Here are just a few of our Traveling in Rome Tips.
There are a few things you should know before you make your plans to visit Rome. The first thing is that most of the attractions in Rome are within walking distance of each other. As an example, when you make your plans to visit the Piazza Novna, you will be within a few minute walk to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. If you are going to visit the Piazza de Popala, you should also consider visiting the Spanish Steps and the Villa Borghese gardens and the Borghese Museum. This is just a few examples of attractions that are within walking distance of each other. If at anytime you get tired from walking there are taxi stands throughout the city so you will be able to rest your feet if find yourself exhausted from eating all the ice cream and visiting attractions. Check out our suggested daily itineraries while in Rome.
Another thing you want to consider is where you stay affects how much public transportation you are going to have to take to go to each attraction. For instance you can find a very reasonably priced Bed & Breakfast outside the main circle of attractions that is just a 20 minute tram ride away. My suggestion is to look for something closer to the attractions. I think your time is better spent enjoying seemingly endless attractions and churches. You can find some reasonable prices places right in the middle of all the attractions.
We can’t talk about Traveling in Rome Tips without talking about things to consider when eating in Rome. First and very important is that Restaurants in Rome are not always open the hours you may expect. For instance many restaurants and eateries are not open for breakfast. Many Restaurants in Rome are closed from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Some restaurants in Rome don’t open at all until 7:00pm. Many locals will tell you they will not go to a restaurant that is open before 7:00 pm because those are the ones who serve a lesser quality food to tourists. Another thing to be aware of is that you will often not be treated as a valued customer. Don’t take this personally, it is just they way they are and will most likely be. Remember the waiters don’t really expect tips so they don’t spend much time on service. My rule of thumb of tipping in Rome is to give anyone wether it be in a restaurant, in a taxi ride or taking a tour, tip them 2 euros. They seem to be happy with that. Some waiters will get offended if you tip more than that.
What to wear. “What should I wear when I visit Rome” is question that is most often asked. Well this question has many answers. It really depends on what time of the year you are visiting and what you are doing. If you are coming during the summer months you need to plan on wearing light weight clothing. Rome gets very hot during the summer (in the mid 90’s is common). you also want to wear the most comfortable walking shoes you have. Many of the streets in the most popular area of Rome are cobblestone so heels for walking is not a good idea. If you are traveling during the spring or fall, you should plan on bringing a sweater that you will wear during the day and evening. If you are coming in the heart of winter you are going to want to bring a warm jacket. Heavy snow is not the norm so you really don’t need to get all bundled up. Then you have to take into account what kind of attraction are you going to be visiting. If you are going to go to a church or Basilica men should be wearing long pants and shoes with at the very least a collard shirt. I will tell you that you can go and see the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel wearing shorts and flip flops but you cannot go into St. Peters Basilica without long pants, shoes and shirt. Woman should plan on wearing something to cover up their shoulders and clothes that are at least knee length. Again for both women and men you want comfortable shoes. Now say you are going to visit the Forum or The Colosseum you are not going to wear your finest clothes because those attractions tend to be dusty. How to dress in a restaurant in Rome also varies widely depending on what restaurant you are going to. As a rule of thumb, if you need reservation, you are most likely going to have to conform to a dress code.
I hope this answers some of your questions to give you an overview of what to expect when visiting Rome.
Oh Yea, One Last Thing. EXPECT LINES. One day you may go to the vatican and see very few people and the next you will find that you are being moved through the museum by other tourists as if you are on a moving sidewalk.
