When in Rome, do what the Romans do. The largest city in Italy and also it’s capital, Rome has lots of history and has lots to do in the city. We suggest spending about 1 week in the city to have the full Roman experience! This post will have lots of information about Rome as we have spent about 2 weeks in 3 different trips to the Italian capital.
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Transportation
Trenitalia: Depending on where you are coming from, this is the easiest way to/from the city. Italian trains are very reliable and are almost always on-time. You will not have to spend a lot of your travel money as the train is very economical and affordable.
- Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO): Since this airport is pretty far from the city center, once arriving, we took a train (see above). Trains run about every 20 minutes from the airport on the Leonardo Express and was only 14€ per person. The train was very comfortable and had a lot of room to store luggage so we were not be too crowded. The train ride took about 40 minutes between the airport and city center.
- Civitavecchia Port: Civitavecchia is where we arrived when taking a cruise ship. This port is not close to Rome’s city center. We didn’t take tour excursions from the cruise ship to Rome as they were pretty expensive at up to $150 per person. Once again, we took the train which leaves the port about every 30 minutes to Rome. This train ride lasted about 50 minutes to the Ostiense Station. Tickets were very affordable at 4.60€ for coach or 1st class at 6.90€. We took 1st class since it was really affordable and really enjoyed how comfortable the seats were. Plus we got a free drink and snack for the ride!
- Venice or Florence: Trains leave about every hour from Venice and will take about 3 hours and 45 minutes to get to the Termini Station. Tickets run a little higher at 49.90€ since its a major tourist and business route. This route is very scenic and we were able to see some of the Italian countryside. This route goes through Florence as well so you are able to get off to see some of the sights or continue to Rome. Florence to Rome will cost you between 19.90-36.40€, depending on the time of the day.
- Metropolitana: Even though it has it’s own metro system, we found that it was very limited for where we wanted to go and was tough to buy tickets as the machines only accept euros and in certain amounts of cash. All things considered, it definitely was an option that we used a couple of times.
Accommodations
- Hotel Miralago: Next to Lago Albano, this boutique hotel offered us beautiful views of the lake. Hotel Miralago is located about 1 hour south of Rome so it is a little difficult to get here by public transit. The closest train station is just 2.1 km away in the town of Albano Laziale. We really enjoyed this traditional Italian hotel and all of its amenities. The staff was really pleasant and made us feel welcomed. The lasagna for dinner and traditional European breakfast was very tasty. The last morning we had to catch an early bus to the airport so we were not able to eat breakfast. The hotel staff ran to us on the bus and handed out bagged breakfast items for the road! Average room rates are around $95 per night. We had a great time here at Hotel Miralago!
- Nova Domus Hotel & Suites: We wish we could have glowing reviews for this hotel. There were a couple of good things about this hotel: the location, just a few minutes away from the metro and close to Vatican City and the breakfast, which was traditional European food. We did have a major issue with this hotel that caused us to have a bad experience overall. The hot water heater broke and was not fixed for 3 nights, which made for a very uncomfortable time. Throughout the days, we communicated with the hotel staff about the problem but they gave us no solutions other than letting us know they were working on getting it fixed. When we checked out the hotel staff did not apologize to us about the stay or the cold water. Nova Domus averages around 59€ per night.
To-Do
Rome is a major city that is rich with history and culture, with a ton of beautiful architecture. In order to visit most of the sights, it requires a minimum of 3 days to 1 week. We were definitely prepared to walk as Rome has many stoned streets and sidewalks.
- Colosseum: We started our day early (to avoid the large crowds) to go see the Colosseum, which was an amphitheater built between 70-80 AD. It was incredible to see in person and we felt like we were traveling back in time to when gladiators fought here and where the Romans came to watch battle shows. This was the entertainment that they had when the Roman Empire ruled the world.
Combo tickets were available for both the Colosseum and Forum at only 12€. We ended up buying our tickets online for only 2€ more to avoid the hassle of waiting in line to get the tickets the day of. We spent about 1.5-2.5 hours to get the full experience.
Travel Tip: We have witnessed some of the worst scams over by the Colosseum and you should assume no one is to be trusted. There are pickpockets, fake tour guides, and beggars. Be prepared before you go and make sure you wear a money belt and bring sunglasses so the scammers can’t read your eyes. They will target anyone who seems to be a foreigner. Do not let these scammers scare you away as they are just looking to get easy money, not to hurt you. If you prepare yourself they will not do anything to you. Please review our post on scams and how to prepare yourself here.
- The Roman Forum: this is one of the most beautiful and peaceful spots to visit in Rome and is included in the Colosseum combo ticket. The Roman Forum is where the great Roman Empire was ruled in ancient times. We saw the ruins of the fall of Rome which definitely moved us since we are both so into history. Some of the sculptures and buildings are still standing which is very eye opening to see what Romans saw over 2,000 years ago. A lot of tourists skip the Forum but it was definitely a must see for us and we did not regret coming here. We spent between 1.5-2 hours here.
- Spanish Steps: A very popular meeting point for both locals and tourists, the Spanish Steps make a great spot to just sit back, relax and people watch. The best time to go is the early morning or late afternoon hours to avoid major crowds. The steps opened up in 1725 and connect the Spanish embassy to Trinità dei Monti which is the church above the stairs. We found many great Italian restaurants around the area as well (See Below for restaurant options)!
- Trevi Fountain: Opened in 1762, this iconic fountain is famous for tossing a coin behind you into the water. Legend says if you toss the coin you will return to Rome again sometime during your lifetime (worked for us!). The coins from the fountain are collected to support the homeless population and poverty stricken people of Rome. The best time of day to go to the Trevi Fountain is during the night, to see all the pretty lights and get a feel of the true Rome romance. We tried to save this attraction for last so we could bid farewell to Rome!
Travel Tip: Beware of scammers who pose as innocent photographers who want to take a picture of you. They will target anyone taking selfies or a group who wants to do a group photo. If you give your phone or camera to them they will demand cash after taking the picture and in some cases they will take your phone or camera and steal it! This area is heavily patrolled by local law enforcement so if you need to report them make sure to yell for help. Check out what to look for and solutions to scams here.
- Vatican City: This small area is very unique as it is inside of Rome’s city walls but is not Rome or Italy. Vatican City is it’s very own country and is very easy to get to from anywhere in Rome. We won’t go into detail about Vatican City because technically it is not Rome but if you are interested in going please see our blog post on Exploring Vatican City.
Food
- Galleria Sciarra: This Pizzeria was very well hidden but the food and service is well worth hunting this restaurant down. We stumbled across this place while trying to find somewhere to eat and having very little luck doing so. The streets of Rome were winding and our stomachs were grumbling. We turned the corner and saw this quaint building. We started off with some good Bruschetta, of course. Then following that, some margherita pizza paired with a bottle of wine that our server recommended. To finish we had their homemade Tiramisu. The food was so amazing and the staff were one of the most friendly we encountered our whole time in Europe.
- Numbs Piazza di Spagna: Near the Spanish Steps, this restaurant has some pretty great pizza as well. This restaurant offers a more formal setting with good wine and nice mood lighting. We opted to share a Capricciosa pizza (prosciutto, olives, mushrooms, 1/2 a boiled egg, and artichokes) since it was a little pricey. We got a whole bottle of wine to have with our meal and of course we got some Bruschetta to start our meal off right. We had good service and good food.
- Caffe Roma Gelateria: We were on the hunt for some delicious gelato while visiting the Trevi Fountain and we found this café. Looking to the left (when looking at the fountain), we saw this cute little café. We got friendly service and paid 5.50€ for two scoops of the tasty treat. This may seem kind of steep, but it is located in a prime area. We tried the nutella, vanilla, and espresso gelato and they were all very good.
If all of this sounds exciting to you and you are up for a true adventure, check out this ancient city. We promise you will not be disappointed! Let us know if you have any other questions about Rome!
