Therefore, if you are planning a trip to the “eternal city”, from In Rome we would like to guide you on everything you can do, avoid and plan. In this way, you will be able to fully enjoy its lively atmosphere, its exciting history, its gastronomy, its legends and secrets. We hope that these 7 tips for traveling to Rome will be useful for you to make your visit to the Italian capital a success.
- What is the best time to come to Rome?
Rome is very beautiful throughout the year and its Mediterranean climate, mild and temperate, allows you to visit it at any time. In winter, the temperature is quite pleasant during the day, making it possible to go for a walk without being too cold. In addition, you can take advantage of the end of the year or the December long weekend in Rome, when the markets and Christmas lights give the city a special atmosphere.
If you plan to travel to Rome in summer, you should know that the hottest months are July and August, when the temperature usually exceeds 30ºC. This, together with the agglomeration of tourists, can make walking through the streets somewhat unpleasant. That is why we advise you to avoid this time of year whenever possible.
Visiting Rome during Holy Week may not be the best option either, as it is a somewhat chaotic time due to the number of visitors and pilgrims who come from all over the world to see the Pope and attend the celebrations.
In short, there will always be a lot of people in Rome, so we recommend that you travel on less popular dates (between autumn and spring), when there are fewer tourists and it is not high season. Flights and accommodation during these times are usually a little cheaper and the temperatures less extreme.
- Plan your trip
We recommend that you plan your stay in Rome more or less in detail, in order to go with a fixed shot and get the most out of your trip. Choose what you want to see and design a small itinerary so you don’t miss the most important things. You can make changes on the fly, but going with a pre-established plan will help you not to waste time once here and avoid unforeseen events.
Take a look at the circuits we have prepared to see Rome in 1, 2 or 4 days.
If you have decided to take one of our excursions to complete your trip, do not forget to print your reservation and write down the departure time in your planning.
Another reason to plan your trip is the various events and parties. Check the place you are going to travel to from Rome and check the calendar. You can even try to square your trip to coincide with these small festivals and improve your experience.
Get organized keeping in mind that it is forbidden to visit churches during liturgical celebrations. So it is better to dedicate Sundays to something else and leave those visits for the rest of the week. And remember that Mondays are the closing day for public museums, except for the Vatican Museums.
…but without stress
Finally, and as a backdrop to these 7 tips for traveling to Rome, always keep in mind that you are in an endless city. If this is your first visit, don’t expect to see everything. Our advice is that you visit the places calmly, learning their history and meaning, and that you alternate between monuments of one type and another. There is always something more to see, so mark the main destinations you want to go to and save some for your next visit. In this way, you will see less things, but you will be able to taste them more. And don’t worry if you have something left to see, Rome always ends up coming back!
- Buy tickets in advance
In Rome, you will normally find queues that can last for hours at most of the most well-known monuments. This happens especially in the Vatican, the Colosseum and the Imperial Forums. By buying tickets or our tours online, you will avoid queues and getting up very early to get a good place in line.
If, in addition to skipping the queues at the museums, you want to get to the point and visit the most important things, we offer you guided tours in Spanish that will take you to discover these monuments. Being accompanied by the explanations of an expert in the field and entering directly to make the visit, without waiting, is a luxury within your reach. Here you can expand the information about these tours.
In some places, such as the Borghese Gallery or the Vatican, it is essential to buy tickets in advance. the best and more
economical is to buy them online. The Sistine Chapel is included in the Vatican Museums. Admission to St. Peter’s Basilica is free, but if you opt for the guided tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, you will avoid the long queue to enter.
Purchasing tickets online in advance won’t take long, but it can make a big difference. Once on site, you will greatly appreciate it.
- Bring comfortable clothes and shoes
Rome is an open-air museum and the best way to get to know it is to “kick it” . Walk to the sites whenever you can, we assure you that you will discover corners that will surprise you and are really worth it. It doesn’t matter if you’ve decided to use public transport to get around, because sometimes the closest metro stops to your destination are 500 or 600 meters away. So wear comfortable shoes (never recently bought) and prepare to end the day exhausted. Although it seems insignificant, this is probably the most important of the 7 tips for traveling to Rome.
Most of the important monuments are located within the Aurelian wall, which delimits the city center and whose area is accessible on foot. The areas that maintain the medieval and Renaissance layout are especially pleasant to walk around: around Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Campo dei Fiori, the Jewish quarter or the genuine Trastevere. When you have become a little familiar with the city, spend some time wandering around these areas without a map, letting yourself be carried away by intuition.
With so many churches and holy places to visit, remember to keep your shoulders and knees covered. They are especially strict with clothing in St. Peter’s Vatican and Santa Maria Maggiore. If you go in a very hot season, remember to keep a scarf or something with which you can cover yourself in your backpack.
- How to move
The first thing you should do as soon as you arrive in Rome is to buy a transport voucher (there are 1 day, 2, 3 and even one week). You’ll appreciate it when you’re tired of cobblestones. These vouchers are very profitable and can be used unlimitedly on the subway, buses, trains and trams. In the machines of any metro station or in any tobacconist you can get one.
Once you can move freely around the city, it’s time to start your adventure. Although Rome has an extensive network of urban buses, the metro is undoubtedly the fastest and easiest means of transport. It consists of only three lines, so it will not be difficult for you to find your way around. The two main ones, A (red) and B (blue), connect at the central Termini station and will allow you to reach all points of interest. Of course, beware of pickpockets!
Children up to 9 years old travel free on the metro, bus and tram.
Of course, there are also taxis, but they are known for their mischievousness. So now you know, if you take one, find out about the rates so you don’t have any problems or book a transfer in Rome. In our article about taxis in Rome, we provide you with all the information you need about phone numbers and rates, as well as some tips on how to avoid scams.
And remember that in Rome transport strikes are common, usually on Fridays, and also without prior notice. So be careful and always have a taxi number handy for emergencies. If you want a cheap and reliable service, especially for the day you have to leave the city, you can hire our transfers.
- Where to eat at a good price
If you don’t want to waste time at lunch or want to save money, it’s best to look for a place where they serve pizza al taglio. It is a cut pizza that is charged by weight and size. They have a thousand different types of pizza, all of them very good, and in 15 minutes you will be ready to continue exploring the city for a reasonable price.
If you are going to eat at a restaurant, look for one that offers a menu, it will be cheaper than eating a la carte. In all of them you will be charged for the service and the bread, but you can refuse it when they bring it to you.
At night, on the other hand, you can look for a good restaurant to recover your strength and enjoy a well-deserved dinner. I advise you to go to the Trastevere area, where you will find the authentic ‘trattorie’ or traditional food restaurants. In them you will enjoy a cordial, cozy and very Roman atmosphere. However, throughout Rome there are countless places to eat and dine in a quiet and charming place, such as in the vicinity of Campo dei Fiori or Piazza Navona.
And of course you can’t leave Rome without trying their delicious ice creams and gelati. You will find numerous excellent gelaterias throughout the city.
Trattorias are characterized by their homemade food and hospitality
- And finally… some recommendations and suggestions
Rome is not just any destination, as it was nothing more and nothing less than the capital of the ancient Roman Empire. The center of the Mediterranean world for centuries. It constitutes, therefore, an inexhaustible source of history behind each wall, in each street you walk. So it would not hurt to review his past before the trip, especially if you travel to Rome with children. You will thus be able to contextualize many of the things you will see. It is a city very grateful to the prepared visitor, so the more you delve into its history and the sites you will visit, the more you will enjoy them.
Although the time here is the same as in Spain, life in the capital starts half an hour to an hour earlier. So a good tip to quickly adapt to these schedules is to get up a little earlier than usual. It is at meals where you will notice this difference the most.
If you travel to Rome in summer, don’t forget to bring a hat and a good sunscreen. They will come in handy to protect you from the sun and avoid possible sunstroke. It’s also not a bad idea to have a fan handy, to help you withstand the heat, and sunglasses.
Finally, I recommend that you do not spend money buying bottled water in tourist areas. They will charge you a fortune for each bottle. Fortunately in Rome, there are drinking fountains everywhere called “nasoni” (noses). So you can drink directly from them or fill your own bottle or canteen for added convenience.
And here are our 7 tips for traveling to Rome and being able to enjoy this experience to the fullest. Have any of these tips helped you make your preparations? Do you recommend any other tips that we have overlooked? Do you have any questions about Rome? If so, don’t worry, leave us a comment and we will reply as soon as possible.
