I’m Abi from Holiday Extras travel guides and this time we’re in Rome.
We’ll be giving you all the essential information you’ll need to travel better, covering money,
language, transport, and even tips on what to do when you’re here But first, here’s
a little bit about the eternal city.
Modern Rome is a mesmerising mix of contemporary Italy and ancient history.
Millions of tourists visit every year, but make no mistake, Rome is not a city overrun
by tourism, step away from the siteseeing bus route, and discover a modern capital,
with some of the best food, shopping, and nightlife we’ve found yet.
Rome is served by two international airports, and of course this is where out guide starts.
Fiumicino airport sits to the west of the City, and Ciampino to the south east.
Transfers from each are relatively easy, first up Fiumicino.
From Fiumicino you have the Leonardo Express to Rome Termini, and the regional FL1 train
to other stations across Rome.
We don’t recommend the bus as it’s much slower than the train, and can be severely
delayed in Rome’s notoriously bad traffic.
Our tip here is to make sure you get your ticket validated before you get on the train,
otherwise you could find yourself facing a hefty fine!
When catching a taxi look out for those registered in the airport region, as they will take you
anywhere within the city walls for a fixed fee.You can spot them by the crest on the
doors.
If you’re flying into Ciampino airport we recommend using the bus to get into Rome.
There is a train station nearby but it’s a bit of a pain and requires lots of different
connections.
Taxis should offer a flat fare of €30 to take you anywhere inside the city walls.
But do be careful, we’ve heard of tourists being ripped off.
Public transport in Rome isn’t as prrevelend as in other major European capitals.
The tram doesn’t run through the major tourist areas and the metro doesn’t cover nearly
as much of the city as its London and Paris counterparts.
That said, the Metro can get you into town quickly from your hotel so it’s worth understanding.
The metro has just three lines; A and B intersect at Rome Termini station and C is the newest
line that runs from the centre to the east of the city.
The metro isn’t the cleanest in the world, but it does the job just fine in our experience.
Of course good old Google Maps, and Citymapper were all we needed for navigation with both
apps finding the quickest and most efficient routes with ease.
As for tickets, there are two main types of tickets to use on public transport in Rome.
The Metrebus ticket or the Roma Pass.
Metrebus tickets can be used on all public trains, buses and trams and can be purchased
at bars, tobacconists, train stations, some bus stops and even hotels.
Tickets aren’t validated until you travel, so you can easily stock up on all the tickets
you’ll need for your time in Rome in one go.
Metre’s tickets come in several different variations, and here’s the lowdown:
The BIT is the single ticket for one complete Metro journey, one commuter-train ride, or
100 minutes on the bus.
Roma 24H is valid for 24 hours after the first use and costs €7 for unlimited travel.
The 48H is €12.50And the 72H is €18And the CIS is a 7-day ticket and will set you
back €24.
Coming in 48-hour and 72-hour variations, The Roma Pass gives unlimited travel on public
transport but includes discounts on some tourist attractions.
We’ll put links in the description below.
To buy a Roma pass you can purchase online or look out for one of the kiosks in the city
centre.
Roma passes are valid for 8months after purchase, and will activate on your first use.
Giving you 48 or 72 hours of unlimited travel thereafter.
And one last thing on transport, remember the Roma pass and the metre’s ticket don’t
work on sightseeing buses, so remember to purchase those tickets separately.
To get a genuine taste of Roman food we’ve come to Testaccio in the south.
It’s a bit of the beaten tourist track, but it’s well worth it when you’re here.
We’ve come to meet restaurant owner Flavio to teach me all about Roman delicacies.
Flavio runs the traditional Roman restaurant Flavio al Velavevedotto, and before he showed
us some food he explained the history of the area, and the restaurant.
Testaccio is the original trade and slaughter house area, and the place where the the City’s
most traditional foods and markets are found, still mostly locals here the area itself is
slowly gentrifying and being discovered by tourists.
But my advice is to get here asap, before it changes forever!
The restaurant itself is set into a mound that’s been built into a huge deposit of
vases and crockery.
it’s insane you can literally feel all of the air coming through the holes… after
exploring the restaurants history we went outside to try some of Flavio’s favourite
dishes, first up was Zucchini flowers, ‘Open and put your nose inside’, ‘Ah to smell
it?’, ‘That smells really nice’, ‘Yeah, now you can taste’.
Flavio is also known in Rome as the king of Carbonara, and is pasta dishes have won several
awards, so of course I couldn’t leave without trying some!
You can really taste the cheese! and it’s like not really soft, but that’s a really
nice thing.
So massive thanks for Flavio for letting us try some of his amazing food, and for teaching
us all about Testaccio.
If you’re in Rome we definitely recommend paying him a visit.
At Holiday Extras we’re firm believers in learning a bit of the local language when
we travel.
To learn some Italian we met up with local guide Alessandro of venividivisit.org, a service
offering free guides to some of Rome’s lesser known sites.
Err, how do you say hello?
Ciao, that’s the easiest!
Perfect.
Err, yes?
SI!
Please?
Per piacere.
My name is?
Mi chime.
Do you speak English?
Paula Ingress?
Paula Ingress…
erm now find a version without R’s.
Err, and how do you say where is the nearest Metro station?
*Yep we have no idea what he says here!!* You can just say, Scusi, la Metropolitana?
and if you’re in Rome the usual most part of the time will be not around here, as there
are just a couple of stops in the centre.
Ah ok!
Thank you?
Grazie!
Goodbye!
We have many ways, but the easiest way would be to repeat Ciao.
So you learn one word and it’s good for both!
So big thank you to Alessandro for spending the morning with us, his tour is really interesting
and takes you to some awesome places, to book a tour head to his website at Venividivisit.org,
and please don’t forget to tip generously, as it’s well worth it!
Most places in Rome will accept card payments, and ATM’’s are frequent enough that you
won’t have any trouble withdrawing cash when you need it.
Just remember to check with your provider about travelling abroad, some will lock your
card if you don’t warn them you’re going to Italy.
We found Rome to be slightly cheaper than London, but costs where inline with many other
European capitals, the currency is the Euro, and here is a look back at our spending:
Return flights will cost around £70 to £180, depending on when you book.
Our 3 bedroom apartment was £!02 per night.
A ticket to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine will cost €12, and free for under
18’s.
Entry to the Vatican museum, and Sistine Chapel, is €16, and for those aged between 6 - 18
it’s €8.
The Pantheon is free to enter.
And if you want to save money on food, don’t eat at restaurants near tourist attractions,
the prices are higher, and the quality is lower at these places.
As for tipping, two thirds of Italians don’t tip when they dine out, so don’t feel pressured
to, If you want to just round up the bill by a few Euros.
So our time in Rome is nearly over, but before we go we’ve got loads of extra tips to help
you travel better.
When to go? April, May and late September through October.
You avoid the unbearable crowds of summer and attractions will all still be open.
Avoid August if you can.
Ques for the big sites can get crazy, if go after 9.30am, at peak holiday season you can
expect at least a 60min wait.
This can even get unto a few hours for St Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel.
It’s about 4 o’clock, and it’s absolutely boiling hot, and the que to get into the Basilica
is absolutely insane!
So you can see behind me, it starts like all the way down here, And it’s not like it’s
cool either, it’s literally like 30 degrees, and we’re completely boiling.So I don’t
know how they’re doing it, i really really don’t!
Try to arrive 30 minuets before opening to be near the front of the que.
When visiting a church, make sure to ; Cover your shoulders, cover your knees and wear
shoes.
If you don’t stick to the dress code then they won’t let you in, even if you’ve
queued for hours!The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel require the same modest clothing and,
as you’re effectively stepping into another country, they also have some security checks:Interesting
fact most of the tourist sites, are really busy on Mondays, err most things are shut
on Sundays, so most tourists come on the Mondays!
Something to keep in mind.
And one last thing, anyone 25 or younger qualifies for a reduced rate at all Rome attractions,
so get it while you can!
So that’s the end of our time here in this most beautiful City.
For more on Italy check out our guides on Florence, Pisa and Venice, and don’t forget
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