Rome Recommendations

J

JaenBoro

Well-known member
Me and the other half are going to Rome in the New Year and would be interested to hear any recommendations. Especially any money saving tips as we are on a budget and some of the guided tour and entrance fees I've seen are a bit dear. Which are worthwhile? I've heard that the Vatican Museums get so packed with people as to be not worth the bother.

I've been once before when I had a morning free during a business trip but she's never been to Italy at all. We'll be there 5 days and we are staying in Trastevere.
 
this is of no use to you at all, but I much preferred Milan.

I only hear people talk about how busy Rome is, how expensive everything is and how tourists get ripped off.
 
JaenBoro said:
Me and the other half are going to Rome in the New Year and would be interested to hear any recommendations. Especially any money saving tips as we are on a budget and some of the guided tour and entrance fees I've seen are a bit dear. Which are worthwhile? I've heard that the Vatican Museums get so packed with people as to be not worth the bother.

I've been once before when I had a morning free during a business trip but she's never been to Italy at all. We'll be there 5 days and we are staying in Trastevere.
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here what the last 2 threads brought up - should save you some time

fmttmboro.com

Historic Rome recommendations please

I’m in Rome for a few days and wondered if there are any historic buildings or monuments to see here. Thanks in advance for any recommendations.
fmttmboro.com fmttmboro.com

fmttmboro.com

Rome

Off to Rome with the Mrs for a long weekend a week today, Ive been before she hasnt, so will be doing the usual tourist stuff for her Vatican, Colosseum, castel st angelo, Pantheon, Fountain etc, anyone recommend anything abit different thats not as commonly known or any quiryky little...
fmttmboro.com fmttmboro.com
 
I've only been once. I had one morning free from work. I walked from the south of the Vatican City towards the airport through the centre of Rome. I had no idea where I was going but on every corner there was something magical. Ruins, Colosseum , arches, drains with SPQR on them, Vatican Walls, st. peter's basillica. One of the most beautiful mornings I have ever spent aimless. Didn't spend a euro. Long to return.

Missed the trevi fountain.

What I do, when broke, is put all the things I want to see in google maps and see if I can find a walkable route between them. Didn't have google maps then and I still managed to see loads accidentally.

I thought Paris was my favourite European city until I had a morning in Rome.
Hope you have a great time
 
I would recommend a guided tour of ancient Rome that gets you into the colusseum.

Definitely top tip is a travel card, 21 Euros for the week gets you on virtually unlimited travel on the metro and buses ( there was a bus to the airport couldn’t get on that’s all.)

I went in the summer hadn’t been for nearly 20 years. I gave the Vatican a miss this time. The Sistine chapel was very dark, they only turn the lights on I think if someone important is in there.

The Pieta statue by Michelangelo which is nearby took my breath away it was amazing.

The Pantheon is an awesome building and it’s free. Just go and explore and have a great time, it’s a beautiful city.
 
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There's a square called Campo Di Fiore. Nice market and that there. Nestled in the corner is a great little bar called the Drunken Ship. It's adjacent to a nice fountain.
⚽🤪
 
When Boro played there, light years ago, we were on a budget and stayed in a hostel outside Termini Station. There was a newspaper shop/kiosk with a table and chairs outside and the very nice beer was cheaper than it was at home 😁

The hostel also had reasonably priced eateries listed, the one we tried was a top notch family run joint.

A word of warning, if the bathrooms are full of gorgeous women when you need a slash in the middle of the night and decide to use the bushes outside, make sure to take a key with you or you'll be wandering around a rough area in your undies for a spell.
 
Da Francesco for a fabulous pizza. It’s not posh or expensive. Grab a beer and sit with new friends.
Also, watch out for the old taxi scam- if you hand over a large denomination note (anything above EUR10), state the value to the driver and watch your change!
 
If your Mrs is pregnant she gets into the Vatican free, tell her to push her belly out abit and rest her hand on it, when getting tickets. 🤣

When we went I was told I didn’t have to pay for my Mrs as she was expecting and was congratulated, she wasn’t she’d just developed a little food baby from the excesses of the previous couple of days, thankfully I managed to stop her going mental and urged her to thank them for this kindness. Maybe I’m going to hell now. 🤷‍♂️
 
There’s so much history in Rome it’s almost impossible not to enjoy or find fascinating. I remember arriving at the Termini late at night and was genuinely worried as it’s not the nicest part of the city. Large groups of lads all around and me and the Missus looking very much as tourists. Nothing happened though, which is more a reflection how we can create situations in our minds that might not be there.

There are some brilliant little places to eat and just walking around the city is brilliant. If you like architecture I would recommend just going for a walk. It’s cheap, good for you and you’ll fine some great places to visit.
 
Angus said:
I would recommend a guided tour of ancient Rome that gets you into the colusseum.

Definitely top tip is a travel card, 21 Euros for the week gets you on virtually unlimited travel on the metro and buses ( there was a bus to the airport couldn’t get on that’s all.)

I went in the summer hadn’t been for nearly 20 years. I gave the Vatican a miss this time. The Sistine chapel was very dark, they only turn the lights on I think if someone important is in there.

The Pieta statue by Michelangelo which is nearby took my breath away it was amazing.

The Pantheon is an awesome building and it’s free. Just go and explore and have a great time, it’s a beautiful city.
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Also the same for Vatican visits, our guide took us straight to the entry.
There is a good underground in Rome, so it's possible to stay a little out of the centre, which is a lot cheaper.
 
Been a couple of times. Once twenty years ago and again ten years ago. The first time, I was more blown away by the place. Probably because I’d never been and the sun was shining whereas, the second time, it was chucking with rain and my wife had a cold.

Anyway, there’s loads to see. A lot of it is free. Barely used any public transport and just walked. You’ll certainly get your steps in but you’ll see so much. From what I remember, Trevi Fountain was worth a visit, Spanish steps, colosseum, the forum, pantheon etc all impressive. The one place that I found less so, on both visits, was inside the Vatican chapels, including the Sistine. Whilst the artwork was stunning, the experience of being in a packed old place with people telling you to be quiet the whole time was not one I’d do again.
The first time I was there, I did go up to the top of the dome and looked out over Vatican City. The view was stunning but, I don’t like heights so the tight spiral staircase and the feeling of unease needed levelling out with the amazing sights.

As for food and drink, you can’t really go wrong. There are loads of places so go with what appeals. I would probably give the Piazza do Spania a look but not stop for long as, from memory, it was very expensive.
 
sweet_left_foot said:
I've only been once. I had one morning free from work. I walked from the south of the Vatican City towards the airport through the centre of Rome. I had no idea where I was going but on every corner there was something magical. Ruins, Colosseum , arches, drains with SPQR on them, Vatican Walls, st. peter's basillica. One of the most beautiful mornings I have ever spent aimless. Didn't spend a euro. Long to return.

Missed the trevi fountain.

What I do, when broke, is put all the things I want to see in google maps and see if I can find a walkable route between them. Didn't have google maps then and I still managed to see loads accidentally.

I thought Paris was my favourite European city until I had a morning in Rome.
Hope you have a great time
Click to expand...
That's exactly the experience I had when i went. This time I'm with the missus and we have 5 days.
 
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