Where to stay in Rome

There are 3 good types of places to stay in Rome, depending on the type of person you are and how much you're willing to spend.

A great option, specially for the nature lovers, with a good quality/price relation is camping.
We dettach Plus Camping Roma, where for low prices you can relax and has great hygiene and cleanliness conditions that normally don't exist at campings.
Here you can rent a tent, houses, cabins or you can bring your own equipment (tent or caravan) and pay between 10€ to 25€ per person per day.


This camping has also a nightclub (in case you don't want to go to the centre of the city), barbecue, volleyball camp, 2 swimming pools and 2 jacuzzis.
It also has many bathrooms with showers and laundry and are always very clean.

In front of these camping there's a supermarket, Panorama, where you can buy the ingredients for your meals and maybe, if you want, buy some meat to do a barbecue!
Right in front of the camping there's aso a bus stop that allows you to get to the centre in less then 15 minutes (when there's no traffic because during the day this journey can take up to 1 hour just to travel the 6km that separate the camping from the centre). But if you want a quiet journey then you can choose to buy for 1,5€ per day a ticket to the private bus provided by the camping. It departs from the camping every right hour and takes about half an hour to get to Cipro Station (where you can catch the underground).
The only problem of choosing this camping is that it's not walking distance from the city centre ( it's situated after the west line A - Batistini), so if you want to enjoy the roman nightlife the only way of coming back is by taxi as the public transports end at midnight.

Plus Camping Rome also provides private transportation from the airport to the camping for only 10€ per person (it's a good choice for those who don't know the city), you just need to make a reservation by email 48hours prior to your arrival and show to the driver when you get there.



If you prefer the comfort of a bed, Alice in Wonderland offers you that and much more.

Extremelly well situated, just a few minutes walking from the Coliseum, it's in the last floor of a XVIII building recently renovated and with a fantastic decoration.

For 45€ per person you can have cable tv, mini bar, wireless in the bedroom, private bathroom, ar conditioned and breakfast.
The common area has a pleseant fireplace for the colder days and in the hotter days you can use the balcony where maybe you can tan!
It's also possible to rent a bike or a motorcycle right in the hotel.
We dettach the extreme cleanliness and the safety.


A more economic choise and also a very good one is the Arcadia Hotel, a 3star hotel, situated near the Anagnina Metro station (Line A) and it's only 20minutes from the centre.

A double room is priced between 50€/60€ (depending on the time) per night and per room with breakfast included.
It's in a commercial area and very easy to find.
It has a 24hour reception so you don't have any problem if you arrive late for check-in.

We suggest that you stay away from the hotels or hostels near the Termini station and always say no to the rooms that people are renting on this sation way out as this is a zone a bit dangerous and the lack of quality and hygiene are not very present in this area.

How to move in Rome

In Rome the best way to move is by foot!
Althought the underground is clean, very simple (there's only two lines - A and B), fast and modern it's not very near the famous places that Rome is known about.
It's not that the Romans don't try to have better and bigger underground lines it's just that Rome has 2 cities - one above and one down under. Everytime that they try to open the ground to start new lines they find artefacts and the old roman city that by it's historical importance is not allowed to build on.
The buses are usually over crowded and take the double of the time that you'd take if you had went by foot.
Even so it's a cheap solution for those who have the time.
The tickets for the underground and buses are together, wich means that for just 1€ you can travel for 75minutes (after the first validation) in any roman transport.

There's daily tickets that cost 4€ and allows you to travel for 24hours and have unlimited journeys. They are validated the firts time that you use it and afterwards you don't need to do it, just have to show it in case they ask you.
If you go to Rome only for the weekend then it's best for you if you buy the 3day travelcard for 11€.
In case of a longer stay then choose the 7day travelcard for just 16€ that allows you to travel in any public transport for the whole week.


The tickets are sold in any stand and even in the Termini Station don't bother to look for an official seller as they don't exist.


Another good option is to rent a Vespa!
It's a great way to know the city, specially on those hot summer days, allows you unlimited flexiblity, you can get to know all the famous places and also allows you to know places that only by foot or by two-wheeled transports you can get to. But the most important is that is easy to park without having to circle around the block to find a spot.

The daily rental of a scooter costs around 35€/45€, depending on the motorcycle (if it's for one or two persons), and the insurance, helmets, travel assistance are included on the price and has no mileage limit.
The most days you rent the cheaper it gets.





But even so if you prefer the car option then rent online and choose the Sixt rent-a-car that allows you to rent a Smart for only 5€ per day and with 100km included.







If you get scared only by thinking of walking don't be as is a great way to burn the calories gained on the excelent roman meals and don't forget that all the ways gets you to Rome.

How to get to Rome

Now you can travel to Rome for less then 150€ by choosing the low cost airlines, like Ryan Air, Easy Jet, etc.

Rome is served by two main airports: Ciampino and Fiumicino. Both are relatively near the city centre - Ciampino is 15km and Fiumicino 30km – and have easy access although you can take about one hour to reach the centre due to the caotic roman traffic.

Ryan Air only flies to the Ciampino Airport.

The Fiumicino, or Leonardo DaVinci airport (as is also known) is the main roman airport. It has great connections to the city centre, mainly by the railroad tracks. There’s the “Fiumicino Express”, a service that puts you in less then 30 minutes and for 11€ in the Termini Station in the roman city centre.
This service departs and arrives daily on the 27th track.



Ciampino is considered, althought is most central then the Fiumicino airport, a secondary airport from whom travels the low cost airlines and the private jets. When you land you will see dozens of luxury jets parked in the airport hangars.
Once in Ciampino, the transportation to the city centre has to be made by taxi or by bus as the airport isn’t served by any railroad or metro services.
There are many options to travel the 15km from the Ciampino Airport to the Termini Station (the most important roman rail station and the biggest of Europe).


But from the many options available we detach the Terravision company.
It’s about 8€ one way or 14€ round trip. You can buy online. There’s a bus every 20 minutes prior to plane arrivals and there are always buses untill everyone is served. The buses are parked on the airport way out and it’s easy to see them.
The way back in the Termini Station is always made on the same place that you are left in. Even if you have an early morning flight is better for you if you catch the 7.30pm transfer. After this hour you only have late at night but we don’t recommend it as the Termini zone is a bit dangerous by night.





The other option is the cheapest way. There’s the Cotral company that charges you 1€ (yes, only 1€) and takes you from the Ciampino Airport to the Anagnina metro station and there you can buy your simple ticket to the Termini Station (+1€) or you can buy the ticket most appropriate to your stay (a seven-day ticket or a three-day ticket).
The Anagnina Station is 20minutes travel untill the Termini Station.
This company has connections form the airport to the centre daily untill 11pm.
After this hour the only way to get to the centre or to the airport is by taxi.

A cab takes about 30 to 45 minutes to arrive during the day. By night this service takes about half the time as there is no traffic but even so the service is more expensive. This option costs abou 45€/50€.

Pay attention when you choose the taxi option as there are many illegal ones that offers you their services. Try to always catch an official roman cab.
They’re white or yellow and don’t try to discuss a price, try always to be taxed by the taximeter.
Even so if you think that you are being fooled get the name of the taxi driver and the number written on the exterior side of the door.

In Italy you have to be very carefull as this wasn’t the mafia country.

Eating in Rome

Rome is, in our opinion, the best gastronomic capital of Europe. Since pizzas, pastas, lasagnas, you can eat all this in lower prices that you've ever dreamed of.

Definitly the cheapest zone in Rome to eat is Trastevere (a quiet area, with almost no traffic as the streets are too small for cars and the tourists don't usually go there, as is not on the books). In this place the most difficult part is to pick the restaurant as the prices are all alike between them.
Our suggestion is to stay in the first one that you find a free table (wich can be more complicated between 12.30am/ 2pm and 7.30pm/10pm).



The restaurants in Rome are just like the movies show, and this zone is not an exception.
Square tables for 2, chess like towels, candles and flowers and if you're lucky you may find an acordeon or violin player to set the mood.
The prices are very cheap.

You can have lunch with an entry (salad, soup or garlic bread), first plate (lasagnas, pizzas, pastas, cannelonni, ...), second plate (chicken, fish or meat) and a dessert at your choice, for just about 8€.
This restaurants also have this option for dinner but the price is about 10€.
Don't forget that, if you eat outside you have to pay 1,5€ for the service, but it's a simbolic fee as you've just had a great meal with an excelent service.


If during the day you prefer not to stop for lunch, then eat something in any roman corner.
It's very easy to find a trattoria where you can buy squares of pizza (in Italy the pizza slices are not triangles but squares and are paied by it's weight).
After being cut, the slices are wormed and believe us, that you won't tell they're not fresh out of the hoven.
Go inside and if you don't like any (wich is very hard) don't worry that 100m ahead you'll find another trattoria.
Try not to go into foreign trattorias (specially the chinese ones, and yes they now make pizzas) because the ingredients are not that good and the prices are absurd for their low quality.


Besides the famous food, the italians make great desserts.
The tiramisu lovers won't find it hard to delight themselves and the icecreams are one of the best italian temptations.
Buy one as they have an outstanding taste, from the best that you'll ever try in your life.

Any icecream store is excelent, even those who are in turistic spots like Piazza di Spagna where you can eat a giant 6 flavour icecream for just 6€.

Rome has lot's of piazzas full of animation, things to buy and where to eat. However they usually have over the top prices.
We suggest that you buy an icecream and sit on the pavement and watch the street actors show.

But if you want to eat something else or just relax a little bit please stay away from the Ai Tre Tartufi cafe in Piazza Navona.
The bathroom's are the filthiest that you've ever seen in your life, they make prices based on the appearance of the tourist (even thought the prices are listed on the menu) and the waiters are extrely unpolite. Go to the one in front of these restaurant.


Of course there's fast food in Rome, but the famous McDonnals and houses alike aren't just around the corner like in London, for example. If you're missing that burguer then look very well as you're not going to find that easy (there are only about 20 McDonnalds restaurants in all Rome).



In the Vatican, opposite to what says in the books, you may also make menu meals just like in Trastevere for less then 10€.
So if you took the morning to stay in line to the Vatican Museum, don't worry, on your way out you'll find good restaurants with good prices.

If you're staying at Plus Camping Rome you'll find in front of it the Panorama Supermarket and a few meters ahead you'll find a McDonnalds and a Pans and Company restaurants.
The supermarket prices are low, and they too make home made pizzas, but nothing alike the ones made in the old part of the city.

If you usually loose weight when you go on vacations, forget it because in Rome certainly you will gain some weight as is almost impossible to stop eating.

Rome

Rome is the eternal capital of Europe. It's head to head with Athens in terms of most historical cultural capital, as it can be seen by the dozens of ruins and renaissence monuments spreaded around the old part of the city.
While London is the european capital with a bigger number of population, Rome is the european capital with the biggest dimensions.
In Rome it's also sitted the Vatican, a city-state, with it's own government and is also the oficial residence of the Pope.
Rome is a caotic city whose population is dominated by italians, as it doesn't happens in other european capitals.
In Rome be prepared to delight yourself with the best food you've ever tasted and with best prices.
If you want a cultural european vacations, with the best food in the middle, then Rome is the place to go.

Eurodisney

Eurodisney doesn't need any presentations.
Everybody has already heard something about this Parisien theme park that enchants both grownups and children.
It's a world appart that everyone dreams of going someday in they're lives.
Being the first or just one more time that you're going to Disneyland Paris here are some tips for you.


Getting to Eurodisney it's not very difficult, although the park is not in Paris as everybody thinks it is. It's in Marne-la-Vallee, a town situated about 40km from Paris centre.

If you're already in Paris and thinking of going by train the best solution is going through Gare du Nord, one of the biggest and the most central station of Paris that contains many trains to various destinations, including the TGV to London.

The train ticket between zones 1 (Paris centre) and 5 (Marne-la-Vallee/Chessy) costs about 12.30€ and it's called Mobilis as it doesn't have travel limits for that day.
The trip takes about 50 minutes but it has the compensation of stopping right in front of Eurodisney. Just go up the stairs and welcome to the enchanted world.

If you're thinking of going by car think twice as it can be very tricky to get out of Paris center and at the same time you're wasting precious minutes in the company of your favourite Disney characters.
However there are many informations of how to get to your destination.

The ticket to Eurodisney for 1 day costs 47€ - adult ticket and 38€ for childrens between ages 3 and 11.
The ticket for 3 days for an adult costs 126€ and for childrens beteween 3 and 11 years old 104€.
The tickets can be bought online.
Don't think of buying at the door as for sure you're going to find a huge line.
You can also buy the ticket in some stores in Paris as you can find it cheaper then buying it online but if you don't know the town very well it's better to buy it online.



Next to the main park there's another one, the Walt Disney Studios
But if you only have one day to visit this magic world then choose the main one.
However if you're planning an extended trip then go take a tour to the Walt Disney Studio, but pay attention that you need another ticket that you have to buy in separate.

Eurodisney is open everyday between 9am and 8pm, depending on the time of the year.
If you'd like to know the schedulle of the parks to a specific day check the calendar.



The main park is divided in 5 themes: Aventure Land where you can climb a huge tree house, sail by the Pirates of the Caribbean seas or experiment the exciting Indiana Jones russian mountain; Frontier Land where you can get to know Pocahontas village, travel in a vapor boat and get to know the corners of the old faroest; Fantasy Land where you can live the disney fairytales and get to know the Sleeping Beauty Castel; Discovery Land where you can travel in a rocket in the dark, where you can travel in time and space or watch a 3 dimensions movie where a dog will sneeze right on your face; and the Main Street U.S.A, a main square designed in an old victorian style where you can buy all the souvenirs that you want and even go around in an electric car.


When you enter is given to you a map in a way not to get lost and to better plan your day at Eurodisney.
All the diversions are included in the price of the ticket, once you're inside you won't pay any ride and you can repeat it as any times as you want.
The main problem of the park are the gigantic lines that some of the attractions can gather.
It's almost impossible to know the all park in just one day but if you plan your day very well and if you don't stop for lunch (bring your own snacks and sadwiches and stop to eat for about 15 minutes) you can pretty much know the park very well.
A meal for 2 can be made for about 12€ but you loose too much time in line.

Try to stay away from Eurodisney on wednesdays as the french kids don't have classes on that day of the week and the lines on that that can be bigger then on other days.
The characters that we grew up with can be seen on the park but if you don't want to be looking for them in the map that is given to you in the entrance says the times and places that they are so you can take a picture with them or even, if you buy it on the Main Street, a little autograph book where you can ask them to sign it for you.



Everyday at 4pm takes place the Fenomenal Parade with alegoric cars, dancers and all the characters that you have misses.
During the 60 minutes it's almost impossible to loose it as it goes around all the park and with loud music and an impressive animation.
It's a lovely show worth watching.