10 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO ROME

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This guide of tips for traveling to Rome It is perfect if you are thinking of spending a few days in one of the most impressive cities in the world, which we are sure, will surprise you as soon as you set foot in its streets.
Move to the era of maximum splendor of the Roman Empire when you see buildings such as the Colosseum, the Forum or the Pantheon, take romantic walks through the Trastevere neighborhood or the banks of the Tiber River, visit the small state of the Vatican to see the Sistine Chapel or Try its delicious cuisine beyond pizza and pasta, are some of the best experiences offered by the Eternal City and that you can enjoy throughout your stay.

We, after having been several times in the Eternal City, the last in a trip in which we stayed for a month in Trastevere and from where we wrote this travel guide to Rome step by step, we have made this list of essential tips for traveling to Rome They will help you get to know the city better.

1. What is the best time?

Even if any time is good for a trip to Rome, taking into account the high temperatures that usually accompany the months of June, July and August, we believe that the best would be in spring and autumn.
During these two seasons the weather is pleasant, there is little chance of rain, accommodation prices are more affordable and there is not as much tourist crowding as in summer.
The worst time for us is summer, with temperatures of up to 40 degrees, endless queues to enter the most tourist spots such as the Colosseum or the Vatican Museums and also, the prices of the hotels are in the clouds.
Winter is also a good time to visit the sites with less people and to be able to walk around the city in a more relaxed way, despite the cold and the greater probability of rain.

2. Entry requirements (travel insurance)

Citizens of the European Union only need to carry their ID or Passport to travel to Rome, without the need for any type of visa. If your country does not belong to the EU, we advise you to call or consult the page of the Italian Embassy of your country or at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to know the mandatory documents.

Another requirement that is not mandatory, but highly recommended, is to bring the European Health Card, which will be much easier procedures and reimbursement, in case of a medical accident, in any Italian public hospital. If you do not have this card or want to have more coverage, such as a repatriation, it is very advisable to hire the best possible travel insurance to Europe.

We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip. Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.

3. How to go from Rome airport to downtown?

Rome has two international airports: Fiumicino and Ciampino, which allow you to arrive with direct flights from most important cities in Europe and the world.
Both airports have good communication with the city center thanks to all these transport options:

Bus: the Terravision bus will take you from Fiumicino to Termini Station in less than half an hour for about 5 euros. Ciampino also has the Terravision service that makes the trip to Termini in 40 minutes for a price of 4 euros. There are other bus companies that perform the same service for a similar price such as: SITBusShuttle, Schiaffini, TAM Bus, Flixbus and Atral.
Train: Leonardo Express will take you from Fiumicino to Termini in half an hour for 14 euros. To use the train in Ciampino you have to take a bus first and then the regional train that will take you to Termini. The total route, not counting the waits of the two transports, is half an hour and leaves for about 3 euros.
Direct transfer: When booking this private transfer a driver will take you from the airport to the door of your hotel, without intermediate stops. In addition to being the most comfortable option, it can be profitable if you are several people.
Cab: It has a fixed price of 48 euros from Fiumicino and 30 euros from Ciampino.

In this post you can find extended information on how to go from Fiumicino airport to Rome and in this one how to go from Ciampino airport to Rome.

Train, one of the options to travel to Rome from the two airports

4. Where to sleep?

Another of the most recurring questions to travel to Rome It is about the choice of the hotel and the best area to stay.
The first tip, if you plan to travel in high season, including spring and autumn, is to book the accommodation as early as possible, in order to choose the hotel that best suits your needs at a better price, without encountering a lot of options already reserved.
The best area to stay, which is close to most points of interest in the city, is the historic center, the part between Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain although you have to take into account that most of the accommodations you find here they will exceed 100 and 200 euros / night in a double room.
Another good place to look for a hotel in the historic center is around Piazza de Spagna, which has a great offer in restoration and is close to all the tourist attractions of the city, including the Vatican.
If you have a tighter budget and want to have good communication with the airport we recommend the Termini area. We have stayed several times at the UNA Hotel Roma, located just in front of the Termini train station and the experience could not be better.
Another of our favorite neighborhoods to stay is the Trastevere, the most beautiful in the city and with the best restaurants. In this neighborhood we recommend the Residenza San Calisto, located a few meters from the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere and with one of the best quality / price ratios in the city.
Finally, we also recommend looking for a hotel in the trendy neighborhood of Monti, where in addition to having numerous charming venues, you will be close to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
For more information on accommodation you can consult this post about the best neighborhoods and hotels to stay in Rome.

To find the best hotel at the best price you can use this popular search engine.

Trastevere

5. Transportation in Rome

The best way to get around the narrow and pedestrian streets of the historic center of Rome is on foot.
Getting around by public transport through this area is more complicated and we only advise you to use it to reach the farthest points of the city such as the Catacombs or the Vatican.
In case you do not like walking or have mobility problems, you have to know that Rome has a metro, bus and tram, which form a good network of comfortable and cheap public transport.
The metro has only three lines and is the fastest way to reach places like Villa Borghese, Plaza de España, the Vatican, the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, getting off at the Barberini stop.
To get to other points of the city and move at night, the best option is the bus with more than 350 lines and the tram with six lines.
The price of a ticket in all these means of public transport is 1.50 euros each way, while the daily ticket costs 6 euros. You can also buy the 3-day tourist ticket that has a price of 16.50 euros or that of a week that leaves for 24 euros.
Remember that you can buy the ticket at most tobacconists and kiosks in the city.
In case you have bought the OMNIA Vatican & Rome Card you will have included the transport in the city.

Tram in Rome

6. Points of interest when traveling to Rome

Another of the best tips for traveling to Rome and not to miss anything important is to complete this list of 20 essential places to visit in Rome, follow this selection of the best things to do in Rome, enter one of the best Roman catacombs and fall in love with the 10 places to see in Trastevere, Our favorite neighborhood in the city.
Before starting the visit to all these tourist attractions it is very advisable to check if you find it profitable to book the OMNIA Vatican & Rome Card, a card with which you will have free access to the following points of interest:

Vatican Museums
Sistine Chapel
Basilica of Saint Peter
Basilica of St. John Lateran
San Pedro Prison
Rome tour bus (72 hours)

In addition to the places mentioned above, you can access for free two of the following tourist places in Rome:

Colosseum, Roman and Palatine Forum
Capitoline Museums
Sant Angelo Castle
Borghese Gallery

The card also offers discounts to more than 30 monuments of Rome and above all, allows quick access avoiding queues at all these attractions.
Keep in mind that in places like the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica, queues of more than 3 hours can be formed.
You can find all the information about the tourist cards of Rome in the following posts:

7. Routes through the city

Prior to travel to Rome or leaving the hotel, it is advisable to look carefully at the routes on foot or by public transport that you are going to do around the city, to make the most of the time.
Depending on the days you have, we recommend between 4 and 6 days if it is your first trip, you can have a good first vision and visit the main monuments of this endless city.
Based on our experience in the time we have spent in the city, we have made these routes optimized according to the days you have:

On these routes it can be very interesting to include some of these free tours in Rome for free that will allow you to know the great history of the city thanks to the company of an expert guide in Spanish.
It is also very interesting to do the following guided tours that allow you to have a wider view and not have to queue at the most famous places in Rome:

Pantheon of Agrippa

8. Where to eat in Rome?

One of the best reasons to travel to Rome is to try its delicious cuisine, located among the best in the world.
Some of the most typical dishes of the city are:

Spaghetti alla carbonara: pasta accompanied by an egg-based sauce, pancetta or guanciale, bacon black pepper and above all, without cream.
Cacio e pepe: pasta accompanied by black pepper and the delicious Pecorino Romano cheese. Our favorite with carbonara!
Penne all'arrabbiata: Macaroni with tomato, garlic and hot red chili pepper
Saltimbocca: typical Rome dish made with veal, ham and sage.
Carciofi alla giudia: very fried artichoke.
Supplì alla romana: rice croquettes stuffed with cheese.
Bucatini all'amatriciana: pasta with a traditional sauce made of tomato, bacon, onion, pecorino cheese, pepper and olive oil.
Gnocchi alla romana: disc-shaped pasta cooked with milk and gratin.
Trippa alla romana: tripe with tomato sauce, vegetable stir fry and pecorino cheese.
Gnocchi alla romana: disc-shaped pasta cooked with milk and gratin.
Tiramisu: Homemade dessert based on coffee, sponge cake and mascarpone cheese.

It is usual after eating in a restaurant in Rome to drink a shot of limoncello, a lemon-flavored liquor.

All these typical and other dishes, you can eat them in our favorite restaurants of the city that we include in this post about places to eat in Rome and in this one about where to eat in Trastevere.

Roman Pasta

9. Tours and excursions

If you are going to travel to Rome more days than usual, this will allow you to have time to make a day trip to some of the most incredible places to see in Italy such as: Florence, Naples and Pompeii and Villa Adriana and Villa del Este .

The first recommendation would be the excursion to Florence from Rome in one day. This city, located just over an hour by train, is an authentic open-air museum full of museums, squares, buildings and monuments made by the great masters of the Renaissance.
You can find more information in this post on how to go from Rome to Florence.
Another of the best getaways from Rome is the city of Naples and the impressive ruins of Pompeii. After a walk through this city with character and try the best pizzas in the world, you can take a train to visit Pompeii, the best preserved city of the ancient Roman Empire.
You can expand the information on the transfer by reading this post on how to go from Rome to Pompeii and this on how to go from Rome to Naples.
The last suggestion is to visit Villa Adriana and Villa del Este from Rome, two World Heritage Sites, located just 30 kilometers away. Villa Adriana is one of the best preserved complexes of the Roman Empire and Villa del Este is a beautiful palace that impresses with its Italian and Renaissance gardens.

The most comfortable option to reach all these places, if you do not want to rent a car or use public transport, is to book some of the best excursions from Rome with a guide in Spanish:

More tours and excursions in Rome here

Florence

10. More tips for traveling to Rome

Other of the best tips for traveling to Rome They are:

Check the prices of the cards, drinks and "coperto" before sitting in any restaurant located in a tourist area.
Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
In Rome, if you use a Spanish mobile phone and have a company like Vodafone, roaming is included, so you can talk and surf at the same rate as in Spain.
Arrive at dawn to famous places like the Colosseum or the Trevi Fountain, if you want to take pictures without people.
Enjoy in the afternoon the Italian appetizer, which consists of a drink with alcohol such as the Spritz accompanied by a small buffet that the restaurant or bar offers for free.
The current is 230V / 50Hz and the plugs type F / L, the same plug as in Spain.
Learn some Italian words like Buon giorno (hello formal), ciao (hello and informal goodbye), prego (you're welcome), per favor (please), bene (good), grazie (thank you), non lo so ( I don't know), scusa (sorry) and non capisco (I don't understand).
The prefix to call Rome is 9 and to call Italy +39.

If you plan to travel to other areas of the country, we recommend reading this list of essential tips for traveling to Italy.

Appetizer

Do you want to travel to Rome?
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