Rome travel info

Half past seven in the morning, and people stand shoulder to shoulder at the neighbourhood bar knocking back an espresso before heading out. It takes about a minute. At the end of the same lane is the Pantheon, and behind the bus stop the columns of an ancient temple sit half-sunk in the ground, now run by cats. Rome doesn't keep its ruins in a separate compound; people do their shopping and commute right between them.

The sightseeing core is smaller than you'd expect. From the Colosseum you can walk past the Roman Forum to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, and across the Tiber are the ivy-covered lanes of Trastevere and the Vatican. The cobbles (sampietrini) are lumpy, 20,000 steps a day is normal, and you'll refill your bottle at the little street fountains called nasoni as you go. A plate of carbonara and a glass of house wine wraps up the day.

With the 2025 Jubilee over, a lot of scaffolding has come down and Metro line C now reaches the Colosseum. On the other hand, the front of the Trevi Fountain has cost €2 since 2026 and the Pantheon has gone up to €7. Read up on pickpockets, the hotel tax and church dress codes before you go and you're set.

Rome Fiumicino Airport (Leonardo da Vinci) (FCO)

Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA)