I'm going to Rome tomorrow

[HairsprayBabe]

Usually a planner when it comes to holidays booked this one in early November, and for various reasons (pregnancy sickness) have not actually managed to plan anything outside of the basic vatican, catacombs, colloseum stuff.

Food recommendations especially, and any hidden gems, anything from shopping to sightseeing.

We are going for 4 days, breakfast is included in our hotel and our total budget is €600 for both of us.

Grazie

I’m incredibly jealous

I always recommend a place called pane e vino for lunch, it’s incredibly good food and value, about two minutes from trevi fountain. Be prepared to queue outside for a seat but absolutely worth it.

Tripadvisor:
www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d7159514-Reviews-Pane_Vino-Rome_Lazio.html

Look into a Roma Pass (can be bought at tourist information kisoks). They allow you to use public transport and get into attractions.

My favourite hidden gem is the Non-Catholic Cemetery where Percy Shelley & John Keats are buried. The most romantic place I have ever been to.

Rome's fabulous , get a jump on jump off bus pass for several days , it's a great way to get around , lots of people eat outside ( I did on Boxing Day !) if it looks nice eat there ,
Make sure you eat lots of ice cream - yum I'm jealous !

I didn't get to see that much when I was in Rome a couple of years ago and I was particularly sorry that I didn't go to the Castel Sant'Angelo - I'll probably go again but that's top of my list.
Agree don't be afraid to queue for a table - it's often worth it!

4 days - Vatican, Catacombs and Colloseum will take about that.

The Vatican if you do St Peters and the Museums does take a long time, even if you skip half the museums. There is so much there.

Colloseum - the Roman Forum is really interesting especially if you have a guide book or app to tell you what everything is. You can easily spend half a day wandering around. Unless you have a tour booked for the Colloseum it is way more interesting than the Colloseum which we found was it bit walk in, it's big, hmm OK we're done.

Catacombs - 2 is plenty. I did 4 and it was too many You have the choice of going to the ones on the Appian way which are the early Christian ones. These are really good and you go on a tour round. Or you can go to the Capuchin crypt - I found this a bit full of excited teens wanting to see skulls - it's not an early Christian catacomb. Or there is another early Christian one I forgot in a lovely church you can reach on the metro.

If you only have 4 days I'd think hard how much you really really want to see the Catacombs.

Other big hitters would be the Capitoline museums - where the giant foot that features on all the documentaries is, Galleria Borghese - but you need to book a slot to visit, Museo Nationale Romano - amazing Roman mosaics and the House of Livia.

Personal favourites would be the Villa Farnesina and the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj.

Finally I'd make sure you go in some churches with great mosaics - Santa Maria Maggiore for example. Or there are 4 quite near each other in Trastevere, one with a lovely Bernini sculpture as well. It's easy to walk between them as you'll find that a group of people are doing the same walk. We managed to be following a group of pilgrims from a choir who sang in each church which was rather lovely.

And of course it wouldn't be Mumsnet if I didn't mention the Cat Sanctuary.

@MagicKingdom17 that sounds like a real gem will definitely check that out!

Will have to pursuade DH about queuing for lunch he is a very much I'm hungry eat now kind of person 🤦‍♀️

Off to Google your recommendations so I can plan some routes 👍 thank you

@AnnaMagnani yes my DM mentioned the cat sanctuary yesterday when I saw her - we have 4 full days flying tomorrow and Friday and will have 2 half days for as it's a morning flight there and a later afternoon flight back.

What is the best way to get from the airport to Rome - bus looks like it takes about an hour but is only €6 euro so that seems sensible to me

We took a cab, there is a regulated rate.

I would recommend pre booking with Romacabs. Stefano and his team are fabulous. Don't waste precious time on the bus to the terminus then trying to find your accommodation. Eat anywhere, relax, wander (not forgetting to look up and not just ahead). Do get the hop on hop off bus though. Ciao.

Taxi from the airport. Saves wasting time, there is a set rate, plus you actually see loads of stuff as you drive in and most taxi drivers will point it out to you.

It's fun realising you are driving up the Appian Way if you fly into Ciampino as we were cheapskate Ryanair

Which airport are you landing at? I prebooked a return transfer trip on the Terravision website, from Ciampino airport to Terminus train station €12. Make sure you print off the tickets, they would NOT accept just seeing it on your mobile.

Last thing - have you booked stuff online?

I know it's February but Rome was one place where we really found it made a difference to have booked stuff in advance online.

Some places like Galeria Borghese you have to, but others like Vatican, Forum, Capitoline Museums etc, you can spend a massive amount of time in queues. Walking past all those queues made a huge difference to the holiday.

Budget wise - churches are free, but there are masses of churches in Rome and not every one is worth going in to. I had to dissuade DH from his day 1 mission of 'here's a church lets go look at it' or we would still be there, looking at some really boring churches. Stick to the known brilliant ones.

We took the train to the main terminus.
Re seeing the colosseum, buy your tickets at the forum opposite as they are valid for both and often little or no queue at the forum. Forum is also worth a visit.
Don't forget Trevi fountain , go in the evening , the lighting is spectacular. Good restaurant called the Angelina the back of it , a couple of minutes away. Address is Via Poli 27.

If you have time walk from St. Peter's to the castel st angelo and the old bridge beside it then through the narrow streets to piazza nervona and onto the pantheon .

And yes buy the 3 day tourist travel ticket for bus or metro from any newsagent. ( we bought ours at one next to a metro. )

Ostia Antica is a short train ride away and is amazing.

I seem to remember we had to pre book for the Vatican so look into that.

Loved the colosseum.

Be careful on the underground - caught someone trying to pick pocket me on the way from the airport to the centre. Really annoying.

Oh OP I am so jealous. I love Rome. Brilliant time of year as well, pleasant to walk about in and see everything!

I really enjoyed the Colosseum and Forum. I am RC so the Vatican and Sistine Chapel was required! I did find the Vatican museums interesting, but they’re huge and you have to walk through everything. I’d personally prefer an actual day in the city.

Borghese Gardens were wonderful, especially as they were so cool and we went in the summer.

So much to do 😊

Whatever you do just don't scream in the Sistine chapel 😂

DS has just come back from Rome, lots of people wearing cross body bags to minimise being pickpocketed. We ordered ours on a one day delivery via Amazon Prime for about £15 and he wore it daily.

He said the Trevi fountain, the Colosseum and the Basilica were particularly amazing.

I last went to Rome over 10 tears again but the best ice cream I have ever eaten was from a shop close to the pantheon. Stand looking at the pantheon then on the left there’s a small slope up a hill and the gelato place is on the left there. It was amazing. God I hope it’s still there!!

Just checked - it’s still there! Cafe Minerva

Don't eat at any restaurant on a piazza which is right in front of a big attraction - it will be shit. We had a very expensive and truly dreadful pizza in front of the fountain in the Piazza Navona.

Lesson learnt, for the rest of the trip we walked down a side street off the piazza from wherever we were every time and ate some amazing food.

We went last Feb half term. The weather was lovely and we had a fab time. I'd buy the Roma pass if only so you can bypass the long queues at the colluseum.

And I'd agree about avoiding eating on a square.... TripAdvisor is your friend for this!

Do you run? If so get out v early and go for a run. The highlight of the whole trip for me was going for a 7 am 5 mile jog from the trevi fountain down around the colluseum and along the tiber. I had the streets nearly toyself. Best run ever :)

Trevi fountain for sure. We didn't book for the Vatican, but looked at advice online about the times to avoid and the queues were fine.