ROME CITY GUIDE / THREE DAYS IN ROME

Last October me and my friend went to visit the beautiful city of Rome all by ourselves and since no one planned the trip for us, we had to do all the things ourselves, it was a very interesting experience, so I decided to share my tips about visiting Rome, maybe it will be interesting to people who decide to visit this gorgeous city in the heart of Italy.

WHERE TO STAY.

Hotels are pretty expensive there, hostels sadly as well, differently like in other cities. We decided to go with Airbnb which is a very good thing I've recently discovered. There are locals renting their apartments in many parts of the city, so you can choose to rent the whole apartment, the single room or a shared room, it depends on your choice and the money you can spend. You pay directly through the site after you've talked with the person you've decided to rent the property from. The rooms or apartments mostly come with everything you need - kitchen utensils, toiletries and sometimes even food. It's all listed as well when you're choosing your apartment.

You have to communicate directly with the renter of the place, so if something is not going smooth, better choose a different one. Also, I strongly advice choosing one which has more comments written about them, this way you can make sure a person is a good choice.

One big, important tip: write down the address of the place you're staying at. Phones can stop working, the renters can forget to pick up the phone (a real story) and you can find yourself standing in the middle of the world you've never been to without any idea what to do anymore. So it's better to have address, this way you can find the place on your own. 

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Public transportation in Rome is pretty good. There are tramways, buses, metro, night buses and loads and loads of cars. It's very crazy there, so beware of the cars when you are out and about the city because these drivers drive by their own rules.

You can see the numbers of the buses that drive there on the bus stops in the streets. If you see a little letter N by the number of the bus, that means it's a night bus. Night buses are free there, but that means everyone and anyone car be found in there, so save yourself and your things when you're in them.

Buses are mostly very crowded, so I would recommend the metro as it's incredibly easy to navigate. There are two different lines the (blue and red one) that go beneath the city center. Where metro doesn't reach the city, you can take the tram which is also a good way to travel.

Standard ticket is valid for 75 minutes on all buses or for one Metro ride and costs €1,5, daily one costs €6 and three days one costs €16,50. 

ROME CITY PASS. 

BUY THIS THING. It is not cheap, but it's very convenient. You can buy this online, in the airport and at some places in the city once you arrive. You can choose between two different ones – one is valid for 3 full days (€ 36 ), the other is for 48 hours (€ 28 ). With the city card, you get a city map and a booklet about the city and map is a very convenient thing when you're wandering around the city on your own. With the card, you can travel with every possible public transport for the amount of hours you paid for from the moment you check it. Cabs and shuttle buses to the airports are not included into this.

Also, with the card you are allowed to two sights like Colosseum, Roman Forum or museums of your choice, so you save a bit of money this way. And also, people with the pass in most places have a different queue, so you save loads of time this way.

Don't ever jump into the car thinking it is a cab if it is not the white one with the taxi sign on top and a the Rome crest on the doors. Everything that is not this, it's not a cab, so you shouldn't really board it for your safety.

WHAT TO SEE

Coloseum – Roman Forum / Palatino Hill – Altar of the Fatherland – Spanish Steps

Take the Blue line at Termini (the main station of the city) and hop off at the Colosseo station. You will be greeted with the view of the Colosseum once you step out off the Metro and you can take a little tour around it or even better go visit it from the inside. It is really worth it, even if there are a lot of tourists, it's just one of these things you have to visit once you're in Rome.

After that you can walk towards Roman Forum / Palatino Hill. It is really close nearby and you will probably start your tour from the Palatino Hill if you walk directly from the Coloseum. This is a beautiful and serene place in the middle of the city without the noise, without crowds of people and it just breathes history. Be sure to visit Roman Forum as well while you're there, we almost missed this part and left without seeing this beauty. It is a place with all the monuments from the ancient times and it is gorgeous if you're a history geek like I am. Even if you're not, the fact that these things have been built so many years ago and they are still standing there with the city buzzing just right there to them should amaze you. 

From there you can take a short walk until you see the big white building which is seen pretty much from every higher point of the city. Altare della Patria or The Altar of the Fatherland. I found this part of the city to be very busy, with many many cars, buses and people there, but since the place is just right there where you're walking, it's worth visiting it as well.

From there, you can take a walk on the tiny streets of Rome which are just gorgeous, remember to buy some Gelato and after a little while you will find yourself in the Spanish square with the famous Spanish Steps. I think this place would feel even nicer if visited at evening or night time when there are not THAT many people there. But it is a beautiful place to sit for a while and chill out while looking at gorgeous Italian people. 

From there you can go to Metro stop called Spagna (the red line) and go back where you're staying. 

Vatican City – Piazza Nevona – Pantheon – Trevi Fountain

Vatican City is very worth visiting as it is really really beautiful and if you're a Christian, that is probably one place on your bucket list. 

Metro stop is called Ottaviano "San Pietro" and it is not directly by the Basilica, but the way towards it is very nice. The Basilica is free to enter, you just have to stand in a line which is pretty long but moves quickly and you will get inside that amazingly beautiful place. I think this was the most breathtaking Church I have ever been to, it is definitely worth to wait that line. 

If you want to get to the very top in the cupola of this gorgeous place, this costs €5 or €7, it depends if you want to take the elevator or not. But even if you take the elevator, the most difficult part has to be walked by your own feet. There are many steps until you reach the very top but it is oh so worth doing it, I'm pretty sure you won't regret that once you see the view from up there. And getting down is way easier!

After that you could go to the same Metro stop and take it where you want. You can hop off at Barberini stop and you'll quickly find your way to the famous Trevi fountain. It was closed when we were visiting, so we sadly didn't get to see this beauty, but maybe you will have more luck! After visiting Trevi, you could wander the streets for a while and you will reach the Pantheon which is really really beautiful and free to get inside. After seeing the Basilica San Pietro it might not seem that impressive, but it actually is very beautiful! 

It is also worth to see Villa Borghese Gardens, Trastavere (this is a very nice neighbourhood), Campo De Fiori. 

RANDOM TIPS. 

• Save your things. There are so many people who are very willing to steal from you and they do it with some magic, so you could not even see it after it happens.

• If people don't speak English in a restaurant, food is going to be amazing there. There is also a rule in Italy that if the table is with a white table cloth on it, the food is going to be very expensive, because it's a restaurant. Look before you go in.

• Bring comfortable shoes. You can do loads of walking in Rome because all the sights are very close each to the other, so you don't have to take public transport so much, rely on your feet and save them from the trouble by bringing comfortable shoes with you.

• Don't take pictures with gladiators standing by the Colosseum, don't try something that someone is proposing you whether that's a selfie stick (you will see loads of them there) or some food, it will definitely cost money.

• When you ask "do you speak English?" in the street, the majority of people will answer with a very confident "no", just try to ask you question also in English, some people will try their hardest to explain you what you need. Sometimes in Italian or with their hands, but it can also help you.

• Coffee is good everywhere in that city.

P.S. You might like to check my post about my trip to Rome. 

 

BIRTHDAY TRIP TO ROME

 Visiting Rome was a dream of mine for the longest time because Italy is definitely one of my favorite countries ever, I love the food, the culture, people there, the language, so visiting the heart of it was essential to me. Oh, and I am a huge lover of history and architecture, so this was also a place for me to go. This was a very special trip not only because I went there on my 21st birthday but also because this was the first trip where I and my friend had to do everything ourselves, there were no guides, nothing was really planned for us and we were the only ones who decided everything. This freedom to do anything you want and go anywhere you want was very liberating, it was really cool to think that in the middle of the school year you ran away to a beautiful city far away from home and you can wander the streets for hours without any plans at all. It also adds a little bit more stress but when everything turns out fine, you feel this sense of accomplishment which is great.
We had to use our map skills and that turned out quite interesting. I was pretty sure I don't understand maps at all and my friend though she understands maps very well but turns out we both are not that good at it. Thankfully people there are really friendly so we didn't get lost and it was even more fun trying to speak with people who don't speak any languages we do.
We got to see the main sights, we ate amazing food (seriously, I could eat Italian food every day of my life) and stared at the gorgeous Italian men in the streets and they are seriously gooooorgeous there, I think every girl would agree with me. This is definitely a city I would come back to if I'll ever have a chance and I would recommend to everyone hop on a plane and go experience Italy to the fullest.

THE BEST BIRTHDAY SO FAR

You know, I am not the biggest fan of my birthdays, not only because I've already reached the age when it's pretty scary to see how quick you're getting older and older but mainly because it is a day in a year which you expect to be amazing and most of the time it really doesn't live up to your expectations. And since I am the biggest crier ever, there hasn't been a birthday in many years that I didn't cry at. I don't even know why exactly do I cry, but I always shed a tear and not necessarily a happy one, to me there is always something.. sad about it, even though I can't really explain it. So that is why this year I decided it would be an amazing idea to get away for my birthday, to leave all behind and just go to a very nice place. I am very happy that my dream actually came true and I got to celebrate my 21st birthday in the gorgeous city of Rome. If you know me, you know just how much I love Italy and visiting the heart of it has been a dream of mine for the longest time.
It was a gorgeous and windy day on October 7th, just like the day I was born 21 years ago and in the morning I met my Mom to have a very nice birthday breakfast and it was so nice to have couple of hours with her while eating cake and drinking coffee. After that, I met my best friend and we got straight to the airport where our adventure began. It really was an adventure in every possible way. It was the first trip for both of us when we were only two of us and there was no one else to count on in that city far away from home. The adventure started the moment when we got off in the neighbourhood where we were staying at and our host didn't pick up the phone. Thankfully, we managed to find the place somehow but it was just the beginning. We did get lost a bit, we've met some people that weren't that nice but everything worked out just fine and these little things just showed us that we can actually be independent and can handle the situation pretty good.
But despite everything that went wrong, there were so so many things which went just fine. We spent amazing time there, really. Rome is the city where every corner of it is worth a shot, it's so gorgeous and mind blowing at the same time. It's crowded, sometimes a little too noisy but so full of history that you fall in love with it immediately. I really did have the best birthday there and it was like no other I've had before. There we were only two of us in the city far away from home and everyone we know where we got to do everything ourselves, from figuring out the transport system, to discovering everything this city has to offer. So that is how I celebrated the age where I don't have any more limits, in a nice apartment, with a glass of wine and a cupcake with some candles. And it was awesome, to say the least!