This month I got to tick one of my dream destinations off my Bucket List - Rome. And what's even better, is I actually got to visit for my birthday! Pretty much all my life Italy has always been my number one destination for travelling. With so many fantastic regions, food and culture, it has just always been top of my list. And so that lead to the booking of a 5 night birthday trip to Rome!
Spoiler alert - Rome was everything I imagined and more.
I have a lot of Rome content coming up on both here and my Instagram so keep your eyes peeled. And it only feels right to kick things off with an Ultimate Travel Guide to Rome. I'll be covering everything from the Sights, Food, to Travel & Accommodation.
Sights & Attractions
Now let me tell you there is a LOT to see and do in Rome. I honestly don't know how people visit for only a couple of nights because you'd miss so much. As I mentioned, we stayed for 5 nights and we did not stop. When you think of Rome, you think of The Colosseum. And although it is a very obvious choice, it's with a good reason. We actually booked an Arena Guided Tour which included visit inside The Colosseum with special access to the arena floor, as well as entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Our tickets were booked through the tour company Headout and cost around €30 each, basic entry to The Colosseum will cost you around €18. I'd recommended considering booking a Guided Tour here as our Tour Guide was fantastic and was able to tell us lot of stories and facts that we wouldn't otherwise have known.
The other popular sight to visit is of course The Vatican & Sistine Chapel. This time we just booked an entry ticket as we were advised that guided tours here can be lengthy and we didn't want to spend nearly a full day in there. And even with that being said, we still spent around 4 hours here! Here you can find The Vatican Museums which is full of never ending corridors lined with art, statues, and historical pieces. On the first floor you'll find two gorgeous outdoor garden areas which you can get some beautiful photos of the surrounding buildings. Once you head upstairs keep your eye out for the signs as there is a long route, and a short route - both of which end at the Sistine Chapel. We took the short route, and like I previously mentioned, took between 3-4 hours. Once you've made your way through the maze of corridors in The Vatican, you'll reach the Sistine Chapel. Here you'll see the infamous ceiling painted my Michelangelo - bare in mind you're not allowed to take any photos/videos and must stay silent whilst inside. Another quick thing to mentioned is when visiting The Vatican you're actually entering a whole other country - The Vatican City. But you don't need any ID or documents to enter from Italy. You won't even notice you have crossed any sort of border to be honest.
My favourite sight of the whole trip however had to be the Trevi Fountain. It looks beautiful in the photos, but it looks even better in person. A little tip - it does get very busy here so if you want a bit more peace and quiet visit in the morning, and you can get those undisturbed snaps! The Pantheon is another popular spot to visit as it is the best preserved temple from Ancient Rome. Entry is free as long as you pre book. As this is a religious place you need to cover your shoulders and knees.
Another sight to visit include the Piazza de Spagna in which you'll see the famous Spanish Steps - a great point to watch the sun set. This is a more luxurious area filled with high end stores and amazing restaurants. There was actually a Valentino fashion show taking place one night we were there!
You can also expect to see a lot of fantastic museums in Rome to stop by including the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum, and the National Museums of Rome. And there is the Castel Sant'Angelo which was built originally by the Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum, and is now a historical museum with breath-taking views of the city.
Where to Eat
Honestly, you will have no trouble finding a place to eat in Rome. Every street and square is lined with cosy little cafes and independent restaurants and bars. Unless there is a particular eatery you want to visit, I wouldn't plan your meals too much as you'll more than likely find a restaurant you fancy in a spur of the moment thing whilst exploring. With that being said, I will post a blog letting you know some of the places we highly rated and which areas/sights they are near to. All I will say is you need to try the Cornetto Pistachios which you can find everywhere - absolutely delicious!
The price of meals varies depending on the area you're eating in, and whether you're eating in or taking out. For breakfast, a pastry and coffee to take out can cost only €3 and around €5 to eat in. Pasta or Pizza usually cost around €9-15 dependant on the kind of dish you're getting. Gelato or Ice Cream usually costs around €3 but is totally worth it for the size, and flavour choice! And finally you can find a lot of bars offering a glass of Aperol for as low as €4. Oh, and water? Totally free. Yep as long as you have a refillable bottle you can get cold, fresh drinking water all around Rome from their free water fountains!
Getting Around & Where to Stay
Living in Newcastle actually proved difficult flying to Rome as there are no direct flights during the Summer. So we ended up flying from Manchester which was still a 2hr30 flight time, but wow the security line took over 2 hours to get through.
We ended up booking the Leonardo Boutique Hotel Termini as central hotels can be very pricey, and we wanted a hotel that with more modern interiors than most of the classical Italian hotels, whilst being close to transport links, shops and restaurants.
For transfers to and from the airport to your hotel, I would recommend checking out the local transport links as it can be a lot cheaper than Taxi's. Our hotel was located right next to Termini train station which meant we could get a non stop train straight to the airport for only €14. Speaking of trains, one of the best things about Rome is their metro system. One thing you need to know about Rome is that everything is relatively spread out across the city, so if you're travelling on foot to and from places it can not only be a long journey, but will be exhausting. The metros are a cheap and easy way to get t your destinations. With single journeys being only €1.50, and day tickets from as little as €7, if you're someone who likes to be out all day exploring like me, they can be a real life saver as they only take a few minutes! The stations also offer trains that can take you out of Rome and on day trips to destinations such as Pompeii and Naples.
Have you ever visited Rome?