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Off to Rome at the end of the year for a few days. At the moment have nothing booked. Any recommendations or the opposite? Area / Hotels, restaurants etc etc
Anywhere to specifically avoid?
Obviously will do some of the standard tourist bits, but also up for any off-piste recommendations.
Couple of fairly obvious ones eat of the main drags side streets far cheaper and just as good. Do the hop on hop off double decker buses to get round it works well.
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Travel Advice: Rome on 10:59 - Sep 7 with 1113 views
Travel Advice: Rome on 10:59 - Sep 7 by baxterbasics
My main recommendation from my one stay in Rome about ten years ago, is don't drive.
Get an all-forms public transport pass and bus everywhere.
Our ticket was never even checked!
[Post edited 7 Sep 11:04]
This! Don’t drive, the driving is a bit bonkers there. Also, be careful crossing the road, you kind of just have to go for it because cars don’t stop at zebra crossings otherwise.
If memory serves me well you have to get bus tickets at tobacco shops.
I stayed in Testaccio and absolutely loved it there. Definitely go up to see the Order of Malta, there’s some stunning panoramic views of Rome up there, especially great to see the sunset from up there in the Orange tree garden. The food in Testaccio was great also Trastevere is just a short walk from there.
I went in December a couple of years ago, was warm and sunny and far better for crowds than the Summer. We stayed in Trastevere, still quite central but the other side of the Tiber so away from the worst excesses. The city is walkable from there assuming reasonable fitness.
When are you going, if you are there on the first Sunday of a month then most attractions are free?
The Colosseum was still horrendous for crowds, probably always will be, but obviously worth seeing. In contrast the Forum was much more comfortable and I could have spent far longer there happily. Do them in that order.
The monument to Victor Emmanuel is worthwhile for the views across the city but of the Forum and Colosseum in particular. A little bit of history of the Risorgimento and unification is interesting but go for the views.
Definitely don't miss the Pantheon, it's an engineering marvel given it's age.
But just walk around too, there's architectural remains dotted all over the place and sometimes they can be more interesting than the main tourist sites.
Can't find the nicest restaurant we ate in but there's loads of small places in Trastevere which felt less touristy than in the centre (still some tourist traps of course) but this was a nice bar with some good beer:
Get to the sights early! Trevi fountain before breakfast is a very different experience for the rest of the day! Another vote for Pantheon. Incredible, but now you need to pay/book a slot to visit. Anything Vatican based have huge queues, but is also amazing. Colisseum and Roman Forum - book a tour/guide. Will be almost impossible to buy your own tickets for Colisseum access. My last visit was 3 years ago and stayed just off Campo de Fiori which was a great location and good for restaurants and gelato!
Vatican is worth it, but get there early as the queues are long.
We joined the back of the queue, a few more people joined behind us and then security came bundling in immediately behind us. We took a step forward to avoid it, turns out that’s where they decided the end of the day’s queue would be, so we just got in.
P 1204, W 529, D 308, L 367, F 1826, A 1483
92 / 92
We went there in April for the first time. Loved it. A few tips:
For any of the big sites, use the Risk Steves' free audio-guides via his App. I found it very good for St Peters, the Forum and Colosseum. You'd definitely want a guide of some sort for the Forum otherwise it's just a few piles of rocks and ruins!
Book from home for the sites you really want to go to and get up early. It pays dividends.
Watch out for the table tax 'coperto' - it can add an addition to the bill you're not expecting. It must be displayed on a menu if charged - not all do.
Taxi transfers to/ from the airport are at a fixed rate. Compare against any quotes you get from hotels.
Enjoy!
It's 106 miles to Portman Road, we've got a full tank of gas, half a round of Port Salut, it's dark... and we're wearing blue tinted sunglasses.
Read up on your Roman history before you go. The buildings make a lot more sense when you know who built what. The Forum and Palatine Hill are worth a visit.
If you plan to go to the Vatican, do a guided tour. The guides get in slightly earlier so you dodge a lot of the queue. There is also a dress code for the Vatican.
1
Travel Advice: Rome on 13:46 - Sep 7 with 733 views
I went in December a couple of years ago, was warm and sunny and far better for crowds than the Summer. We stayed in Trastevere, still quite central but the other side of the Tiber so away from the worst excesses. The city is walkable from there assuming reasonable fitness.
When are you going, if you are there on the first Sunday of a month then most attractions are free?
The Colosseum was still horrendous for crowds, probably always will be, but obviously worth seeing. In contrast the Forum was much more comfortable and I could have spent far longer there happily. Do them in that order.
The monument to Victor Emmanuel is worthwhile for the views across the city but of the Forum and Colosseum in particular. A little bit of history of the Risorgimento and unification is interesting but go for the views.
Definitely don't miss the Pantheon, it's an engineering marvel given it's age.
But just walk around too, there's architectural remains dotted all over the place and sometimes they can be more interesting than the main tourist sites.
Can't find the nicest restaurant we ate in but there's loads of small places in Trastevere which felt less touristy than in the centre (still some tourist traps of course) but this was a nice bar with some good beer:
And there's an Enoteca right opposite which was nice too.
Oh, and I would avoid the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, they were horrendously busy and added zero to my experience.
[Post edited 8 Sep 11:48]
I would visit the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps, after all they are on the to do list, just do so when the crowds have dispersed get up early or late evening. Ironically whn I went to Rome, I completely forgot to visit the Steps ! Crowds might be lighter anyway now the main holiday season is over. Prebook the Colosseum. Agree with what Steve says, the Forum and Pantheon are great. Rome as a whole is compact, we just walked everywhere as there is always something interesting to see. Go to the Circo Massimo, there is not much there, but it has real Ben Hur vibes, you can imagine the chariot racing with stands full of Roman citizens. We also stayed in Trastavere, has the oldest church in Rome there, student area with a nice vibe. Remember one night sitting on our terrace hearing Brits trying to teach the locals the Will Grigg's on fire song, which was unexpected and fun.
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Travel Advice: Rome on 13:59 - Sep 7 with 697 views
If you have time, Ostia Antica was a great day trip from Rome.
Takes under an hour on the train (2 euros) from Rome. It's an abandoned Roman city where you can walk down the streets as they were. There is an amphitheatre and even an old cafe where the paintings of the menu are still on the wall. Amazing to see.
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Travel Advice: Rome on 14:20 - Sep 7 with 626 views
What a place, I can’t see how you can go wrong really. 1st time we went had a tour of the forum thrown in by our hotel. Organised stuff not really our thing but went as it was free and we wouldn’t have appreciated it without it. Having enjoyed that, when we went again with in laws and kids we hired a private tour guide for the Colosseum and Forum. Jumped the Colosseum queue and really captured our imaginations.
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