r/travel • u/AutoModerator • Nov 30 '17
Advice r/travel City Destination of the Week: Rome
Weekly topic thread, this week featuring the city of Rome. Please contribute all and any questions / thoughts / suggestions / ideas / stories about this travel destination.
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u/Junius_Brutus Nov 30 '17
One of my favorite places to visit is the Baths of Caracalla, a walk south of the colosseum and the circus maximus. I love it because it is enormous in scale, but very few tourists (comparatively) make it there, so there's a certain haunted quality to it. You also get a good sense of its original grandeur from the architecture and the remaining floor mosaics.
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u/buzzy80 Dec 02 '17
This was my favorite site in Rome. The scale of the ruins, coupled with the quiet, made for an incredibly moving experience for me. To see what the Romans were capable of, and to contemplate how rapidly it fell apart and disappeared, was humbling.
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u/joustswindmills Dec 05 '17
Went by there yesterday.......and was half an hour too late to see it. Fortunately I'm heading back to Rome in a week. Definitely on the list.
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u/BeautifulComplaint81 Feb 26 '23
Did you need tickets?
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u/joustswindmills Feb 26 '23
No. We just walked up and bought, iirc. It was the least touristy thing we did. Very empty.
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u/CitizenTed United States Nov 30 '17
I just wrote about this recently, but I'll mention it here too:
If you can swing a Sunday in Rome (and the weather is good), you should head to the Punto Informativo Appia Antica on the Appian Way. They are located near the start of the Appian Way. They rent bicycles, including ebikes. Get an ebike! Worth the money.
On Sundays vehicle traffic is banned on the Appian Way so you can cycle it without stress. It's an amazing ride! The ancient road is littered with memorials and monuments and ruins. Most of the road is newer brick, easy to ride. But the oldest parts are ancient Roman boulders with equally ancient ruts from the many ox carts that brought goods in and out of Rome for centuries. Cycling over the boulders is rough but there are usually paths on the grassy sides to ride on instead.
Biking the Appian Way was a highlight of my trip and I think you'll dig it, too.
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u/Prestigious-Pie-4345 Nov 23 '22
Wow. That sounds amazing since I love riding by bike. Do you recommend to do it also now end of November? My motivation is: there is no bad weather. But bad clothes. So, even if its cold, is it nice?
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u/CitizenTed United States Nov 23 '22
Actually, yes! This Sunday will be sunny and 60F. At the Centro Servizi Appia Antica, rent an electric bike. It will make it easier and if you are caught out you can speed back.
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u/Kldsrf Dec 01 '17
- The Complesso del Vittoriano in Rome is, for a limited time, hosting original Monet paintings. Tickets for students are around 7 euros.
- Right next to that is the "Capitoline Museums", a single museum that houses around 3 floors full of paintings and sculptures. A ticket is around 15 euros.
- The MAXXI is a national museum of contemporary art, designed by the famous Zaha Hadid. The museum is a bit far north of the city centre but can be easily reached by tram. It hosts about 4 floors of modern art, including a lot of architectural models and designs.
- If you enjoy walking, start from the Termini station in the centre and walk towards the Vatican City. Along your way, you'll pass by St. Angelo's castle and bridge, the Napolean Museum, the Supreme Court of Cassation, but most importantly a small restaurant called "Cantina e Cucina" which has the best lasagna in Rome (according to reviews on Google). I made a short video of the scenery along that walk that you might enjoy.
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u/treskro Dec 01 '17 edited Dec 01 '17
Four churches that you should visit if you have time:
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane - a minuscule but perfectly executed exercise in insane geometrical form
St. Paul’s outside the walls - a massive papal basilica that is less frequented by tourists since it is located a bit outside the historical center. Easily accessible by metro though
Santa Sabina all’Aventino - a stark and serene medieval church with a fantastic original carved wood door from around the mid 400sCE, situated atop the Aventine Hill
Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza - if you can manage to squeeze your way into its tight opening hours, Borromini’s triangular baroque church is a treat.
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u/NotLaFontaine 80+ countries Dec 01 '17
I just spent 4 days there. It was my second visit.
If you're looking for a quiet place, I think near the Vatican is one of the quieter areas of Rome. That's where I was based this time. I can recommend two places in that area: Vatican Rooms Holiday in Rome and Colazione al Vaticano. Both were nice, clean, quiet and had friendly staff. Colazione is closer to the Vatican, but has a shared bathroom. Vatican Rooms is near the Cipro metro stop and there's a cafe next door as well as many restaurants nearby.
Speaking of restaurants, I had two excellent dining experiences in the area near the Vatican. Le Felizianerie and La Locanda di Pietro were both excellent. Reservations are recommended.
Within Rome proper, I believe walking is the best way to get around. Depending on where you stay, most places won't be more than a 40-minute walk away. If the weather is nice and you have time, take the walk so you can stop in at a café or pasticceria along the way. Plus, it gives you the chance to see a different side of the city.
Outside of Rome, I recommend the short train trip to Ostia Antica, a large archeological site that was once the harbour city of Ancient Rome.
If you're interested in history, prior to going, or even on your flight, listen to the Tides of History podcasts that focus on the rise and fall of Rome.
If you're into audio guided walking tours, download the Rick Steves app. It's free (with no in-app purchase) so you have nothing to lose. He offers 10 free audio guided walking tours for Rome. Worth a download for sure!
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u/cold-n-sour Canada Nov 30 '17
I was in Rome with a pretty short excursion on a big trip. After some narrated driving in a bus we were let out on Piazza del Popolo (People's square) and walked to Piazza Venezia and back in a couple of hours or so. So, pretty limited experience, but it's a beautiful and very atmospheric city that's worth visiting again and staying longer.
My advice is to avoid the main streets and just wander through the smaller ones. You will avoid the crowds (and there are crowds of people) and still be able to experience the atmosphere. Same goes for eating, tons of little places away from the crowds, and the one we chose at random was excellent.
Also, allow twice as much time as you think you need to just walk from point A to point B. Especially if you take big streets - the sidewalks on those are busy.
At the Piazza del Popolo there are "scammers" who target couples by giving the lady a rose. They then demand an exorbitant price for it. Firmly refusing works.
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u/Newshroomboi Dec 07 '17
Whoa I just realized that atmospheric is the perfect word for what I like in a city. I never realized until now but that's a very good descriptive term for what I like. Do you have any other cities you feel are atmospheric? Preferably toward eastern Europe
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u/cold-n-sour Canada Dec 07 '17
I haven't been to EE. But pretty much any German/Swiss/Austrian city (or town) has this "Brothers Grimm" charm in their older part ("Altstadt").
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u/germanbini United States Feb 20 '18
I haven't been yet, but doing a lot of research about visiting Istanbul - it looks quite "atmospheric" to me. Watch a lot of YT videos and see... the exchange rate looks really good right now as well. :)
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u/Jazzy_Jelly Dec 07 '17
Get a haircut at imagine barber shop. I wondered around residential Rome for hours looking for the perfect place to get a European cut. It is just like you'd imagine a charming Italian barber shop to be.
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u/GetTheLedPaintOut Dec 07 '17
Angrypig Birretta e Porchetta is an amazing place to eat near the vatican, and is a great break from the marathon meals.
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u/lifeoflisamarie Mar 08 '18
I live in Rome and I absolutely adore this city, but there are quite a few things you should look out for. Nothing extreme, just a "heads up" sort of thing so you know what to expect. I actually made a video about this and I talk about 10 things that I personally think you should know about from strikes to floods to pickpockets and so on! It's a short video, and I think you'll find it useful. I'll leave the link. Feel free to ask me anything if you have any questions! https://youtu.be/ulLGhwpDHxw
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u/Stego111 Dec 01 '17
Public restrooms can be hard to find. Don’t feel bad about using ones in restaurants.
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u/Asterion7 Dec 02 '17
We went to Rome in May. By far the best part is just walking around and exploring on foot. Every corner you go around is something new. It is a great city to just walk, most of the major sites are in walking distance of each other. Make sure you buy your Vatican tickets ahead of time to avoid the line. And budget a lot of time for the Vatican Museum. So much to see. The capitoline museum was my favorite and a must if you are into history at all. Another highlight as someone else mentioned was riding bikes on the Appian way on a Sunday when it is closed to traffic. You will have fun, try to avoid large group tours and the pushy sales guys selling flowers/knick knacks. By far they are the worst part of a trip to Rome. But a firm no usually makes them back off.
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Dec 03 '17
I was there this summer. Best thing for me was visiting the dome of St Peter Cathedral. Go there in the very early morning! It costs 8€ for an adult (no discounts) and you can only pay cash. I only recommend it to FIT people. For the first part of the way to the top you can chose between taking the stairs or the lift (little extra cost). It's about 200 stairs and afterwards you find yourself in the middle of the big cupola with an inside walkaround. For the next part you HAVE TO take the stairs and there are a lot of them. It is a really narrow way to the top, espacially the last 20 steps but it's definitely worth the efforts. You will have a stunning view over the city! But again, it is nothing for unfit people, very young children, old people and people with claustrophobia. And there is another 'secret' tipp for all of you: go to the Basilica di Santa Sabina all'Aventino, follow the road Via di Santa Sabina to its end and take look through the keyhole of the big gate to your right!
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u/Andross24 Dec 02 '17
Go to Pinsere to grab a takeaway pizza. Around the corner you will find gelataria Romana, the best Gelato in Rome. I highly recommend visiting St Paul's outside the wall. Has a beautiful courtyard area and is not as crowded as other churches
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u/Search-Open Oct 29 '22
HI! My friend and I are visiting Rome from November 8-12. We need advice for a night out, bars with electronic music and house/techno clubs. Thanks in advance
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u/buzzy80 Dec 02 '17
Food in Rome is terrific, but you must do your research and reserve ahead for dinner. It can be very difficult to walk in to well-regarded restaurants, and unlike Florence, the food in touristy restaurants is often really lousy.
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u/vi2e77 Apr 09 '18
Do you have any personal recommendations for Rome? I’ll be there in May, and would like to book restaurants ahead of time!
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u/buzzy80 Apr 09 '18
I'm actually in Rome right now, what a coincidence! I caveat all of the following by saying that I have no special authority, and Rome is still not my favorite part of Italy for food (but God knows its better than Venice!).
Try Osteria dell'ingegno, near the Trevi Fountain. It's absolutely terrific, with a great wine list. Le Virtu in Tavola is a nice place a little out of the way, near St John Lateran. Renato e Luisa near Lago di Argentina. Terre e Domus by Trajan's market, if you are doing the tourist stuff in the ancient center. Osteria Pucci in Trastevere for offal and surprisingly good desserts. I hope if you choose any of these places, they work out for you! And as you will be there in May, make sure you order artichokes and asparagus much as possible.
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u/vi2e77 Apr 10 '18
Thank you for the recommendations! Enjoy your time there. I can’t wait to get there!
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u/buzzy80 Apr 25 '18
Friends just returned from Rome and raved about Flavio al Velavevodetto and Roscioli, in case you need a couple more options.
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u/ReneSelt May 19 '23
Anyone have any advice on small towns to visit between Rome and Naples? We would go by train. Thanks
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u/Isatis_tinctoria May 24 '23
Staying in Rome in early July, what’s a good place to stay and a good two day self guided tour?
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u/RichieOmega Jan 24 '18
Would like to go away with my gf to Rome for 2-4 nights, she really wants to see all of the touristy sites e.g. Colosseum, Vatican city etc we also want to have a relaxing and romantic time in the city. My question is where is the best place for us to book our hotel? Any specific recommendations would be grateful appreciated
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u/Namegro Apr 02 '18
Our vacation lined up to have our first full day in Rome on May 7th, which is the first Sunday of the month. We're reading now (my wife and I) that museums and Colosseum are free this day.
What are everyones recommendations to do this day? Vatican is Closed correct? We only have sunday and monday as full days in Rome, want to make the best out of them. Our plan now is to not book anything in advice including tickets to these places since they wont do much. We cant reserve anything this day right?
Thanks
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Apr 01 '24
Just booked a flight to Rome. Arriving April 12th in the early afternoon and leaving April 22nd. Need some recommendations and maybe other cities to see? My main interests are drinking beer and watching futbol (calcio) and would love to catch some games live. I understand getting tickets for bigger teams maybe more expensive so please feel free to shoot me some teams from Serie B/C/ o D as well that friendly to foreigners and a good time. Im open to anything. Thank you!
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u/fabulous_throwawayx May 25 '24
Travelling to Rome next week - 3 people, 5 nights. How much spending money should we roughly take? (Doubt we will be fine dining or shopping much, more about seeing places).
Also, does anyone know which cities nearby we can go to via train for the day and how much it would cost?
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u/kellysmileyjane42 Jun 26 '24
What are the most basic preparations I need to do before a trip to Rome? Is it just to get passports, book flights and hotels?
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u/Emergency-Increase69 Jun 27 '24
Not sure how long ago people went who are raving about Rome - but I have to say, after 30yrs of travelling fairly extensively on 5 continents - Rome has been the biggest let down. A few key points:
airport crowded, wifi not working the day I flew in, baggage took almost an hour to make it to carousel. if you have booked an airport shuttle, follow the signs for bus station instead of the signs for airport shuttle.
Rome pass (Turbopass) a complete waste of money. doesn't get you in to half the attractions it says. have to go random tourist information centres dotted around the city to pick up tickets (even when you've bought the pass) to get into equally spread out attractions (which are not close to the ticket pick up points). Also their customer service is non existent. I'm still waiting for a reply to a simple question asked by WhatsApp 48hrs ago.
Scaffolding. Roadworks. Graffiti. Boarded up buildings. EVERYWHERE! the castle looks great on the internet but it's covered in scaffold.
Long, long queues everywhere. Even with a pre-booked time slot. In the hot sun.
No staff around at places like the train station if you need to ask questions
Ticket machines at the train station very slow. Because they play you advertising that you can't skip. No option to buy a ticket from an actual human.
lots of stuff boarded up / fenced off. Including several of the paths leading to the Vatican, leading me to miss my prebooked / prepaid time slot. Tunnels in the metro that you can walk a fair way into following signage and then find it fenced off and you have to walk all the way back again and try to figure another way out by yourself
many attractions that require a phone booking. which isn't great if you're from overseas and your phone doesn't work here.
people are RUDE. not just people on the street, but the people working in tourism. I work in tourism and I'd be fired if I treated people like that!
I had nothing against Italians (or any race / nationality) but the only decent service I received in this country was from a Chinese guy running a coffee shop and an Indian guy in a corner store. Many staff members too busy chatting and smoking to actually serve. Walked out of several cafes & restaurants because of this (I wasn't the only one) and ate crisps and an apple from the corner store for dinner in a country with some of the most famous cuisine in the world.
Nowhere in the city to just sit in the shade unless eating at a restaurant. All the parks I came across were closed / fenced off.
Often can't walk on the footpath due to parked cars / restaurant tables. And I'm talking about fairly busy roads with lots of traffic. Also cars very rarely stop for pedestrians crossing the street, even if on a proper crossing and the pedestrian is already half way across when the car comes.
attractions aren't that close together, or that close to metro stops. Maybe ok in winter, but in summer it's just too hot and humid to do that much walking. (didn't have a choice of what time of year I came, had to come when I can get time off work in the Australian off-season)
hotels not necessarily honoring bookings. I had to get out of bed to let a guy in who was buzzing on the door for ages. he had a valid reservation, which I saw myself. when staff member eventually appeared, he told the guy they were full and he had to leave. Like literally threw the guy out onto the street at 11.30pm, in the dark, in a country where he couldn't speak the language and didn't have a working phone out internet, with all his luggage, despite the fact that he had a valid and paid reservation! Wasn't even offered to sleep on the couch for the night because the hotel had screwed up and overbooked.
if you're asthmatic or otherwise not good with cigarette smoke, it's pretty hard to avoid it here.
Like I say I've travelled a lot. I've been to capital cities, small urban areas, and very remote places. I've been to plenty of places off the beaten track where there's basically no tourist infrastructure, no-one speaks English, and sometimes the signs are in a different alphabet let alone language. I've been to incredibly poor countries where the people have very little. But I've never been as disappointed by anywhere as by Rome.
(on this same trip - Taipei, Seoul, London, Dubrovnik, Mostar so far. All way more enjoyable) Heading to Saudi Arabia this evening which fully admits that it isn't yet set up for tourists. But somehow I suspect I will have a more enjoyable experience there.
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u/-SchwarzBruder- Oct 18 '23
Black American Couple Traveling to Rome in a Couple Days, Anything to be Concerned About?
Just in general, but also because of the recent protest going on as result of Israeli/Palestine situation. Apparently there is going to be another protest regarding unions and unfair wages? Overall me and my partner have been very paranoid, and the last minute stress of us potentially not being able to get a refund has only aided in that.
Is it safe or should we just cut our loses? What information should I be looking up? Any links to articles and news coverage will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
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u/nnutty1122 Sep 16 '22
So I'm a mature university student. My only real opportunity to travel next year is Easter break. I'm aware that I will be leaving on Easter Sunday, will my week be effected by anything leading up to Easter such as booking attractions or leaving on the 9th? Thanks.
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u/Dear-Coat-796 Aug 02 '23
I'll be staying in Rome for about two weeks over the Christmas holidays, would it be better to stay at a hotel or Airbnb?
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u/littlepumpkin_0 Dec 24 '23
Going to Rome for 14 days- what should I put on the itinerary including day trips?
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u/happysysadm Feb 20 '24
For those coming to Rome next March to run the 2024 marathon, I have just shared a few useful links including the Strava segments for 2023 and 2022 marathon.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you need any other information!
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u/olives1234 Nov 30 '17
My favourite neighbourhood to stay in is Trastevere. It has a great atmosphere at night, with lots of good restaurants. I would recommend the guest house Rhea Silvia: lovely staff and a free bottle of wine! DO NOT stay near Termini Station/Vittorio Emanuele, ESPECIALLY if you are a girl alone. A lot of the hostels are situated here, however – if you end up in this area, don’t let it cloud your impression of Rome as a whole.
Rome is best seen by foot or vespa. The metro and trams are quite good as well. Don’t get the bus if you like things to be organised or on time. In the summer especially all semblance of a bus timetable falls apart.
Try to go early in the morning if you want to see inside big sights such as the Vatican and the Colosseum; if not, you’ll be unable to move for the crowds and will have to queue for ages. My favourite museum is Galleria Borghese, but you must book tickets online in advance. Cripta dei Cappuccini is worth visiting: it’s basically a room full of creepy, ornate bone art. I’ve also heard that the many catacombs around Rome are worth a visit.
If you want great views you must either hop up to Gianicolo or Giardino degli Aranci. If you fancy a walk around lush and wild Roman gardens, then Villa Pamphili is worth a visit. And if you like interesting, crazy architecture, you have to see Quartiere Coppedè.
The food in Rome can be hit and miss. A lot of it is basic pizza/pasta without much finesse and is just catering for tourists. If you’re near the Spanish Steps at lunchtime, queue up for the 4 euro takeaway pasta/gnocchi from Pastificio Guerra. Just don’t eat it on the Spanish Steps if you don’t want an Italian policeman angrily blowing a whistle in your face. Pizzeria Ai Marmi in Trastevere is a good bet for traditional pizza, cod and arancini, and if you’re a real foody then the Testaccio area has some good markets. The best gelato I had was well outside the tourist areas, in the Prati district (it was a place far up the Viale Trionfale). Stay on the lookout for ricotta and pistachio flavour. It will change your life.
Some of the more hip, “underground” places for nightlife are Voodoo Bar and Ex dogana. They aren’t particularly tourist friendly, but have some really cool features. If you want to get drunk with other tourists and wake up with regrets then go to Yellow Bar.