In this “Travel SMART” series of articles we discuss real-world travel plans for exploring popular locations in a cost-effective manner. SMART evaluates the Staying options, Mobility, Attractions, ROI (Return-On-Investment) and Transport options for planning the trip. This article focuses on travel plan based from Rome, Italy.
Rome, Italy is one of the top tourist destination in the world, but also known for its tourist trap stories, mostly due to the unfamiliarity of first-time travelers with the do’s and don’ts when exploring Rome. So let’s talk about some SMART tips today that could help enjoy visiting this historic city without breaking the bank.
Transport options – Most foreign travellers arrive in Rome via ‘Leonardo Da Vinci – Fiumicino Airport (FCO)’ located west of the city near the Mediterranean sea. It is well connected to most major cities around the world with dozens of daily direct flights from New York, Atlanta, London, Paris, Barcelona and locations in the middle east. The airport is well organized with Public Transit (Metro) connection to Roma Termini (central Rome) and rental car desks within the airport. You can take advantage of the nice food court and many restrooms around the airport to refresh yourself before the next leg of your journey.
You can also reach Rome via fast trains connected to Roma Termini, especially with the Frecciarossa, one of top 10 fastest lines in the world serving Milan, Florence, Naples and from major cities in France as well.
Mobility – Majority of attractions in Rome are well connected from the airport or regional train lines by metro through the central hub, Roma Termini, and then a short walk to the destination. You can also connect to one of the lovely small towns in northern Lazio region like Soriano or Civita Castellana via regional trains that serves the Rome to Orte line with hourly train services. While you can take a Taxi or call an Uber to move around Rome, do keep in mind that taxis can be expensive due to the layout and busy streets in the city. In one instance, we were unable to get an Uber for over an hour when a small metro station had a sudden outage, and had to use the bus as a backup option.
Staying options – Rome is also well connected to all nearby locations via train. We took advantage of this by staying at the Hilton resort “Palazzo Catalani” about 50 mins drive north of the city in charming Lazio hillside town of Soriano nel Cimino. You can book here as an HGV (Hilton Grand Vacation Club) member or inquire directly with the facility online for renting a room. We rented a compact car (Ford Puma) from the airport, allowing us to explore many historic towns and villages in northern Lazio and Umbria. When visiting Rome, we opted to park the car at a train station (Orte) and take the 45-min train ride to Roma Termini. This avoids the hassle of driving in Rome and connects to most places in the city by bus, metro or on foot. For the final night before our departure flight we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, Rome Airport which has free shuttle from the airport metro station.
Attractions – The most popular attractions in Rome such as The Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hills, Central Square, Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps are all within 25-30 mins walking distance from the Roma Termini. You can also take the metro stops to those destinations from here. You can take the metro or Bus from Roma Termini to visit Vatican City, and other attractions like Tivoli that are a little far for walking. We highly recommend buying online tickets at least a week beforehand for The Colosseum, Pantheon and Roman Forum since these attractions have massive queues and crowd for daily tickets. You can also buy online the Rome City pass and save a bit on visiting many attractions without paying full price individually.
ROI (Return On Investment) – Some important factors when evaluating Rome are the mobility options and common sense safety practices. We found the following steps made our travel plan for Southern Italy Visit using Rome as a base gave us a high ROI!
- Use a credit card online or in Rome for your purchases that avoids international fees.
- A common sense strategy when exploring the city is to keep your belongings at a safe place and avoiding too much crowd. High crowd concentration typically occurs in Roma Termini, Trevi fountain and around the Roman Forum area. Use small travel handbags and phone wallets and secure your phone with a neck-chain or belt-lock. Avoid responding to strangers and panhandlers in these areas. Its relatively safe and secure inside the Vatican walls, the colosseum and the forum .
- Save on meals by choosing a hotel with free breakfast options. As mentioned above, the “Hilton Garden Inn” Rome airport had free breakfast for Hilton Honors members (free program with a downloadable app) as well as free shuttle from the airport/metro station. Also by staying in northern Lazio region instead of central Rome, we found lower prices on general costs of meals, shopping and transport. If you are not an HGV member, the Hilton hotel by the airport could be a more economic option.
- Save on Overall transport cost by using a combination of public transport coming to and moving around Rome and using a rental car when having 2 or more people to save on long distance train costs. Having the rental car allowed us to visit Assisi about 1.5 hours north of our location and use the local train service to come into Rome about 45-min south of Soriano. You can also drive to Florence, Perugia and other interesting locations. Even from Rome you can take a 2-hour train to Naples and then nearby Amalfi Coast when planning a longer stay.
- Rent a car from the Rome airport rather than a regional train station, this gives you most options and the airport avoid central Rome, avoiding traffic congestion Rome is known for.
In Conclusion – While enjoying the attractions, take time to stop for a lunch at one of many good eateries in the city. The food is delicious and you can’t go wrong with a Italian cuisine. Avoid eateries advertising hamburgers and other non-Italian items if you are craving for good local dishes at reasonable price. Watch the video below for a brief introduction to a popular attraction in Rome, world’s most famous fountain!
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