Tips for Saving $$ in Rome
 

Hi,

Just wondering if any of you have tips for saving money while in Rome from previous experiences. I want to make the most of my trip - but am on a budget.

Thanks & I think this site is fantastic!

drink your coffees at the bar standing up.
avoid sidewalk cafés where in most cases the prices can be 20% or MORE than at bar.

stick to menus of the day.

if you are student.. get international student card for greatly reduced entrance fees.

check out local english/tourist publications for possible coupons, offers, happy hours.

Thanks for your reply lincasanova!

I am a grad student - I am going to look into getting an international student card.

I will also check out the tourist publications.

Thanks for your great tips!

Grab sandwiches and beers for lunch and eat in parks. Eat supper at pizza places or hosterias. Buy souvenirs in shops in regular neighborhoods, not right next to tourist attractions. Take advantage of free things to visit - churches, forum, some museums on certain days, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, St. Peters. Just walk around and enjoy being in Rome!

Thanks kbrennan - pizza and beer is my favourite food so that won't be too hard to do.

Could you tell me where the regular neighborhoods are located?

Thanks again.

We found a very inexpensive, local place to eat in Rome just a short walk from Campo di Fiore, by stopping into a tiny tobacco/wine tasting shop and chatting with the 'neighborhood guys'.It was so tucked away I don't think I could ever find it again!
Interesting neighborhoods we enjoyed were near the Pantheon,the Trastevare, and Testaccio (no tourists there!)

We went in the last week of May last year and it was "Culture Week" or "History Week" (something along those lines) and we got into many of the sites for free (the Colusseum, the Pantheon, Palantine Hill, the Forum, etc.)

Depending when and how long you're going, and how far you plan to travel within Rome, it might be worthwhile to get a 16 Euro weekly CIS pass that gets you on all transport. I think it might be good only Monday to Monday, but I'm not certain. With six days in Rome, I think I barely broke even, though. If you are heading off to less-well-known neighborhoods, though, it might be a moneysaver.

Get the book by Sandra Gustafson, Great Eats in Italy, there is a section on Rome and her recs are spot on and inexpensive.

Someone mentioned Trastevare - and we stay by the Ottavanio neighborhood, just north of the Vatican museums. Cheap shopping, cheap restaurants, grocery stores, area not too noisy.

I have a great tip: stay in a convent. We did, about 6 years ago, and it was wonderful--big, clean room, safe, quiet and cheap. There are dozens of convents in and around Rome--one near the Spanish Steps, another in Trastevere, for example--and they varied as to whether meals were included, parking was available, etc., but they were all very inexpensive. Ours had a bar that served cappucino in the am and drinks after 5pm--really, staffed by a nun in a habit.

We found out about this through the US Embassy in Rome; I don't have contact numbers, but I encourage you to look into it. Ciao!

Hi love,

Don't order Coca Cola.

((I))

I would NOT order from the tourist menu. There is a reason it is called that and I think you will miss out on some great food!

Seek out really local little Hostarias, Osterias, Enotecas, Trattorias. You can have wine and a pasta course quite reasonably and the pizzas are generally meal size.

I WOULD opt for an overpriced cup of cappucino in an outdoor cafe like Tre Scalini. After ten visits to Rome, a highlight of each trip is sitting in an outdoor cafe and watching the work go by. You will not be rushed out. I drink my morning capuccis standing up but mid day treat myself to a sit down tartuffo, etc. Also, you can enjoy a glass or half litre of wine almost everywhere and indulge in wonderful bibite, at no cost. It is customany in Italy.

Some days museum entrances are free, so do your research. The parks are great places to relax and people watch. If you are a runner as I am, Borghese Park is a great place for a traffic free run.

Walking tours are a great way to get introduced to Rome. Get a metro card and use the subway. There are only 2 lines and it is fairly simple. Taxis are expensive so I try to avoid them and walk almost everywhere.

You will have a great time! Rome is wonderful. I visited for the first time at 16 and it has never lost its charm.

Willtravel mentioned a 16 euro transit pass, and a previous thread mentioned a 24 (I think) euro pass that is good for a week. Does anyone know the difference? Thanks!

Thanks for all your comments...I am sure to get the best of Rome within my budget with all your comments and tips.

I truly do appreicate them!

Ira - that was soo funny & true.