Mistakes to Avoid in Rome, Italy
Rome, also known as the Eternal City, is a destination that has been captivating visitors for literally thousands of years. I’ve been to Italy many times, and I’ve now been to Rome on three different trips.
While it’s not my favorite of Italy’s major cities (for me, that would be Venice), I can absolutely understand why Rome is so popular. If it’s your first time visiting, you definitely won’t be disappointed!
Rome is packed with incredible ancient historic sites, from the Colosseum to the Roman Forum to the Pantheon. You can also visit the smallest country in the world, Vatican City, which is entirely contained within Rome, and home to the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica.
Additionally, you can visit iconic tourist attractions like the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, take in amazing art at the Borghese Gallery, take an evening stroll through the lively streets of the Trastevere neighborhood, and enjoy classic Roman pasta dishes like carbonara, amatriciana, and cacio e pepe.
It’s truly an incredible destination. But like most popular bucket list destinations, it’s easy to get disappointed by the reality of Rome, especially if you come to this city unprepared. That’s why I’m here!
After multiple trips to Rome, I wanted to share some of the most common mistakes that tourists make in Rome, so you know what to avoid. I want you to have the best time possible in the Eternal City!
So here’s a look at what not to do in Rome:
1. Not allotting enough days for Rome
You might have heard the famous saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And similarly, you can’t see Rome in a day either! One of the biggest mistakes travelers make is not spending enough time in Rome.
I recommend at least three full days in this city. If you try to cram everything into one or two days, you’ll only have time to hit some of the biggest tourist highlights, but you won’t truly enjoy Rome.
With three days, you can check off all the iconic attractions that Rome is famous for, but you can also spend some time aimlessly wandering around and have a more relaxed pace. With four or five days based in the city, you can truly get off the beaten path, and also maybe take a day trip from Rome.
2. Overscheduling your days
Another mistake to avoid? Overscheduling your days in Rome! This goes hand in hand with what I just talked about above. If you’re on a tight schedule, you might be tempted to cram in as much sightseeing as possible. The Colosseum and the Roman Forum in the morning, followed by the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica in the afternoon, followed by dinner in Trastevere in the evening. Doable, right?
Think again! Even though it might seem like a good idea to fill your days with as many activities as possible, this is a recipe for disaster. You’ll just end up feeling more tired and rushed than anything.
I recommend only doing one or two “big” activities per day. So in the example I gave above, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum are fine for one day, and the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica should be saved for the next. The key to enjoying your time in Rome is to leave plenty of buffer time in your days!
3. Underestimating walking distances
If I haven’t already convinced you not to overschedule your days, I should also caution you that the walking distances in Rome can be a lot more than you might expect! As the capital of Italy, Rome is a very large city, and even the historic center is sprawling. You’ll be doing a lot of walking.
For example, from the Colosseum, it’s a 30-minute walk to the Trevi Fountain, a 45-minute walk to Villa Borghese, and a one-hour walk to the Vatican Museum. Even if you minimize walking times by taking advantage of Rome’s efficient Metro system, you should still plan for a lot of walking each day.
I was easily clocking 20,000 steps a day in Rome. It’s a beautiful city, and most areas are very walkable, so I do recommend getting out and walking as much as possible. But that brings me to…
4. Wearing the wrong shoes
Since you’ll be walking a lot in Rome, it’s very important that you have the right footwear! This is not a destination where you should sacrifice comfort for style. Good walking shoes are a must!
That’s not to say you need to wear a clunky pair of orthopedic sneakers or socks with sandals. The Italians are very stylish, and that’s the sort of footwear that makes my list of what not to wear in Italy. But a stylish yet comfortable pair of sneakers or sandals? Absolutely! These will be perfect for wearing in Rome.
If you want to pack some cute but less comfortable shoes like heels, you can save those for going out to dinner in the evenings only. During the day, I definitely recommend prioritizing comfort and stability!
5. Planning your trip in the summer
I always caution against visiting many popular destinations in Italy in the summer if you can help it, and that definitely goes for Rome. Being in southern Italy, Rome is swelteringly hot during the summer months of June through August. This is also the most crowded time of the year to visit Rome.
Instead, I recommend the “shoulder season” of April, May, September, or October for pleasant weather and fewer crowds. I also went to Rome in the winter once, and it was great! It usually doesn’t get too cold in Rome (although it can still be pretty chilly!), and it’s a lot less crowded during the winter months.
6. Neglecting to pre-book tickets or tours
Rome is a city where you NEED to pre-book tickets and tours or else you’ll be disappointed. Many popular attractions fully sell out days in advance, and those that don’t can have very long lines for tickets, which is a major waste of time. Here’s what you should absolutely pre-book in advance:
- The Colosseum (this includes access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill)
- Vatican Museum (this includes access to the Sistine Chapel)
- The Pantheon (used to be free to visit, now requires an advance €5 ticket)
- Borghese Gallery (very strict time slots with limited tickets each day)
Booking tickets directly is the cheapest option, but a good “hack” if tickets aren’t available is to check for tours on Viator or GetYourGuide that include tickets (and usually other perks like skip-the-line access.) Although this is a little more expensive, tours are often worth it at famous historic sites in Rome.
7. Eating right by popular tourist attractions
Rome is an amazing city for foodies, but the worst restaurants are the ones you’ll find right by popular tourist attractions. While it might seem like a great idea to enjoy lunch with a view of the Colosseum, you’ll likely end up overpaying for your meal and have poor service and food that’s not even very good.
To avoid tourist traps, I recommend doing some research on where to eat in Rome beforehand. Or better yet, book a food tour and discover authentic Roman cuisine from a local guide. I like food tours because they always introduce me to the local cuisine and give me ideas for where to eat later on in my trip!
Another related tip is to avoid restaurants that have waiters aggressively hawking outside and trying to hand you a menu or convince you to sit down, or restaurants with pictures of the food on menus.
8. Not getting an early start
The early bird gets the worm in Rome. I highly recommend waking up early at least one day during your trip, because you can beat the crowds this way and experience a quieter version of the city. One cool spot to visit early in the morning is the iconic Trevi Fountain, free from its usual tourist hordes.
Early morning is also the best time to visit St. Peter’s Basilica. Entry to the church is free, but there’s often an extremely long line to get in. If you go early, you can be among the first to enter, and not have to wait. Just be sure to check the opening hours on the specific date that you’re visiting beforehand.
I also recommend booking the first time slot for popular attractions like the Colosseum and the Vatican Museum. It’s so much nicer to visit these crowded places early in the morning when they’re calmer.
9. Taking taxis instead of public transit
I’ve already talked about how Rome is a big, spread-out city, and you’ll probably be walking a lot. But you can’t walk everywhere. And it might be tempting to just take a taxi or an Uber across the city.
But this is an expense that adds up quickly, and there’s often no need, because Rome has efficient public transit! The Rome Metro is great for getting to many places, and there’s also a bus and tram system.
10. Forgetting the dress code for churches
Rome is home to many churches, with one of the most famous being St. Peter’s Basilica. (Well, St. Peter’s Basilica is technically in the micronation of Vatican City, but it’s still in Rome.) There are many beautiful and historic churches around Rome, and all of them are free for visitors to enter, with some guidelines.
For most churches in Rome, you’ll need to adhere to the dress code. For women and men, this means dressing modestly and having your shoulders, midriff, and knees covered. You basically can’t wear tank tops, crop tops, short skirts or shorts, or short dresses. You also can’t wear hats inside.
If you are wearing a sleveless top or dress, it’s a good idea to pack a shawl or sweater in your purse that you can throw on before entering a church. And plan to wear longer skirts, dresses, or pants too.
11. Staying outside the city center
It might be tempting to stay outside the city center in Rome, because you can find better deals on hotels on the outskirts of the city. But I promise that this isn’t worth the hassle for the savings!
You’ll spend a lot of time “commuting” into the historic center of Rome each day, rather than getting to soak up the charm of the city. If you’re looking for cheaper hotels in a convenient location, check near the Roma Termini train station (just know that this area can also be a little bit sketchy at night.)
12. Falling for common scams
Scams abound in touristy areas in Rome, but they’re easy to avoid. One of the most common scams that I noticed on my last trip to Rome was the irritating rose scam. This is where someone tries to offer you a beautiful red rose “as a gift,” but then once you take it, they’ll start hassling you for payment.
A similar tactic is the friendship bracelet scam, where someone will approach you and start tying a “friendship bracelet” onto your wrist, only to shake you down for money afterwards. With both of these scams, don’t engage. You can just cross your arms and keep walking, and they’ll leave you alone.
While not a “scam” exactly, pickpocketing is also fairly common in Rome, especially in crowded areas near popular tourist attractions. I have a whole guide on how to avoid pickpockets in Europe.
13. Buying bottled water
Buying bottled water in Rome is a total waste of money. The Romans literally invented a sophisticated water aqueduct system more than 2,300 years ago. Tap water is very safe to drink here! I definitely recommend bringing a refillable water bottle with you to Rome. You can fill it up from any tap in the city.
This even goes for water from public taps and drinking fountains. You’ll see these all around in Rome — they’re called nasoni, and they’re the perfect place to fill up on clean drinking water.
14. Not getting off the main tourist trail
Rome is full of iconic attractions, but it’s also worth getting a little off the beaten path. My top suggestion would be to simply take some time to wander around and explore on your own. You can stumble across all kinds of hidden gems if you just start strolling down side streets away from the main tourist sights.
I also recommend getting slightly outside the city center on at least one of your days in Rome. Something really cool to do is an e-bike tour of the Appian Way, which is on the outskirts of Rome. Along this ancient road, you can see some fascinating historic places, like the Catacombs and the Roman aqueducts.
15. Only speaking English
Finally, one last thing not to do in Rome is to only speak English everywhere you go. While many Italians do speak English, especially those working in tourism or hospitality in Rome, it’s rude to automatically assume that everyone does. It’s polite to learn a few words and phrases in Italian, and use them.
Here are some useful words and phrases to know before you go:
- Buongiorno (good morning)
- Buonasera (good evening)
- Per favore (please)
- Grazie (thank you)
- Ciao (goodbye, can also mean hi or hello)
- Scusi (excuse me)
- Parla inglese? (Do you speak English)
- Non parlo italiano (I don’t speak Italian)
Even if the person you’re interacting with does speak English and will immediately switch to speaking it with you (which is likely!), it’s still polite and appreciated to begin the initial conversation in Italian.
What Not to Do in Rome for Tourists
This guide showed you the biggest tourist mistakes to avoid in Rome.
Rome is an amazing city, and it’s 100% worth visiting. But it’s a city that does require some advance planning if you want to make the most of your trip and avoid disappointment. By following these tips for what not to do in Rome, you should be more prepared and have a great time visiting the Eternal City.
Enjoy your trip to Rome!
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