Rome
Italy
Three thousand years of history on every corner
Photo by David Köhler on Unsplash
Best time to visit
April to May, late September to October
Climate month by month
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 115mm in Nov
Currency
Mid-rangeEuro country — no exchange needed from the Eurozone. Skip the change bureaus around Termini and the Spanish Steps, they take 10%+ in spread.
ATMs & cards
Use Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit or BNL ATMs. Always refuse the ATM’s offer to charge you in your home currency. Euronet machines near tourist sites charge €5-6 per withdrawal.
Avoid these
- Euronet
- ATMs beside the Trevi Fountain and Termini
Use these instead
- Intesa Sanpaolo
- UniCredit
- BNL
- Banca Sella
Look for the Bancomat logo — that is the Italian interbank network.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety
Stay alertYou are very unlikely to be hurt in Rome and quite likely to be robbed. Pickpockets work Termini, the 64 bus to the Vatican and the metro relentlessly and professionally. Wear bags across the body, keep nothing in back pockets, and be most alert exactly where you are most distracted — boarding a bus, or looking up at something.
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport rather than where you live. This is a starting point — the embassy or the official page above is the authority, and the airline will check before you board.
Health & emergencies
Excellent and cheapRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment. Pharmacies handle a lot of minor problems directly and are the fastest route to advice.
Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
OutstandingThe rule is simple: walk five minutes away from any monument before you eat. Order cacio e pepe, carbonara or amatriciana — Rome does pasta better than sauce variety.
Getting around
Workable- Walking — the historic centre is compact and most sights are 20 minutes apart on foot
- Metro — only 3 lines, useful for Vatican and Colosseum, less so elsewhere
- Bus and tram — fills the gaps the metro leaves, same €1.50 ticket for 100 minutes
- Taxi — only take the licensed white ones from official ranks
- Airport: Leonardo Express train from Fiumicino to Termini (32 min, €14)
Must-see
Things to do
Weeks of it- Tour the Colosseum and Roman Forum
- See the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican
- Throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain
- Wander Trastevere after dark
- Visit the Borghese Gallery
- Climb the Aventine Keyhole for the Vatican view
Nearby day trips
Say a few words
Italian
- HelloBuongiornobwon-JOR-no
- PleasePer favoreper fa-VO-reh
- Thank youGrazieGRAT-tsyeh
- Yes / NoSì / Nosee / no
- Excuse meScusiSKOO-zee
- How much is it?Quanto costa?KWAN-to KOS-ta
- The bill, pleaseIl conto, per favoreeel KON-to
- Cheers!Salute! / Cin cin!sa-LOO-teh / chin chin
Ciao is for people you know. With shopkeepers and waiters, buongiorno until evening, then buonasera.
Religion
Catholic
The Vatican is a sovereign state inside Rome. Dress codes are enforced at St Peter’s and most major churches: shoulders and knees covered, and they will turn you away.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Say buongiorno rather than ciao to anyone you do not know
- Drink cappuccino only before about 11:00; after a meal it is an espresso
- Cover shoulders and knees to enter churches, including the major basilicas
- Validate regional train tickets before boarding or risk a fine
Don't
- Do not ask for parmesan on seafood pasta — it is a genuine culinary offence here
- Do not sit on monument steps in Rome or Florence; both cities fine it
- Do not order a coffee "to go" and expect it to be normal
- Do not tip beyond rounding up; coperto already covers the cover charge
Where to stay in Rome
No Holistay rentals in Rome yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
