Know before you go : Rome Edition

In this article, I’ll make an overview of everything useful to know before going to Rome, including some travel tips.

You’ll find : 

Italy is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The country shares borders with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. There are two microstate in Italy which are Vatican City and San Marino.

Rome is the capital of Italy. It is situated in the central-western portion of the Italian peninsula, along the shores of the Tevere river. of the country and on both sides of the Vltava River. Rich in its historical heritage, Rome is considered to be the center of the Catholic Church.

The city of Rome covers 1285km².

Rome’s population is around 4,3 million, which makes it the metropolitan city with the most inhabitants in Italy.

The best time to visit Rome and the Vatican would be either :

• April to June : the weather is nice, the days are longer and there are fewer tourists than in the months of summer.
• In September : the hotter days are gone with the tourists, which is best to enjoy the city.

We went in January because we had a free weekend and wanted some Italian adventure, but I will say it was a bit cold and the days were really short due to the sun setting at 5pm.

Keep in mind that being a capital city, it will always be crowded, however July and August are really to avoid (it is too hot to enjoy visiting and walking and there’s just too many people).

The currency in Rome and the Vatican is the Euro.

Every restaurants and shops or museums accept the card for paiements, so we didn’t withdraw any money at an ATM.

The prices for restaurants really vary depending if you go to touristy areas or more local places.

As we prefered to try local food (pizza and pasta !), the restaurants we went to weren’t that expensive (around 15-18€ per person each time).

Regarding the places to visit such as the Colosseo / Roman forum, or the Vatican museum, the entrance was respectively 18€ or 17€, but 2€ (or 8€) only for students !

For accomodations, it will depend on the season. In January, we were 5 minutes away from the Trevi Fountain and only paid 145 for 2 nights for 2 persons, or 36 per person per night. Expect higher prices anytime from end of spring to end of summer.

If you are coming during summer season, I suggest packing VERY light clothes. It will be very hot, so don’t forget sunscreen, sunglasses, and a sarong or a decent tee shirt to cover your shoulders when visiting churches.

I would also recommend bringing shoes that are confortable to walk many hours in, because in Rome you WILL walk a lot ! This is part of the Rome travel tips by the way – walking – you’ll stumble upon so many amazing monuments and places by doing so !

Otherwise the power outlet are the same as in France or the majority of Europe, so no adapters needed.

When coming to Rome, there’s a lot of food related items to bring back. There are tons of shops selling colourful and unique pasta, exquisite olive oil, very good dried biscuits such as Amaretti or Cantuccini or anything truffle related. Italy is also famous for their wine.

You can also find a lot of ceramics there, or if you like fashion, you’ll find bags, shoes, accessories made from italian leather.

The official language is the Italian. However, you will manage in restaurants and shops by speaking English.

But here are a few words you can use :

Hello : Buongiorno / Ciao

Thank you : Grazie

You’re welcome : Prego

I understand / I don’t understand : Capisco / Non capisco 

Sorry :  Mi dispiace / Scusi

My name is… : Mi chiamo

Yes / No : Si / No

As we came from France, our mobile plan included internet and calls in Italy. 

However, if you need a SIM card, Vodafone and TIM have great data plan for tourists.

If you are planning on visiting only Rome, you absolutely don’t need a car. But if you plan to visit more of Italy, I saw great deals on Kayak or RentalCars.com.

There’s a lot of things to see in Rome ! You can spend a day in Vatican City, visit Rome by night, walk in the antique district, walk in the Villa Borghese park and go see the Trevi Fountain eat sunrise, visit the Basilica San Pietro or see the Pantheon…You won’t be bored a second !

Here’s a list of the best things to do in Rome:

If you are a museum type of person, check out this website for a list of the best museums to visit in Rome.

That’s it for my Rome travel tips ! To have a lot more information and pictures about these places, you can read my ultimate Rome itinerary.

I have also made a detailed post about the best things to do in Rome by night, one about the Italian food specialties to try out and another one listing what to see in the Vatican.