Rome is without doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world
every year millions of tourists come from around the world to admire the
treasures and masterpieces
of Roman art and architecture.
But a trip to the Eternal City can be eternally confusing for first-time
visitors.
This guide will make it easier to uncover Rome
offering lots of practical advice that will help you discover
and enjoy the city in all its glory.
Because Rome is such a huge tourist draw,
choose the date for your trip carefully. The best times of the year to visit are
April, May, and late September through October.
In the height of summer, the heat and the crowds make the city nearly unbearable.
August in particular should be avoided because
this is the month all of Italy seems to go on vacation.
Traveling too late or too early in the year can also be risky
because the opening hours for many attractions are shorter,
and some are closed completely.
Airfares typically drop quite a bit when "shoulder season" begins in the early autumn,
making this the optimal time to visit in my book. The days are still warm,
the nights are slightly cool, and the tour groups and student mobs have mostly
disappeared.
If you can plan to stay as long as a week,
you won't run out of things to do and you'll still feel like you're leaving
too soon.
But if your time is limited, allow at least four days to see
all of Rome's major attractions. If you try to cram the entire city into a
two-day span
and do nothing but run from place to place furiously snapping pictures,
you'll only be cheating yourself. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day
and it can't be seen in one, either.
Rome's Fiumicino Airport is 19 miles outside the city.
A train station is located right inside
and you can travel straight to Termini Station near the center of town
but you'll then need to find a way to get to your hotel.
If you're carrying a lot of luggage or just want to make things easier on yourself,
take a cab or have your hotel arrange to have a hired car pick you up.
Either option will cost more but the no-stress factor makes it worth the extra money.
Renting your own car is always an option,
but even if you're planning to tour other parts of Italy
I wouldn't advise driving in or near Rome unless you have nerves of steel
and the skills and reflexes of a professional racecar driver.
Roman drivers are somewhat
exuberant and Roman traffic is often chaotic
to plunge fully into the essence a Rome
I highly recommend staying in a hotel where you can simply walk out your door
and into the heart of the city
of course the closer to the attractions you are
the more you'll pay but trust me it's worth it
before you make a reservation look at a map Avrohom
and confine yourself to hotels that are Easter the Taiba River
and West have 10 mini-station also be aware that
distances on a map might not be as close as they appear
I once dated a hotel in the fashionable the event at our area
thinking that it would be fairly close to all the major attractions but in
reality
took nearly half an hour to reach anything at all from there on foot
despite the fact that it looked at polls so close on paper
the most vibrant area to stay in
is the half-mile stretch between Piazza Navona and get somebody
some rooms here a pricey but you'll also find plenty of small family run hotels
nearby
guidebooks are fine for gathering ideas but
hit the internet to get the best deals or if you prefer
book a hotel directly with Italy guides dot I T
and you'll contribute to publishing future guides like this one
and
did 0 going hungry
is one thing no traveler should ever worry about while in Rome
the city is literally overrun with good places to eat
the busy area just south of the Spanish Steps as Fulham
and the Maison intersecting side streets tucked between Via del Corso
and Piazza Navona contains dozens as well
most have outdoor seating and offer similar menus containing pasta pizza
veal chicken and a few seafood dishes the food is typically simple
fresh and delicious and even the restaurants that seem to be tourist
traps
will still feed you well if you have a tough time choosing
your best bet is to simply decide what you want to look at while you're dining
and pick a restaurant based on that
for instance the Piazza della Rotonda contains several cafes
which face the Pantheon and Piazza Navona
is completely encircled by restaurants which offer views of its numerous
fountains
I'll for the younger folks we suggest and evening sipping beer and got said
the company fury
near the Pantheon or in picturesque
trust David typical hangouts on for young Romans
0 a few dining tips first
Rome is one of the cities where a restaurant's house wine is usually
excellent second although we recommend learning and using
at least a few italian phrases almost every way to real ever meet in Rome
speaks English
germans and other European tourists communicate with Italian waiters and
English
because it's the more common language some useful phrases for dining are
schools E or a mall or denied a which means
excuse me would like to order or you can ask for the check by saying
be condo paid for it and if the food was good in the waiters attentive
then don't forget to leave a small tip remember also that especially during
summer
Roman restaurants will be open until well after ten in the evening
dreams
take out that handy map a row again
now draw a diamond shape with the Spanish Steps at the top
ceremonies station to the right the Aventine hill at the bottom
and Piazza Navona to the left seventy-five percent of your sightseeing
will probably take place within this area
and even though it doesn't seem that big on the map you'll need at least two days
to see everything within the diamond
and three would be better some activities such as touring the ruins of
ancient Rome
including the Coliseum can easily occupy an entire day
up several notable sites like outside the diamond shape
including the vatican another full day destination
Castel Sant'Angelo and the Villa Borghese it
Rome subway system can come in handy when you're traveling to these locations
look for the big red M at the entrance to each station
and a one way ticket costs less than a dollar but there are also tourist
tickets called
biet or CIS good for unlimited rides
be ID be yet door to Reese to go in to get out on
is a three-day ticket valid until midnight on the third day on which the
ticket is validated
the CIS character into got a city man Ali
is a weekly one both the be it. NCIS tickets grandeur
unlimited rides on at doc orkut crowd buses
subways and some local trains
there's also a ticket called but Roma pass- which offers you transport and two
museums free of charge
as well as reductions for all other museums in major events in Rome
for a three-day pass the Roma passes available in all museums
and the tourist information points
and role as a city
that is best savored slowly like a glass a
robust red wine allow yourself the chance to see it properly
by formulating a touring plan before you arrive
choose one small section of the city to explore each day
leaving yourself ample time to lounge over a cup cappuccino at an outdoor cafe
or a scoop of gelato at one of the dozens of ice cream shop so find
I another hint is to save the attractions closest to your hotel
for last you may be tempted to do just the opposite
but these will be the easiest sites to visit if time starts to run short
if the worst-case scenario happens and you're unable to see everything in one
trip
just toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain before you leave
and as legend has it you'll be guaranteed
another visit in the future the new
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