Are you planning to visit Rome and the Vatican? So get ready to walk, walk and walk. Needless to say that you will need comfortable shoes. I think that after Lisbon, Rome was one of the cities that we walked the most when visiting tourist attractions.
The truth is that, although there are buses and the tube, it is easier just to walk. After all, the buses are frequently delayed, and it barely passes through the town centre. Also, the metro stations are far, and you will have to walk anyway. In the end, you will end up walking.
But look, it’s worth every step because the city is beautiful, full of history and it’s incredible to imagine everything that happened there hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
It is a bit weird in a way, to be walking around those ancient monuments and at the same time to be surrounded by tourist, cars and some modern buildings. The only thing that spoils the city is us, the tourists. Everything is super crowded, long queues, and it is difficult to get a good picture or have a moment of tranquillity.
When I say that everything has a queue, it is because, for each attraction, you will have to wait, in some cases, hours to be able to buy the entrance ticket and then another queue to enter. I really think the best, although I do not like it, is to buy all the tickets in advance. I do not like to do that because you take the flexibility out of your trip, which is always good when on holidays. But in that case, it’s better than facing those lines, for sure!
In my opinion, the ideal is to leave 3 or 4 whole days of your trip just for Rome (one of them for the Vatican) and even then you will not be able to see all that the city has to offer.
One tip that I have is: try to figure it out if the Roma Pass is worth it or not (for you). The Roma Pass includes public transportation, entry into a tourist attraction and discount on the rest, in addition to being able to skip part of the queue. But if you want to, you can buy an all-day ticket to use tram, tube and bus, directly at the station. Not to mention that if you are staying in a central hotel, you won’t need to use public transportation. The ticket costs €7 for 24 hours. More info about the Roma Pass here: http://romapass.it
Besides, if you buy the attraction ticket in advance, you’ll also be able to skip part of the queue. I do not know this person, but I found super useful the tips she gave about these discounts and entrance tickets in Rome (in English): https://revealedrome.com/2017/05/is-a-roma-pass-worth-it-or-omnia-card/
Now, a valuable tip is: do not go to restaurants near the attractions, as they are much more expensive and usually not as good as the others. Always go to some more distant street, on the sides of the tourist attraction and there you will find a price that is more appropriate for the delicious food (remembering that in Italy the currency is Euro). We are only talking about going inside a couple of blocks away from the attraction, you will surely notice the difference.
How to get there?
Rome has 2 airports, Fiumicino (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA), the first one further from the city (30km) and the largest of them. Fiumicino has a train station, making it easy to travel to the city centre by public transport. The Ciampino is smaller, the cheap flight’s companies operate, and it is closer to the city centre (15km). It does not have a train line inside it, so you have to take a bus that will take you to the nearest bus station (around 5-10 minutes). Both have the option of taking buses to the city centre.
You can also take the train that arrives in the centre of Rome, but it is better to ask for information at the station in the town from which you will be departing.
I think these are the main tips about this fantastic city. Click here to have all the information about what is a must-see in Rome and click here to see my tips of the Vatican. If you need more information, do not hesitate to ask me, okay? Have a lovely day!
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