Things to know BEFORE you go to ROME | Travel Tips

In this video we'll cover all you need to know before traveling to Rome. Like where are all the major attractions, what's the best time to visit, where to stay, how to use public transportation, how much things cost, what power plugs and outlet styles they use, best apps to use in Rome, best views of the city and many other practical information. This video is sponsored by Septics, a number one brand for travel adapters on Amazon. Don't forget to like this video, subscribe to our channel and enable notifications. And share your own experience and recommendations or ask a question in the comments below. We also created a mobile-friendly PDF document covering all things in this video, plus top 20 things to do in Rome, including multiple maps. Here are our 18 essential tips you should know before visiting Rome. Number 18. About the city. Rome is the capital of Italy and with the population of around 3 million, it is also its largest city. Although the official founding of Rome is estimated around 753 BC, the area was inhabited long before that and is considered one of the oldest inhabited areas in Europe. As a result, Rome's city center feels like one big open-air museum and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rome was built on seven hills and the legend says that it was founded by Romulus who killed his twin brother Remus after the two of them have been raised by a she-wolf. Because of its relatively small historic center, culture, rich architecture and history, and great food, Rome is considered to be one of the best romantic travel destinations. Located within the city of Rome lies the world's smallest independent country, the seat of Roman Catholic Church, Vatican City. Number 17. The map of Rome. Rome is located in central Italy on the Tiber river, about 15 miles or 26 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast. Most of its famous attractions are located east of the Tiber river. For orientation, let's start with the Colosseum, which is located more or less centrally, right next to the famous Roman Forum and Altare della Patria. South of the Colosseum you will find, for example, Circus Maximus, ancient chariot racing stadium and the ruins of Terme di Caracalla, ancient Roman baths. Termini, Rome's main train station, is located northeast of the Colosseum. If you go northwest of the Colosseum, you will find Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo and Villa Borghese Gardens, right above the square. Towards the west, you can find Pantheon and Piazza Navona, and when you cross one of the beautiful bridges there, you will first see the famous Castle San Angelo and finally Vatican City. The impressive Via Appia Antica Park, with an over 2,000 year old road, featuring an assembly of catacombs, villas and other archaeological gems, is located southeast. To get a better sense of the distance, a 1.1 mile or 1.8 kilometer long walk from Termini train station to Colosseum takes about 20 minutes, or approximately the same distance to get from the Colosseum to Fontana di Trevi. Number 16. Weather and climate. Rome has Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot and humid summers. Temperatures in winter typically range between 32 and 53 Fahrenheit or 0 to 12 degrees Celsius. Rain is common in winter, especially in December, which is also the wettest and the most humid month. Weather in the spring is unpredictable and average temperatures range between 41 and 73 Fahrenheit or 5 to 23 Celsius. Summers are hot and humid. The humidity is typically around 70 percent, with little rain and the temperatures usually range between 60 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 15 to 32 degrees Celsius. Fall is generally nice and still warm and dry, from 44 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit or 7 to 26 degrees Celsius. However, these are just averages and the weather can be different when you travel, so make sure to check the weather forecast before traveling. Number 15. Best time to visit. Best time to visit Rome is between April and May in the spring and September to November in the fall. When the weather is cooler, it is still pleasant to walk outside and the herds of tourists are gone. You can usually only wear a light jacket. Probably the least convenient time to visit Rome is in August, when it can get extremely hot and humid and there's crowds everywhere. In any case, if you're traveling to Rome in summer, don't forget to bring a hat. And how to figure out when it's the best day and hour to see the attractions? Just check Google to see how crowded a specific location is in a certain time of day. Number 14. Where to stay and price of the accommodation. Since Rome is a relatively small city, most of the tourist attractions are in the walking distance of each other. To stay close to major attractions, we recommend that you stay somewhere between the Tiber river and the Termini train station. This way you will be surrounded by famous attractions, best restaurants and traditional Roman atmosphere. If you want a truly authentic experience and don't mind spending a little more, you can stay close to Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Berberini. If you want to save some money, you can stay a little further away from the center, however, be sure to check if there's an underground station nearby so that you can easily reach the city center. The average price of a hotel room in Rome is around 130 euros or 150 dollars, however, with a little research online, you can easily get a better deal, especially if your dates are flexible. Check out our video on best apps to book your stay. Number 13. Lines are everywhere. Rome is a popular tourist destination year-round and it can get very crowded, especially around major attractions such as the Colosseum, so be prepared to wait in line or buy a skip the line ticket or Rome City Pass if you're willing to pay more. Number 12. Currency. The currency used in Rome is Euro, used in most European countries, including Italy. At the time of making of this video, 1 euro is worth approximately $1.14 or 89 pence. While most hotels, stores and restaurants in Rome accept major credit cards like Visa or Mastercard, it is always wise to have some euros in your wallet. Number 11. Language. Language spoken in Rome is of course Italian, specifically the Romanesco dialect. While they do not speak or understand English everywhere, most tourist-oriented places such as restaurants, shops and major attractions will have people who speak English and sometimes even other major languages. Some Italian words that always come in handy, beside the famous ciao, are buongiorno or good morning or good day, grazie or thank you, non capisco or I don't understand, mi scusi or excuse me or sorry. Find more useful Italian words and expressions in our travel guide. Number 10. Time zone. Time zone in Rome and Italy is Central European Summertime, or GMT plus two. This time zone is used in most countries in continental Europe. Number 9. Transportation. From and to the airport. Rome has two major airports, Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, aka Fiumicino, located approximately 19 miles or 30 kilometers from Rome's city center, and Ciampino, located approximately 9 miles or 15 kilometers from the city center. To get to Rome from either Fiumicino or Ciampino airport, you can choose amongst the following options. Train, bus, shuttle or a transfer service where the driver will wait for you at the airport, taxi or car rental. However, if you're only traveling to Rome, you will probably not need a car to drive around. Plus, many hotels in Rome charge extra for car parking and some even don't have parking spaces, so we only recommend this option if you're planning to drive to other parts of Italy too. Keep in mind that there are no Ubers or Lyfts in Rome, except for more expensive Uber Black, Uber Luxe and Uber Van. Check out our travel guide for timetables, prices, links and more information. Arriving by train. If you're arriving to Rome by train, you will normally arrive to Termini railway station, which is conveniently located in the city center. Depending on your final destination in Rome, you can check if your train also stops at one of the other major train stations in Rome. Arriving by car. If you're arriving to Rome by car, consider renting a hotel or an apartment with a parking space or a garage nearby. Parking in garages around the city center costs from 1 to 3 euros per hour and approximately 18 euros per day on average. You can get a parking space on the street for approximately 1 euro per hour. We've been to Rome by car several times and while it might seem hectic at first, you will eventually get used to Rome traffic. Getting around the city. While Rome is relatively well covered with public transportation, certain central areas are at least about a 10-minute walk away from the first underground station. And since central Rome is not too big, walking will probably be a part of your daily routine, so bring some comfortable shoes. While some areas are not covered with underground, it is still a popular form of transportation in Rome. One-way ticket or 100 minutes on all buses costs 1 euro 50, 24-hour ticket costs 7 euros, 48-hour ticket is 12 euros 50 and you can get the weekly ticket for 24 euros. You can use the ticket machine to purchase tickets. Bus and tram are also part of public transportation. You can use Google Maps or a similar app which includes public transportation in Rome. More about apps later. Taxi. There are many other forms of transportation in Rome such as hop-on hop-off buses, bikes or Vespa rentals, segways and other interesting vehicles you can rent. Check out our travel guide for timetables, prices, links and additional information. Number 8. General information. Here are some things you should know before traveling to Rome to make your experience nice and easy. Drinking water. It is perfectly safe to drink tap water in Rome. Additionally, there are a lot of free and safe water fountains spread out across the city. And yes, some drinking fountains even offer free sparkling water. We'll cover apps to find fountains in Rome later. Toilets. There are only seven public toilets in Rome. However, if you're visiting a museum or another attraction, there's usually toilets available there. Rome is also full of bars. While you cannot just walk into a bar or a restaurant and ask them to use a toilet, you can order an espresso or cappuccino which will usually only cost you for 1 to 2 euros and use the toilet in the bar. Opening hours. Restaurants, bars and shops have different opening hours and some of them are even closed during the lunch break. Some restaurants are typically closed on Mondays and some even on Tuesdays, so always check the opening hours of the attraction, restaurant or shop that you plan to visit in advance. Italian national vacation in August. In August, many shops close as many locals go on their vacation. In fact, it is so common that it has its own name, Ferragosto, which roughly translates to vacation in August. Free attractions. Many of the sites in Rome are completely free of charge. Since Rome is literally an open-air museum, many of the famous sites like Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Altare della Patria, Villa Borghese Gardens and others are completely free of charge. Number seven. For international travelers. If you're coming from outside Europe or the UK, you will probably need a special European travel adapter to charge your phone and other devices. This is what the Italian power plugs look like. We recommend purchasing a travel adapter before traveling to Rome. In fact, it is worth buying the adapter for the entire world so that you can use it in other countries too. This video is sponsored by Septics, a number one for travelers to and from the US to the world when it comes to travel adapters. The adapter we use the most is Septics Mini Travel Power Strip with multiple attachments. It allows us to charge up to four devices at once since most hotels only have a few outlets and we can just take the right attachment with us in a pouch. We've also used it on our latest trip to Rome to charge all our video and other equipment. Check their easy to use website to find adapters that fit your needs. We also made a video about travel adapters and outlet styles around the world. The link is in the description. You can purchase the prepaid SIM card to access internet on your phone with one of the carriers like Tim or Vodafone in one of their stores in Rome. Alternatively, you can consider renting pocket Wi-Fi, a mobile hotspot or internet dongle that connects to your smartphone and other devices. If you're from the US and travel a lot, consider using Google Fi. Number six. Safety. Rome is a generally safe destination, so you normally shouldn't be worried about specific areas to avoid or staying inside at night as long as you're on the streets in the city center. However, typical for all major big cities around the world, pay attention to pickpockets, especially in the crowded areas close to major attractions, for example, the Colosseum. Use common sense and watch your valuables. For emergency services, dial 112. Number five. Best apps to use in Rome. Your smartphone can be your best buddy in Rome. Here is the list of useful apps. Wi-Fi map or Wi-Fi finder, which helps you find Wi-Fi throughout Rome. Google Maps or Apple Maps for walking, public transportation, driving, etc. Google Maps also lets you download your map, which is a great option if you don't want to use roaming. Almond features maps, including information on where to eat, drink, shop, find a hotel, and sightseeing. Rome Guide Civitares, which includes all the necessary and up-to-date tourist information about Rome, like where to eat and other useful information. MIC Roma, an app allowing users to receive official news and updates in English about current and planned exhibitions, events, and educational visits taking place at the time of your visit. Tap Antina Sonni di Roma, with a map of free and safe water fountains spread out across Rome. There are over 2,500 of them, so even if you don't have an app, you will likely find one around the corner. Trip Advisor and Yelp for a restaurant, hotel, museum, or a tour review. Check our travel guide for links to download these apps on iOS and Android, and additional great app suggestions to use in Rome. Free City Tours. Walking tours of Rome are organized by professional tour guides who know a great deal about the city's rich history, legends, etc. A great way to discover Rome. Some providers even offer free walking tours. Check our travel guide for links to free guided tour websites and additional interesting tours in Rome. Rome offers the Rome City Pass, which is a good option to save money if you're planning to visit several museums and other attractions and want to skip the line at some locations. You can even choose a city pass that combines attractions and public transportation, including tickets from and to the airport. Check our travel guide for current prices and links. Food & Drinks. Rome offers some great restaurants. We suggest using Yelp or Trip Advisor to find a nearby place with good reviews. Try to avoid sitting down in the restaurant next to major attractions. Many times you can find much better price-quality-ratio restaurants a street or two away from the main locations. An average price for coffee is 1 euro for an espresso and 1,30 for a cappuccino. Average price for an inexpensive to mid-range restaurant meal is 10 to 15 euros for lunch and between 15 and 20 euros for dinner. Beer will typically cost you between 3 and 5 euros and you will pay about 2 to 2.5 euros for two scoops of amazing Italian gelato. There are many great cheap eats in Rome. Check our guide for a list of best inexpensive food locations. Dipping in Rome is not mandatory. However, some restaurants might add a service charge on top of the bill, usually around 10 percent, and some restaurants might bring you bread with the meal and charge you for that too. Unlike some other places in Italy, the so-called coperto, or in other words the fee for sitting down in the restaurant, is illegal in Rome. You can also buy something to eat or drink in a grocery store. You can use Google Maps or a similar app to locate one near you. Number one. Best free views of the city. You can enjoy several amazing views of Rome. Altar of the Fatherland, or Altare della Patria, located in the center of the city with great views in all directions. Terrazza del Pincio, a platform stretching directly from the beautiful gardens of Villa Borghese, located above Piazza del Popolo. Janiculum Terrace, a terrace located on a hill just behind Vatican City. Check our travel guide for more amazing free and paid views. Our travel guide is a mobile-friendly PDF document that you can store offline on your phone, covering top 10 major attractions in Rome, including maps, links, opening hours, and other information, plus 10 additional attractions, so that you can avoid the hustle and stress when you're in Rome and help us sustain this channel. And don't forget to like this video, subscribe to our channel, and enable notifications, so that we can keep bringing you more awesome content.