Rome was everything I expected & more

I searched and I searched for the must list.  You know, the list of places I should visit, the list of food I should try and the list of things I should do when I go to Rome, especially what I should be careful of.  Just like my blog there are numerous sites where you can find answers, and if you visit Rome for the first time and you are only going for a few days you should probably know how to spend them, where to go, what to see, were to eat and of course your transportation options. 

My first list was: what do I wanna see list, so I made a map plan with Google’s Earth software. And here you can have the file in .kmz format.  

Must visit: 

• Villa Borghese, 10 minutes walking from metro Flaminio-Piazza de Popolo station.  Worth the walk. 
• Piazza de Spagna, Spagna metro station.  Worth going at night since lots of people gather around the steps and sing. 
• Colosseo, Colosso metro station, or maybe better go with hop on-hop off busses.  It drops you there and picks you up from the very same location.  Take a lot of pictures.  We might not like the history very much, but the remainings of the building is an art.  Roma Pass will let you bypass the line and get in without paying.  I’ll write about
  Roma pass later and explain as much as I can.
• Piazza del Popolo, again you can go with the same hop on-hop off bus and take a walk to via del Corso where you can buy jeans for only 20 euros, I bought two.
• Vatican city, many metro stations to go there.  We all know that the line for tickets is big, so the best thing you can do is to book your tickets in advance from their site, Vatican,and go around 10:00 in the morning, so you won’t wait in the line.
• Castel Sant’ Angelo, near the Vatican and just across the Tiber river.  You’ll have spactacular views from the Castel and you can drink a glass of wine on the last floor in a beautiful small cafe.  About the tickets, it is not expensive but you can pre pay a roma pass and you can go for free, you just show your pass and you get in.
• Fontana di Trevi, metro station Barberini, you’ll have to walk a little, but since you are in a new city you won’t mind.  You’ll see plenty of fountains in Rome, I couldn’t believe my eyes but fontana di trevi is the one you shouldn’t miss.  We arrived at the fountain around 21:00 and we had ice cream from a small shop across, many flavors you’ll
  have the chance to taste there.  Make a wish and throw a coin in the fountain.  I hope my wish comes true.
  Capitolio, you can go with the hop on-hop off bus as well.  That
  was my favourite of all buildings in Rome.  It was night, we were on the bus returning from Trastevere to our hotel, when I saw this beautiful big white building, illuminated from the lights around it.  I felt so moved that I wanted to cry.  I couldn’t believe everything I saw on the internet and movies or photos, I was there.

Must do:

• All the above, when you visit all you wanna visit is doing exacty what you should have. 
• It’s a must to go for a tiber river cruise, it cost’s like nothing and it’s sth I should have done but didn’t have the time to. Hope with Easy Jet I fly for a weekend to take that cruise.
• Take the hop on-hop off bus, it will take you everywhere, from early morning to late afternoon.
• Buy a souvenir.
• Throw a coing to fontana di trevi.
• Eat ice-cream across fontana di trevi.

Must eat/drink:

Unfortunately I didn’t have a plan on where to eat, I thougth “hey, two couples, we’ll find sth in the way, let’s not plan everything“, well that didn’t turn so well.  On our last night we ended up in a cheap (all the way cheap) restaurant, that I don’t remember it’s name and I don’t want to ever.  It was near piazza navona and that I remember because our friends weren’t that excited to spend lots of money at an expensive restaurant there, well we walked and walked until it was too late for kitchen.  Let me tell you sth, 20 euros per plate is expensive but then again, you are in f…Rome.  As much as you would like to be on a budget, give your self a treat.  It is your last night there.  Indulge your self.  Generally 10 euros per person at a restaurant is pretty good. 4 euros for sandwich, 7 euros for pizza, it’s ok.  Coffee is little expensive near Colosseo but it’s Colosseo, what can you do.

• Spaghetti alla carbonara, the famous and very differnet from the Greek one (good for me I learned how to cook it)-ate it at a nice-small restaurant near Piazza de Spagna called Vitti Pizza, the most famous italian pizza with mozzarella and tomato-ate it allmost everywhere.  All around Rome you’ll have the change to taste it and from anywhere it will be delightful.
• Drink Espresso/Cappuccino opposite the Colosseo, no milk or with milk it will become your favourite coffee (buy some for home). 
• Sandwich traditionally with mozzarella and tomato, it’s tasty and big and it will keep you full.  Cheap & chic.

 

As far as your transportation options, actually you won’t need options, the metro and bus line works perfect in Rome.  I do recomend using them and pre pay your tickets, it worths it.  Roma Pass gives you free access to 3 museums and/or historical attractions and discounts for all your other visits.  It did come handy.  You have options for the days you’ll use it and what you’ll pay.  You get your passes when you arrive at the airport, just ask in the information where the roma pass office is.  But of course if you love a piaggio you can rent a motorbike.  We didn’t even think about it since, we didn’t actually need it.  Subway worked fine for us.

I hope someone finds my posts helpful, have a nice trip.  Rome is beautiful.

I believe our trip has been fabulous. Suvenirs, memories and lots of photos to remember. The return wasn’t bad, but I was definitely sad for leaving so soon.

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Booking Airtickets & Accomodation (Rome)

Image by Patxi64 via Flickr

Round Trip Athens-Rome-AthensTwo persons with one luggagePrice: 193.88 euros / 248 $

Not that much ha?  And I’m pretty sure I could find a lower price.A couple we know were planning a trp to France. They said they left the booking of the ticket to some friends who traveled Europe often. That meant “We want to fly with a well known airline company”. So
they paid double money than I did. People are afraid to fly with companies they hardly know, but what they don’t understand is that if it’s meant to happen it will happen. Pay attention to news of planes crashing, it realy doesn’t matter if it is Air France, Qatar Airways or Olympic Air.  Before booking the tickets, seeing that huge difference between Easy Jet and other airline companies made me wander “How come EasyJet is so inexpensive?”, so I started searching on the internet, gone to their website, finding information was easy.  Flying with this airline you have cons and pros and I came up with many websites giving an answer to my question for example Wikianswers.      

The main cons of EasyJet is that you have to go early for check in, at least two hours ahead, they won’t wait for you and you are not given a seat, you must choose one, so the
earliest you go the better chance you have to find a good seat especially if you are not flying alone.  You don’t get meals in your trip, you have to pay water etc. The aircrafts are very small, I felt like I was in a crowded bus.  Plus I heard not to many good things if you want to cancel or change your flight.But lets think it this way: It’s not like you are flying from Athens to Australia, don’t eat anything on the plane.  Go two hours earlier, why not, you are anxious to leave anyway.  Get in, find a seat and stop complaining, you get what you pay for, the only thing that
matters is to arrive safe to your destination, easyjet provides that. Plus you don’t pay extra taxes, easyjet says 20.99 per person and means 20.99 per person with one handbag, no 20.99 plus taxes: 50.00,  That’s a pro!!
I was very pleased flying with Easyjet and I would fly again, if sth on the way goes wrong, be sure that I’ll write about it.

Accomodation  3 nights Double room-bed and breakfast2 persons Price: 256 euros / 326 $ 

Not that much either ha?  And I’m sure I could do better@I searched Booking.com (we all know booking.com), for the cheapest hotel with breakfast in Rome.  Of course I took a look at the not that cheap ones too, but mainly I was interested in a hotel near the center with breakfast, since
I wouldn’t stay at the room so long, only to sleep.  If you are going for more than a week you’d propably need a half board plan. 

Everyhing depends on our budget and on what we are made of.  Simply ask your self, if you can’t handle the idea of returning and admitting that you stayed on a 2 star hotel then you probably shouldn’t read this blog. 
So I found a realy nice hotel, called Cinemusic Hotel, near to almost everything I needed and I booked with confidence.  I called the hotel, I confimed my booking and everything was done and I would’t change anything.  Actually I know read someone agreeing with me in my tripadvisor’s review and I kinda liked it. I deffinetely recomend this hotel and I am planning to go again when I can afford it, because I loved Rome.

Planning the trip to Rome

Image via CrunchBase

In Novermber I started searching for tickets, hotels, places to visit while in Rome.  My first idea was a group holiday, or group tour (I don’t know how you call it), but the prices seemed so huge at the time and it wasn’t just that.  I thought to myself that it can’t be so expensive. 

Group holidays tour you around the city, they book you a very nice hotel, usually with breakfast and they fly you usually with comfortable yet expensive airlines.  They advice you on restaurants, walks and shopping.  Of course there’s the matter of safety as well, you feel safe
around others in a foreign country and not so lost.

But I wasn’t traveling alone and I didn’t really care if I went in a 5star or a 1star hotel.  Thanks to my adsl line I found everything I needed on the internet and I flew with a low budget airline company named EasyJet, I’m sure you’ve heard.  So instead of paying 1200 euros per couple plus meals, shopping and optional tours that are usually a must (Vatican city usually is optional so you pay extra), I payed 960 euros per couple and I did EVERYTHING. (Icluding airtickets, accomodation, meals, shopping, tranportation and museums).

There are too many websites out there to find airtickets.  Many of them try to seduce you with colorful, bold, italic, 20 text sized banners advertising that you’ll get the best deal.  No you are not.  Firstly because there are also too many airline companies that are not shown and secondly because most of these websites charge fees. So you need to search carefully and yes you don’t have to go to an agent.  It wasn’t that hard for me to find skyscanner,I just had to google ‘airtickets’ and that was that. 

From all the websites, mainly greek websites with airticket booking, skyscanner was the only one that gave you the chance to find the cheapest and the most expensive ticket for your trip.  You can find schedules and prices and you have that choice.  The cheapest choice.  So before you go on searching for an airticket, it’s a must visiting skyscanner. 

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