Rome is one of our favorite cities to visit, and every time we go back, we learn something new that makes the next trip even better.

If you’re planning your first trip to Italy, these Rome travel tips cover the little things we wish we’d known before visiting, from attraction tickets and public transportation to gelato, summer heat, trains and traveling Rome with kids.

We’ve now visited Rome more than once, including with our kids, and I’m blending lessons from both trips here. Some came from a lot of research before we arrived. Others we learned by actually being there.

These are the things I’d genuinely tell a friend before their trip.

Some will save you money. Some will save you time. And a few may completely change how you plan your days.

Here’s what we’ve learned.

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1. Before You Stand in a Giant Line, Make Sure It’s Actually Your Line

Please, please, please do this.

At the Pantheon, we walked up and saw a massive line extending almost the entire distance of the piazza.

It would have been very easy to just walk to the end of it and start waiting.

Instead, I said, “Let me just go check what this line is actually for.”

I walked toward the entrance, found someone official, and realized that because we had already purchased our tickets online, we did not need to stand in that line at all. We were able to bypass it and head straight toward the appropriate entrance.

We then watched multiple people who had been waiting in that huge line finally get closer to the front, realize they were in the wrong place, and get out of line.

We saw similar confusion at the Vatican.

People see a line and naturally assume, “That must be where I need to go.”

Don’t.

If you already have tickets, a tour reservation, a timed entry, or anything else booked in advance, walk toward the entrance first and ask an official employee exactly where you need to be.

You could save yourself a LOT of time.

2. Visiting Rome in Summer? Plan Around the Heat, Don’t Avoid It

If summer is when you can go to Rome, go.

Yes, Italy can be extremely hot in July and August. And yes, you need to take the heat seriously.

But I wouldn’t let the people online who say, “Never visit Italy in the summer,” scare you out of going.

Instead, change the way you structure your day.

When it was especially hot, we would head out early in the morning and explore for a few hours. Then, during the hottest part of the afternoon, we would go back to our apartment.

Take a nap.

Read a book.

Let the kids watch a show.

Shower.

Eat something.

Sit in the air conditioning.

Then go back out later.

It might mean getting up a little earlier and staying out later than you normally would, but if you get a nap or a few quiet hours in the middle of the day, it actually works really well.

And there is a bonus.

Rome is beautiful at night.

The piazzas fill back up, the monuments are lit, the temperature drops, and the city feels completely different.

You don’t need to use this schedule every day or at every time of year. Just look at the weather and factor the heat into your plans when you need to.

Don’t plan your trip as though 2 p.m. in August and 2 p.m. in October are the same thing.

3. Book Colosseum, Vatican and Pantheon Tickets Through the Official Sites First

There are so many websites selling tickets and tours for Rome.

GetYourGuide. Viator. Airbnb Experiences. Booking platforms. Private tour companies.

And some of them are great, especially if you specifically want a guided experience.

But before you book through a third party, find the attraction’s official website first. Official tickets are often cheaper.

For the Colosseum, standard timed tickets currently go on sale 30 days before your visit.

There are also ticket types with different release windows. The Full Experience Arena ticket, for example, currently goes on sale starting seven days before the visit.

So if you miss Colosseum tickets initially, don’t automatically give up. Check the official site again and look at the different ticket options available for your date.

Official Colosseum ticket website

For the Vatican Museums, start with the official Vatican Museums ticketing portal. There are plenty of sites that look official but are not, and the Vatican specifically warns visitors to make sure they are using its official portal.

Official Vatican Museums ticket website

For the Pantheon, the visiting calendar is currently released monthly, generally around the middle of the month before your visit.

Official Pantheon ticket website

Ticket-release rules can change, so always check the official website for your specific dates rather than relying on an old article that tells you tickets release at a very specific hour.

If official tickets are sold out, that is when I would start looking at reputable third-party companies.

And if you already know you want a guide, booking through a tour company may make sense from the beginning.

4. Decide Whether You Actually Want a Tour Guide

We’ve now visited the Colosseum both with a tour guide and without one.

And honestly, both experiences had advantages.

When we went with a guide, it was really special to have someone there explaining the history and answering questions as we walked around.

You get context that you might not otherwise know.

But you are also moving at the pace of the group.

There may be times when you’re ready to move on and someone else has another question.

Or you’re standing directly in the sun in 95-degree heat and your guide still has a lot more to say.

This time, we chose not to use a traditional guide.

Instead, we downloaded the free Rick Steves audio tour and listened through our phones.

For this particular trip, it worked incredibly well.

We could stop and start whenever we wanted.

We could move into the shade.

We could linger somewhere we found interesting.

We could move faster when the kids were ready to keep going.

There is no right or wrong way to do it.

Think about how you like to travel.

If you love asking questions and having someone bring the history to life, a guide may be worth every penny.

If you want more flexibility, especially with kids or during hot weather, a self-guided audio tour can be fantastic.

And regardless of which option you choose, I highly recommend downloading some of the Rick Steves audio tours for Italy. We’ve used them in Rome, Venice and other places, and they add so much context while you’re walking around.

5. Know What You Actually Want to See Before Entering Somewhere Huge

The Vatican Museums are a perfect example.

You could spend an entire day there.

You could probably spend several days there.

But that doesn’t mean everyone needs to.

We’ll probably get some hate for this one, but during one of our visits our primary goal was specifically to see the Sistine Chapel.

That was what everyone in our family cared about most, so we moved through the Vatican Museums pretty quickly.

Did we miss things?

Absolutely.

A lot of things.

But when we finally reached the Sistine Chapel, we were the only people in there.

It was magical.

We had this place that millions of people travel from around the world to see completely to ourselves. So yes, moving quickly meant that we missed parts of the Vatican Museums, but it also gave us an experience that most visitors will probably never have.

For us, that tradeoff was completely worth it.

This also goes back to something we’ve learned across our trips to Rome: plan a trip that fits your family, not someone else’s idea of the perfect Rome itinerary.

Our girls were 10 and 11 on this trip, and we knew there was going to be a limit to how many churches, monuments, museums and ancient sites they would genuinely enjoy before everything started blending together.

So over our visits to Rome, we’ve made a point of mixing the history with more hands-on experiences.

On a previous trip, the girls did gladiator training, where they learned about gladiators and actually got to try it themselves.

On this trip, we did a pasta and tiramisu-making class together.

Those kinds of experiences gave them something completely different to look forward to and helped balance the history-heavy parts of Rome.

Whatever your family looks like, think about everyone traveling with you.

Before you enter somewhere massive, ask yourself:

What are we actually here to see?

Is this our main activity for the entire day?

Do we want to spend six hours here?

What is everyone else in the family excited about doing today?

You do not get a prize for seeing every room.

You’re much more likely to remember a trip where everyone had something they loved.

6. You Are Not Going to See Everything in Rome, and That Is Okay

There are so many things to do and see in Rome that you could spend weeks exploring.

Most people do not have weeks.

So give yourself permission to say, “We’ll catch that one next time.”

Pick the things your family genuinely wants to see.

Everything else is a bonus.

We’ve found that our trips are much more enjoyable when we stop treating a city like a checklist.

Sometimes we skip something everyone says is a “must do.”

Sometimes we spend longer somewhere we had barely planned for.

Sometimes we decide everyone is hot and tired and gelato sounds better than another museum.

That is still traveling.

7. How to Use Rome Public Transportation Without Feeling Intimidated

If you don’t live in a major city or regularly use public transportation, Rome’s buses and Metro can feel intimidating before you try them.

I promise, they are much easier than they seem.

During our time in Rome, we used both the Metro and buses to move all around the city and eventually get ourselves back to the main train station.

The biggest thing that made it easy was simply using Maps on my iPhone.

Google Maps works too.

Type in the address or attraction you’re going to and switch the directions to public transportation.

It tells you where to walk, which Metro line or bus to take, when it is coming, how many stops you’re riding and where to get off.

We even saw information about whether a particular bus or train was unusually crowded.

And if another bus or route was coming sooner, Maps would often give us that option too.

For the Metro, you can buy traditional tickets at the station. If you’re unsure where to go or what ticket you need, don’t be afraid to ask someone for help.

Rome also has Tap & Go, which makes things even easier.

You can tap a contactless credit or debit card, Apple Pay or another compatible payment device.

One important thing for families is that every paying person needs a separate payment method.

For our family of four, our youngest daughter was 10 and did not need to pay because children age 10 and under can ride Rome’s ATAC public transportation free when traveling with a paying adult.

For the other three of us, we needed three payment methods.

I used Apple Pay for one fare and then separate physical credit cards for the others.

On the bus, you tap your payment method on the reader and wait for the green confirmation.

Whatever card, phone or watch you used essentially becomes your proof of payment, so keep it available in case a ticket inspector checks.

And one lesson we learned quickly on buses:

Hit the red stop button before your stop.

That tells the driver someone wants to get off.

If public transportation is something that normally intimidates you, I promise it looks much harder before you use it than it actually is.

Once we did it a couple of times, it became one of the easiest ways to get around Rome.

8. Think About Rome’s Cobblestones and Stairs Before Choosing Luggage or a Stroller

Rome has cobblestones.

A lot of cobblestones.

It also has curbs, uneven sidewalks, stairs, older buildings and plenty of places where getting around with wheels is not quite as simple as rolling through an airport.

Keep that in mind when choosing your luggage.

Dragging a giant wheeled suitcase several blocks over cobblestones gets old very quickly.

The same goes for strollers.

If you need a stroller, absolutely bring one.

But understand that you may be lifting it over curbs, maneuvering around uneven streets, carrying it up stairs and dealing with areas that are not particularly stroller-friendly.

This also applies when choosing accommodations.

If you’re booking an apartment in an older building, look at whether there is an elevator and whether you will have stairs to climb with your luggage.

Rome makes a pretty strong argument for packing lighter.

9. Be Smart About Pickpockets and Common Rome Tourist Scams

I do not think you should be scared of visiting Rome.

But I also don’t think you should turn off your normal street smarts just because you’re on vacation.

Rome is a major city filled with tourists, and tourists can be easy targets.

We unfortunately know people who have had cell phones stolen and others who have been pickpocketed.

Pay extra attention in crowded Metro cars, buses, train stations and tourist-heavy areas.

Keep your phone secure.

Keep wallets and valuables somewhere difficult to reach.

Don’t leave your phone sitting loosely on the edge of a restaurant table.

And if you are traveling on a longer train with luggage stored away from your seat, pay particular attention when the train stops and people are getting on and off.

Also be aware of common distraction tactics.

Someone may try to put a bracelet on your wrist and then ask for money.

Someone may suddenly ask you to sign something.

Someone may offer you something “free” and then demand payment.

You don’t need to assume everyone who talks to you is trying to scam you.

Just stay aware of what’s happening around you and keep your belongings close.

10. Book High-Speed Trains From Rome Early and Understand Your Ticket

Take it from me.

I looked at our train tickets about a month ahead of time.

I didn’t book them.

Then I looked again around a week before we needed them, and the price had almost doubled.

If you’re taking a high-speed train from Rome to somewhere like Florence, Venice, Milan or another major city, booking earlier can save a significant amount of money.

High-speed trains such as Frecciarossa and Italo tend to work more like airline pricing, with cheaper fares available earlier.

You can also often choose your seats, which is helpful if you are traveling as a family and want to make sure everyone sits together.

Regional trains work differently and often have less price variation, so pay attention to what type of train you are booking.

Your platform may not appear until shortly before departure

This can be unnerving if you’re not used to it.

You’re at the station.

Your train leaves soon.

You keep checking the board.

And there is still no platform number.

Don’t panic.

Keep an eye on the departure board and make sure you’re watching the correct train number and destination.

Once the platform appears, head over.

You should have enough time, but this is probably not the moment to disappear for a 20-minute coffee break.

Understand whether your Italy train ticket needs to be validated

Italy’s ticket rules can be confusing because not every transportation ticket works the same way.

If you use Rome’s Tap & Go system, tapping your card or device activates your fare.

Traditional public transportation tickets may need to be validated when you begin your journey.

Train tickets can also vary depending on whether you purchased a paper ticket, digital regional ticket or reserved high-speed train.

Many current digital train tickets are already activated electronically, while some ticket types may still require validation.

The easiest rule is this:

Read the instructions on the actual ticket you purchased.

If it says you need to validate it, do it before boarding.

Don’t ignore this.

Traveling with an invalid ticket can lead to a significant fine, and saying you didn’t understand the rule may not get you out of it.

11. Rome Restaurant Prices Can Change Based on Location

Restaurant prices can change significantly depending on where you are.

If you sit directly beside the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain or another major attraction, you may be paying partly for the location.

Walk several blocks away and you can often find lower prices.

That doesn’t mean you should never eat near an attraction.

Sometimes sitting somewhere beautiful with a drink and enjoying the view is absolutely worth paying extra.

Just know what you’re paying for.

Look at the menu before you sit down and decide whether the location is worth the premium to you.

12. You Do Not Have to Eat Every Meal at a Restaurant

This has been a big one for us while traveling for an extended period as a family.

There are grocery stores and small markets everywhere.

We’ve grabbed bread, cheese, fruit, olive oil, protein drinks, snacks and other easy foods and brought them back to our apartment.

Sometimes a light lunch at home before heading back out is exactly what everyone needs.

It saves money.

It saves time.

It gives everyone a break.

And sometimes after several days of pasta, pizza and restaurant meals, nobody needs another huge lunch.

Have breakfast at the apartment.

Grab something from a market for lunch.

Then go out and enjoy a great dinner.

There are no rules saying every meal on vacation has to be a restaurant experience.

13. How to Spot Good Gelato in Rome

There is gelato everywhere in Rome.

But not all gelato is created equal.

There are a few easy things you can look for when trying to find better artisanal gelato.

First, look at how it is displayed.

If the gelato is piled into giant fluffy mountains towering above the containers, especially in really bright colors, that can be a warning sign.

Good artisanal gelato tends to sit much lower in the container.

Some excellent gelaterias keep the gelato completely covered in stainless steel containers.

Look at the colors too.

Pistachio should generally be a muted green or even slightly brownish green, not fluorescent green.

Banana should be creamy or off-white, not bright yellow.

Mint does not need to look like a green highlighter.

You may also see the words gelato artigianale, meaning artisanal gelato.

That alone does not guarantee it is amazing, but it is something to look for.

Seasonal flavors and shops that make their gelato on site are also good signs.

And really, testing different gelato shops to see which one you think is best is a pretty fantastic activity in itself.

14. Credit Cards Are Easy to Use in Rome, but Always Choose Euros

We have been pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to use credit cards throughout Italy.

We’ve used credit cards and Apple Pay for almost everything.

You do not need to carry around a giant amount of cash.

One thing to pay attention to, though, is currency conversion.

When a credit card terminal or ATM asks whether you want the charge processed in euros or converted into your home currency, choose euros.

For us, that means declining the option to have the transaction converted into U.S. dollars.

If you choose dollars, the merchant or ATM provider handles the currency conversion and may give you a less favorable exchange rate.

Choose euros and let your own bank or credit card company handle the conversion.

15. Understand Tipping and Service Charges in Rome

If you’re coming from the United States, restaurant bills in Rome can take a little getting used to.

Tipping is not expected in the same way it is in the U.S. You generally do not need to automatically add 20 percent to your bill.

If you receive wonderful service and want to round up or leave something extra, you certainly can.

You may also see servizio, or a service charge, listed on the menu or bill.

A servizio charge is an added charge for table service. It may be a set amount or a percentage of the bill, depending on the restaurant. If service is already included, keep that in mind before deciding whether you want to leave anything additional.

The main thing is to look at the menu and bill instead of automatically applying American tipping rules.

Coffee can work differently too.

At many Italian cafés, drinking your espresso or cappuccino while standing at the bar is cheaper than sitting at a table and receiving table service.

If you sit outside in a beautiful piazza, you may pay more.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being ripped off. You may simply be paying for the table service and the location.

If you just want a quick coffee, stand at the bar like many Italians do.

16. Rome’s Drinking Fountains Are Amazing, So Use Them

We drink a lot of water, so Rome’s public drinking fountains have been one of our favorite practical things about the city.

You’ll see small fountains all over Rome called nasoni, or “big noses,” named for the curved metal spout.

The water is safe to drink.

Bring a reusable water bottle and refill it throughout the day instead of constantly buying bottled water.

And the water story in Rome goes back a lot further than the little fountains you see today.

Ancient Rome built 11 aqueducts to bring water into the city. That water supplied homes, public baths, fountains and other parts of daily life and was a huge part of how ancient Rome was able to support such a large population.

Centuries later, parts of that water system were restored and expanded, and water is still woven into the city everywhere you look.

So when you’re filling your water bottle from a little fountain while standing near ancient ruins, there are thousands of years of Roman water history behind it.

There is also a fun trick with many of the nasoni.

If you block the main opening at the bottom of the spout with your finger, water comes out through a small hole on top, turning it into an easy drinking fountain.

Just make sure you know what kind of fountain you are looking at.

The nasoni are for drinking.

The enormous decorative fountains around the city are not an invitation to climb in and fill your water bottle.

17. Keep Bathrooms in the Back of Your Mind

This is especially important if you’re traveling Rome with kids.

Public bathrooms are not always as easy to find as you might expect, and some public toilets charge a small fee.

So if you’re already inside a museum, restaurant, train station or major attraction and someone says they maybe have to go, use the bathroom.

Do not assume another one will conveniently appear five minutes later.

Keeping a few euro coins around can also be helpful for paid public toilets.

18. Carry Something Lightweight to Cover Up for Rome’s Churches

Rome has beautiful churches everywhere.

Some will be places you intentionally put on your itinerary.

Others will be churches you randomly walk past, look through the doorway and immediately want to go inside.

Be aware that churches may require shoulders and knees to be appropriately covered.

That does not mean you have to walk around Rome in long pants and sleeves during the middle of summer.

Throw a lightweight scarf, shawl or cover-up into your purse or backpack.

Then, if you unexpectedly come across a church you want to enter, you have something you can quickly use to cover your shoulders or knees.

It is such an easy thing to carry and gives you much more flexibility while exploring.

19. An eSIM Makes Traveling Around Rome Much Easier

If you’re traveling from another country and your normal cell phone plan charges international roaming fees, look into an eSIM.

We’re currently using Airalo and, so far, it has been a great experience for us.

Almost everywhere we stay has Wi-Fi.

But Wi-Fi at your apartment doesn’t help when you’re standing on a street corner trying to figure out which bus gets you home.

Having mobile data has been incredibly helpful for Maps, Rome public transportation, tickets, directions, quick searches and communication while we’re out.

I would also download WhatsApp before your trip.

We’ve used WhatsApp constantly while traveling, including communicating with apartment and Airbnb hosts and staying in touch with people back home.

Between an eSIM, Maps and WhatsApp, your phone becomes one of the most useful travel tools you have.

20. Learn a Few Basic Italian Words Before You Go

You absolutely do not need to speak Italian to have a great trip to Rome.

We have found it very easy to get around without being fluent.

But learning a handful of words makes everyday interactions easier and is simply a nice way to show respect while you’re visiting another country.

A few worth knowing:

Grazie = Thank you
Pronounced roughly GRAHT-see-eh, not “gratzi.”

Prego = You’re welcome, but you’ll also hear it used like “go ahead” or “after you.”

Buongiorno = Good morning or good day

Buonasera = Good evening

Ciao = Hi or bye, generally more casual

Scusi = Excuse me

Per favore = Please

Parla inglese? = Do you speak English?

Dov’è…? = Where is…?

Il bagno? = The bathroom?

Quanto costa? = How much does it cost?

Il conto, per favore = The check, please

Acqua naturale = Still water

Acqua frizzante = Sparkling water

Da asporto = To go or takeaway

You don’t need to memorize an Italian phrasebook.

Even knowing buongiorno, grazie, per favore, scusi, and il conto will go a long way.

One Last Thing: Rome Is Easier Than It Sounds

It is easy to overwhelm yourself before a trip to Rome by reading about Metro lines, timed tickets, train validation, dress codes, pickpockets, summer heat and all the things you are supposedly supposed to see.

Then you actually get there.

You open Maps.

You figure out the bus.

You refill your water bottle from a fountain.

You find a great gelato shop.

You wander into a beautiful church you hadn’t planned on visiting.

You sit in a piazza at night.

And suddenly it all feels much easier.

You do not have to experience Rome perfectly.

Know the things that will make your trip easier, pick the experiences that matter most to you, stay flexible and give yourself permission to leave a few things for next time.

Because Rome is absolutely the kind of place worth coming back to.

Bonus: Things I’m So Glad We Packed for Rome

These aren’t necessarily all Croatia-specific, but there are a handful of things we packed that we have used over and over again on this trip.

Insulated Reusable Water Bottles

Since we’ve been filling our water bottles from the tap and public drinking fountains, these have gotten a ton of use.

And in the August heat, having insulated bottles instead of warm plastic water bottles has been so nice.

Laundry Detergent Sheets

If you’re staying in Airbnbs or apartments with washing machines, using laundry detergent sheets have made doing laundry incredibly easy.

Instead of traveling with liquid detergent or buying a full container everywhere we stay, we just throw a detergent sheet into the washing machine.

And in the summer, we’ve found that everything dries incredibly quickly outside.

A Laundry Bag

Nothing exciting, but surprisingly helpful.

We keep all of our dirty clothes separate while traveling and can easily carry everything over to the washing machine in a laundry bag when it’s time to do laundry.

A Portable Sound Machine

Having small portable sound machines has made sleeping in apartments, hotels and noisier areas so much easier.

A Universal Travel Adapter

Definitely bring a good universal travel adapter.

We packed one that works in multiple countries, which has been especially helpful since Rome is just one stop on a much longer trip.

It means we don’t have to carry a different adapter for every country we visit.

Your Own Shampoo, Conditioner and Soap

If you’re staying in Airbnbs or apartments, I wouldn’t assume shampoo, conditioner and soap will always be provided.

We brought our own, and solid shampoo and conditioner bars can be a great option if you’re trying to cut down on liquids in your luggage. (Don’t forget to bring a case to keep them in as well!)