I've been having a great summer holiday with my fiancee, and we learned quite a few things about Rome, when we visited. We gathered a few tips that we thought could be useful, when visiting Rome.
These tips are in no particular order. Shaun and I gathered them on our summer holiday in Rome :)
1: Don't visit in August. A LOT of shops are closed for holidays. And I mean A LOT!
It did say that in the travel books we bought, after we had booked the trip. Too late to find out then!
It did say that in the travel books we bought, after we had booked the trip. Too late to find out then!
2: Watch out for the "Flower Men". They walk around on the big piazza's. We were approached by a lot on Piazza del Popolo.
This is the method: The flower man gives the girl flowers, saying "It's a gift from me to you" or similar, and keeps repeating that it is a gift. When the girl has 2-3 flowers in her hands, he suddenly want a little gift in return (read: money). They are VERY persistent, so just reject them from the start. The "easiest" thing to do.
This is the method: The flower man gives the girl flowers, saying "It's a gift from me to you" or similar, and keeps repeating that it is a gift. When the girl has 2-3 flowers in her hands, he suddenly want a little gift in return (read: money). They are VERY persistent, so just reject them from the start. The "easiest" thing to do.
3: When eating, try to find restaurants in the side streets instead of on the main street. It is so much cheaper to eat there!
4: Watch out for restaurants serving frozen food! We saw places that used an * and wrote with tiny letters that the food is frozen. I did not travel to Rome to eat a frozen pizza, I can get that in my local supermarket, thank you very much.
5: Buy tickets for the big attractions online from home. I found links to the official websites on the Rome Tourist website, and bought tickets from those. We saved ourselves hours of queueing that way.
6: Remember bug spray! I woke up with nasty mosquito bites every morning that ended up looking like bruises, before they disappeared.
7: A lot of the little shops don't accept cards, so if your bank charge you for using ATM's remember to bring euros from home.
8: Speaking of shopping, there is an excellent shopping street called Via del Corso. Here you can find lots of good shops.
9: Shops are open late! That means that you can sightsee during the day and then shop in the evening.
10: If you visit the Vatican, bring a small bag. Big rucksacks are not permitted. Also remember a bottle of water, it is quite a long trip.
11: Find a local supermarket / drugstore, where you can get cheap water bottles. If you cannot find any, there is one at Termini station called Conad.
12: Remember proper walking shoes, as you are going to walk a lot more than you might realize.
13: If you want to get a beer, when you are out and about, find a street seller van. We found large beers for about €4.
14: Talk to people in the hotel about where they've been. You can get good travel and transport tips and maybe some great restaurant tips as well!
15: If you expect to use the pool when you get home in the evening, check the pool times at the hotel before you book. Ours were only open 10-19, hours where we were wandering about the streets of Rome, and when we got home and could use a dip in the pool, it was closed.
16: When you go shopping in Italy, stand up for yourself. Italian sales people can be very pushy. I retreated to the changing room to think and decide if I wanted a garment or not.
17: You can find a lot of bars and cafe's in the area between Barberini metro station, the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona.
18: Walking around the streets of Rome, bring a water bottle. There are lots of fountains and taps where you can fill up your bottle during the day.
19: Check with your hotel how to get there easiest, before you arrive in Rome. We could have saved ourselves a long walk!
Be prepared for great, big buildings. Look at the below two photos:
See the tiny, red ring? (Click the picture to see it more easily)
That's me! Thats how big some of the buildings are!
That's better ;)
Do you have any tips from traveling to Rome? Please share in the comments :)
I hope you have had some great holidays as well! Where have you been visiting this summer?
x Michelle x
Be prepared for great, big buildings. Look at the below two photos:
See the tiny, red ring? (Click the picture to see it more easily)
That's me! Thats how big some of the buildings are!
That's better ;)
Do you have any tips from traveling to Rome? Please share in the comments :)
I hope you have had some great holidays as well! Where have you been visiting this summer?
x Michelle x
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