Rome Travel Guide

This travel guide is full of tips on how to plan your dream holidays in Rome. This Italian city is known for its museums and galleries, iconic sites and Roman relics, beautiful fountains and busy squares. The Eternal City has over 900 churches and it’s full of historical monuments that are found on every corner. Rome is also is famous for being the capital of the Catholic world and the ancient Empire that influenced the Western civilization. Additionally, the Romans can be proud of having two independent states within the country, an amazing culture and delicious cuisine.

What to Visit in Rome

Rome is the capital and the biggest city in Italy, located in the central – western part of Italy, around 30 km away from the coast. It covers the area of 1,285 square km with the population reaching over 2,9 million people. The city of Rome was built on the Palatine Hill and founded by the twin brothers, Romulus and Remus on 21st of April 753 BC, dating back almost 2,780 years ago.

Don’t leave Rome without seeing:

1. Colosseum
2. Roman Forum
3. Palatine Hill
4. Arch of Constantine
5. Vatican City
6. St Peter’s Square
7. St Peter’s Basilica
8. Sistine Chapel
9. Vatican Museum
10. The Pantheon
11. Trevi Fountain
12. Spanish Steps
13. Piazza Navona
14. Piazza del Popolo
15. Square, Piazza Venezia
16. Castel Sant’Angelo
17. Ponte Sant’Angelo
18. Palatine Hill
19. Borghese Gallery and Gardens
20. Santa Maria Maggiore
21. Trastevere
22. Villa Farnesina
23. Altar of the Fatherland
24. Quirinale Palace
25. St. Clement Basilica
26. Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
27. Capitoline Museum
28. The Catacombs and Appian Way
29. Hills of Rome

Read more: What to See and Do in Rome – Top Tourist Attractions

Daily Excursions from Rome

• Amalfi Coast, Capri
• Naples and Pompeii
• Castelli Romani
• Sorrento
• Florence
• Cerveteri
• Bracciano
• Ostia Antica
• Viterbo
• Beaches
• Pisa
• Siena
• Tivoli
• Cinque Terre
• Olive Oil Tour
• Assisi, Orvieto
• Monte Cassino
• Lago di Bolsena
• Val d’Orcia in Tuscany

Read more: Read more: Best Day Trips from Rome

Hiking in Rome

What’s interested is that Rome was built on seven hills and those include Aventine Hill, Caelian Hill, Capitoline Hill, Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Quirinal Hill, Viminal Hill. All of them are now turned into monuments, buildings, parks, halls or archaeological areas. The truth is that Rome has plenty of walking routes and it’s the best way of seeing the main tourist attractions around the city.

If, however, you wish to do some trekking outside of the capital, the best hiking trails are the Necropolis and Cerveteri Waterfalls, Monte Soratte, Ring of Monte Calvio and Casalaccio, The via Francigena: from Formello to Isola Farnese, Etruscan City of Veio, woods and plateaus of Monte Gennaro, from Genzano to Nemi and around Lake Nemi, the peaks of Lazio, Cima Lepri, Pizzo di Sevo and Pizzo di Moscio in Amatrice, Archaeological Park of Vulci, Appia Antica, Turano Valley (Lake Castle), Alban Hills and Nemi Lake.

Viewpoints in Rome

If you want to see Rome from above, it’s best to climb the hills this amazing city owns. Apart from the seven hills mentioned above, the ones worth visiting are Gianicolo Hill, Orange Gardens on Aventine Hill, Oppian Hill (Colosseum view), Capitoline Hill (Roman Forum) and the Campidoglio Hill (Roman Forum). That’s where you find the most stunning panoramas of the city.

For the most beautiful views of Rome, you should visit the tourist attractions like The Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, Castel Sant’Angelo, Villa Borghese (Pincio Terrace), platform at Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Scuderie del Quirinale Museum and Gallery, Monte Mario Park, Monte Ciocci Park, Palazzo Braschithe Rome Museum (second floor to see the Piazza Navona), Aventine Keyhole, Ponte Umberto Bridge (St. Peter’s Basilica, Castel Sant’Angelo in one view), Wall around the Colosseum, Via Piccolomini (Street), Top Floor of Mercati di Traiano and the Campidoglio Square.

If you want to sleep, dine or have a drink with the best views of Rome, you should also check out the hotels, plus the rooftop bars and restaurants like:

• Hotel Forum
• Hotel Eitch Borromini (Imago)
• Hotel Raphael (Rooftop Bar)
• Lo Zodiaco at Monte Mario
• Terrazza Caffarelli Cafe
• Mater Terrae Restaurant
• Terrazza Caffarelli Cafe
• Otivm Hotel (Rooftop Bar)
• Minerva Roof Garden
• Roof Garden Les Étoiles
• La Rinascente Rooftop Garden
• Aroma Restaurant
• Les Etoiles Rooftop
• The Court Cocktail Bar

Beaches in Rome

Well, Rome has no direct access to the Tyrrhenian Sea (Mediterranean Sea), but there are many places nearby you can escape to enjoy the beach. During the summer, the most popular beach destinations from Rome are the Ostia Beach, Sperlonga, Santa Marinella, Fregene, Anzio, Sabaudia, Santa Severa, Terracina, Castel Porziano. Ladispoli and Civitavecchia. The closest one from Rome is the Ostia Beach (30 min on the train) but it’s not the prettiest.

Where to Stay in Rome

Well, there are 3 main sightseeing neighbourhoods in Rome and those include: the Old Rome (the historic medieval and renaissance centre of Rome), the Colosseo district (Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill) and the Vatican. Although all of them are beautiful, the first time visitors should definitely stay around the Old Centre.

When planning a holiday in Rome, it’s good to know it’s divided into the 22 districts (‘Rioni‘ of Rome): Monti, Trevi, Colonna, Campo Marzio, Ponte, Parione, Regola, Sant’Eustachio, Pigna, Campitelli, Sant’Angelo, Ripa, Trastevere, Borgo, Esquilino, Ludovisi, Sallustiano, Castro Pretorio, Celio, Testaccio, San Saba and Prati.

Most recommended hotels in Rome:

• Atlante Star Hotel

Read more: Best Hotels in Rome with the Perfect View

What to Eat in Rome

When in Rome, eat as Romans! Rome is definitely a great destination for the food lovers. The traditional dishes to try in Rome:

• Panino – Italian sandwich
• Porchetta – slow roasted pork sandwich filling
• Suppli – fried balls of meat and rice in a tomato sauce with cheese inside
• Carciofi alla Romana – Roman style fried artichokes
• Carciofi alla Giudia – Jewish style fried artichokes
• Fiori di Zucca – fried zucchini flowers
• Cacio e Pepe – long pasta with cheese and black pepper
• Carbonara – pasta with egg, hard cheese, cured pork and black pepper
• Maritozzi – sweet buns with whipped cream, breakfast type
• Pizza al Taglio – different topics, sold per slice
• Trapizzino – triangle shaped pizza pocket
• Cornetto & cappuccino – pastry and coffee
• Gelato – frozen ice cream dessert, made of fresh fruit

Read more: Traditional Greek Food and Best Restaurants in Rome

How to Get Around Rome

The best way to get around Rome is on foot. It’s really romantic to walk and admire the Eternal City. Plus, most of the tourist attractions are close to each other, except for Colosseum where you need the tube. You can also use the following means of transport.

Rome Travel Guide – Cost and Budget

Rome is an affordable travel destination in Italy. If you want to visit Rome on a low budget, you shouldn’t spend more that £50 a day. That’s assuming you stay in a hostel, eat pizza or other street food, use the public transport and visit some basic attractions.

If you travel Rome on the mid – range budget, you should spend around £100 daily. That will allow you to stay in a two or three star hotel, dine in the Roman restaurants, use taxis more often and visit paid tourist attractions like the Vatican museum.

If you want a luxury holidays in Rome, you must spend between £185 and £225 daily. With this budget, you will be able to stay in the top hotel, dine in the most expensive restaurants, use taxis a lot and take private guided tours around the eternal city.

Rome Travel Guide – Best Time to Visit

The fact is that Rome can be visited all year around. Best time for sightseeing Rome is spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November). Those months bring a nice sunny weather, very few showers and the daily temperatures between 17°C to 27°C.

If you travel to Rome in spring, you’re likely to experience the Easter holidays in Vatican (March and April), Rome’s birthday (21st April), the Rome Marathon (April), the Labour Day (1st May) and the Spanish Steps decorated with flowers. Autumn brings the Rome Jazz Festival in October and All Saint’s Day on the 1st of November.

The peak season in Rome is the summer between June and August. Those months bring extremely hot temperatures reaching up to 33°C and hardly no showers. This is also the time when children are off from school, tourist are flooding the city and the hotel prices skyrocket.

If you travel to Rome in summer, you’ll get to experience the Lungo il Tevere (night celebrations on the banks of the Tiber River in June), the festival of Estate Romana (June to September) and many street parties during the Festa de’ Noantri in July.

Rome Travel Guide – Average Monthly Temperatures

Basically, Rome is the hottest in summer from June to August. Those months bring the average temperatures between 29°C to 33°C with August being the hottest. In contrast, Rome is the coldest in winter from December to February. Those months bring mild temperatures between 13°C and 15°C with January being the coldest.

Rome Travel Guide – Average Monthly Precipitation

Rome is the wettest in winter from December to February. In fact, December is the month when it rains the most with average rainfall of 96 mm and 9 days of showers. Generally, winter in Rome brings the prices down so there are plenty of bargains and discounts to take advantage of. It hardly ever snows in Rome, but Christmas feels so festive with many markets all over the city.

On the contrary, Rome is the driest during summer from June to August with up to 7 mm of monthly rainfall and 4 days of showers. Moreover, August is often the time when Rome doesn’t see any rain whatsoever.

Rome Travel Guide – Practical Information

This part of my travel guide is dedicated to a handful of tips on what to expect during your holidays in Rome. For more information on language and local time, religion, electricity plug, internet, currency, visa, safety and health matters in Rome, just follow my clues below.

Population and Language – Rome is the capital of Italy with around 2,9 million people living in it. The official language is Italian and most Romans speak English well.

Religion – Rome is the capital of the Roman Catholic Church. 78% – Catholics, 15% – Non believers, 6% – Others, 1% – Protestants.

Local Time – There is 1 time zone in Rome: UTC+1 hours.

Electricity – Rome runs on 230V voltage. There is 50Hz and the plug type C, F and L. Getting an adapter is recommended.

Internet – The internet in Rome is available pretty much everywhere. The free Wi-Fi connections is offered in most hotels, restaurants and many public places. There are many hotspots around the city run by WiFiMetropolitano. If you want to use it, you will need a credit card and a Italian mobile number. Generally, it’s recommended to buy a cheap sim card and mobile internet on arrival. Best prepaid sim cards in Rome are: Tim, Vodafone, Wind and Tre (3).

Money and Currency in Rome

Money – There are many ATMs you can use in Rome. Most of them will let you withdraw your many for a standard fee. Visa, MasterCard, Eurocard, Cirrus Debit or Credit Cards are accepted. Having some cash is always advisable.

Currency – The official currency in Rome is Euro (€) (EUR).

Visa Requirements for Rome

Visa – EU citizens don’t need visas to travel to Rome, Italy. There is the Schengen Zone Area that allows free travel with no passport or border control. The UK left the EU on 31st of January 2020 meaning the UK citizens can spend up to 90 days within the Schengen Area (during any 180 day period). Valid ID document is required. If you are coming from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Americas you don’t need to worry about getting the visa, assuming you don’t stay longer than 90 days. Your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months before your travels.

Safety in Rome

Safety Travelling in Rome is really safe. The city is politically stable and there is very little crime. Pick-pocketing may be an issue in the most tourist places such as Colosseum, St. Peter’s Square etc. The thing to watch out for is the main railway station Termini where taking a bus line 64 is often targeted by the thieves. In places like Colosseum, Spanish Steps or Trevi Fountain be aware of men trying to push into buying the local souvenirs. Don’t be fooled by people trying to sell you the tickets to enter the churches in Rome, they are all fee to visit. In case of trouble, you can call the Carabinieri – the military police (black uniform and trousers with red stripes) or Polizia (blue and grey uniforms civilians).

Emergency Numbers – In Rome dialing 112 will connect you to the emergency services free of charge. The numbers for each emergency services in Rome are: Police – 113, Fire – 115, Medical Services – 118.

Health and Travel Vaccinations in Rome

Health – Traveling to Rome in Italy requires no vaccinations. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that everyone is covered for the diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and polio, hepatitis A, hepatitis B regardless of their destination.