticket for 1.5€ which is valid for 90min.
For your reference:
With a low budget, you can stay in a mixed dorm and eat a slice of pizza or lasagna and see a few attractions.
Mid-range budget will get you a nice AirBnB or 3star hotel near Termini (central station in Rome remember this name because you will want to stay nearby). You can eat a nice pasta with wine.
With a luxury budget, you can stay in a nice 4-star hotel. Eat at a decent restaurant. Not much to say when you have that amount. The sky is the limit.
Rome pass costs 36€for 72h and cover the free entrance to two selected sites. Unfortunately, Villa Borghese is no longer included. Moreover, public transport is included so it saves you from that hassle. Overall, it is not a bad choice for Rome. However, if you gonna visit the Vatican (which you should) you might consider getting an Omnia card. It costs 55€-24h and 113€-72h. (24h covers only Vatican museums. 72h card covers both Rome and Vatican) I must admit it is expensive but it also covers Rome. If you visit museums in Vatican and Rome separately that saves you few bucks but the most important features of cards are that both give you fast track privilege and you cannot imagine how good that is especially for Colosseo and St. Peter’s Basilica.
Money-saving tip:
- From October to March, first Sunday of the month state-owned museums are free of charge. (For Vatican it’s the last Sunday of the month)
Rome travel guide: Weather
If possible, try to avoid summer since it is really hot and packed with tourists. You will end up wasting your vacation while waiting on the line. You have to remember that religious places don’t allow open top and skirt but there are people selling covers in front of it. So it is a business there. Spring and autumn are the best times. I prefer autumn though. For your reference, I put the yearly climate info below.
Rome travel guide: Transport
From Fiumicino airport:
By train: Leonardo Express costs 11€ valid for 90min after stamped.
By taxi: Fix rate of 40€.
By shuttle bus: costs 9€ single and 15€ return. It takes around an hour.
From Ciampino airport:
Combination of bus and train: Inexpensive way. The train departs in the city of Ciampino so you have to go there by bus first. The overall cost is 2.7€
By taxi: Similar to Fiumicino airport, they have a fixed rate of 30 €.
By shuttle bus: costs 6€ one way, 8€ for return tickets.
Getting around in Rome
Once you get to the city, you can consider using public transport. A single ticket costs 1.5€ and with that, you can use a bus, tram, and metro for 90 min. You can get the tickets from vending machines at metro or tabacchi (tobacco stores). Although most machines don’t accept more than 10€ bill, you should keep in mind that some of the machines won’t dispense a change of more than 6€. So if possible avoid your 20€+ bill.
A day ticket costs 7€ and expires on the same day regardless of your purchase time. The 48h ticket costs 12.5€. I wouldn’t recommend either since you barely need public transport in Rome. In case if you use bus and tram, you will need to validate your ticket at the machine usually attached to the pillar otherwise in case of control, you may be penalized. You should discover Rome on foot.
More things to see and do in Rome
See ‘the mouth of the truth’
It is a marble mask located in the basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. According to the rumors, if one lies, it chops off the hand. Of course, no one got harmed so far.
Impressed by the Pantheon
Pantheon literally means ‘temple of all gods’. Surprisingly survived ancient times through restorations. It is impressive and the entrance is free of charge. But remember to see it before 6.30 PM.
See the Roman Forum
It is an ancient forum near Colosseo and Colosseo ticket covers the entrance. Otherwise, it costs 12€. You can see the ruins from outside anyway if you want to take a closer look and read the descriptions, consider visiting it.
See the monument of the first King of Italy
Piazza Venezia is the central hub of Rome. Almost 60% of public transport passes by as it connects major avenues.
Visit Piazza del Popolo
Due to its location, it’s a nice place to start your tour. It is nearby the ‘Spanish steps’
Explore the Trastevere
Its fame is growing big as tourists started discovering it. You can find more local bars and restaurants here.
Hang out in Piazza Navona
It hosts the Quattro Fiumi fountains. A popular spot for locals as well as tourists. You will see street musicians. Nice square to hang around.
Shopping at Via Del Corso
It is a shopping district but doesn’t expect a lot. It is close to Piazza Venezia and Piazza del Popolo, you will pass by for sure. It is common to see people selling Chanel or Louis Vuitton imitations. Even if you want to buy a purse, make sure to bargain. You can get around 50% off.
Rome travel guide: Eating and drinking
Keep in mind that in most of places in Italy, take-out prices and sitting in the bakery/cafe are different.
Bakeries / café’s
Antico Caffee Greco: Second oldest bar (opened 1760) in Italy ( Little piece of information: ‘Bar’ means a place you can get a coffee. Barista is an Italian word for people who serves coffee.) Stendhal, Goethe, Byron and much more had a coffee in this place. So enjoy it!
Roscioli Caffe Pasticceria: You can have a breakfast there. Also the coffee is good.
You can try Cannoli (tube-shaped pastry dough filled with sweet filling) at ‘I Dolci di Nonna Vincenza’
For cornetto (Italian version of French croissant), you can go to Don Nino.
Restaurants:
Sapori e Delize: They primarily serve pizza and pasta. You must try their tiramisu. I loved the rich coffee taste.
Mama Angela’s Trattoria: Typical Roman cuisine. Not the best service, but taste of food compensated it.
Halal restaurants: If you had enough of pizza or pasta, you can try some alternative restaurants. ‘Ali Baba Kebab’, ‘The best kumpir’, ‘Cous cous restaurant’.
Drink:
Il Goccetto: Their wine and appetizers are good. Also vegeterian friendly.
Black Market Hall: Vintage sofa’s and nice atmosphere. Sometimes they have live music.
Rome travel guide: Map of the main attractions
Suggested movies
More about Italy
In this Rome travel guide, I showed major locations that you must see how to get around in Rome, typical costs and some money saving tips. If you have a specific question you can ask me below. You can also share it on: