Good Morning,
After the most amazing refreshing week off in Rome, It's time to get back to reality. But first as I reflect on the past week I would like to share some travel tips that I wish I knew before hand that may come in handy for those planning a trip to this beautiful city.
- Hop on Hop off tours are very common in rome and every corner you take someone will try to sell you something, Generally these tours cost about €26pp (depending where you are) for 24 hours that takes you to all the popular tourist attractions which isn't bad if you need to see the city quickly however most people don't know you can get a day pass for the metro which is like the "London underground" for Italy for €7pp for 24 hours. The metro is so straight forward you literally have "line A" which takes you to nearly all the the most popular attractions the Vatican - St peters square, Spanish steps, Trevi foundation, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Termini train station and then there is the "B line" which takes you to Fiumicino airport and the Colosseum......That's it. We got to the Colosseum in literally 3 minutes, the stop was called Colosseo so the stops are very easy to understand if you don't have a word of Italian, you step outside the metro and its right there in front of you which I imagine is ALOT faster than getting on a tourist packed bus, getting stuck in traffic and paying triple. I will link the website with all the stop info. MORE INFO HERE
The public buses are very handy too, It's €1.50pp for 100 minutes however the stops are a little more confusing to understand unless you know the route.
2. If your unsure what you want to do while in Rome I would highly recommend purchasing a travel guide before you go or ask if anyone has one you can borrow. My mum gave me one and it was like my bible. Its includes EVERYTHING you need including maps, shopping, restaurants, streets and architecture. If we passed anything I was unsure of I would look it up and it helped me get the best experience out of my time in Rome. They do sell these books over there but again are overpriced.
Check it out here
3. Make sure you have 3G! Roaming is now free in Europe so make sure you have a free internet deal before you head away. Google Maps was a life saver for us. We stayed in Veneto so Trevi foundation was so close to us but also sooooo easy to get lost down the side streets, put your destination into google maps and it will save you so much time and you don't have to worry about buying maps!
4. Don't waste money on water... Rome has a unlimited supply of water so bring a empty water bottle and make use of the FREE water fountains you will find down most streets for use of the public.....
5. Don't fall for tourist traps! You will see lots of people trying to sell you day trips to Venice, florence etc but again these are completely overpriced. Book your ticket from the official website
trainline.com. I would advise buying in advance as its much cheaper and make sure you get the fast train. Termini train station is about 10 minutes walk from Veneto, you can also get the NO. 85 bus. The train station is so easy to get around and is clearly marked, there is also lots of reasonable places to eat before you get on your train. We travelled to Venice which I highly recommend, It is one of the most beautiful cities I have EVER seen!
6. Buying tourist tickets online isn't always best. I was unsure if I should book tickets online to the tourist attractions but when we got to the Colosseum we were able to buy private tour tickets there for €27pp which covered the Colosseum and forums and skip the entire cue, we were inside in 5 minutes. People who pre booked tickets online were able to skip the ticket cue BUT still had to cue to get inside the Colosseum which was soooooooo long! There is also plenty of staff around to ask for help just make sure they are official staff in uniform, However for the Vatican you MIGHT be better off to buy your ticket online or from a tourist office before you go as there was just one big line and no one "who looked official" around to ask, this is just my experience.
7. Don't be afraid to experiment, In Rome seafood was extremely popular and pasta is cooked a little differently, I was tempted to stick with what I know aka pizza but my partner encouraged me to experiment its fun to try new things and you never know what you might end up liking and if you see chocolate moose gelato .... GET IT! It is the most beautiful creamy ice cream I have EVER tasted!
8. I'm sure this goes without saying but watch your bags and don't look "lost" it will make you a easy target especially if you are alone.
I hope you have the most amazing trip! Feel free to reach out if you need any help.
If you like to see what I wore in Rome check out my lookbook
HERE!
Love Always
Saz x
