Rome in the summer time

I want to go to Rome in August and was wondering if anyone has any tips for me on cheap flights, places to stay, things to see etc. I also want to go to a beach near Rome for a couple of days. Any suggestions? Thank you!!!

its ridiculously hot in August

dba (www.dba.de) fly there on the cheap I think. Well cheapish, around €200 - €250 in August at the moment

Just take a walk around - there is so much to see - Collisseum (sp)+the old Capitol hill, Vatican, Trevi Fountain, that thing with the big pillars (can't remember the name now), loads of other stuff which I cn't even name but looked pretty spectacular

Yeah, August seems to be low season and I was wondering why. Will it be unbearable in August? Will Romans even be in Rome or will they have left to go on vacation, thus leaving shops and things closed?

I was going to post the same topic.. thanks BG.. lemme know if u find any good deals..

Rome in August

I wouldn't go to Rome if I were you. It will be just too hot. Go in the spring or autumn then it's nice. I stayed in a hotel near the fountain. It was quite expensive but I remember there being cheaper looking places quite close by. Would you think about going somewhere else inAusgust?

@BG: If you want to see all the attractions...then wait till September. You're right...In August the whole city basically shuts down and moves to the beach. This is also extremely valid in Milan.

Pantheon is the thingy with the big columns.

The Vittorio Emanuele National Monumnet isn't bad either.

@Bubble Gum and bonydebbie

I just got back...It was great! Will be hot but if you go prepared, I'm sure you'll be fine. I've got some guide books and stuff if you guys want to borrow them to plan your trip

I have a good friend who owns a restaurant next to the Pantheon (Romilo via di Campo Marzio 13). It is hot, but not unbearable. The closest beach is near the airport in Fiumicino or go to Fregene a bit nicer, it is a half hour by car forty five minutes by bus (something cheap like an euro). It is not worth swimming in the sea, but the beach will be packed with people until the evening, where the bars are a great place to hang out. They place little cushions and chairs all around the beach and everyone listens to the music as you watch the sun set.
Right now )if you are a bit flexible) you can order tickets on the train for round trip (53 euros), but they book out fast.

@ Sk8rgrl that would be great!!!

Could anyone recommend a nice beach to go to as after some days in Rome we plan on moving on to a beach; somewhere not too far from Rome.

Edit:

Cheers brokenm i didn't see your post before . That sounds great; how much would we be looking at for a hotel close to that beach?

Cheers,
Juddy

I stayed at a friends summer place there, and took the bus to Rome daily and returned, so i don't know the actual cost of hotels. But if you decide to go, I can give my friend a call and get some great restaurant recommendations (especially if you like fish) for you. The only negative is that the last train back is around eight or so and the regions in Rome that are great in the evening (Trestevere) don't get hoppong until later. But it really is wonderful when the sun is setting, beautiful view, wonderful music, and just the right laid back attitude.

the MeJ hostel was really nice to me when i went down to rome, and they're affiliated with a tour company, too. see http://www.mejplacehostel.com/. hostel/hotel alessandro has three properties in the city, ranging from dorm-style hostel beds to actual hotel-like rooms. see http://hostelalessandro.com/.

All the people from Rome take their vacation in August. You will found that some of the restaurants are closed. The tourist ones will be open.

If you want some fresh air, you can go look at the hills south of Rome. There are some lake and nice village with good wine up there. The pope has a little villa there. Note that the lake can be several tens of meter lower than the village.

i went to rome last august (against my will, but was meeting my australian cousin there) and was pleasantly surprised. It really wasnt't much hotter than the times I'd been there in May or June, and there were considerably less tourists. I booked a last minute hotel on hrs.de that was about 1.5km from the Vatican which had an outdoor pool - definitely worth any extra expense, though there are several outdoor pools outside of the city.

I was there years ago for a summer and we went to a volcanic lake about 30 minutes from the city, it was amazing, with it's own beach. If that's not your cup of tach, then head to terracina or similar, though they will be full of all the italians on holiday.
and expect many places to be closed in august...
have fun!

I lived in Rome for 3 months, lleft mid July because the heat was getting unbearable. August is even hotter. I would either go October or wait until the spring.

i was just in rome this weekend... yeah it was hot - but who cares! it's cool enough inside the pantheon, churches, museums and shops [great shopping all around the spanish steps!] the only ueber hot spots are the colosseum and the sites along the ancient road... so see them first thing in the morning when it's still relatively cool and quiet.

as was mentioned before... be sure to meander around trastevere in the evening. the best meal i had in rome was in a sweet outdoor courtyard of an great local place [tourist free when we were there] called forno a legna ristorante-pizzeria [44 via della luce, near the piazza saint franc d'assisi]. we asked the owner to just bring us his specialities... he brought out the best melon/prosciutto/figs i've ever had, then a beautiful gnocci, then a light white fish in lemon-garlic sauce, then tiramisu, and finally complimentary shots of some deadly grappa. he also recommended some great/reasonable wines.

we stayed at a very reasonable hotel [very basic but good beds, great showers, super friendly staff] called matisse about 5 minutes walk from the national palace [10 minutes walk from the colosseum in one direction, 10 mins to the pantheon in the other] for 100Eur/night. if you decide to stay there, be sure to ask for a room in their 266 via cavour hotel as they have several other no-so-central locations.

oh... and eat the chocolate gelato at the ice cream store tucked in the right corner as you walk out of the pantheon into the piazza... directly across from the fountain. it won the best gelato in rome... and the 5x i taste tested it... i agreed... in a separate but equally scientific study, we determined it also has the best looking employees of any gelateria

MMmmmm Italian gelato...Yummy...Anybody want to go to Rome this weekend??

would u suggest 2 days is enough to see the best bits of Rome with a no rest just sightsee trip ?

I think you need more time than 2 days...3-4 days would be good.

ooooh, these are great tips! thanks guys, keep 'em coming!

My best gelato recommendation is near the Trevi Fountain. I don't have a map with me and tried to find one on the internet that I could use, but to no avail, however it is easy to find. When you are standing in front of the fountain turn your back so that the fountain is behind you, go left on the road that passes in front of the fountain and walk less than fifty meters, until the first road that you can take left. About fifteen meters on the right side is one of the best recommended (and expensive) gelato places from my friends who live there.

You can spend a month in Rome and not see enough. I have visited for a few weeks at a time for about six or seven visits and I have not seen enough, there are just too many museums, fountains buildings to see. I would also suggest going to some cities a bit North of Rome (2 hours, maybe 1.5 hours) such as Spoleto, Norcia, Senia and Perugia. Spoleto is one of my favorite cities, and they host effectively the equivalent of the Cannes film festival for dance and theater, called Festival dei due mondi. I may go this year, if I can take off work. Beautiful city...

I lived in Trastavere, what a great place!

trastevere is wonderful - the whole area just buzzes at nighttime, not only cool places to eat and drink but great stalls selling all sorts.
there's so much to see in rome - thing is you'll end up going back anyway. You must visit the vatican, it's phenomenal (though don't forget to cover up when you go inside), the spanish steps, the colleseum, the trevi, there's loads to do there...

Thanks for all the tip guys! I'm off in a week, if anyone has any other tips we would reall appreciate them!

Here's a tip - take me with you, pleeease!

Ive been to Rome twice in the summer time, once in August. Don't know if it was mentioned above but check the dress code for the Vatican. I dont remember the details buts no shorts and sleeveless if memory serves me correctly...anyway, check it out as we saw A LOT of people getting turned away for improper dress.

@JML

I've heard a lot of stories about you but I refuse to believe that you went in to the Vatican without shorts and sleeveless.

Wow! Tons of great information here. We are going to Rome Oct 20-24 and want to stay somewhere central but don't want to break the bank so 100€ or less per room would be good.
Any other info is welcomed!

We're planning on Rome this August (around my birthday, Aug 9th), and staying for ~7 days. Right now the cheapest flights seem to be through Condor, and as far as hotels, we're thinking near the train station for 70 euro a night including breakfast.

Another hotel we're looking at is over right near the vatican, but we have no idea about their transport system...so not sure how bad it'd be getting there mid-summer with bags for a full week...plus a buttload of tour brochures so I can get free tours *cough* I'm cheap *cough*.

Also, anyone got any reviews on which tour company to go with in Rome? there's so many, I guess I'd like a couple company names to consider from personal recommendations.

When we were in Rome a few years ago, we hapenned on this guy giving a free tour in the forum. He was very knowledgable, but also incredibly funny. Then at the end of the free tour he made his pitch: Tomorrow he was doing a tour of the Vatican, but we would have to pay. I think that's how he builds hus business. Anyway its one of the best tours I've ever been on. He is really funny but also loves Rome, art, everything he talks about. They are vinorossotours.

In my opinion, a week is a long time to spend in Rome. Its not really a place you can relax. It's busy and as loud as hell, lots of interesting sights to see though. If you do go for a week, you could catch the train to Naples for a couple of days. Naples is dump, even more so than Rome, but you can go to Pompei which is really interesting.

We also stayed near the train station, and its cheap for a reason. Quite dodgy around there, but hey, the rest of Rome is so damn expensive if I went back again I'd probably stay in the same place. Don't expect much for 70 euros though.

The transport system in Rome itself is pretty good. You're in Italy, so don't expect anything to run on time, but it will get you around. Even though we stayed by the train station, we basically just walked the whole time. Even though I don't have a good opinion of Italy, there really is a lot to see in Rome, and I think you'd miss a lot of it if you caught the train everywhere.

Vatican will take a day on its own. Very impressive and confirms my belief that the Catholic church is more interested in power than helping the poor. The place is the opitimy of over indulgence and extravagance, but as I said, very impressive. Get there early or you'll be in the biggest line you've ever seen to get in.

The reason we decided on 7 days is that we did a recent tour of Berlin, 4 1/2 days, we saw about 2/3rds of what we wanted to see. Rome has more...

I'm a tour guide...sight-seeing is what I do...the beach is what I'm bored by...we're thinking 7 days in Rome won't be enough, but it'll be a good taste.

...but thank you, I really appreciate the link Madaxemurderer, and also the info, Hutcho the more the merrier

One very interesting, yet cheap day trip is to Ostia Antica. You can get there via a city train which takes about 45 minutes (if you can figure out when the trains leave). You can buy a day ticket for the public transportation that covers the whole network. About a year ago it cost only four Euros. It is a complete city with even an ampitheather. I am sure that this topic is done to death if you want more specific info about trains & such on tripadvisor.

Unfortunately with only 7 days or so, we won't have time for day trips

Tour info and hotel info is mainly what I'm after I suppose.

I would say 2 days for the Vatican for a comfortable tour, especially if you're into artifacts. And don't believe that free tour and/or pay a fee and jump the line bit to get into St Peter's (which will be about a 2 hour wait so bring lots of water). It's just not true. Make sure you check the signs by the city for hours and days when things are closed. If cost is comparable, I would probably stay nearby it than the train station. A lot of things will be closed, it being August, but if you don't manage to drink copious amounts of red wine regardless, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Cool...near the vatican or over by the trainstation...prices are the same. So maybe we'll consider the across the river rather than the train station. As long as it's not a damn hike with the luggage...looks like it could be an absolute nightmare if we had to walk with the luggage...I'm also told I might need lube just to get in the buses in Rome...hmm...with bags, it could be interesting.

I just came back from Rome. I only had 2.5 days but I can share whatever information I have.

Basically, in terms of hotels, I stayed in a budget one near the central station (Termini). They're called Serendipity Residence (http://www.serendipityinrome.com/) and it takes about 10 minutes leisure walk from Termini. Half the time if you walk briskly. Clean rooms, television, shower and aircon. They also have very nice staff who will give you tips on where to go, what to do and how to save money. Their breakfast was simple but adequate for me: toast, coffee, butter/jam/nutella. If you want a greater range of options, try http://www.romeby.com or http://www.venere.com. I personally prefer Romeby because they have an online chat system that allows you to talk to an operator. And you can tell the operator that you want a place near Termini or Vatican or Colosseum... whatever and then say that you've got a budget of XX€

I took a guided tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel via this company: http://www.rome-museum.com and contrary to what one of the posters said above, I did skip the lines and entered before the gates were open at 10. Generally, the public is allowed entry starting at 10 while the guided tours can go in at 9.30 or so. 33€ per person inclusive of Vatican Tickets and guided tour. And at the end of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel tour, a lot of people make the mistake of exiting on the left of the Sistine Chapel. They then will have to queue to go into St Peter's. Take the right exit instead and you'll go in without a hitch.

For other tours like walking tours around Rome, or night walking tours, I've heard Enjoy Rome (http://www.enjoyrome.com/) being talked about a lot and people are generally happy with their service. As for the Colosseum, I would recommend to take the tour by the Colosseum people themselves. It costs 3.5€ per person and the guided tour is pretty good.

I was lucky when I went there because it was Museum week or something like that and all entrance to the museums were free (except for Vatican). But if you want to save on transportation, buy the Romapass (http://www.romapass.it/english/index.html) which allows you to travel on the metros, trams and buses freely for 3 days and also to go into 2 museums for free (Vatican not included) and many other museums for a discount. It costs about 20€ per person but taking into account that the entrance to the Colosseum alone costs 11€, it's value for money especially coupled with 1 more free entrance.

Grazie for all the information, much appreciated!

A couple things, first of all about the temps...it was around 30C and sunny every day were were there, but it did NOT feel hot. The humidity was low and there was ALWAYS a breeze...so if anyone plans on visiting Rome next year in August, I'd say go for it, it's a wonderful time to visit Rome. Also, we ended up getting a weekly bus pass, it cost €16, and was wonderful. We bought http://www.tickitaly.com/galleries/archaeo...l-rome-pass.php ...which was perfect as well.

Also, our favorite restaurant while we were there was: www.lenane.it
I just wish it were in Munich.

So here's what I did on my summer vacation to Rome.

1. The Colesseum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum
2. The Roman Forum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum
3. The Arch of Constantine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Constantine
4. Palatine Hill http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatine_hill
5. Circus Maximus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_Maximus
6. Baths of Caracalla http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baths_of_Caracalla
7. Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_to_V...rio_Emanuele_II
8. Il Gesu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_Gesu
9. The Pantheon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon%2C_Rome
10. Santa Maria sopra Minerva http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_sopra_Minerva
11. San Luigi dei Francesi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Luigi_dei_Francesi
12. The Vatican Museum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Museum (which of course includes #13)
13. Sistine Chapel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel
14. St. Peter’s Basilica http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Basilica
(which of course used to look like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Saint_Peter%27s_Basilica ….and before that it was #15)…including the hike up to the top of the dome, the grottos (where the popes caskets are scattered about), and of course the walk up to it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_della_Conciliazione
15. The Vatican Necropolis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter%27s_tomb
(the hill, currently under St. Peter’s, which was built on top of the old Basilica…anyways, we saw St. Peter’s grave, supposedly...very few Vatican visitors do, as reservations and entrance are interesting to obtain)
16. Castel sant Angelo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_Sant%27Angelo
17. The Spanish Steps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_steps
18. Rome’s Hard Rock Café (we can’t help it) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_Rock_Cafe
19. San Giovanni in Laterano (Rome’s Cathedral) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John_Lateran
20. Trajan’s Forum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajan%27s_Forum
21. Trajan’s Column http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajan%27s_Column
22. Mamertine Prison http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamertine_Prison
23. Capitoline Hill Museum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitoline_Hill
24. San Clemente http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_San_Clemente (church & very cool museum underneath, former temple)
25. The Trevi fountain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontana_di_Trevi
26. Colonna di Marco Aurelio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Column_of_Marcus_Aurelius
27. Santa Maria Maggiore http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_Maggiore
28. Santa Maria Della Vittoria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_della_Vittoria
29. Santa Maria degli Angeli http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_d...i_e_dei_Martiri
30. Baths of Diocletian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baths_of_Diocletian
31. National Museum of Rome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Rome
32. St. Peter in chains http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pietro_in_Vincoli
33. St. Paul’s outside the walls http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul_outside_the_Walls
34. The Mouth of Truth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouth_of_truth
35. The Pyramid of Cestius (from 12BC…) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Cestius
36. San Sebastian catacombs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Sebastiano_fuori_le_mura (this is the place where the word catacomb comes from, as it was in a spot where the road dips into a hollow , a place the romans called catacumbas “near the hollow� )
37. Tomba di Cecilia Metella (don’t go)
38. Four Rivers Fountain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontana_dei_Quattro_Fiumi
39. St. Agnese in Agony http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant%27Agnese_in_Agone
40. Santa Maria del Popolo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_del_Popolo
41. Piazza del Popolo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_del_Popolo
42. Santa Maria della Concezione http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_della_Concezione (bones, bones, and more bones…you gotta see the pics)

If anyone is interested, I finally posted the photos from my trip during the summer.

Pictures here

For a nice meal or an evening out among locals try the restaurants, bars and pubs in the San Lorenzo area east of Termini railway station just outisde the old city walls. Prices there are generally more reasonable than in most other parts of the city.