5 Time-Saving Tips When in Rome

We picked up a few tricks while being tourists in Rome in May 2019. I’d like to share so you too can see the Roman historical sites with the least amount of hassle (and crowds). Ciao!

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Art of Basic

4 min readMay 25, 2019

1. Use your jet-lag on Day 1 to your advantage and start your Day 1 at 6AM (earlier during peak-season)

Hate finding crowds? Want basic photos for your IG without hoards of other tourists? Get up at the crack of dawn to make your way to the most famous historic sites.

Wherever you’re staying, make your way to Trevi Fountain first. This will always be the most crowded sight, day or night, and your only opportunity to attempt getting photos without anyone in it is before 7AM. Then make your way North to the Spanish Steps before looping back to Piazza Navona.

Exhibit A for reference:

Take in other sights on your map / grab a coffee, and prepare to go to the Pantheon at 8:30AM (opening time everyday except Sunday when it opens at 9AM). Alternatively, make your way over to wait in line for / purchase tickets for the Colosseum (see #2 and #3 below)

2. If you’re traveling in peak-season, reserve a time-slot for the Colosseum 4 months ahead online, and if your timing allows snag that earliest 8:35AM entrance

In the past, people have used Roma Pass to bypass the line. New regulations as of January 2019 mandate you must have a timed-entrance ticket, so even if you have a Roma Pass, you still have to reserve a time-slot ahead of time online or wait in line with the rest of us plebs.

You can reserve a time-slot online here. Although you are only reserving a entrance time-slot for the Colosseum, this ticket will also grant you access to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum.

The earlier entrance you can get, the better, because once maximum capacity is reached, you must wait until people have left to enter — even if you have a reserved time-slot.

3. If you didn’t obtain a reserved time-slot, line up at the Palatine Hill before 8AM to purchase a ticket into the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum

As I mentioned before, the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum all have separate ticket entrances (and ticket offices), but share the same admission ticket.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. All 3 sites have ticket offices, and since you can purchase the same admission ticket at all 3, go for the shortest line right? That line is at Palatine Hill. Doors open at 8:30AM, so go wait in line before 8AM.

During true peak-season or if you’re not planning to wait in line in the AM, try to reserve tickets ahead of time online to guarantee entrance. But if that didn’t work, the option I’ve outlined above may give you a fighting chance of obtaining a time-slot entrance later that same day or later that week.

Exhibit B:

4. Since the two are connected, start at the Palatine Hill and make your way into the Roman Forum (and perhaps pack a sandwich and water)

Although the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum have their own entrances, they’re connected, meaning once you enter, you have to do both in one go.

The reason you should start at Palatine Hill are threefold:

Shorter wait-time: The lines tend to be shorter at the Palatine Hill
Better views: At the end of the Palatine Hill, you will get a great birds’ eye view down onto the Roman Forum to assess the landscape
Less tiring: The climb up from the Roman Forum to the Palatine Hill is much more arduous

And assuming you spent your morning earlier at the Colosseum and headed to the Palatine Hill mid-morning, you’re bound to get hangry and thirsty. There are no food stalls within the 2 sites. So come prepared with snacks.

5. Find an AirBnB in Trastevere neighborhood for its central location and solid restaurant options

When picking out a home-base, I’m a big believer that location is king. I find it important that the neighborhood we stay in is:

Central: within walking distance of every site we mark on our map
Safe: no ifs, ands, or buts
Has solid food options: so that we can end everyday with a solid meal

Trastevere is great because it’s home to some of the best food options the city has to offer (see my post about favorite food spots in Rome here) and it’s within 30 minutes walking to all the sites we visited. It’s just west of the Tiber River, a ~30 minute walk from Trevi Fountain, ~30 minute walk to the Colosseum, and ~25 minutes south of the Vatican City.