Rome on my own. Best way to do it when older and a bit wary!

[lesdeluges]

Looking to see if anyone around my age (mid 60s) has gone to Rome solo? All age groups welcome to chip in of course....

I travel a bit on my own and really enjoy it. But for some reason Rome seems to be overwhelming me a bit. The sheer amount of things to see, the traffic (crossing the roads is dangerous, friends of a friend were killed crossing the road there recently). I know, I know but still....

So any tips for me please, as I really would like to go, and on my own as there are things I'm interested in that would bore the pants of others. Anyway I prefer cities alone. Could I get a private guide, is it worth it, I have a hotel recommendation, near the Vatican, so that bit is ok. I'd welcome any advice and pointers. I'm fit and well, and am a good walker.

Roads - I found the bigger roads hard to cross till I hit on the idea of closely following a little old Roman lady across - cars literally screeched to a halt for them.

One of the very best and most enjoyable weeks of my life was a solo holiday in Rome in my 60s. Just do it!

Find an Air B&B near the Vatican/Castell Sant' Angelo and figure out the public transport system (easy). Explore all the wonderful churches. Book the Palazza Farnese and Villa Borghese ahead of time.

Watch your wallet on the train to Ostia...

And relax. I had dinner at one of the many curbside restaurants every night and the waiters were invariably so lovely and attentive.

I'm planning to do it again!!

I went to Rome solo and found that the best way to cross the road was to wait for a small crowd of pedestrians to build up then cross as a group. Once a critical mass of people is present then drivers do stop, although keep a sharp eye out for scooters.

Sorry about your friend of a friend, awful for a holiday to end like that.

We always do free walking tours when we first visit a new city. You just book them through trip advisor and they give you a good idea of what you might like to go back to. Just pay a tip at the end.

We were in Rome in September, was with DH so cant say about going alone, but it did feel really safe.
However we only booked the holiday 2 weeks in advance and everything was sold out and we had to pay for the most expensive tours. I would book Vatican/Colosseum as far in advance as possible.

I did Rome myself this summer as a solo 50 year old woman. It was very easy, so much of it is walkable. I did miles every day. There were also lots of other solo women too.

I joined lots of guided tours - Get Your Guide for paid tours and GuruWalk for free tours where you give an amount you want at the end. My favourite tour was a ghost tour in the evening, it was a Guru Walk. I also did a street food tour which was great.

There's loads to see and do, I had one day where I was out at 5 am to see the Trevi Fountain before the crowds and then staggered back to the hotel at midnight and had been on the go all day.

I was very worried about pick pockets and it did feel that every time I sat down for a coffee someone around me was exclaiming that their bag or purse had gone. I had my purse in a bum bag in front of me under my t-shirt and had a backpack with my water and guide book. Every time I stopped and checked my backpack it had been opened, so someone had had a rummage around it, but as I said nothing of value in it.

To cross the road, I just tucked in behind a Roman.

I actually found Rome to be filthy, graffiti everywhere, rats around the restaurants.

Go for it! Rome is a great city, with lots of do. Like any city it has pros and cons. Despite what I’m going to say, I’d go back again and again.

I’d highly recommend a guided group tour of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. Also really loved Castel Sant’Angelo. I’d book all tourist attractions in advance where you can from their websites.

If you can go in the spring time, rather than when it is very hot, I’d recommend it. It’s hot as hell in the summer.

When you go in a restaurant I’d check you can pay by card before you do. The number of places that claim their card machine is broken is ridiculous. Cover charges in restaurants are normal, factor it in when pricing even if you don’t want the bread. Do your research on Tripadvisor rather than happening upon somewhere.

I’d second PP advice on pickpockets and travelling light. Use a cross body bag inside your jacket or a bumbag. Like any major city there are pickpocketing gangs and opportunists.

Taxi is a fixed price 50€ to anywhere in the city walls or Vatican, but it’s apparently too cheap for them to make a profit. I travelled with no luggage from and to the airport (cruise passengers dropped at the airport by coach with a late flight) and both taxi experiences were horrific. On the first journey the driver was going 160kmph on the motorway and weaving like a mad person.

On the return journey I flagged a taxi and clarified in Italian that the price was fixed and the taxi driver said it’s 70€ ‘old price 50€’ when we got it. I said grabbed the tariff car hanging from the seat and pointed to the price and he reluctantly agreed. We should have got out immediately but was then subjected the most terrifying taxi journey I’ve ever been on in my life. Speeding at 200kmph, slamming on breaks, and then when we arrived at the airport he tried to con me.
my DH and DD got out the of car while I paid and he tried to claim I’d only given him 10€ instead of 50€ by slight of hand. I only had 50€ so I stood my ground. I was shaking and livid, I got out of the car and cried. A quick search online showed it’s very common.

I’m well travelled, solo as well as with others and I will never get a taxi from/to the airport in Rome ever again. I’ve done private transfers which were ok apart from risk taking driving, but we’ve agreed that in future we will get the train rather than be pay to be terrified. I’m by no means a bad passenger.

I’ve never used the metro system, but I did book an Uber once and that was absolutely fine! Lovely driver and felt safe. Very expressive though, but we were running late for a timed ticket.

Hope you have a wonderful trip OP.

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I have one of these when travelling in a city. I put it under my clothes and wear it cross body with the strap adjusted so its just below my boobs. Then I have a cross body day bag with very little of value in it. Just a bit of cash water and phone. I keep that on my front and it locks. I think you just have to smart about where you take out cash. pickpockets watch cashpoints. if you go for lunch, go to the loo before you pay and shift what you need out of the money pouch.

I think you just have to start booking some things, try to space them out so that days with lots of walking and not back to back. Do book now, my friend got stung heavily because she booked lots of attractions too late.

Have fun.

Sorry the typos!

Wow! What a lot of brilliant info and tips, thanks so much. I am really loving the encouragement and positivity about doing Rome alone, so I will do it this year. Not sure if that will be March or October, but we'll see.

Another question for those of you who used the metro/bus, are the tickets single or multiple journey and are they transferable between modes? Is there a (eg) 3 day etc pass or similar? I've read that I can only buy tickets in a tobacco shop or similar.

Train is dead easy - definitely don’t need a taxi ! Rome is a great city just to wander around -people get run over in the UK you know?

We bought a 4 day pass at the main station when we arrived at the main station. It cost about £30 i think. We were staying near the Vatican and covered us to there and Colloseum.

Hi OP
I can see it feels underwhelming at this stage but once you've started to get some concrete plans underway this could be an epic trip alone - I adore Rome and doing it alone would be my dream!

We visited a few weeks ago and did private taxi transfer but did so through the company we used for accommodation (Rome Lofts). It was a bit pricey but well worth the money in terms of ease and speed getting into the city. Beautiful Mercedes and the driver looked like Jo Pesci

This is true. By a much less stylishly dressed driver

I think it will be worth spending a bit more to be as central as you can afford so you can avoid having to use the metro at night which is probably sensible in any unfamiliar capital where you don't speak the language.

It's about 10 years since I went. At the time you could still buy single bus tickets from tobbaconists, but I guess this may have changed. However, I'd strongly advise you to stay in a central location. The area around Castel Sant'Angelo is great.

I walked mostly, so didn't buy a pass. Rome is such a walkable city. I loved popping into unexpected churches - there are so many, and the architecture and art you find is astonishing.

Travel from the airport and to Ostia is simple. Check the Trenitalia website - you can change the language to English. We were in Tuscany recently and found it very straightforward to book. Just make sure to validate any paper tickets. Online tickets are validated automatically IIRC

I mentioned the Wanderlog App earlier but wanted to highlight it again. We use it on every trip and all our adult kids do to.
It makes organizing trips really easy. The free version is fine although I actually paid for the paid version last year as we had a couple of big trips.

You ended up with all the info in one place - it's worth a look.

There are other travel planning apps too but I haven't tried them

@lesdeluges I would personally not take a taxi from the airport if I could help it. This is due to a horrific journey during a thunderstorm when the driver was more interested in taking videos of the storm on his phone than concentrating on his driving. But I think I paid around €45 for a pre-arranged car to Trastavere the last time. Once you book your hotel they may be able to arrange for you.

I would definitely think about booking a hotel in a safe, busy, walkable area so you can go out in the evening if you want without being concerned about the journey back. I can recommend a guesthouse in Trastavere if you are interested.

Oh and if they are running, the night tours of the Colusseum are great. No crowds and very atmospheric. I think the Vatican may also do some on Friday evenings.

Take the shuttle bus from the airport rather than a taxi (they are super expensive) easy to do alone and there were plenty of solo travellers sitting in restaurants alone (mostly middle aged American women). Joining tours for certain things would break the day up. Prebook everything in high season, check to see how far ahead they open the slots and do it immediately, even 5 years ago we booked weeks ahead

I've done it a few times on my own, last time was last summer as DH had Covid and couldn't come. I'm 62. I don't find it any more hazardous than any other big city. The metro is very useful. There's so much to see and it's a very walkable city. The manhole covers all say SPQR, which is very cool. A lot of the streets are narrow and winding so not that much traffic and they can't go very fast.
I really recommend this place. It's just around the corner from the Trevi Fountain and on of the best meals I've ever had.

https://www.facebook.com/panesalameroma/

I did a food tour when I was there- Prati by sunset. It was fab! Met a great group of people, ate in lots of places off the beaten track that would not have visited otherwise, was great value and loads of fun! Definitely recommend!

Ex gave me that tip in Paris years ago; or always try and tag with a few other people. You have to take a deep breath and cross with confidence, bearing in mind that the motorists are used to people doing just that.

A lovely hotel we stayed at in Rome, great staff all very helpful

www.hotelnerva.com/en/