Guide to a long weekend in Rome

                                         

We had the opportunity to have a long weekend in Rome kid free. We had a wonderful time and here are some of the things that we did. 

Some general things about Rome- first of all I just want to say our itnerary was not kid friendly at all. I know most of my trips these days are kid friendly but this would've been miserable with toddlers. I saw some there and I felt bad for the parents. I'm all for giving kids new experiences but I just think it would've been too much torture to bring mine. 

Be aware of scams and pickpocketing. It's not that Rome is unsafe it's just that you are in a big city where they know there is a lot of people that don't really know what they are doing. Don't carry a bunch of stuff with you and make sure you keep your belongings close to you especially in crowded areas. 

Wear comfortable shoes- Rome is not very mobility friendly there are random narrow streets and stairs all over the place. We did a lot of walking and I was so glad to I wore comfortable shoes. I don't care if I wasn't super fashionable. 

We found the Roman subway system to be very user friendly but VERY crowded. We were often packed in like sardines. Still I've heard of people taking ubers and the car traffic is just as bad. Plus it's way cheaper. Just build traffic into your timeline 

Another thing I noticed is that in this era of instagram there were many people that would stand in a popular spot to take a picture and take a LONG time. Maybe it's just midwest polite girl in me but I thought this was so rude. Like ok take a few a move on- there is a literally a line sometimes. That or your just have to be very pushy. Both of which are not my forte. 

I would recommend bringing an umbrella- we had a few sudden onset rain showers and esepcially if you are walking around outside it's nice to have. 

There are three tourist seasons in Rome there is the off season, the "shoulder season" and the "head season". Head season is June, July, August. Shoulder season is April, May and September October. If possible I would recommend going during the shoulder season. The weather is a bit cooler and theoretically less people. I was overwhlemed with how many people there were. And it's not like I'm not used to dealing with a major metropolitain area. Plus air conditioning is not really a thing in Rome.

We got an e-sim card for our phones on this trip and it was very useful. We used it to navigate weird roads and would've gotten lost a few times without it. Now a days it's relatively cheap so I would recommend it for your trip. 

Things to do: 

Tour St Peters Basilica and the Vatican Museums 

This is two separate tours. Technically the buildings are connected but not to the public 

You can either pay for a true private tour or you can buy tickets from the website and self tour. Honestly my husband and I are not catholic and we don't really care that much about art. We did self tours and it was fine- I have honestly no desire to go back and do it with a guide. Did we miss a bunch of little history nuggets- sure- but honestly there is so much there you could be there for days. 

We decided to do St Peter's First and then move on to the Vatican Museum. You have to physically walk around this giant wall to get from the basilica entrance. We spent about an hour in St Peters- honestly this was plenty of time for us but if you are someone who likes to really look at everything I would give yourself more time. 

Tips: 

Bring your comfortable shoes! Be prepared to walk around a lot. The vatican museum specially is huge. 

 

Both of these tours can be booked in advance. I booked them a few months in advance and would highly recommend it. The Standby lines are absolutely insane!! Don't do it! 

You need a photo ID in order to get into the Vatican Museums- we learned this the hard way but now have a funny story from it. 

Bring some light snacks- the Vatican Museums has a cafe but it's a long line and it's expensive

These attractions are not that great for kids- very long and not very stroller friendly. I saw a few toddlers there and I felt so bad for them and their parents- everyone looked miserable 

Expect A LOT of people- especially in some of the more popular areas of the museum you will be crammed in like sardines 

Be prepared to go through security- try not to bring more than you need 

The Colosseum 

You basically have to do it right? When in Rome. I'll admit it's a cool building and I can't believe people build it hundreds of years ago. 

Buy tickets in advance!! Cannot stress enough. We found the website for this to be very difficult to navigate and so we ended up paying extra for the convenience. 

You can also purchase tickets for a private tour- honestly we are not bit gladiator history people. If you are then maybe it would be worth it but for us just wandering around was fine. We also didn't feel like we missed out on anything buy not buying the more expensive tickets 

The Trevi Fountain 

Is it pretty- absolutely. Is there an insane amount of people here- also yes. 

Be very careful of scammers in this area. Go early if you can. We went at about 7am on a Sunday morning and I was still shocked how many people where there but it was definitely a lot more comfortable. We were leaving that day and just decided to get up early and go and then come back and pack. So many people were there doing photoshoots. 

Basicica of St Clemente- Underground Church Museum 

This ended up being pretty cool and unique. It's a Church built on the underground streets of ancient Rome in which they are actively excavating.  It's pretty inexpensive to tour and see the history of the true ancient romans. It's right near the Colosseum so we did both in one day. 

Italian Cooking Class 

This was a bit of a splurge for us and I am so glad we did it. We had fun making the food and meeting some new people. Plus now my husband makes pasta frequently and it is so good. It also gives you more respect for the Italian tradition. We did a class at 1 and made this our "lunch" for the day since you get to eat everything you make. 

Restaurant Recommendations 

Just some things to be aware of: 

-    Dinner starts at 7 in Italy. Most places are closed before then. Make sure you have a snack or eat enough for lunch to make it to 7. 

- Make reservations in advance- These two places are very popular and book out fast. 

Casa Prati

This I could tell is a true Roman secret because we were the only english speaking people there. The food was SO good. The tiramisu changed my life. 

Roscioli-

 this is definitely more touristy. You for sure need reservations- people kept coming in while we were eating and asking for a table and they were completely booked. The good is really good! It's a unique atmosphere because you are literally in the butcher and cheese shop you can watch everything people order be prepared behind the counter. My only complaint is that people keep coming in and ordering meat and cheese. Where we were sitting was right by where the people were ordering so they were hovering right at our table. If we had been sitting in the back it wouldn't have been an issue. But oh well. 

Overall 

Overall we had a great time exploring this ancient city. The food was delicious and it was nice to have some alone time and feel like our old selves- if only just for a little bit.