More Help Planning Your Trip to Rome

Rome-travel-planning
If you're planning a trip to Rome, I hope Revealed Rome helps. But I know that navigating my 200+ posts this point can be a little overwhelming.

So here's help. I've created a guide to my most useful posts for planning a Rome trip. I'll be updating it as I continue to write new posts, so check back as you travel plan. (And remember that I have many, many more posts on the site, covering many more places, than I could include in this guide—so please don't hesitate to continue to explore the site on your own!).

And remember, if you just want to talk to me to get the most up-to-the-minute, personalized advice possible—on not just Rome, but all of Italy—I offer private, one-hour travel consulting sessions (much cheaper than a travel agent!).

Happy travel planning!

Continue Reading

Five Frustrating Things Someone Coming to Rome Can Say

Five mistakes not to make when planning Rome trip

Over the years, I’ve spoken to a lot of people who are planning their trips to Rome—and I’m speaking to even more of them now. My goal: to help people have the best, most rewarding trip possible to this fantastic city.

So that means that, when someone coming to Rome says one of the five following things to me, I can’t help but feel a little frustrated. Here’s what they are, why I cringe—and how to fix it.

1) I want to eat the best, most authentic food Rome has to offer. Then I want to be able to walk the five minutes back to my hotel at the Trevi Fountain.

Pasta alla gricia at a restaurant not in the Rome centerWhy it’s frustrating: The biggest misconception about Rome must be that you can eat anywhere and still eat well. False. Rome is like any other city that receives millions of visitors a year: It has a lot of mediocre, overpriced, inauthentic restaurants. That’s especially true in the heart of the centro storico, where tourists tend to hang out. Can you eat relatively well there? Sometimes, and only if you plan your meals. Is it the best food in Rome? Not usually.

What you can do: If eating Rome’s most authentic food is important to you, then get familiar with public transportation. As I’ve written before, the #3 bus is the perfect “hop-on, hop-off” bus for foodies. Otherwise, take a taxi: That €10 cab ride might sting, but if you choose your restaurant wisely, you’ll save at least €10 over if you ate in the center. (Here, for example). And you’ll eat better.

2) I’m in Rome for two days. How can I see everything?Five most frustrating things people coming to Rome say

Why it’s frustrating: You can’t.

What you can do: Accept that you won’t be able to see “everything” in Rome in two days, and focus on your interests instead. If you get the most enjoyment out of wandering Rome’s quiet, cobblestoned backstreets, do that. If seeing the Vatican and the Pope is really important to you, schedule it in.

Just remember that there’s no “right” way to see Rome. And even if your friends seem appalled, when you return home, that you spent two days in Rome and didn’t see the inside of the Colosseum, you can always smile and say “No, but I did stroll down a 2,300-year-old road between ancient monuments on a gorgeous day/get a dress handmade for me by a Rome designer/see some of the world’s most beautiful works by Raphael, Caravaggio and Bernini. That was my must-do, and I loved it.”

3) I’ve rented a car for the time I’m in Rome. What’s the parking and driving situation like?

Traffic in Rome, ItalyWhy it’s frustrating: Although a car can be helpful for getting to Italy’s smaller towns and countryside, if you’re not planning on leaving Rome, there’s no reason to rent a car. The historic center of the city, where most of the sights are, is small enough to traverse on foot, plus most cars aren’t even allowed to enter the area. Parking in the rest of the city is tough. And public transport, despite the stereotype, is pretty good, especially in the center.

What you can do: Don’t rent a car. Walk. Take buses. Take the metro. You’ll save yourself a big headache.

4) I booked a hotel way out of the center/near the airport to save money. What’s a good way to get into town each day?

The problem with staying far out of the Rome center
Why it’s frustrating:
Hotels in central Rome are expensive. Absolutely. But when people go for the lower prices at hotels located way outside the center, they don’t always calculate in the cost of getting back and forth each day. The Rome Marriott Park Hotel, for example, is located 13 miles outside the center of Rome, and there’s no metro station right nearby. So to get into town, you’ll have to either pay €10 per person for the hotel’s round-trip shuttle (which only leaves at certain times a day), or about €15 for a cab one-way, which goes up at night and on Sundays.

What you can do: Look into your transport options into the heart of Rome before you book your hotel. Where there isn’t public transport, calculate the cost of a taxi or shuttle in advance to make sure the savings are actually worth it. Otherwise, remember that budget accommodation does exist in Rome.

5) We’re just going to play everything by ear.

Why it’s frustrating: Can you come to Rome, not have anything planned in advance, and still see a lot of the city? Sure. But will you wind up spending an inordinate amount of time in lines/money on mediocre meals out? More than likely.

Line at the ColosseumCase in point: You know you want to see the Colosseum, but you haven’t planned how you’ll do so. You go to the Colosseum in the morning; the line is already two hours long (above). You get approached by an English speaker who tells you that you can skip the line by going on a tour—so you do. But the tour guide is terrible and barely speaks English, and you spend 30 minutes waiting for the whole group to get collected to enter anyway, and you feel rushed through the site. (By the way, this isn’t a rare worst-case scenario. It’s something that happens often).

Had you just looked into things in advance, you could have a) found out where you could get your ticket without having to stand in line or b) researched tour companies and found a Colosseum tour that best suited your interests and with a company renowned for having excellent guides.

What you can do: You don’t have to research everything. But for the sites that have big lines—the Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican museums—have a game plan. If you want to eat good food, and don’t want to spend an inordinate amount of money, look up some restaurant recommendations in advance. And if you want to go to the Galleria Borghese or Palazzo Valentini, remember that you must reserve ahead of time.

Also: what weather to expect, where to eat in Rome’s most touristy areas and what to know about crime in Rome.

If you liked this post, you’ll love The Revealed Rome Handbook: Tips and Tricks for Exploring the Eternal City, available for purchase on Amazon or through my site here! I’m also free for one-on-one consulting sessions to help plan your Italy trip.

Continue Reading

Need Advice on Your Trip to Rome and Italy? Now Available for One-on-One Chats

Rome travel

I love sharing my insider's tips for traveling to Rome and Italy, from the most fascinating sites to most pernicious scams, best day trips to top ways to save money. And, as well as publishing on my blog, I have been—and will always—be happy to respond to readers' emails with even more tips and advice.

But I can sometimes get behind on those emails. And, at the same time, I know that many readers would much rather just sit down and talk with me, not have to type everything out. Besides: If you talk as fast as I do (hello, East Coast upbringing), you can cover a lot more territory in an hour chatting than an hour writing.

So, starting now, I'm offering one-on-one consulting sessions on travel to Rome and Italy. (You can book now; sessions themselves will start on March 20). For sessions that take place between March 20 and April 20, I'm providing a 40% discount on my normal price.

It's your chance to pick my brain on, well, everything Italy-related. For example, I can tell you:

  • where to eat: why you should never count on Tripadvisor or a guidebook to find the best and most authentic spots, what websites I use to find new restaurants in Italy, my favorite restaurants in Rome and elsewhere, and general rules of thumb for how to avoid touristy spots
  • where to stay: why some of Italy's "best hotels" don't really merit their €250-and-up price tags, how to find the best-value accommodation in Italy, my favorite places to stay in Rome and elsewhere, how to use and what to know about apartment rental websites, and the best-kept secret in rewarding budget accommodation in Italy
  • how to get off the beaten path: the most rewarding sites in Rome, and the most rewarding towns and regions in Italy, that hardly anyone knows about
  • how not to get ripped off: when to be on your guard in Italy, how to tell if your restaurant bill is right or not, and how to deal with awkward situations where you think you've been overcharged
  • how to get around: why you shouldn't necessarily rent a car and drive around Italy, what the alternatives are, and the cheapest way to get around Rome on public transport (no, it's not the RomaPass!)

Intrigued? Find out more information here.

And don't worry: I'm still writing, still blogging, and still answering those emails. Just think of this as just one more trip-planning option in your arsenal!

Continue Reading