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Legends, can you talk Rome to me please?
Thinking of booking a trip there, been once before, about 20 years ago, so my knowledge is, at best, out of date.
Particularly looking for ideas on the best areas to stay, the “must see” sites and good restaurants to visit.
Thank you!
It’s been so long since I was in Rome, I can’t recommend places to stay or eat, but there is so much to see it depends on your interests. For me it was the sites of antiquity that were the most interesting, in particular The Pantheon, the Forum and Castel sant’Angelo. I also quite enjoyed the colosseum and I think it has been considerably improved as an experience since I was there. Places that I wouldn’t visit again were the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain
Only been once. We stayed in a hotel which was near to an underground station towards the end of the line NW of the city. Therefore it was easy to travel into and back to the airport. And cheap.
I've watched lots of history videos since I last went so I'd have a better idea of what to do if I go again. Just pin your options on a mapping app then go walking!
I went in January and I'd probably choose out of season again to avoid the crowds and the heat of summer.
We went out of season to avoid the crowds and it was great. Stayed at Domus Sessoriana hotel which was a lot better than the website pictures (rooftop breakfast with views over the city). 20 minute walk to the centre or an easy bus ride. Buses and underground were easy to use (google maps will tell you which bus stop, bus number and times). The Colluseum and Forum are well worth visiting, but take a map of the Forum, it would be easy to just wander around and miss lots of the best bits (it doesn't seem to be very well signposted or organised). Capuchin Crypt is well worth a visit, it includes a good museum tour with an innovative audio guide. The Pantheon is also worth a visit (2,000 year old concrete roof). We also went to the EU centre, tells visitors all aboutthe EU and there's a VR headset experience. Beware, some of the sites offering tickets online will charge you lots more than the walk-up price.
There is a park called Villa Borghese with fabulous views over the city (especially at dusk). You can hire bikes and rickshaws and ride around. You need to take a passport with you though. Ask me how I know...
Then of course there are all the obvious places like the Colosseum, Forum, Trevi Fountain etc that you have to visit.
Ohh, and when you want to cross a road, don't just stand at the kerb or you will be stood there all day – step onto the crossing and suddenly traffic just stops. Quite hairy really 🙂
Finally – if you like ice cream, try this place...
well i wrote a long reply but its disapeared. Went off season, definitely worth it to avoid the crowds. Coluseum & Forum are great, but get a map for the Forum, signposting is poor and you could easily wander around and miss the best bits. Pantheon is worth a visit (2,000 year old concrete roof). capuchin crypt worth a visit.
Rome is lovely to visit and because it is a small city it's possible to walk between most of the main attractions.
As mentioned above, watch a few videos, read a few guides, decide which landmarks and attractions you would like to visit and plan your days accordingly.
I have no specific recommendations for restaurants, but as always try and go where the locals eat. Be aware of the differing prices in some restaurants - sitting outside costs more than sitting inside, sitting outside on a main square costs more than sitting outside in a side street...
Last time we went we stayed in a hotel in a side street off the Piazza Di Spagna. We were lucky and got it for a good price in a sale and the location was ideal for walking around the city.
We went last October.
Definitely book in advance for things like the coloseum, roman forum, Vatican City etc. It is possible to buy tickets on the day, but the queues are absolutely massive.
Like one of the posters above I liked the proper old stuff, but the newer stuff like the Spanish Steps and trevi Fountain just felt a bit like being at the Trafford centre, I know I'm a philestine ....and it's probably the Trafford centres fault for copying that style of architecture, but I just found them a bit Meh.
The trastevere and monteverde areas south of the city centre are worth a wonder around to find some good places to eat and drink. There's loads of bars and restaurants in the back streets.
Also in the trastevere area is janiculum Hill, which is worth a visit for the viewers over the whole city, good at sunset.
we stopped in for a few days on our way back from a road trip to and from Corfu last summer. One tip, we went for a small crack of dawn tour of the Colosseum and it was brilliant, and not too hot as it was still quite early when we finished.
We drove in and stayed at the https://www.ghtiberio.com/en/
and mostly walked about from here
Pre-book tickets for coliseum or get to the ticket office 1.5 hrs before it opens (we got there at 8.30am & queued for 3 hrs). Pantheon is ticketed now i think. One day i will save up and do the key masters tour of the Vatican. CBA with the ques otherwise.
Look on the web for bracelet scams etc.
Its heaving in the summer
Its all so close together you can just mooch about for a few days and drink it all in. Deffo get tickets for the big items and do all the "must sees" they are worth it.
A key tip that seems to catch a few people out... if you want to see the Sistine Chapel and the famous ceiling then its NOT in the vatican, you get to it via the vatican museum which is a bit of a walk away. Both are well worth a visit but the queues are huge in summer and seeing both can be an all day endeavour.
Trastevere for food and drinks on an evening (again mooch and follow your nose) and it gets going a bit later on so don't head in too early.
The gelateria on Isola Tiberina for ace ice cream
Following with interest…
Were staying near The Pantheon and was wondering how to get 4 of us with luggage from the airport to the accommodation.
I can:
- get a taxi that will cost me €100 door to door.
- Get a shuttle bus that will drop me about half a mile away for €80
- Get a train and a taxi for I don’t know how much.
Have to say that “A” seems the least faff and most tempting.
^^^ Get a taxi and experience car driving in the city. Our driver got out in the middle of the road and chased after a bunch of young lads who had offended him somehow, leaving us all sat there, engine running, door wide open, in the middle of a busy road with cars swerving around us 🙂
Agree regarding The Spanish Steps. 20 years ago we made our way there on foot from the other side of The Colosseum in 1000°C heat, navigating by a paper map book, only to find that it was being work on and saw lined with compo-board sheeting.
Bought an ice cream that instantly melted due to the 1000°C heat then went to look at something less shit.
Agree regarding The Spanish Steps. 20 years ago we made our way there on foot from the other side of The Colosseum in 1000°C heat, navigating by a paper map book, only to find that it was being work on and saw lined with compo-board sheeting.
Bought an ice cream, that instantly melted due to the 1000°C heat, then went to look at something less shit.
Pretty much all of the above. I think airport taxis had a reasonable flat rate to within the walls when we went 14 months ago.
We stayed, ate and drank in Trastevere and just checked TripAdvisor for restaurants. The big sites were all walkable but the forum etc can be a big day. There are some lesser known little gems too such as Churchs with Caravagios, Churchs with crypts and early Christian sites (Basilica di San Crisogono). Wouldn't bother with the Spanish steps, would spend more time in the Vatican museum rather than following the crowd to the Sistine Chapel honey pot (and then being moved on).
Take care with city Taxis as they should be very reasonable but we found that ones near big sites could be a little rogue. I'm not sure that we would have had such a great trip if we had visited at a busier period but the whole family loved it and we actually got to relax on a city break... Just fab!
Pants. I wrote a long reply and it has disappeared. Basically I think official taxis from the airport should have a reasonable flat rate to within the city walls, Trastevere is fab for accommodation, food and drink, we found everything walkable but we went off season, book everything you can through official channels and in advance. Some of our favourite things were off the beaten track and not so well advertised and so do explore. It is the only city break I have been on where I actually relaxed. I can dig out our excellent, friendly, clean, spacious and non pricey accommodation if needed.
We went a year past October.
As others have said prebook the Vatican & Colleseum.
For the Pantheon we waited in a queue to buy tickets outside (took about 20 mins or so)
If using the airport express train, be careful the age for child fares is less than the other national rail services (we got fined)
Had a cheap meal out around Termini but the Colleseum side was definitely more rough.
We enjoyed walking around Pallatine Hill.
Lots of good suggestions above, so a couple of less mainstream comments from me are:
- hire a bike and ride around for a day. Rome is surprisingly ok for biking, certainly no worse than London. And you get a real feel for the city that you don’t get on a bus/metro/taxi. We used https://bicibaci.com/en/ near the station but others are available.
- Don’t worry too much about recommended restaurants. Pretty much any restaurant in Rome is great, but it’s usually better a block or two away from the main tourist honeypots. But any restaurant/cafe with a queue is worth avoiding, sadly these days it’s likely to be an indicator of the latest trend on TikTok or Insta rather than quality - so it won’t be bad, just not worth the queue.
Were staying near The Pantheon and was wondering how to get 4 of us with luggage from the airport to the accommodation.
Transfer bus from airport to underground station, maybe a few euros each? Then underground to the nearest stop to your hotel and then walk the rest?
All part of the city break experience 😉