Do you need some advice to plan your first travel?
Read these tips for visiting Rome!
To visit the entire city of Rome, explore its many facets and get to know it fully, a single visit is simply not enough! But let us start somewhere! You can find here the main tips for visiting Rome for the first time and make your stay so enjoyable and memorable that you will look forward to getting back to the “Eternal City” as soon as possible!
Tips every tourist needs to know to plan their visit to the main Rome’s monuments and places of interest
📌 Colosseum and Roman Forum are two essential places to visit during your first trip to Rome. However, as every tourist has the same idea, you will probably find an almost infinite queue at the entrance! To avoid wasting too much of your precious time, you can buy your ticket online on the attraction’s official website. This way, you can directly head to the entrance gate and skip the main line. If you haven’t booked your ticket in advance, don’t worry: have a look at the other ticket offices situated on the sides. In Largo della Salara Vecchia 5/6 (close to via dei Fori Imperiali), via dei Verbiti (close to the Colosseum) and via San Gregorio there are some “hidden” ticket offices with significantly shorter lines than the ones you can find in front of the Colosseum’s main entrance. Each ticket is valid for a single access to the Colosseum and another single access to the Roman Forum. You should also ask for how long your ticket will remain valid (usually for 2 days).
📌 Another very long queue you will probably have to face is the one you’ll see at the entrance of the Vatican Museums. That’s the price to pay to be able to admire the famous Sistine Chapel, destination of real “pilgrimages” from art lovers worldwide. But don’t worry: you can still buy your ticket online on their official website to skip the line.
📌 A visit to the Baths of Caracalla should not be missed! These ancient baths are a rare example of imperial building showing the everyday life and habits of ancient Romans. At that time, public baths were popular spots where people could come together, do sporting activities, have long walks, study and spend their leisure time. Don’t miss the visit with a 3d viewer, for a real journey back in time!
📌 If you enjoyed the latest movie by Sorrentino (“The Great Beauty”, Oscar-awarded in 2014 as best foreign movie) don’t waste the opportunity to see all the spots you loved on the big screen. Among the many places of interest, you can search for the Acqua Paola Fountain, The Villa of Priorato dei Cavalieri di Malta, Barberini Palace or Villa Medici.
📌 One of the most picturesque but less known areas of the city is called Quartiere Coppedè. This district is located close to Buenos Aires square and it derives its name from the architect that designed all its Liberty and Art Déco buildings. He also added gothic and baroque decorations that give these streets their peculiar atmosphere. If you love art and architecture, don’t miss this area of the city to admire the buildings, the Frogs’ Fountain and the Fairies’ Cottage with its unusual and charming combination of materials and styles.
đź“Ś If you are fond of ancient history and archeology, visit the catacombs of Saint Callisto, that is the first burial site of the first Christians in city of Rome. Here you will find yourselves in a spiritual and sacred atmosphere, walking past 4 levels of catacombs. This visit is not suitable for people suffering from claustrophobia, due to narrow spaces and deep underground corridors.
📌 Via Piccolomini offers a beautiful view of Saint Peter’s dome. From here you can take amazing pictures also because the dome appears bigger from a distance, thanks to a particular optical effect.
📌 If you are travelling with your pet, keep in mind that animals are not allowed to access the majority of Rome’s tourist attractions. Anyway, the city of Rome is such an interesting and beautiful place that you can stroll along its streets to admire pieces of art everywhere, even with your furry friends! Dogs are allowed to access public transports with muzzle and lead.
📌 One of the oldest Italian universities is located in Rome: it is called “La Sapienza” and it dates back to 1303. In the middle of this great architectural complex you can find the Church of Saint Yves, a masterpiece of the seventeenth century architect Francesco Borromini. Its dome creates a space of great beauty, both on the inside, with its light effects, and on the outside.
đź“Ś If you are planning a low-cost vacation, you shall keep in mind that many tourist attractions in Rome are entirely free on the first Sunday of every month. For more information visit: The museums free of charge for everybody on the first Sunday of the month in Rome
📌 July and August are the hottest months in Rome (temperature up 35°C), so that it’s best to plan your long walks early in the morning or in the evening. Pay attention if you wish to spend some time in Piazza San Pietro, to attend mass or to expect the Pope’s blessing, because in summer it could be too hot to stand long hours under the sun!
Low-cost travel tips to visit Rome!
Travel advice for visiting Rome without wasting your money
đź“Ś Costumed gladiators and centurions in front of the Colosseum often insist on taking pictures and ask for a really high price. In the past, various harassment incidents occurred, especially when tourists refused to pay the requested price. For this reason, it is best to just ignore costumed centurions or just politely say hello and pass by.
📌 If you get thirsty during your walks in Rome, don’t buy expensive bottled water in a bar, but search for a public fountain called “nasone” instead. Drinking water is fresh and free and you can find it at almost 300 nasoni scattered throughout the city.
đź“Ś If you plan to visit several monuments in a short time, Roma Pass might be the thing for you! It is a prepaid card including entry tickets for various attractions and access to the local public transports at a very discounted price. This way you will also be able to skip the lines and save both time and money. It is the perfect solution for short stays (72 or 48 hours). For more information visit romapass.it.
đź“Ś If you need to change your currency, avoid people who try to approach you on the streets offering a cheap rate, because they usually are fraudsters. Only trust authorized exchange offices but remember to always ask the price for their commission, since price lists only display the actual exchange rate. You can of course withdraw euros from a cash machine at a local bank, which is the cheapest and fastest solution.
đź“Ś If you stop at a bar to grab a quick coffee, it’s better to drink it standing at the counter, as often in these establishments table service involves an additional charge.
Roma autentica – The real Rome
A piece of advice for travelling to Rome and discover local customs and traditions during your visit
đź“Ś When in Rome, you cannot miss some of its beautiful and ancient churches scattered throughout the city. Out of respect, it is best to adopt a sober and decent dress code, even in summer: shorts, miniskirts, singlets and t-shirts with plunging necklines are not recommended. The ideal dress code consists of long trousers and covered shoulders (you can also use a shawl or a scarf). Men should avoid Bermuda shorts and hats.
đź“Ś August is the worst month to visit Rome, since it is the period of the annual leave for the majority of Italians: this results in overcrowding and long queues in every tourist destination. This is especially true during the central weeks of the month (Ferragosto, August 15th). July and August are also the hottest months of the year, with droughts and extreme heat periods which make sightseeing less pleasant and tiring.
📌 If you want to experience Rome’s nightlife, the right place is Trastevere: it is a picturesque district loved by every tourist thanks to its many restaurants and bars situated in fascinating corners. Young people will also love Campo de’ Fiori district and San Lorenzo (university area).
đź“Ś Rome is a cat-friendly city, where you can find Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary, located in the middle of an archeological site close to the city center. It is a feline colony founded to protect stray cats and promote their adoption. This is a popular destination for tourists and locals that come here to see a great number of cats. The animals are managed and assisted by an association of volunteers who feed, treat and sterilize them in order to make them ready for adoption.
đź“Ś To taste the authentic local atmosphere of a place, markets are always a good choice! If you are in Rome, take a walk around Testaccio market, in Beniamino Franklin street. Here you will also find typical street food (pizza, focaccia, taralli, fried artichokes, cannoli and sfogliatelle).
📌 Rome has a long gastronomic tradition and one of its most representative local dishes is pasta cacio e pepe. It is a peasant dish, made with just pasta, pecorino cheese and black pepper. You can find different variations of this recipe, which is included in the menu of every local “trattoria” (simple restaurant), especially in Testaccio district.
📌 If you are in Rome in December, don’t miss its traditional Christmas market in Piazza Navona.
đź“Ś During the Carnival period, taste typical pastry products like frappe, castagnole or bocconotti and experience the Renaissance equestrian ride with more than 200 participants among horses and costumed characters.
đź“Ś But if you prefer an atmosphere of luxury, have a walk in via Condotti instead! It is one of the most central and famous streets of Rome and it connects via del Corso to Piazza di Spagna. It has shops and boutiques selling the most renowned brands (Dior, Gucci, Armani and so on).
How to get around Rome as a tourist
Tips for visiting Rome and easily moving in town
📌 To walk around the city, choose comfortable shoes, both day and night! It is essential to approach the particular surface of the city center streets, which are paved with the “sampietrini” (small flint tiles typical of several ancient Italian streets). These streets are beautiful to see, but they are often neglected and full of potholes that make it difficult to walk on heels or to run through by bike.
đź“Ś If you want to call a taxi, you can download FreeNow app (download: Apple App Store or Google Play Store ), to directly pay by credit card and enjoy a fast ride. It is a cheaper alternative to Uber, especially made for licensed taxi drivers.
đź“Ś A relatively cheap way of moving around Rome is using public Atac buses. There are urban and suburban buses that serve all major tourist attractions. Due to the high volume of traffic and to various delays, it is difficult to predict the exact passing times, but you can check the real-time travel of your chosen bus on atac.roma.it.
đź“Ś An ecological and cheap way of visiting Rome consists of renting a bike: it costs 4 euros per hour and you can find many rental points scattered throughout the city.
đź“Ś As in many other European cities, the segway is slowly emerging as a fun and popular way of sightseeing, both privately and in groups.
📌 Rome’s main train station is Stazione Termini: from here you can go everywhere in Italy! Beware of its surroundings, which have a really bad reputation and can get dangerous at night. For this reason, it is best to avoid this area after 9 p.m.