Rome is not a difficult city, but it is a crowded one, and almost every piece of advice about it comes down to timing. Go early, go late, and accept that the middle of the day belongs to the tour groups.
Thirty-one things worth knowing before you land.
Before you go
The centre is walkable
Most of what a first visitor wants sits inside a fairly small area between the river and the main station.
Spring and autumn are far better than summer
July and August are hot, and the city empties of Romans in mid-August.
Book the major sites in advance
Timed entry is now the norm for the largest ones and walk-up queues can take hours.
Sunday mornings are quiet
Except around the churches, which are the opposite.
Pack shoes with grip
The old streets are paved in worn basalt blocks that are slippery in rain.
Bring something with sleeves
Churches enforce covered shoulders and knees, including the biggest ones.
Tickets and timing
The combined ancient-sites ticket covers several places
One purchase generally admits you to the amphitheatre, the forum and the adjoining hill.
First entry of the day is worth the alarm
The difference between opening time and eleven o'clock is the difference between two experiences.
Late afternoon is the second-best window
Crowds thin considerably in the last two hours.
Many state museums have a free day each month
It is correspondingly busy; go at opening or skip it.
The main basilica has a separate queue for the dome
Decide before you join one, because you cannot switch.
Check the day of the week
Several major sites close one weekday, and it is not the same day for all of them.
Getting around
Walking beats the metro in the centre
The network has few central stations because of what lies underground.
Buses fill the gaps
Slower than walking at rush hour, but they reach the areas the metro does not.
Validate your ticket
Stamp it on boarding. Inspections happen and the fine is not small.
The tram to the west bank is useful
It reaches the Trastevere area quickly from the centre.
Taxis are metered and ranked
Use an official rank or book one; hailing on the street is not the custom.
Drinking fountains are everywhere
The small cast-iron street fountains run continuously and the water is safe. Carry a bottle.
Eating and coffee
Order coffee standing at the counter
Sitting down carries a table charge, and standing at the bar is the everyday way to drink it.
Cappuccino is a morning drink
Ordering one after a meal is a visible tourist marker, though nobody will stop you.
A cover charge is normal
A small per-person bread and service charge appears on most restaurant bills and is not a mistake.
Lunch and dinner have real hours
Kitchens close in the afternoon and dinner starts late by northern European standards.
Walk two streets away from the monument
Prices and quality both improve dramatically a short distance from any major sight.
Try the Roman pasta dishes
There are four classics built on the same short list of ingredients, and comparing them is a decent structure for a few days of eating.
Neighbourhoods
Trastevere for the evening
Narrow lanes on the west bank, busy after dark and pleasant in the late morning.
Monti for a quieter stay
Close to the ancient sites but residential in character.
Testaccio for food
A working market quarter with a strong culinary reputation and few tour groups.
The Appian Way for an afternoon out
An ancient road with tombs and open country, reachable by bus and best on a Sunday when it is closed to traffic.
Travelling alone
Eating alone is easy at lunch
Counter service and standing bars make the middle of the day the simplest solo meal.
Watch your bag on crowded transport
Pickpocketing is the realistic risk in Rome, and it happens on the busiest bus and metro routes.
Churches are free and empty in the afternoon
They are also the best place in the city to sit down out of the heat.
Rome does not need to be conquered on a first visit. Two sites a day, early starts, and long walks between them is a far better trip than a checklist.