Rome
Rome, also known as the Eternal City is often described as a living museum. There are pieces of history everywhere you turn. But a trip to one of most iconic cities in the world needn’t break the bank. Winter in Rome is surprisingly mild with the temperature dropping to an average of 12 degrees Celsius and travelling off season means that you can take advantage of cheaper flights, not to mention fewer crowds.
With several airlines flying direct to Rome, you’ll find the cheapest fares if you travel between January and March.
Neighbourhoods / Where to stay
Prati
We stayed in an apartment in Prati, close to The Vatican City. It’s a peaceful area with a few restaurants close by. A ten minute walk took us to a large square and a bigger selection of bars and restaurants.
Best for:
Vatican City
Sistine Chapel
Vatican Museums
St Peter’s Basilica
Closest metro - Ottaviano
Centro Storico
For first time visitors to Rome this is the ideal neighbourhood to base yourself in. With many of the big tourist sites within easy walking distance we spent a day wandering around and ticking major landmarks off the list.
Best for:
Trevi Fountain
This 18th century Baroque fountain was famously used as a location for the film La Dolce Vita. It’s marble statues depict Oceanus the god of the sea in a shell shaped chariot with two seahorses guided by the Triton demigods. Toss a coin into the water and according to myth you’ll be sure to return to the Eternal City.
Piazza Navona
One of the most vibrant squares in Rome with three beautiful fountains. Most striking is Berninis Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi featuring four river gods (Nile, Ganges, Danube, Plata) surrounding an Egyptian obelisk.
Pantheon
Built by the Emperor Hadrian around 126AD it is one of the best preserved buildings in Rome with the giant oculus in the ceiling being the only light source. Originally a temple it was converted to a church in 609AD and houses chapels and tombs and with renaissance artwork adorning the walls. There is a small entrance fee of around €5.00.
Spanish Steps
There are 135 steps in a butterfly shape and the steps connect Piazza di Spagna at the bottom with Trinità dei Monti church at the top. These famous steps have been used as filming locations (Roman Holiday) and fashion shoots. Just don’t be tempted to sit down. It’s banned and it will get you a fine if you try it.
Closest metro - Barberini
Trastevere
A very pretty part of Rome with narrow winding cobbled streets and many traditional trattorias and independent shops. Travestere is bohemian and charming yet still close enough to the historic city centre. It’s also a popular area for nightlife.
Best for:
Food lovers
Nightlife
To get to Travestere take Tram 8 from Largo Argentina in the historic centre (near the Pantheon).
Monti
Some of Romes biggest landmarks are in the district of Monti.
The Colosseum
Seeing the Colosseum for the first time is breathtaking. The largest amphitheatre ever built, it could seat more than 50,000 spectators who came to watch gladiator matches and dramatic performances up until 1349 when it was partly destroyed by earthquakes.
Today you can take a tour of the Colosseum and see where the gladiator matches took place. Walk the underground passages where the animals were kept or climb to the top of the arena and imagine yourself in the crowd watching the spectacle below.
The Forum
Close to the Colosseum is the Roman Forum where you can see the ruins of ancient temples and senate houses. Back in the day, the Forum was a central meeting point in Rome and it was a place for public speeches, elections, gladiatorial matches and criminal trials.
Palatine Hill
The birthplace of Romulus and Remus, the twins who according to myth were found and raised by wolves. Romulus went on to found Rome. Climb to the top of the hill for the best views over this ancient city.
Closest metro - Collosseo
Circus Maximus
A short walk from the Colosseum, this was the ground that the ancient Roman’s used for chariot racing. Originally the ground was flanked with amphitheater style seating. A few ruins remain but the ground is now used for open air events and concerts.
Closest metro - Circo Massimo
The Vatican City
While travelling to Rome in the winter months is usually the cheapest time to go, travelling in March gets decidedly busier the closer to Easter you get, particularly if you’re heading to the Vatican City.
You can avoid lengthy queues into the Vatican by buying skip the line tickets online.
There’s so much to see within the Vatican Museums - incredible works of art, beautiful statues, stunning architecture and the centuries of history so allow plenty of time for your visit. It is recommended that you take a guided tour to get the most out of your visit. The last stop on the tour is the famous Sistine Chapel. Time is limited in the Chapel due to the many people who want to see it on any given day but you’ll still have time to admire Michelangelos magnificent artwork on the ceiling and walk in the footsteps of Cardinals and Popes at the heart of the Vatican.
After touring the Vatican it’s a short stroll across St Peter’s Square to St Peter’s Basilica.
It’s free to enter the Basilica but if you want to do a guided tour or climb to the top of the dome you’ll need to buy a ticket.
A couple of things to watch out for;-
Lengthy queues to go through security.
There’s a strict dress code - shoulders and knees should be covered.
Campo Marzio
For art lovers a visit to the Borghese Gallery is a must. The gallery houses major works of the Italian Renaissance by artists such as Caravaggio and Raphael. You should allow for a couple of hours to tour the Gallery.
Closest metro - Spagna followed by a 15-20 minute walk through the Borghese Gardens.
Tips for planning a budget break
Travel between January and March for the best prices for flights and accommodation
Rome is a walkable city. Plan your days to keep public transport to a minimum. Wandering around you’re sure to stumble on across a piece of history you weren’t expecting.
We had some of our best meals in small pasta houses and trattorias away from the main tourist sites and paid less than we did a the restaurants off the main squares.
For a quick caffeine hit, order an espresso at the counter of a coffee shop and drink it standing up at the bar - it’s cheaper than taking a table.
Finally
You can have three days in Rome and with a well planned out itinerary you can get round all of the major sights and still have time left over to relax over a leisurely meal or wander round the pretty cobbled streets of Travestere.
I threw my coin into the Trevi Fountain and look forward to one day making a return visit to the Eternal City.