5 days in Rome

As usual, we took a few days at the end of August, at back-to-school time, to explore a new destination in Europe. This year again, destination Italy! And more precisely Rome, a city we’d been dreaming about for a long time. So we planned ahead and bought our tickets, whose prices can shoot up fast for the summer, booking at the beginning of March for a departure on 26 August.

We bought our tickets on Ulysse, a French flight comparison site where you can use chèques vacances. The principle is simple: you send in your paper vouchers, which are then converted into travel credits, usable with no expiry date. The return flight for two with the airline Transavia cost 198€ (118€ once the chèques vacances are deducted, that is 59€ per person).

Save 10€ on your first booking on Ulysse with our referral code: PCMBKGUA1

On arriving at Rome-Fiumicino airport, we took the Leonardo Express train, which took us to Roma-Termini station in just 32 minutes (for 14€ per person). The train leaves from terminal 3, so allow around 10 minutes to get there from terminals 1 and 2. You can book your tickets directly on Trainline or at the machines before the platforms.

What to see in Rome

The Colosseum

How can you go to Rome without going to see or visit the Colosseum? The emblem of the city and, above all, one of the seven wonders of the world, the Colosseum attracts a fair number of tourists. Two weeks before we left, we booked our tickets online on the official website of the archaeological park. Plenty of options are available to visit the Colosseum and the Forum. For our part, we chose the 24 hr pass (16€ per person), which includes the visit to the Colosseum (with a time slot) and entry to the archaeological areas of the Roman and Palatine Forum and the Imperial Forums. Work out carefully how long you want to stay at the Forum or in the Colosseum in order to book the right slot. Indeed, if you leave the Forum, you won’t be able to get back in, because the ticket is valid for a single entry! Allow a minimum of 3 hours to go round the Forum (up to half a day, or even more) and about an hour and a half for the Colosseum.

Thanks to the Pass, we got into the Colosseum almost straight away, without too much waiting. Note that this ticket doesn’t let you go into the heart of the arena but, looking back, we found it wasn’t necessary to pay a supplement for that. The standard ticket gives access to both levels, to the museum part and to the full circuit outside. Over to the pictures!

To get different viewpoints over the arena, you can go all the way round it from the Piazza del Colosseo. Don’t miss coming at night too, to see the Colosseum lit up. To be honest, we found the surroundings of the Colosseum dirty and poorly maintained, showing off this exceptional monument very badly. Quite a shame for a city that attracts millions of tourists every year!

The Roman and Palatine Forum

With the 24 hr pass, we were able to visit the Forum over a good part of the morning. We’d also advise you to go there as soon as it opens, especially in summer, to avoid the strong heat. We were almost alone in some areas around 9.30am: it’s worth arriving fairly early! The entrance is on the via Sacra, just before the arch of Titus.

We started with the Temple of Venus and Rome, which offers a lovely open view over the Colosseum, bearing in mind that the sun is facing you in the morning, so the photos will be against the light. We visited the whole Forum on our own, but we came across a great many groups on guided tours: interesting if you want to know more about each of the ruins. After wandering through the heart of the Roman Forum, we took the passage leading to the forums of Augustus and Trajan. Don’t miss that part, it’s included in the ticket!

We then carried on the visit with the Palatine hill and the Farnese gardens: magnificent but packed! This is where we met the most tourists, especially at the viewpoints. So we couldn’t enjoy it as much as we’d have liked… a reason to come back to Rome another time? But the archaeological site doesn’t stop there: you then have to carry on towards the palace of Flavian or the Palatine stadium. There were far fewer people in that part: make the most of it!

All in all, the Roman and Palatine Forum is a must when you visit Rome! You need to think carefully about what time you go, allow a good half day and… a bottle of water.

Around the Forum

As the Roman Forum is a very lavish area, the district around it is just as much so! It’s hard to draw up an exhaustive list of every monument to see or visit: here you understand why people say Rome is an open-air museum. A few must-sees in our view:

• West of the Forum, one of the viewpoints not to miss is the Belvedere Tarpeo, which offers an incredible view over the whole Forum, right up to the Colosseum. To come and see by day as by night!
• The Capitol square (Piazza del Campidoglio) is one of our favourite spots in the district, and even in Rome in general. This oval square, designed by Michelangelo, is surrounded by numerous palaces that house the Capitoline Museums.
• From the square, you can go to the very quiet, tree-lined Piazzale Caffarelli for a pretty view over Rome and over the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II.
• Below the Circus Maximus, on the banks of the Tiber, don’t miss the Temple of Hercules Victor, which faces the famous Bocca della Verità, where tourists queue to be photographed with their hand in the statue’s mouth. From there, you can climb up the Aventine by the Clivo di Rocca Savella path.

The southernmost point we explored is the Orange garden on the Aventine hill. We went there at sunset and what a lovely surprise! We’d advise you to settle in fairly early on the Terrazza Belvedere Aventino to admire the changing colours over the city. The panoramic view is magnificent: you can even see the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II in the distance. A chance to take some very beautiful shots in warm tones.

The Monti district

Monti is a district between Roma-Termini station and the Colosseum. As we were staying there, we had time to explore it and it was a real favourite! It’s a district with a “village” feel, rather bohemian, with plenty of restaurants, bars and small craft shops. The cobbled lanes and the ivy running along the façades give it real charm. A few streets not to miss: Via Urbana, Via Leonina, Via dei Serpenti, Via del Boschetto, Via degli Zingari… Find all our favourite places to eat in the district at the bottom of the article!

Our accommodation in Rome

We stayed five nights in a private Airbnb room in the Monti district, near Termini station (473€ for the 5 nights with breakfast at the café downstairs). Accommodation is fairly expensive in Rome and we gave priority to the location over having a whole place to ourselves. We had chosen the room looking onto the courtyard, but the owner also offers another one, with a view over the opera house and the street. All in all, it almost amounted to an independent flat, because the rented rooms are set apart from the host’s own apartment. The location is ideal, close to the station for taking the train to the airport, 10 minutes’ walk from the Colosseum and from the trendy Monti district. We recommend it!

Our favourite places to eat in Rome

• Ce Stamo A Pensà: a typical place to enjoy good pasta (no service charge). 21.50€ for two pasta dishes and an arancini.
• ❤️ Kon’forme: a “trendy” bar where you feel at home (terrace available); 6€ for a soft cocktail and 8€ for a cocktail with alcohol.
• Zia Rosetta: a concept of small sandwiches in typical Italian bread revisited with lots of flavours (small portions to share or large portions). 22.50€ for two.
• Trattoria Al Tettarello: a popular spot in the Monti district. 24€ for two pasta dishes and a bottle of water on the terrace; 8€ for the Roman pizza to take away.
• Alimentari Pannella Carmela: a neighbourhood grocery that offers excellent sandwiches from the menu or made to measure with fresh produce. Around 5-6€ for a sandwich.
• ❤️ MACCARONE il Pastificio (Pastificio e Ristorante Roma)) : an excellent place that we went to twice; artisan pasta made and sold on the spot (no service charge!). A lovely place, quiet and cool, in the historic heart of Rome. Around 25€ for 3 pasta dishes to share.
• Il Pastaio di Roma: a small pasta workshop that offers dishes to eat in or take away (no service charge). 7€ for a “normal” portion of pasta (more than enough).

Ice creams

• Gelateria Artigianale Il Capriccio di Carla Roma Monti: 2.50€ for a small tub with 2 flavours. We tried: chocolate, pistachio, mandarin and lemon cream.
• Grezzo Raw Chocolate: 3.20€ for a small tub with 2 flavours. We tried: raw chocolate, raw chocolate and hazelnut, pistachio.
• ❤️ Fatamorgana Monti and Fatamorgana Chiavari: 3€ for a small tub with 2 flavours. We tried: lavender and wild strawberry, rose-lavender-walnut, dark chocolate, pistachio, chocolate-whisky.
• Gelateria dell’Angeletto: 3€ for a small tub with 3 flavours. We tried: coconut, lemon-basil, pistachio, chocolate-rum, dark chocolate.
• Otaleg: 3€ for a small tub with 2 flavours. We tried: fig-walnut, blackberry…
• Günther: 3.50€ for a small tub with 2 flavours (portions too small). We tried: Tanzanian chocolate with cocoa nibs, pistachio, pineapple-honey-chilli pepper, passion fruit-ginger.
• Gelateria del Teatro: 3€ for a small tub with 2 flavours. We tried: Peru Grand Cru chocolate, pistachio, pineapple-mint, black grape.
• ❤️ Neve di Latte | Via Veneto: 3€ for a small tub with 2 flavours and 3.50€ for a medium tub with 3 flavours. We tried: apricot, pistachio, melon, 85% chocolate sorbet, 70% chocolate ice cream.
• La Strega Nocciola Gelateria Artigianale: 3.50€ for a small tub with 3 flavours. We tried: basil, dark chocolate, pistachio, peach, lavender, bergamot.

What we thought of Rome

Considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world (along with Paris), Rome is one of those cities you have to see at least once in your life! Our last visits already went back more than ten years, on school trips when we were at secondary school. So it was time to set foot there again and to discover this much-dreamed-of city with our adult eyes (and our adult budget). There’s no denying that Rome is a real open-air museum, with remains, historic monuments and churches appearing on every street corner. You can only be moved and amazed by the beauty of the city’s heritage. All the same, the city isn’t only enchanting: we often found it dirty, badly maintained, poorly showcased in certain places… A touch of disappointment on that side!
Rome is definitely worth visiting! Avoid the very high summer season, though, as well as the religious festivals of April and May, which attract a lot of tourists. Another tip, get organised early to buy your tickets for the Vatican or the Colosseum.