Rome: Travel tips
I had a tough time organizing our time in Rome, simply because there are thousands of years of history there. Or rather, there’s thousands of years of histories: ancient history, religious history, artistic history, literary history, social history, and so on. One of the best bits of advice I read (besides not trying to see and do it all on the first trip) was to organize sightseeing by historic period and / or theme. One day for ancient history, another for Renaissance Art, another for religious sites, etc. Bearing in mind what was interesting and important to us, we skimmed through guidebooks and travel forums and websites until we began to get a grasp of what it was we’d like to see and how we should try to see it. I considered taking organized tours, but with the exception of the Scavi Tour, where a guide is mandatory, we ended up using podcasts instead at sites like the Colosseum and Forum.
One aspect of travel in Italy that surprised me was the need to make advance reservations for certain popular museums. This leaves less room for spontaneity, but having to reserve in advance went a long way in organizing our time for us. For example, we knew we wanted to participate in a Scavi Tour (the excavation site of St. Peter’s tomb below St. Peter’s Basilica), so we contacted the Ufficio Scavi via e-mail, gave them the dates we’d be in Rome, and they replied with the day and time of an available slot. It was on a Monday afternoon, not the best day to visit the Vatican and St. Peter’s, but because that’s what was available, that’s what we did. And so Monday became our designated Vatican Day.
Since our Scavi Tour was scheduled for the afternoon, we reserved a time slot to enter the Vatican Museums in the morning; rserving online in advance costs a bit extra, but when we arrived at the Vatican and saw the enormous line to buy tickets, we knew we’d made the right decision.
Having watched Simon Schama’s ‘Power of art’ episodes on Caravaggio and Bernini, we were intrigued by the art and lives of both men, and made a visit to the Galleria Borghese a priority. Matt called the museum a few weeks before our trip using an international phone card and was given a reservation number. We didn’t actually pay for the tickets until we arrived at the Borghese, just before our appointed time.
Once we had a schedule in place for the Scavi Tour, Vatican Museums, and Borghese, we created a loose itinerary around that. We certainly didn’t get to see and do everything we’d wanted, but that’s what return trips are for, right?
Practicalities:
Train tickets
We booked our train tickets in advance using ItaliaRail.com.
Buying in advance, you often actually go ‘ticketless’, meaning rather than an actual ticket, you print out a PNR code and show that to the ticket agent. For those train routes that do require actual tickets, you can print the tickets out (based on your PNR code) at ticket machines at most train stations. If for some reason the machines won’t print out a ticket, as we found to be the case at Roma Termini, bring your printout to a ticket agent and they can print them for you.
Hotels:
I found it a bit more difficult to book a moderately priced (between an 80 and 120 euros) hotel, with good reviews and in a good location, in Rome than in Paris. I went on Hotels.com, Venere, and Trip Advisor to compare ratings and prices, but when it came to booking I contacted the hotel directly. The prices are often the same, and I like the assurance of having an e-mail confirmation from the hotel itself. We chose the Mecenate Rooms, and were very happy there.
Guidebooks and blogs:
I used DK Eyewitness Guide to Rome, Rick Steves Rome, and Frommers. The following blogs were also super helpful in picking places to eat or catch a great view as well as places to avoid:
Revealed Rome - A great source of historical and practical information about Rome.
Ron in Rome - Ron gives almost too much information (seriously, he practically takes you by the hand and walks you through things like buying train tickets, using the bus, deciding on the best time to visit the Vatican, where to buy a Roma pass, and lots more).
Food Lover’s Odyssey - the author not only gives great dining suggestions, but great suggestions for panoramic views and places to picnic as well.
Katie Parla - I mentioned her in a post about Florence, but really, she’s an expert in Roman cuisine and dining. Her reviews are up-to-date and helpful, and she gives good advice on what to avoid as well as what to try.
*Note: we intended to buy a Roma Pass once we arrived in Rome, but every place we tried was sold out. We started at the PIT at the airport, and they were sold out. We tried a tourist kiosk near Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome—sold out. We tried the ticket office at the Palatine Hill. Nope. I’m sure the Roma Pass is worth it, if you can find one.
