Rome has never been at the top of my list, we first went in 2018 on a day trip from Sorrento. At the time we weren’t impressed, but the weather didn’t help and really did put a dampener on our time there, but we’re always willing to give places a 2nd chance.
All Roads Lead to Rome
- 7/10
- 700.00pp (BA Holidays)
- See Rome on WikiTravel
What we love about Rome...
- Easy transportation from the Airport
- All main attractions walkable
- Feels a very clean city
What we don't love about Rome...
- Ticket Touts
- Gets very very very busy
- Lots of influencers
Travel Review...
Landing at Rome Fiumicino Airport, we headed to the city on the super-quick Leonardo Express which whisked us into central Rome within around 30 minutes for around €14 each, it was comfortable and with plenty of seats and luggage space.
Stepping out of the station into the busy chaos was something else, it was quite warm, we had plenty of luggage and little people to take with us, but decided to walk it to the hotel, which took around 10 minutes.
Where to stay...
We decided to stay at the Times Roman Hotel, it was in easy walk to all the main attractions in Rome but the Google reviews convinced us that it was for us. We had a suite on the top floor, one of only 3 and it had its own balcony which was worth paying the extra.
The room was split up into different sections and we had a large King bed, cot and a bed made up. Bathroom had a bath and shower, with a separate toilet.
Breakfast was included within our room rate and was tasty, with lots of choice. Whilst there was a coffee machine, our waiter advised us that we should ask for a ‘proper’ coffee from their bar, which was first-class.
What to see...
Rome isn’t short of attractions to visit, depeding whether you want to get those all important insta-shots or you actually want to spend the time learning about ancient Rome and doing an organised tour. Our little tribe meant that a 1-2 hour tour may be out of the question, but our father -in-law booked a tour via Viator. Although his tour of the Colosseum would last an hour on the paperwork, he was gone for at least 4, covering all of the surrounding sites. He really enjoyed it.
Things have changed in Rome, they are trying to stop ticket touts and therefore, they advise you to get in the queue for the attractions along with your Photo ID, if you do need to book a tour, we’d advise booking through an app such as GetYourGuide (Although our first one was refunded for exactly the reason above) or Viator.
Places that need to be on your list include:
- Vatican City
- Colosseum
- Trevi Fountain
- Pantheon
- Roman Forum
- Piazza Navona (Right next to our hotel)
- St Peter's Basilica
Just a few top tips… For those hoping to miss the Instagrammers at Trevi fountain, guides tend to tell you to get there at dawn, but they are all there and we witnessed around 50-75 people trying to get that perfect shot. Just turn up and take a photo.
Where to eat at...
You are in Italy, the home of the perfect food and Rome is littered with street-side restaurants in and out of the tourist areas, you will be spoilt for choice.
Our first destination was the Hard Rock Cafe in Rome, we are regular visitors to their multiple locations across the Globe and have racked up around 75 locations now. We booked a table (worth doing), sat, and had the amazing Legendary Burgers we love to consume!
For other meals, we tried a few places including one in a courtyard within spitting distance of the Colossium. It was called the Orgoglio (I think) and offered local flavours including Pasta and Pizza, even though it was so close to the main attractions it wasn’t expensive, even with a glass of Prosecco and a local beer added to the tab.
We grabbed snacks from one of the local pizza places, glass cabinets full of pizza slices and some had hidden rooms in the back where we could tuck into the feasts.
Other Things You Can Do...
Rome has plenty on offer for most people, whether you like to sit and drink a coffee to people watch, or you want to do a bit of shopping. There is something to do whatever your interests.
It’s super easy to get around, you can walk most of the city but there is a reliable metro system in place. You can of course use Uber (although it takes ages to arrive) or hire a scooter.
Some people recommended the hop-on, hop-off tours and generally we’d be up for these but again, with 2 younger children, interest wains. At least with these bus services, they take you to all of the main attractions and include hidden bonuses such as tips on how to get in certain places and gives you snippets of information, you wouldn’t find on the internet.
How to get to Rome...
Flying from the UK, you have lots of options. Some of the best deals we found were via British Airways Holidays and Jet2.com, we went with BA on the basis that we’re Gold card members and could also use a number of Avios to take some money off the bill.
You can fly with Ryanair, Easyjet and a few other airlines. All of the flight prices are pretty reasonable and we saw some flights for around £80 return with hand luggage.
Disclaimer
We have written this article as we love travelling. We have no affiliation with British Airways or the Italian Government.
