Visiting Rome This November

AustinP

AustinP

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May 12, 2010
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Ok, So I have made up my mind and have decided to go to Rome by the end of November. I got my accomodation sorted out so that isnt much of a hassle. What I really need to know is what kind of expenses I may be looking at. How much should I take? Dont wana overdo it. If any of you guys have been, let me know.
 


was just there in July..hot as hell but should be way cooler now....

go to the coliseum when it's about to close. you avoid the long ass lines and it stays open past their closing time. plus it's nicer to take pictures of the coliseum instead of a coliseum filled to the rim with tourists.

and if you visit the vatican...do a tour. you DO NOT want to wait in the regular admission line. it wraps around blocks...doing a tour gets you straight in and it's actually more informative.

oh..and eat a gripload of gelato. it's the best. haha.
 
arcarc said:
was just there in July..hot as hell but should be way cooler now....

go to the coliseum when it's about to close. you avoid the long ass lines and it stays open past their closing time. plus it's nicer to take pictures of the coliseum instead of a coliseum filled to the rim with tourists.

and if you visit the vatican...do a tour. you DO NOT want to wait in the regular admission line. it wraps around blocks...doing a tour gets you straight in and it's actually more informative.

oh..and eat a gripload of gelato. it's the best. haha.
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Lol, my advice is just about the exact opposite. I was there in September, weather wasn't too bad, nice cool mornings but the afternoons got a little warm.

We went to the Coliseum first thing in the morning, like 8AM since our sleep patterns hadn't caught up and we were waking up at the ass crack of dawn. No real line whatsoever by the time it opened at about 8:45.

St. Peters Basilica... hit it early before it fills up with (too many) tourists, it's free.

The Vatican Museum, like arcarc said will have a line around two whole blocks or more. I almost got suckered into the tour, I tried haggling, cause the tours are around 40 euro on top of normal entry, but no takers. When we got out and grabbed some lunch at a trattoria right across the street after going through the whole things, the two block line had completely vanished by the time we finished lunch. If you hit the museum around 2 in the afternoon there shouldn't be a wait.

The Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain were both crowded as hell all day long so it doesn't really matter if you go morning, noon, or night. And be ready to be accosted by all sorts of scammy little fucks trying to offer to take your picture or give your girl a flower for "free".

Most of our money was spent at various restaurants and bars, the tipping culture isn't the same as in the states. 1 or 2 euro is enough of a tip at restaurants but they'll always hit you with a bread charge.

Watch out for cabbies, especially when leaving the airport, don't let a gypsy cab grab your stuff, go to the official queue, and even then you have to watch the cabbie as he will try and grab money out of your hand while you try and get the right denomination together. The best way is to have 30 or 40 euro separate from the rest of your money for cabbies in case they get "grabby".

The food is great for the most part.

Rome is pretty busy, I liked Florence a little more, it was definitely more laid back. But both were great and if you're a history buff you're going to love it.
 
I wouldn't spend more than a couple days in Rome. See the sites and then move on, it's kind of a dead/touristy city. Look into spending more time in Florence where the culture is a little more vibrant.
 
Mr. Mojorisin said:
I wouldn't spend more than a couple days in Rome. See the sites and then move on, it's kind of a dead/touristy city. Look into spending more time in Florence where the culture is a little more vibrant.
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Agreed, I did three days in Rome and four in Florence. Florence was definitely the highlight, just as much history as in Rome and a much better vibe.
 
Spend some time seeing the greatness of Roma and the tourist areas for sure, the sheer awesomeness of the city is unexplainable. It's jaw-dropping. If you are into strange off the path things, the Capuchini Crypt is awesome. It's not as well known as all of the other places, but there are bones of over 4000 monks made into displays. It's eerie, but really cool.
To cut down on costs, try to eat as far out of the center as you can. Everything will be more expensive in Roma in general, but if you get further away from tourist areas you won't pay as much. While I lived in Italia I found the best way to judge prices is that if a pizza margherita (cheese pizza) is more than 4-4.50 Euro you are at a tourist place.
Hope that helps!
 
arcarc said:
was just there in July..hot as hell but should be way cooler now....

go to the coliseum when it's about to close. you avoid the long ass lines and it stays open past their closing time. plus it's nicer to take pictures of the coliseum instead of a coliseum filled to the rim with tourists.

and if you visit the vatican...do a tour. you DO NOT want to wait in the regular admission line. it wraps around blocks...doing a tour gets you straight in and it's actually more informative.

oh..and eat a gripload of gelato. it's the best. haha.
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More importantly, walk through the forum on your way to the Colosseum. Freakin' fantastic at sundown, so perfect timing.

I also recommend visiting as many churches and cathedrals as possible. There are so many tombs, underground churches, and other cool stuff. When I was there a few years ago, I stumbled into some random church and found some very famous golden statue that I'd seen many places before, in history books and such.

Though I was brought up in a Catholic household, and it's very possible that you won't find it as interesting.

Oh, and don't forget the Sistine Chapel!

I'd fuckin kill for a piece of margherita pizza and some gelato right about now.
 
Awesome. Got all those points in mind. Will consider checking out Florence too if I get done with Rome. Thing is I shall be staying in Vatican City since one of my brothers is in the order. I am RC so it should not be a problem. What I really needed to know is how much of the moolah should I carry?
 
Keep an eye out for the "forced tours." There are a lot of people waiting around outside attractions that will promise you immediate entry if you join their group, and pay them a fee. I told one guy that I didn't need his help getting into the Colosseum and he said to me as I walked away, "yeah, sure, you'll be just FINE on your own."

One thing that you can do in a lot of Italian cities is buy tickets to one attraction at another attraction. They also tend to sell tickets with set entry times. On your first day, you should go out to a museum or location with smaller lines, and buy timed entrance tickets to a bunch of different places. That way you just show up at your ticket time and walk in, no need to wait in the long lines. This worked really well for me in Florence, so I would recommend looking into it in Rome.

Enjoy your trip.

Re: moolah. Not sure who you bank with, but I would hesitate to carry around a lot of cash. Italy is modernizing quite well. You should be able to withdraw from almost any ATM, obviously being wary of skimmers/scrapers. Also, nowadays most restaurants will take mastercard or visa. Basically, just don't walk around with hundreds of euros in your pockets.
 
AustinP said:
Awesome. Got all those points in mind. Will consider checking out Florence too if I get done with Rome. Thing is I shall be staying in Vatican City since one of my brothers is in the order. I am RC so it should not be a problem. What I really needed to know is how much of the moolah should I carry?
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I always had around 150 Euro on me each day, I figured it was better to have too much than not enough, you'll definitely want to err on the side of too much when going to the Vatican Museum. I was always cognoscent of looking out for pick pockets (especially around Trevi Fountain / Spanish Steps)


Isostar13 said:
Re: moolah. Not sure who you bank with, but I would hesitate to carry around a lot of cash. Italy is modernizing quite well. You should be able to withdraw from almost any ATM, obviously being wary of skimmers/scrapers. Also, nowadays most restaurants will take mastercard or visa. Basically, just don't walk around with hundreds of euros in your pockets.
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I had problems with ATMs even though we had told our bank we would be overseas and charges/withdrawls would be normal. I also wanted to avoid ATMs as much as possible to avoid getting raped on currency conversion fees, I did all my currency changing in the Charlotte airport at a Bank of Ireland branch, they also said that on my return they would change it back at no charge if I kept my receipt. YMMV
 
Isostar13 said:
Keep an eye out for the "forced tours." There are a lot of people waiting around outside attractions that will promise you immediate entry if you join their group, and pay them a fee. I told one guy that I didn't need his help getting into the Colosseum and he said to me as I walked away, "yeah, sure, you'll be just FINE on your own."

One thing that you can do in a lot of Italian cities is buy tickets to one attraction at another attraction. They also tend to sell tickets with set entry times. On your first day, you should go out to a museum or location with smaller lines, and buy timed entrance tickets to a bunch of different places. That way you just show up at your ticket time and walk in, no need to wait in the long lines. This worked really well for me in Florence, so I would recommend looking into it in Rome.

Enjoy your trip.

Re: moolah. Not sure who you bank with, but I would hesitate to carry around a lot of cash. Italy is modernizing quite well. You should be able to withdraw from almost any ATM, obviously being wary of skimmers/scrapers. Also, nowadays most restaurants will take mastercard or visa. Basically, just don't walk around with hundreds of euros in your pockets.
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justo_tx said:
I always had around 150 Euro on me each day, I figured it was better to have too much than not enough, you'll definitely want to err on the side of too much when going to the Vatican Museum. I was always cognoscent of looking out for pick pockets (especially around Trevi Fountain / Spanish Steps)




I had problems with ATMs even though we had told our bank we would be overseas and charges/withdrawls would be normal. I also wanted to avoid ATMs as much as possible to avoid getting raped on currency conversion fees, I did all my currency changing in the Charlotte airport at a Bank of Ireland branch, they also said that on my return they would change it back at no charge if I kept my receipt. YMMV
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Got it. I was budgeting myself to go 250E a day. Seems doable. Thanks for the help fellows.
 
Depending on how fancy a place you want to eat out at 150 Euro/day should be more than enough. You already have a place to stay, so your only expenses are transportation, entry fees and food/entertainment. If you have time and the inclination - get a map and go on foot - you'll get a feel for the culture and place a lot more that way. If not, use public transportation - again more of a feel for how the locals live. And since your brother lives there, he should be able to tell you local places to eat at - not only will you get authentic food, it'll also be cheaper than the tourist traps. Have fun, it's a great place to visit.
 
snow5 said:
Depending on how fancy a place you want to eat out at 150 Euro/day should be more than enough. You already have a place to stay, so your only expenses are transportation, entry fees and food/entertainment. If you have time and the inclination - get a map and go on foot - you'll get a feel for the culture and place a lot more that way. If not, use public transportation - again more of a feel for how the locals live. And since your brother lives there, he should be able to tell you local places to eat at - not only will you get authentic food, it'll also be cheaper than the tourist traps. Have fun, it's a great place to visit.
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I second the walking idea.
It's a huge city, but walking is totally worth it. Don't forget to stop every other block to recharge with a cappuccino!

Also check out whatever that main body of water is that runs through the city. There is some really sick graffiti along it.
 
2 days are enough, not more.
Enjoy food: "Carbonara", "Amatriciana", "Porchetta" (this one is the roman version of Hot Dog and you can buy it on the street).
Be careful with pedlars and shopkeepers because they sell at different prices for not italians persons.
 
bring a plastic bottle. I did a walking tour and bought about 10 bottles of water for 2 euro a pop. Rome provides free water to its citizens. there are literally thousands of public water fountains throughout the city.

Dont eat anywhere near the spanish stairs. Its like 5th ave for them, all the big name stores. I bought a panini, a cap and a coke. it cost me like 40 euro.. fucking crazy.

i would suggest taking some tours. We did alot of stuff on our own, but having somebody who really knows the intricacy of the landmarks helps alot. you appreciate what you are seeing. especially in the Vatican and st. peters basilica.

Hit up the fountain of trevi at night. We just hung out there drinking peroni's (local beers) and just chilled. Its a hot spot at night, bars are close to there and lots of chics.

Also watch the ROME series from HBO, shit will make alot of sense when you get there.

I reccomend this book: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Top-Rome-Eyewitness-Travel-Guides/dp/0756660769/ref=pd_sim_b_5"]top 10[/ame]

Its alot to take in. Give yourself lots of time to appreciate it. Lots of history there, You will enjoy it..
 
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