Plan your trip

Department · Plan 🛫

Visas, getting around, money, safety and itineraries — the logistics, sorted.

Getting started

• First time in Rome — The essentials for a first visit.
• Common mistakes in Rome — The things that catch first-time visitors out.
• What to wear in Rome — Church dress codes, cobblestone shoes, packing by season.
• Rome for pilgrims — The seven pilgrim churches and papal audiences.

When to go

• Best time to visit — Month-by-month weather, crowds and prices.
• Rome weather month by month — What to expect and what to pack.
• Rome in January — The cheapest, quietest month.
• Rome in February — Carnival season and the first hints of spring.
• Rome in March — The shoulder-season sweet spot.
• Rome in spring — March, April and May.
• Rome in April — Peak spring — azaleas and Easter crowds.
• Rome in June — The best month of summer.
• Rome in summer — Hot, crowded, but worth it with preparation.
• Rome in July — Peak heat — how to visit without misery.
• Rome in August — Ferragosto and the quiet after the exodus.
• Rome in autumn — Warm, manageable, best light.
• Rome in October — Arguably the best month of the year.
• Rome in November — Rome quietest, most local-feeling month.
• Rome in winter — Quietest, cheapest, most atmospheric.
• Rome in December — Christmas markets and the emptiest crowds of the year.

Getting here and around

• Getting to Rome — Airports, trains and the fastest way into the city.
• Airport transfers compared — Train, taxi, bus and private transfer options.
• Arriving at Ciampino — Rome second airport — how to get into the city.
• Public transport in Rome — Metro, buses and trams.
• Transport cards & passes — Which pass is worth it.
• Taxis, Uber & getting around — The full picture on Rome road transport.
• Cycling in Rome — When it works, where to rent, and the routes.
• Walking Rome — Distances, shoes and what to expect.
• Luggage storage in Rome — Where to leave bags before check-in or after check-out.
• Safety & common scams — What to actually watch for.
• Pickpockets & safety — Where petty theft actually happens and how to avoid it.
• Safety at night — What is actually safe, what to watch for.
• Accessibility guide — Practical notes for visitors with mobility needs.

Money, packing and prep

• Budgeting for Rome — What things actually cost.
• Rome on a budget — What is free, what is cheap.
• Budget accommodation — How to keep the hotel bill down.
• Money & cards in Rome — Cash vs card, ATMs, tipping.
• What to pack — Cobblestones, church dress codes, seasons.
• Apps for visiting Rome — The handful of apps that earn space on your phone.
• Roman food glossary — Every menu term worth knowing before you sit down.
• Free churches of Rome — 900 churches, almost all free.
• Free things to do in Rome — An astonishing amount of Rome costs nothing.
• Markets in Rome — Food, flea, antiques, clothes — every type.
• Travel insurance — What you actually need before you go.
• SIM cards & mobile data — Getting connected fast.

Itineraries

• Rome in 24 hours — One day — the tightest possible edit.
• A weekend in Rome — The ideal two-day route.
• 72 hours in Rome — Three full days — most efficient first visit.
• 5 days in Rome — Five full days — the city covered properly.
• 7 days in Rome — A week — start discovering Rome depth.
• 10 days in Rome — A full ten-day itinerary.
• Suggested itineraries — 3-day, 5-day and 7-day routes.

Traveling your way

• Rome for food lovers — Markets, tastings, cooking classes.
• Cooking classes in Rome — Learning to make pasta, carbonara and Roman dishes.
• Learning Italian in Rome — Language schools and immersion.
• Art walks in Rome — Self-guided routes through outdoor art.
• Best photography spots — Specific locations, angles and times.
• Walking tours in Rome — What is worth a guide and what is not.
• A self-guided street food tour — One morning, one neighbourhood, eight euros.
• Rome with kids — What actually works for a family trip.
• Rome with teenagers — History, food and what actually works.
• Rome with elderly parents — Managing hills, cobblestones and queues.
• Rome for groups — Practical advice for six or more people.
• Rome for solo travelers — Practical notes for visiting Rome on your own.
• Rome for couples — The most romantic city in Europe.
• Getting married in Rome — What is actually involved in a Rome wedding.
• Rome for students — Studying or visiting on a student budget.
• Rome for a second visit — What to do once the classics are covered.

Day trips and beyond

• Day trips from Rome — Ostia Antica, Tivoli and other easy trips.
• Day trip to Tivoli — Hadrian Villa and Villa d Este.
• Day trip to Naples — 70 minutes south by high-speed train.
• Day trip to Florence — 90 minutes north — Renaissance art.
• Beaches near Rome — Ostia, Fregene, Sperlonga.