every year millions of tourists come from around the world to admire the

treasures and masterpieces

of Roman art and architecture.

But a trip to the Eternal City can be eternally confusing for first-time

visitors.

This guide will make it easier to uncover Rome

offering lots of practical advice that will help you discover

and enjoy the city in all its glory.

Because Rome is such a huge tourist draw,

choose the date for your trip carefully. The best times of the year to visit are

April, May, and late September through October.

In the height of summer, the heat and the crowds make the city nearly unbearable.

August in particular should be avoided because

this is the month all of Italy seems to go on vacation.

Traveling too late or too early in the year can also be risky

because the opening hours for many attractions are shorter,

and some are closed completely.

Airfares typically drop quite a bit when "shoulder season" begins in the early autumn,

making this the optimal time to visit in my book. The days are still warm,

the nights are slightly cool, and the tour groups and student mobs have mostly

disappeared.

If you can plan to stay as long as a week,

you won't run out of things to do and you'll still feel like you're leaving

too soon.

But if your time is limited, allow at least four days to see

all of Rome's major attractions. If you try to cram the entire city into a

two-day span

and do nothing but run from place to place furiously snapping pictures,

you'll only be cheating yourself. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day

and it can't be seen in one, either.

Rome's Fiumicino Airport is 19 miles outside the city.

A train station is located right inside

and you can travel straight to Termini Station near the center of town

but you'll then need to find a way to get to your hotel.

If you're carrying a lot of luggage or just want to make things easier on yourself,

take a cab or have your hotel arrange to have a hired car pick you up.

Either option will cost more but the no-stress factor makes it worth the extra money.

Renting your own car is always an option,

but even if you're planning to tour other parts of Italy

I wouldn't advise driving in or near Rome unless you have nerves of steel

and the skills and reflexes of a professional racecar driver.

Roman drivers are somewhat

exuberant and Roman traffic is often chaotic

to plunge fully into the essence a Rome

I highly recommend staying in a hotel where you can simply walk out your door

and into the heart of the city

of course the closer to the attractions you are

the more you'll pay but trust me it's worth it

before you make a reservation look at a map Avrohom

and confine yourself to hotels that are Easter the Taiba River

and West have 10 mini-station also be aware that

distances on a map might not be as close as they appear

I once dated a hotel in the fashionable the event at our area

thinking that it would be fairly close to all the major attractions but in

reality

took nearly half an hour to reach anything at all from there on foot

despite the fact that it looked at polls so close on paper

the most vibrant area to stay in

is the half-mile stretch between Piazza Navona and get somebody

some rooms here a pricey but you'll also find plenty of small family run hotels

nearby

guidebooks are fine for gathering ideas but

hit the internet to get the best deals or if you prefer

book a hotel directly with Italy guides dot I T

and you'll contribute to publishing future guides like this one

and

did 0 going hungry

is one thing no traveler should ever worry about while in Rome

the city is literally overrun with good places to eat

the busy area just south of the Spanish Steps as Fulham

and the Maison intersecting side streets tucked between Via del Corso

and Piazza Navona contains dozens as well

most have outdoor seating and offer similar menus containing pasta pizza

veal chicken and a few seafood dishes the food is typically simple

fresh and delicious and even the restaurants that seem to be tourist

traps

will still feed you well if you have a tough time choosing

your best bet is to simply decide what you want to look at while you're dining

and pick a restaurant based on that

for instance the Piazza della Rotonda contains several cafes

which face the Pantheon and Piazza Navona

is completely encircled by restaurants which offer views of its numerous

fountains

I'll for the younger folks we suggest and evening sipping beer and got said

the company fury

near the Pantheon or in picturesque

trust David typical hangouts on for young Romans

0 a few dining tips first

Rome is one of the cities where a restaurant's house wine is usually

excellent second although we recommend learning and using

at least a few italian phrases almost every way to real ever meet in Rome

speaks English

germans and other European tourists communicate with Italian waiters and

English

because it's the more common language some useful phrases for dining are

schools E or a mall or denied a which means

excuse me would like to order or you can ask for the check by saying

be condo paid for it and if the food was good in the waiters attentive

then don't forget to leave a small tip remember also that especially during

summer

Roman restaurants will be open until well after ten in the evening

dreams

take out that handy map a row again

now draw a diamond shape with the Spanish Steps at the top

ceremonies station to the right the Aventine hill at the bottom

and Piazza Navona to the left seventy-five percent of your sightseeing

will probably take place within this area

and even though it doesn't seem that big on the map you'll need at least two days

to see everything within the diamond

and three would be better some activities such as touring the ruins of

ancient Rome

including the Coliseum can easily occupy an entire day

up several notable sites like outside the diamond shape

including the vatican another full day destination

Castel Sant'Angelo and the Villa Borghese it

Rome subway system can come in handy when you're traveling to these locations

look for the big red M at the entrance to each station

and a one way ticket costs less than a dollar but there are also tourist

tickets called

biet or CIS good for unlimited rides

be ID be yet door to Reese to go in to get out on

is a three-day ticket valid until midnight on the third day on which the

ticket is validated

the CIS character into got a city man Ali

is a weekly one both the be it. NCIS tickets grandeur

unlimited rides on at doc orkut crowd buses

subways and some local trains

there's also a ticket called but Roma pass- which offers you transport and two

museums free of charge

as well as reductions for all other museums in major events in Rome

for a three-day pass the Roma passes available in all museums

and the tourist information points

and role as a city

that is best savored slowly like a glass a

robust red wine allow yourself the chance to see it properly

by formulating a touring plan before you arrive

choose one small section of the city to explore each day

leaving yourself ample time to lounge over a cup cappuccino at an outdoor cafe

or a scoop of gelato at one of the dozens of ice cream shop so find

I another hint is to save the attractions closest to your hotel

for last you may be tempted to do just the opposite

but these will be the easiest sites to visit if time starts to run short

if the worst-case scenario happens and you're unable to see everything in one

trip

just toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain before you leave

and as legend has it you'll be guaranteed

another visit in the future the new

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