It’s true what they say; “All Roads Lead To Rome”. You can’t go to Italy and not spend a couple of days in Rome! Check out this blog post for what to do in Rome and tips and tricks to make your trip the best one yet!

Hello everyone & welcome back to my blog! If you’re new to my blog (welcome btw 👋🏻) then you might not know that I won a scholarship to study in Italy for free for six months! Naturally, I spent more time on planes and trains rather than going to class. I still aced my classes though!

I landed in Bologna in February. On my first day of class, I met my Erasmus best friend Ivana. On our way walking back home from class, we started talking about how she wanted to visit Rome. I looked at her and was like ‘wanna go this weekend??’ The next thing I know is we were booking our bus rides and hotel in Rome!

Fast forward two years later, me, Luis and his family visited Rome and I felt super nostalgic as we walked around the same streets and spots me & Ivana visited! In today’s post, I am going to talk about what I did in Rome (both times) and give you some of my top tips & recommendations!

Somethings you should know:

✼ Rome is crazy busy with tourists all year round. Surprise!

✼ Pickpocketing is common so keep a keen eye on your belongings and trust your gut.

✼ A lot of walking will be involved so make sure you pack sunscreen and lots of water.

✼ There are ATMs all over the city so pulling out cash is very easy and almost all establishments accept bank cards. I only used to my bank card both times. The only cash I used was when I bought souvenirs.

✼ TOP TIP: Do not eat at cafeterias/restaurants where they say they have a specials menu and don’t show you the menu & prices. During my first time in Rome, me and my friend stopped by this place called Cafe St Anna close to the Vatican. The owner told us they have a special offer on chicken & pasta and we accepted. The food was horrible and the portions were super small. In the end, we ended up paying €98 for the food and two drinks! The receipt wasn’t also a fiscal one which means that the owner is not paying taxes and is breaking the law. If that happens to you, call 117! They are the Guardia di Finanzia and they can help you. The place we went to is thankfully, permanently closed.

Accommodation:

Address: Via Ugo Bartolomei, 18, 00136 Roma RM, Italy
Cost for our stay: €200

There is no shortage of hotels & AirBnb’s in Rome. We stayed at Vatican Rooms Accommodation. It was the perfect location as it was only a short distance away from The Vatican! The location was very safe & close to a number of metros.

Booking.com

Best time to visit Rome:

Personally speaking, the best time to visit Rome would be in Spring between March-May. Two years ago, I visited Rome in March. It was perfect because it was not hot and it was comfortable to walk around and take pictures. The second time, we went in July. That was a mistake! Walking around in the heat and humidity was a nightmare. September is also a good month. The weather starts getting a little bit cooler and the sun wouldn’t be as hot as it usually is during the Summer months.

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Getting around in Rome:

Forget taxis, the metro is the way to go. The underground metro system in Rome is efficient and very reliable. There are metros everywhere in Rome and they work until late hours. Furthermore, the tickets are not pricey at all! You can get a 7-day pass for only €24.

Unlike in Paris, Rome doesn’t have an official app that I am aware of. Instead, we used Rome Metro – Map & Route Planner and Google Maps. Both worked like a charm!

Where to eat:

Address: Vicolo Sciarra, 61, 00187 Roma RM, Italy.
Opening hours: 12:00 pm – 10:30 pm
Price range: Affordable

As expected, there are literally thousands of restaurants in Rome. From personal experience, the best restaurants are the ones located in the side streets and not the ones in touristy places. My favourite restaurant is Da Diego. This culinary gem is located in a side street very close to the Alta Della Patria.

Both times I’ve been in Rome I went there and both times I have not been disappointed. I mean, look at the food!

click on the arrow to see images.

Avoid mediocre restaurants by checking out the ones in the side streets. You can thank me later!

☆ Do yourself a favour and have a cannolo and arancina! You can find these in literally every cafe. You can thank me later!

What to do & see in Rome:

▷ Colosseum:

Address: Piazza del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours: 8:30 am – 7 pm
Official website: Click here

Duh.

The Colosseum is a must-see and it is one of, if not, the most popular tourist attraction in Rome. All year round you can see lines of tourists waiting to go in and Instagram models posing for their perfect shot all around it. I highly recommend you purchase tickets online if you are planning on going in the Colosseum. I raved about GetYourGuide in my Krakow blog post and after doing some research, it turns out they also have tours for the Colosseum!

All around the Colosseum, there are some amazing viewpoints and some perfect spots to take some pretty good photography. And that is exactly what we did!

▷ Fontana di Trevi:

Address: Piazza di Trevi, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours: Open all-day
Official website: Click here

A favourite of mine is the Fontana Di Trevi. Although it is packed with tourists and impossible to take a decent picture, it still remains one of my favourite sights.

You can throw coins in there for good luck, with your right arm and over your left shoulder. Over €3,000 are thrown in the fountain each year and in 2016, the money collected from the fountain was used to open a supermarket for Rome’s needy. What a great initiative!

▷ Vatican Museums/Square:

Address: Viale Vaticano, 00165 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours: 9 am – 4 pm
Official website: Click here

I’ve seen the Vatican many times on T.V. but being there is a whole new experience. There were a lot of soldiers and police in that area which is what you’d expect. The Vatican Museums are centrally located and you can get there easily with a metro. In our case, our hotel was only 10 minutes away so we walked it there. If you are wanting to go inside, purchase your tickets online. Just like at the Colosseum, the waiting lines are long!

Did you know that you can find a number of laundry places in the Vatican Square? The Pope commissioned these to be built so the homeless people can wash their clothes.

▷ Altara Della Patria:

Address: Piazza Venezia, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours: 9 am – 7 pm
Official website: Click here

This is a monument built to commemorate Victor Emmanuel which was the first King of the Kingdom of Italy. Visitors can go inside and admire the marble architecture, Roman-style columns and great views.

The museum was open when we went. As you can see, there is nothing but marble and it is absolutely stunning.

Do you remember the restaurant Da Diego I mentioned earlier? It is located meters away from the Altara! Eat some delicious homemade carbonara before heading to the Altara!

▷ Go Horseback riding:

Address: Via dei Cercenii, 15, 00178 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours: 7 am – 8 pm
Cost & duration €50 for one hour
Official website: Click here

This was a new experience to me. I have never been that close to a horse, let alone ride on one! We did some research before we went down to Rome and we came across Riding Ancient Rome. We contacted them via WhatsApp and within a couple of minutes, they replied back.

The people there are very nice and they make sure you are comfortable with the horse. Plus, the horses are very well looked after. I remember my horse was white and her name was Bella ❤️

Secondly, what makes this even more special and worth it is that they took us around the ancient part of Rome. You can still see the Roman villas and the cobbled pathways. It was like we were taken in a whole new world. I highly recommend you checking their website out and consider going horseback riding with them. They’re located on the outskirts of town. I remember we had to get the metro and walk it there. Make sure you plan ahead so you won’t arrive late and miss out on this amazing experience!

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▷ Constantine Arch:

Address: Piazza Della Rotonda
Opening hours: Open 24 hours
Official website: Click here

The Constantine Arch, also known as Triumphant Arch, is located right next to the Colosseum. This intricate building is rich in history. It is the most modern building built during Roman times and the material used were from other buildings that collapsed! Opposite of the arch, there is a patch of grass where locals and tourists alike, sit down to relax.

click on arrows to see images.

▷ Visit the Pantheon:

Address: Piazza Della Rotonda
Opening hours: Mondays to Saturdays: 8:30 am – 7:30 pm, Sundays: 9 am – 6 pm
Official website: Click here

Located only minutes away from the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon is another popular tourist attraction. Back in the day during Roman times, it was a temple. Nowadays, it is a church! The word ‘Pantheon’ in Greek means ‘ honour of all Gods’.

Furthermore, it is the best-preserved ancient Roman monument. It is a bit of a mystery how the Pantheon managed to survive barbarian raids when all the rest of Roman monuments had been shattered. It’s turning into a church in 609 AD has a lot to do with it in a later time, but also the structure itself is way ahead of its time. In fact, the exact composition of the material is still unknown and appears to be structurally similar to modern-day concrete! Whatever the reasons are, the Pantheon is the only structure of its age and size that has successfully survived the damage of time and gravity, still intact with all its splendour and beauty.

▷ Piazza Navona:

Address:Piazza Navona, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours: Open all-day
Official website: Click here

We stumbled upon this square by accident and I am super glad we did! It is very elegant and has a different vibe to it compared to the other tourist attractions in Rome. It has a very relaxed and chill atmosphere to it. I highly recommend coming here to take a break from all the walking around.

▷ Pont & Castel St Angelo:
Address: Pont Sant’Angelo, 00186
Opening hours of the castle: 9 am – 7:30 pm
Official website: Click here

Located only a short walking distance from the Vatican Museums, the castle and the point are worth a visit. It is a very popular hotspot so try to squeeze in and smile for the camera!

When I was doing my research before our trip, almost all the articles I read said that the visit to the castle isn’t worth it. That is why we didn’t go in! If you took the time to go inside the castle, let us know your opinions in the comment section below!

▷ Villa Borghese Gardens:

Address: Piazzale Napoleone I, 00197 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours: Open all-day
Official website: Click here

Villa Borghese Gardens in the most popular park in Rome; and rightfully so. These gardens are located on the Pincian Hill which is very close to the Spanish steps and Piazza Del Popolo.

You can also see the Vatican from here!

▷ Ponte Sisto:

Address: Piazza Trilussa, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours: Open all-day

Ponte Sisto in Rome connects the city centre with Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere. The bridge had been built from 1473 until 1479. If you turn left on the city side of the bridge, you can see in a line the fountain in Piazza Trilussa and the monumental Aqua Paola fountain on Gianicolo. This is a great photo opportunity at any time of the day.

This bridge is also another place where you can get a view of the Vatican.

Other recommendations:

⇢ Spanish steps: We went there and as expected, we could barely move because of the huge crowd of people. If you’re looking to get an Instagrammable shot at the steps, go early in the morning!
⇢ Piazza di Spania: Where the Spanish steps are located
⇢ Baths of Caracalla: Ruins of Roman baths
⇢ Janiculum: Popular terrace to get amazing views of the city
⇢ Tiber island: A stunning spot in Rome I wish I knew about before I visited!
⇢ The Roman Forum: For more ruins of Roman buildings

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And that brings an end to today’s post! While you’re still here, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and pin this blog post to your Pinterest!