Rome Travel Forum

Hey everyone :)
3 issues: My husband & I are going to rome for the first time, for 5 days mid February 2003 and was wondering how cold is the winter there (in degrees pls.) during our visit? Does it usually rain much ?

To get around the sites of Rome, will it be easy for us to take the Metro trains & buses? How much precaution should we take when taking public transport?

What advice can people give us, especially taking buses, (as neither of us speak italian) as I'm worried about getting lost & missing our stops?

Lastly, in terms of food, where are the good (BUT CHEAP) places to eat ? What should we look out for? We want to eat like the average italian, not pay tourist prices.

Thank You ...

I went in July and it was too hot that time. Public transport is very good. Quite a few of them talk English, so you can manage going around. You have to be very careful with your belongings. That's what we were advised. But, fortunately no unwanted incident happened. Pizza and Pasta are world famous and you can see at many places!!! See my homepage for my Italy experiences. Few points in that may help you.

Hi
Rome is usually not that cold in winter and, if you are lucky you might find a lovely weather, a few days ago people could still wear t-shirts, even if this is very unusual for Italy in winter.
There are two tube lines in Rome, the line A is the one to go to the most touristic places such as Vatican and spanish steps, this means this is also the most crowded line, it is not particulary dangerous, just be carefull with your pocket as you would do in any other city.
The most *Roman* restaurants are in trastevere area, there you will find some really nice *osterie* most of them have their menu advertised outside, give a look on the prices and chose the one you prefer.
I am sure you'll love Rome.
Lella

For food: avoid touristy restaurants. The posher the restaurant, the worse the food. Try pizza in little working-class cafes with high stools or no stools at all!

As to the weather, it is frequently overcast but doesn't rain terribly much in Rome. Temperatures are generally mild over the winter. A sweater should be sufficient for your coldest days.

The Metro has only 2 lines, so walking will be required for most stops (a lot of walking). The Metro is easy to use and cheap, but I don't know anything about the buses, except that even on crowded buses you must enter at the front and exit toward the back -- forcing your way through whomever lies before you. No precaution is really needed, only that certain hours of day will leave the trains crammed with people.

If you want to eat like the average Italian, keep your eyes open for any little quaint diner. Some walk-thrus will speed service. Pizza, ice cream and soda vendors stand near carts all around town. Restaurants take a long time serving (two hours for dinner is the norm).

Have a beautiful time -- one tip on a site NOT to miss -- San Andrea della Valle. Europe's most beautiful church interior.

thanks very much for the advice :) will sure keep them in mind for our trip

ciao ...

You're lucky to be seeing Rome off-season - I would hate the idea that your first visit to Rome would be in the middle of summer!!!

My recollection is that the temperature will be in the 40s or 50s(F) or 5 to 10 degrees (C). It rains sometimes, but not much.

As someone else said, you will probably want to walk to many places. The first time I lived there, I went with some friends and walked from the north gate (Piazza del Popolo) of the old Imperial City to one of the south gates in three hours - and that was with a little sightseeing on the way.

Depending on how much you like walking, I'd walk to an area you want to visit, walk around all day, then take a cab back to your hotel. Cabs are relatively inexpensive, and if you act like a foreigner who lives in Rome (there are a lot of them), you probably won't have a problem (I never did).

As other people said, some buses are crowded (like the famous 64 bus from the train station to St. Peter's), and some people like to try a little pickpocketing. Just think like a resident of a big city and be careful and you shouldn't have a problem. The bigger problem is when the buses run slower than you can walk (because of traffic).

As for food, yes, stay out of the tourist areas. However, don't expect Italy to be all that cheap...but the food and wine are very good.

Bill

The other responses offered pretty good advice, so I will just add one little thing. When you go somewhere to eat in Italy, especially at a bar, you are going to pay more to eat if you sit at a table than if you eat at the bar or take your food to go. They have to pay high taxes for their place and they take it very seriously. Have fun and good luck!

Rome in February will be cold, but nothing too bad. By the end of February it normally starts to warm up and the winter finishes. I lived there during the winter months last year and was amazed at how cold it actually was during December and January. However, it does not usually last for very long, but I would suggest you dress in layers, then you are covered for all eventualities.

Public transport in Rome is quite straightforward and easy to use and as previously mentioned, there are only 2 metro lines, so you may need to use the buses regularly.

Definitely do not eat in the main tourist areas, ie. the Piazzas, main streets, as the prices are high and the food is not good. Look for small, quaint restaurants which have Italians eating there.

If you would like some recommendations on what to see and do, please feel free to contact me at info@nlbtravel.co.uk

Natalie
www.nlbtravel.co.uk