Wanderlust Wonderland brings you: a travel guide for ordinary travelers, with must-sees, tips and tricks and the most delicious food, for ordinary travelers, like you and me.

Rome was an absolute dream, a city that is filled with the most beautiful architecture, ancient buildings full of cats, great food, amazing museums, and of course it’s Italy so the weather is lovely as well. But where to start? What parts of Rome do you have to put onto your bucketlist? Time for a travel guide!

Where we stayed

We stayed in Hotel Hiberia. The hotel itself was good, nothing too fancy but it was clean, spacious enough and the breakfast was fine too. A perfectly good hotel. We picked this hotel because it was one of the cheaper ones in the city center. To give you a rough idea about the location, the nearest subway entrance was opposite the Colosseum and whenever we were walking past the Trevi Fountain, we had the almost there feeling.

The hotel was cheap, we payed 195 euros for four nights right in the city center, and like I said, the hotel was perfectly fine and I have nothing too complain about. I don’t know what the prices are like in non-corona times, but I’d definitely recommend this hotel.

When to go

In summer, Italy is HOT, we went there from June 30 until July 4th and that was a little too much heat for me, especially since Rome is a city best seen on foot. We had 36 degrees celcius the entire time. I’d recommend visiting in the spring, since it will be less hot and less crowded (outside corona-times).

Highlights

• Colosseum
• Give yourself plenty of time to wander around the Foro Romano
• Throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain to make sure you’ll return to Rome one day
• See the fountains at Piazza Navona
• Put your hand into the Bocca della Verita
• Pantheon
• Spanish steps

Must do’s

• Walk along the Tiber
• Get lost in the city, you’ll find beautiful ancient buildings (or remnants of them) everywhere, which is what makes Rome so special
• Cat-spotting at Largo di Torre Argentina
• Relax in the Borghese gardens
• See the city from Pincio hill

Vatican city

Vatican city is its own state, the smallest in the world and it’s located right in the city of Rome. Make sure to allocate another day to visit these highlights:

• Vatican museums
• Sistine chapel with its famous painting of the Creation of Adam
• St. Peter’s basilica

Tips and tricks

• As I said before, try visiting in spring instead of summer, for Italy can be very hot in the middle of July or August. If you do decide to visit in summer, make sure to pack some bottles of water and snacks and take a break when you feel you need one. There a waterpoints everywhere throughout the city to fill your water bottles if needed
• Buy your museum tickets beforehand
• Some museums request that you dress appropriately (the Pantheon and the Vatican museums, for example) so make sure to pack at least one outfit that will cover your knees and shoulders
• If you want to visit another city, make sure to buy your train tickets early, for it will be cheaper

Must eat

• Gelato every day!
• The best restaurant in Rome: Sette Oche in Altalena
• Have an Aperitivo
• Restaurant Benso (but don’t be fooled by the online menu!)
• Just eat lots and lots of pizza and pasta ♥

The traveling bookworm

• Elizabeth Gilbert – Eat, Pray, Love (travel memoir, biography)
• Carlo Collodi – The adventures of Pinnocchio (children’s literature)
• Luigi Pirandello – One, No one and one hundred thousand (literature, philosophy)
• Virgil – Aeneid (classic literature, mythology)
• Shakespeare – Caesar (classic literature, theatre)