Don’t do this in Rome

Are you planning a trip to Rome? Stay tuned because today, we will tell you ten things you should avoid while travelling to Rome! Rome is a beautiful city with a rich history, but like any popular destination, there are certain things you should avoid doing while visiting.

Don’t drive in Rome

If you rent a car in Italy and you drive around the country, we strongly recommend that you avoid driving in Rome!

• First, traffic in Rome is really crazy, and driving there is a bit of a challenge even for local drivers.
• Second, there are a lot of restricted traffic areas in Rome called Zona Traffico Limitato, and if you are not careful and drive in one of these areas, the fines are quite steep.
• Third, parking in Rome is a bit of a challenge; parking lots are very limited, and most of them in the city centre are metered.

So if you drive around Italy and you are stopping in Rome, we recommend you leave your car at the hotel and move around Rome either by walking or using taxis or the Metro.

Let’s continue our list of don’ts of Rome with

DON’T TRY TO SEE EVERYTHING IN ONE DAY

We have seen many people making the mistake of booking the Vatican museums, Saint Peter’s and the Colosseum tours all in one day; we have done it too.

Believe us, doing that is too much. You won’t have time to experience what you are seeing, and if you do that you will end up exhausted at the end of the day. It is much better to make a list of must-sees and spread them out over 2-3 days. If you only have one day because you are visiting on a cruise, for example, book only one tour that is the most interesting for you.

Let’s move to our don’t of Rome number three

DON’T FORGET TO BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE

This is incredibly important because if you don’t buy your ticket in advance, you’ll probably end up waiting in line for hours at the ticket offices. Even worse than that, some attractions might end up being sold out!  

Now, not all tickets are skip-the-line. When you buy tickets to certain attractions, there are two types of tickets. One would be a normal ticket, and the other is a skip-the–line, that costs a little more.  This is because when you buy a normal ticket, you then have to wait in another line to get into the attraction. If you buy a skip-the-line ticket in advance, you’ll get to go in right away ll saving yourself a bunch of time – which means more time to see your favourite attractions. 

One thing, though – these skip-the-line tickets are often sold out fast – so buy them in advance quickly.  Speaking of which, we’ve left a link in the description with some of the most popular skip-the-line tickets in Rome.

Moving on to our next don’t of Rome:

DON’T WEAR THE WRONG SHOES and clothes

Rome is a very walkable city, and you will walk more than ten thousand steps in a day. For this reason, wearing comfortable shoes is incredibly important. Also, as we mentioned before in previous Articles in Rome you will end up walking on streets that are incredibly old and uneven, so avoid sandals, flip flops or high heels. And don’t forget to bring clothes that cover your shoulders and knees if you’re planning to visit the major churches.

Let’s move to our next topic:

DON’T DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL AT LUNCH

We know you are on holiday and wine in Italy is cheap and delicious, but we strongly recommend you not drink too much at lunchtime. Here’s the thing: in the summer, when it is 30 or 40 °C, if you drink too much, you might end up overheating and feeling sick; we’ve even seen people faint! So maybe have a glass of wine at lunch and enjoy the cold Frascati at dinner!

Also, you don’t want to have a headache or be tipsy while sightseeing, do you?  Haha

Our next don’t of Rome is:

DON’T TAKE PHOTOS WITH THE GLADIATORS

By the Colosseum or the Forum, you will find people dressed like gladiators who want to take photos with you for a fee. Avoid them; they are a scam. They usually take your phone, and then they ask for a lot of money to give it back to you. Also, avoid anybody who wants to give you something for free, like a bracelet or a necklace. Again, they are a scam and will try to get your money. 

Moving on to our don’t of Rome

DON’T EAT IN TOURISTY RESTAURANTS

Restaurants that are in front of any major landmark or restaurants that have a sign “Menu Turistico” usually target tourists, and they charge you way more money than they should for mediocre food. Also, if you see a restaurant that has photos of lasagna, pizza, hamburgers and anything else under the sun, you can be sure that it is a tourist restaurant that does not serve authentic food. Even worse, most usually serve frozen food. Also I’d say that if a restaurant has someone outside trying to get you in, avoid them. Usually, a good restaurant does not need someone outside to get you in, but it has the opposite problem: they have too many customers! 

Our next topic is

DON’T LET THE GYPSIES APPROACH YOU

Unfortunately, in Rome, like any other big touristy place, many people are trying to take advantage of tourists. In Rome, you have to pay attention to gypsies. Usually, they are old women begging for money. Stay away from them. They distract the tourists and steal wallets and other valuables. For the same reason, keep an eye on your bags, backpacks, and cameras, especially when you are surrounded by a lot of people or when using the subway.

Moving on to our next topic:

DON’T JUST VISIT THE MAIN ATTRACTIONS

In Rome, there is so much to see other than the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain. There is actually so much to see that even we who live here haven’t seen everything! So after you saw your must-see, go off the beaten path and explore all the main beauties that Rome has to offer.  In fact, Rome has an incredible number of places you can visit for free.

Finally, our last don’t of Rome is

DON’T BOOK YOUR HOTEL TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE CITY CENTER

Hotels in the outskirts of the city might be cheaper than hotels in the city centre, but if you stay there, you will have to commute every day to the main attractions. This means that you will spend a lot of time on transit or taxis that you could have spent sightseeing and enjoying the beautiful city of Rome. Also, you have to consider that you might need to take some long taxi rides to reach the hotel far from the city centre, and this will make up for the hotel’s cheaper price.

We hope you enjoyed our article. If you have any question feel free to leave a comment, we will replay the best we can. In the meantime

Ciao