Here are my (and Lena's) top 10 tips for a successful Roman Holiday.
1. Dont use the train, taxi or Terravision buses to get to the centre from the airport. Use T.A.M buses. They are cheap 5 euro from airport or 4 from city. They run from 5am til late every 30 minutes, seven days a week and you can buy your ticket from the driver and free Wi-Fi.
http://www.tambus.it/?lang=en
2. Do not believe the people who can arrange tours of the Vatican, or other tourist attractions who tell you that you will be for queueing for hours unless you pay them a lot of cash. A guy who looked very official tried to get us to pay 32 euro each to skip the "3 hour" queue. We said No and only waited for 25 minutes and paid 16 euro each for a ticket to the museums and the Sistine chapel.
3. Speaking of the Sistine chapel after you have admired Michaelangelo's masterpiee and you are heading for the exit. Dont turn left, turn right. There is an unmarked small door which allows you access to St. Peter's Basilica without queueing for a second time.
4. Speaking of the Vatican. Take sandwiches, snacks, anything you like. Just don't eat the Pizza. It was incredibly oily and used some very unusual ingredients. Going during Lent is also a problem as they will not serve meat. The restaurant instead of meat was serving pasta with whole small octupi.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187793-d2371062-Reviews-Self_Service_Musei_Vaticani-Vatican_City_Lazio.html
5. Foe some amazing food on the other hand we recommend Terra di Siena. We went for lunch there 3 times in 5 days. The first time for Lena's birthday. The lady serving even gave her a free tiramisu with a candle in the top. Their lunch menu tastes amazing and you get two courses and a glass of wine for just 10 euro per head.
http://www.ristoranteterradisiena.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d814009-Reviews-Terra_di_Siena-Rome_Lazio.html
6. When you go to the Colluseum and the Forum. Do not try to see it in one day. The Forum is well worth taking your time to explore and the views from there over Rome are incredible. All the tickets are valid for 2 days and they cost 12 euro which in my opinion was the best 12 euro i have ever spent. My tip...do the Forum on day 1 and do the Colluseum the next morning. Join the queue for the Colluseum for people who already have a ticket.
http://www.rome-museum.com/colosseum-palatino-roman-forum.php
7. Do not try to see everything on the first day. Plan your trip carefully so that you can see all you want to see without walking for miles and damaging your health. You can use public transport (metro, buses and trams) for only 6 euro for a day ticket. The metro and the the buses are very easy to follow.
8. Try to avoid Rome when the home football team is playing. Roma and Lazio both have a very strong Ultras following and this means there can sometimes be trouble before and after matches. On our visit there were Dutch fans causing problems at Villa Borghese and the Spanish Steps.
9. Plan for a spontaneous day. If you are in Rome for more than a weekend, take the time to see the other side of Rome. Take the train, tram or bus and just get off and explore. You never know what you might discover. Italians are a very friendly people and will always help if you get lost. Dont be afraid to use the language if you can. Romans are very forgiving.
10. Don't wait for summer to go to Rome. In February when we went it was very pleasent and there is always some kind of festival going on. Rome in July and August can be very HOT and some of the family run restaurants may actually be closed.
If you are serious about going to Rome, why not ask us a question in the Comments box. We can answer in English, Latvian or Russian.
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