Rome Travel Guide: What to Know Before You Go

Rome is three thousand years of history stacked on a walkable scale, but it rewards planning before you go. The two decisions that shape most first trips are where to stay and how you book the Colosseum — both are easier than people think once you know how the system works.

Rome in brief

• Airport arrival: Fiumicino (FCO) via the non-stop Leonardo Express (about 32 minutes to Termini, around €14) or the slower FL1 regional train
• Currency: Euro; cards are accepted almost everywhere, carry a little cash for markets
• Walking is the real transport system — most highlights sit inside a 45-minute stroll
• Public transit: single metro/bus ticket €1.50, valid 100 minutes, including one metro ride

Where to stay

For a first visit, staying inside the old centre — near Piazza Navona, Campo de' Fiori or Trevi — means you can walk most of the itinerary. Trastevere, just across the Tiber, costs a little less and hands you the city's best restaurant street as a doorstep.

• Centro Storico — maximum charm, maximum walking
• Trastevere — evening energy, great food, slightly outside the crowds
• Near Termini — cheaper and convenient for early trains, quieter at night
• Monti — a tiny, stylish neighbourhood short walk from the Colosseum

Book the Colosseum the right way

The Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill sell one combined ticket, and it's the single thing you should book in advance. Reservations normally open 30 days ahead on the official portal, and mid-morning slots vanish first. Aim for the day's first entry if you want the least crowded, best-lit photos.

1. Standard combined ticket (Colosseum, Forum, Palatine): around €18, valid two days
2. Full experience with arena floor and underground: around €24, book weeks ahead
3. Skip-the-line guided options bundle the queue for you — worth it at peak hours
4. The first Sunday of the month is free entry everywhere, and packed accordingly

Browse guided tours in Rome

Getting around without the stress

The metro has three lines and only touches some of the highlights, so expect to combine short rides with walking. Tickets work on bus, tram and metro; buy them at metro stations, tobacconists or the official app before boarding — inspectors don't accept excuses.

• Metro/bus single: €1.50 for 100 minutes
• 24-hour pass: about €7; 48-hour pass: about €12.50
• Hop a taxi only for luggage hauls — otherwise traffic beats walking
• Fiumicino↔city trains beat taxis by a wide margin in both price and time

Search flights to Rome

What costs money and what doesn't

• Free: Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon exterior, St Peter's Basilica, most piazzas
• Pantheon interior: now requires a €5 ticket — reserve a timed slot online
• St Peter's dome climb: about €8-10, worth it for the view over the city
• Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel: book timed entry well ahead

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