Like any European capital, Rome can quickly become very expensive for the independent traveller. Lying on the banks of the River Tiber, Rome is certainly crammed with cultural sights and actually many of them are available for free. Although many sights can be expensive to visit, you can normally appreciate them just as much from the outside where the view is usually free.
A great example of this is the Vatican museum, where timing can be your friend. Although it’s pretty expensive to visit normally, on the last Sunday of the months it’s free for public entry up until 12:30. You can have complete access to all the normally ticket areas for absolutely nothing.
There’s no real need to spend hours queuing to visit the highlights of Rome to get a feel for the history of the city. A visit to the famous neighbourhoods will be just as interesting = try the area of Testaccio just east of the Tiber and visit the huge amphorae mound. These wre discarded from the trade ships as they visited the old port, it’s now a hugely significant archaeological site. It’s also become a centre for some of Rome’s liveliest nightlife if that’s something you planned too.
One of the most important facts for any visitor to Italy and Rome in particular is to keep an eye out for local events and exhibitions. A good tip is to keep an eye on local media before you visit, a little Italian can help with. One of the best places for information is Italian TV channels like Rai PLay which are accessible over the internet, you’ll need an Italian VPN though – check here for information – Rai Streaming Estero which shows you how to watch from outside Italy.
One place that is definitely worth a visit and is completely free, is one of the world’s most beautiful fountains – The Trevi Fountain. Like everything in Rome, timing is everything and if you visit early or late at night you’ll enjoy it so much more without the hordes of tourists surrounding it.
However at the end of the day, Rome lends itself perfectly to the perfect way to discover a city – simply walking. Around every corner you’ll find a surprise and the atmosphere of what was once the centre of the civilized world is something you can only truly enjoy on foot away from all the crowds.